RAZ's TOTL review and rambles thread... could it be.... alive?

[VTMA8132]

I’m personally not the biggest fan of the Solaris 2020 as I find it to be a little too thin/bright, so I’d go for a very warm source for it. The Alpha is closer to neutral with a hint of brightness which might not play all that well with what is already a clarity-focused IEM

Thank you. Appreciated your feedback. What is your favorite warm source DAP?

 

[mvvRAZ]

Thank you. Appreciated your feedback. What is your favorite warm source DAP?

I really liked the WM1Z, but as I mentioned earlier I’m afraid that my warm DAP experience is somewhat limited as I’m generally looking for more neutral DAPs to pair with warmer IEMs

The Hiby R8 and DX220 MAX seem like good options from what others have been mentioning in the thread - the Solaris is pretty sensitive though, so it might hiss off the R8, though I can’t say for sure

 

[mvvRAZ]

A little cable porn by @skedra - currently discussing an extra few HP cables and some IEM goodness

2x wires of palladium plated silver and 2x wires of gold plated copper for max awesomeness

 

[Sound Eq]

A little cable porn by @skedra - currently discussing an extra few HP cables and some IEM goodness

2x wires of palladium plated silver and 2x wires of gold plated copper for max awesomeness

does he sell those cables

 

[gazzington]

I really liked the WM1Z, but as I mentioned earlier I’m afraid that my warm DAP experience is somewhat limited as I’m generally looking for more neutral DAPs to pair with warmer IEMs

The Hiby R8 and DX220 MAX seem like good options from what others have been mentioning in the thread - the Solaris is pretty sensitive though, so it might hiss off the R8, though I can’t say for sure

Apparently the solaris does hiss out of the r8 if you use the balanced option. Ok out of 3.5 though

 

[Sound Eq]

Astell and Kern KANN Alpha - the most brutally overloaded little piece of **** that I've ever had the pleasure of coming across

This will be a relatively short initial impression post as there's so much and so little to be said about this DAP at the same time... long story short this is pretty much the perfect DAP, period. I received a demo from my Spanish dealer today (supersonido.es - super nice shop with loads of good deals, I'd recommend checking it out), but my guy actually sent me a brand new sealed unit - I guess he didn't mind using it as a demo if I didn't want to keep it but yeah, it was pretty smart to send me a brand new unit cause this DAP ain't going nowhere - in fact it's about to trigger such a sell off on my end that I'm going to end up with some 1500 euros net by getting it and that is if I do not sell any desktop amps because of it...

I'm not really the type that uses Bluetooth and all those Connect features and whatnot, so these impressions will pretty much just cover the essentials, with a focus on how it sounds with IEMs and HPs.

1. The power that this offers is nothing short of incredible - it drives both the Diana and the Diana Phi with ease, and it doesn't just get them to a decent volume (the LPGT does that when you almost max it out), it actually gets those planars moving properly. You get the full range, from impactful and present bass, to a full midrange, to well controlled and extended treble with none of that graininess that you often get out of amps that don't power the HPs adequately. Listening to the Diana V2 out of the KANN Alpha I am actually getting the sensation of it reaching its full potential on both technical ability and tonality. I'm looking forward to trying the Abyss 1266 TC on it - just as a guesstimate, it might be able to just about drive it without quite getting it to 100%, as I'm currently reaching about 2/3 of the volume listening to the Diana's. Of the two I personally prefer the Diana V2 pairing as the KANN Alpha has a clearer, slightly brighter signature, and the Phi benefits from a warmer source.

2. Streaming - I can deal with listening to my personal collection on the go as I've downloaded some 30GB of "essentials," but let's face it, it's 2020. Streaming should be standard by this point

3. Size - it is actually very compact for what it is. The size of the Alpha is pretty much that of the LPGT with the case, and weight is quite similar too. I used it outside twice today with 0 troubles of fitting it in the pocket of my jeans. It's a little bulky but not really anywhere near "massive" territory like the Cube



4. Battery life - over 14 hours on low gain. Sign me the **** up, please and thank you. Most of the time I'll probably be using the Alpha in low gain anyways, as I get to a volume level of about 70-80/150 on the A18S and Thummim, no need to even go on the Mid Gain for those. It does tend to get a little fiery on High Gain -and the battery does drain faster naturally - I'll run some tests to see how long it can survive for while playing Tidal on High Gain to get an idea of just how long you can run HPs with it.

5. Sound (IEMs) - all of this would naturally be pretty irrelevant if the DAP were all functionality and no performance (FiiO M11 I'm looking at you) - the KANN Alpha delivers and then some - on raw performance and tonality I'd still lean towards the LPGT as that delivers a little slower, more satisfying and textured bass, while the Alpha has an especially fast low end - it doesn't suck out bass quantity, and actually has better impact and presence than most AKs I've tried, but it also isn't really the kind of bass that really sucks you in and makes you want MOAR

The midrange and treble on the Alpha are both geared towards clarity, but this time around AK didn't overdo it. The SP1000M that I owned back in the day went for the usual fake it till you make it upper midrange bump and the SP2000 got my Elysium to sibilant (which I didn't think was possible ) - I love the SR25 as that also has more neutral (i.e less bright) tonality, but as you go higher in their offerings you end up with more and more treble for the most part. Anyhow, to get back to the Alpha, I find it that while it does provide a small boost in the treble (somewhere in the lower upper treble from initial estimate, 10k-ish), it actually retains a certain fullness in the signature that I especially enjoy. I'd still recommend to pair it with warmer monitors - I currently only have the A18S and Thummim here with me, but I can definitely see it overdoing the clarity if paired with something that's already bright as is. All in all, slightly clinical but not overly so.

