[IcyFlow]

Hi,
as the titles says , has anyone heard them both before? what are your opinions on them?
Personally, i have only tried the dp-x1a , and i love the sound of it , but i head horror stories of the headphone jacks coming lose after use , onkyo claims its supposed to be fixed , but i still see people complaining about the headphone jacks needing repairs.


on a side note , i think the dp-x1a has been out in japan for almost a year already , do you think they are going to release a newer version anytime soon?

 

[Alude]

I too would like to know the answers to your posted questions. I am currently looking to purchase my first DAP. The Onkyo dp-x1a and the AK70 mk2 or mk1 are on my short list. Appreciate any feedback/opinion

 

[Alude]

anyone?? appreciate your opinions. thank you in advance

 

[IcyFlow]

I guess no one has any answers =( .

I just tried them both at my local audio store for about an hour
The dp-x1a seems darker , wider soundstage and overall clearer, I like the androidOS part of it, makes it more future proof?
As for the Ak70 ii, it seems like it’s slightly warmer, Soundstage seems closer , and in general more fun sounding, plus u get the beautiful AK design that they are known for.

The Ui on the AK seems a bit more sluggish compared to the Onkyo, it’s most noticeable when navigating through the player , could be due to the SoC that are used in each unit, the Onkyo is using a snapdragon 801 if I’m not mistaken(apq8974ab) , as for the AK I have no idea what is powering it.

My personal preference is the dp-x1a at the moment because it is running Android, Ui feels smoother, and I slightly prefer the sound of the Onkyo over the AK
Then again , Buying and AK at least you’re sure it won’t disappoint , plus the AK is newer if that’s your thing.

What do you think you’re getting ?

 

[Alude]

Thanks IcyFlow for your effort and opinion on these two DAPs. i wish there is a store here in Vancouver, Canada that i can try these DAPs. i have to rely solely on online reviews and the opinions of the members of this forum. i do like the Onkyo's Android OS but i am really worried about the possibility of the headphone jack(s) coming loose within a short period of time as seen/heard from other owners. In addition, it is not very easy to claim any warranty work locally. i would probably have to ship it to Japan.

Now with the AK70 mk2, i know i will be getting a well built DAP (no issues with headphone jack loosening) and warranty work will not be an issue if required.

I am sure SQ although different on each DAP, will still be great whichever one you choose. That said i am leaning towards the AK based upon the quality assurance of the device and the ease of warranty claims if any.

Which one are you leaning towards? Since you were able to listen to both devices locally, i am guessing there should not be any issues returning it or any warranty work. Where are you located if you dont mind me asking?

Again, thank you for your opinion. Really appreciate it.

 

[IcyFlow]

To be honest , as of right now im leaning more towards the onkyo dp-x1a solely because its sounds slightly better to me , and if i bring it along for travels at least the onkyo has some extra android features on it rather than being just a pretty brick. say offline tidal music playback , and i can purchase and downloading songs directly into the player rather than having to transfer it through a computer.

From what i read on the Ak70 ii forum , it has tidal , but does not support offline music playing because they are running a closed system of android , and does not have license to do so. Therefore the ak70 , effectively works like most DAPs and runs through the microSD card only, which can be annoying as i have some songs that i would like to listen to , that are not on the card.

I am currently in Singapore , and from what i know , we do have an onkyo distributor locally , take note , they are the distributors only , therefore i believe warranty and servicing will still need to be sent back to Japan. i heard the majority of issues only arise on the 2.5mm jack, i hope if i treat it with a little more care , it might not get loose like the others.

As of right now , im planning on waiting a little to try out the new sony zx300 , i heard its going to be released in November over here. Then again , knowing sony , the zx300 might have small issues of their own.

Its cool meeting another member here having the same dilemma as me. When are you planning on getting your unit?

 

[addyg]

As a long time owner of dpx1 (the model before dpx1a), I have tried the ak70mkii on both SE and balanced.

SE : AK has better control, vocal has better thickness. On the same IEM the QDC Neptune 1BA the AK sounds better than dpx1.

Balanced : the dpx1 has larger improvement from its SE while the AK has only small improvement from its SE. So the result is quite close. Using the same IEM audio-technica ath-e40 with silver-copper 4-core wire, the dpx1 overtake by larger sound stage and same degree of control.

Conclusion: on SE the ak70mkii will defeat dpx1 on most IEM. On balanced the dpx1 will defeat (or equal) ak70mkii on most IEM.

Given that most dpx1a actually use streaming like Tidal very often so they are in different market (ak70mkii cannot do offline Tidal play as I was told)

 

[addyg]

The choice:

1. If you don't use streaming like Tidal very often and has mostly SE IEM, go for ak70mkii. It sounds like the ak380 as I can recall. It doesn't sound like the AK Kann which has richer sound but less in resolution.

2. If you plan to go streaming, go for dpx1a and try out its balanced jack with a good cable.

 

[IcyFlow]

I see thanks for your heads up,

Have you had any issues with the jack in the dp-x1 coming loose?
Was it terribly bad to deal with?

 

[addyg]

I see thanks for your heads up,

Have you had any issues with the jack in the dp-x1 coming loose?
Was it terribly bad to deal with?

No

 

[IcyFlow]

I see , that’s a relief that the issue is not that bad.

Thanks for your help ! =)

 

[donunus]

To be honest , as of right now im leaning more towards the onkyo dp-x1a solely because its sounds slightly better to me , and if i bring it along for travels at least the onkyo has some extra android features on it rather than being just a pretty brick. say offline tidal music playback , and i can purchase and downloading songs directly into the player rather than having to transfer it through a computer.

From what i read on the Ak70 ii forum , it has tidal , but does not support offline music playing because they are running a closed system of android , and does not have license to do so. Therefore the ak70 , effectively works like most DAPs and runs through the microSD card only, which can be annoying as i have some songs that i would like to listen to , that are not on the card.

I am currently in Singapore , and from what i know , we do have an onkyo distributor locally , take note , they are the distributors only , therefore i believe warranty and servicing will still need to be sent back to Japan. i heard the majority of issues only arise on the 2.5mm jack, i hope if i treat it with a little more care , it might not get loose like the others.

As of right now , im planning on waiting a little to try out the new sony zx300 , i heard its going to be released in November over here. Then again , knowing sony , the zx300 might have small issues of their own.

Its cool meeting another member here having the same dilemma as me. When are you planning on getting your unit?

Have you compared these with the sony yet?

 

[JoshG1217]

Hey guys sorry to resurrect this, but curious if there was any further information, as I am currently considering these 2 given how inexpensive they are to purchase now ($400). Looking to get one or the other and a balanced set of headphones. I admit that I am partial toward Poweramp, and wonder if I can use hi res settings with onkyo, but also wonder if having full Android contributes to it getting worse over time like a phone does. I plan to purchase a 250 ohm set of cans to run from whichever option I buy. No options for hearing either here in Denver.

 

[Maramau]

Hello everyone,

I stumbled upon this thread because I was looking for some info about the AK70 and I also was interested in the Onkyo, just wanted to add to the thread that

I contacted couple sellers and both confirmed that they discontinued production of the dp-x1a as of 2019, both recommend me NOT to buy it because repairs wouldn't be so easy.
They both suggested me to buy the new cmx1 model but I don't want a mobile phone.

Still looking if I can find a better product than the ak in the same price range

Hope this info can help anyone to make a better decision

Have a good day

 

[JoshG1217]

IFi idsd nano black label sounds great. Zx300 sounds really good as a standard alone