Tonality aside, the part that I find to be absolutely crucial for any good DAP is the technical ability, and the Alpha really nails it. Staging is nothing short of massive, pushing the width of the Thummim even further than the LPGT, but losing out on some height in the process. Detail retrieval and instrumental separation are top notch, couldn't really ask for much more.

Verdict

I generally don't get super excited by DAPs and sources and whatnot, they always felt like more of a means to an end to me than a proper standalone product that I drool over and really follow and buy/sell actively. The Alpha is probably the first DAP that's really gotten my blood flowing, and I mean... with this kind of power, battery life, streaming AND a decently compact body on top of it all, how can it not?

Easily recommended for IEMs, and the only DAP I can genuinely recommend if you plan on driving headphones.

Add: all impressions via 4.4 balanced

for me the ak sp1000m is not even close to the sp2000, full bodied , detailed sound, and I always looked at sp1000M in doubt why would they even charge so much for that. The midrange on sp1000m was really so mediocre for what AK is asking for its price, and the sound was in general thin. For me SP2000 is leagues ahead. As for driving headphones with a dap, I would never do it as no matter how loud a dap can make a headphone sound, it will never be like driving it from a Chord TT2 or a dedicated amp. So what matters for me in a dap is just how amazing it drives iems.

 

[mvvRAZ]

does he sell those cables

Yep! Send him a pm

for me the ak sp1000m is not even close to the sp2000, full bodied , detailed sound, and I always looked at sp1000M in doubt why would they even charge so much for that it. The midrange on sp1000m was really so mediocre for what AK is asking for its price, and the sound was in general thin. For me SP2000 is leagues ahead. As for driving headphones with a dap, I would never do it as no matter how loud a dap can make a headphone sound, it will never be like driving it from a Chord TT2 or a dedicated amp. So what matters for me in a dap is just how amazing it drives iems.

Agreed as to the SP1000M. Worked really well with my Elysium and... nothing else lol

 

[noplsestar]

for me the ak sp1000m is not even close to the sp2000, full bodied , detailed sound, and I always looked at sp1000M in doubt why would they even charge so much for that. The midrange on sp1000m was really so mediocre for what AK is asking for its price, and the sound was in general thin. For me SP2000 is leagues ahead. As for driving headphones with a dap, I would never do it as no matter how loud a dap can make a headphone sound, it will never be like driving it from a Chord TT2 or a dedicated amp. So what matters for me in a dap is just how amazing it drives iems.

Do you still find the Calyx M to be the best (sounding) DAP in your book?

 

[Sound Eq]

Do you still find the Calyx M to be the best (sounding) DAP in your book?

to be honest its a great dap, but i went back to ak sp2000, i could not live without streaming and the lack of proper folder view

 

[noplsestar]

to be honest its a great dap, but i went back to ak sp2000, i could not live without streaming and the lack of proper folder view

I understand that completely. But when considering sound quality alone, do you think the Calyx M is still ahead?

 

[Sound Eq]

I understand that completely. But when considering sound quality alone, do you think the Calyx M is still ahead?

Well my perspective changed as well, AK sp2000 gives bigger sound stage, and better details and more holographic and better instrument separation than Calyx

Calyx is a great dap but now I am more inclined towards AK sp2000

 

[gazzington]

Well my perspective changed as well, AK sp2000 gives bigger sound stage, and better details and more holographic and better instrument separation than Calyx

Calyx is a great dap but now I am more inclined towards AK sp2000

Calyx m is nice sounding dap but the sp2k is far better in every way

 

[gLer]

Interesting that HiBy quietly 'launched' a revamped R6 yesterday and not a single word anywhere about it. I watched the live launch, couldn't understand a word, but got the gist of it - it's an R6 Pro replacement/update that brings the R6 in line with the R8 in terms of features/software/speed, but in a slightly smaller (more portable) unit, with older DACs (ES9038Q2M) and less output power. Depending on SQ (specs already look better than the current R6 Pro), should be interesting what the extra $1100 of the R8 actually buys you now that the two are functionally at parity (new R6 will be ~$700 at launch).

 

[noplsestar]

Well my perspective changed as well, AK sp2000 gives bigger sound stage, and better details and more holographic and better instrument separation than Calyx

Calyx is a great dap but now I am more inclined towards AK sp2000

Calyx m is nice sounding dap but the sp2k is far better in every way

Do you both own the copper or steel version? Is there even a difference soundwise? I was reluctant in getting one also because of the firmware debate and un-subscribed the SP2k thread because of that. Is it solved by now?

 

[arijitroy2]

Interesting that HiBy quietly 'launched' a revamped R6 yesterday and not a single word anywhere about it. I watched the live launch, couldn't understand a word, but got the gist of it - it's an R6 Pro replacement/update that brings the R6 in line with the R8 in terms of features/software/speed, but in a slightly smaller (more portable) unit, with older DACs (ES9038Q2M) and less output power. Depending on SQ (specs already look better than the current R6 Pro), should be interesting what the extra $1100 of the R8 actually buys you now that the two are functionally at parity (new R6 will be ~$700 at launch).

Where did you see the presentation? I knew about the product from a different forum but didn't know it was launched already! Also ES9038Q2M is on the AK SE200, and all the reviews I read on that, most people preferred the AKM side of the DAP.