Jackson 6
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2013
- Posts
- 392
- Likes
- 36
Firstly I would like to thank the kind response to my H3 review, and with over 100 hrs I will be using it for this review, as it ticks the Sony synergy button nicely. This Dap offers a highly profound manna for the masses sound, but I will be objective and try to cover most bases and genres.
So the boring stuff first. Build quality is OK, there is a clear join, the control wedges are very thin plastic but well recessed,and there is no reinforcement at the jack, I keep it wrapped in bubble wrap. GUI is superb, the screen has a good pixel rate and would do for vids, the radio is as mediocre as in the e 474, but will do in a pinch. I will be using standard downloads (SD's) 192/256/320 kbps. It is hard to imagine any Dap anywhere near it's sale price doing a better job of 'em, but that is the Sony way, they adore SD's, and as the e 474 was superior to the X3....
It is an IEM Dap I feel. I tried it with my ex 700, and a ten mins session with the 1A at the airport-which means next to nothing-but it simply doesn't have the power without an amp, and I feel resolution simply won't be there even when run at full volume with 'phones otherwise. If your going foreign, then an IEM in the sq range or above of the H3 would be ideal; you could slum it with the xb 90 ex I guess, if not. It runs best at 19-23/30 volume, and happily sq improves with loudness. It is not as powerful as the e 474 vol wise, but it's a small point. At first I thought the Hi-Rez setting gave an oomph, but it doesn't really, the DSEE can give a slight civilizing sheen to the terrible recording of the Karajan Mass in B minor, but otherwise dulls the SS, as does the Clear Audio+, with SD's anyway. Best to run it naked, and I am using the matrix setting with eq's running at max, and the clear bass at neutral or a step above.
So to the SQ. The main points are Clarity with full body, a superb Attack- a Naim type listen to me and nothing else-, Detail retrieval, Power, Meat, Cohesion, Immersion, and dancin' in the shop to even poorly 'remastered' jazz boxset's fun signature. Euphony is there, but not in all CD's by any means. At it's height, it offers 60% of the sq of the AK 120 on full DSD. That'll do for cloth ears jackson 6. There is a tiny mote of distortion with Do You Realize by the Flaming Lips, which I noticed after picking myself off the floor with the SS. I like jazz so we'll start there. Original albums are best, post '54 with box set's otherwise, which are enjoyable all the same. A Kenny Dorham sounds thin and the A10 boostin' doesn't really save it, Clifford Brown powers through the harshness though. Darn those pre '54 box set's, but all the same you will hear everything and allowance can be made.Best for on the fly. Genuine album re masters are another story though, and the HR snippet from Watermelon man sounded no better than the album version, which was a measly 192, IMS. I have a selection of Cd's from a 100 cd box set of 50's Jazz, and the majority sound fine and dandy, a few others not so, like Dorham .If I was to think of buying HD downloads, it would be in this Be Bop field.
It really can adapt it's sound to all genres. Folk Rock is intimate and warm, there is a soft underpinning to digital modern choral recordings, and Opera comes alive for the first time as well, with some minor ceiling issues, you really get the grandeur of superb soprano voices on Les fetes de l'Hebe by Rameau. You can hear voices from the audience with Rock in Rio by Iron Maiden, and a sense of the occasion too. Timing is fine, as is accuracy. A Break Beats album has superb detail and SS, as does The E.N.D by the Black eyed Peas.If you like Hip Hop, Rap, Electronica etc then look no further young man.
So in conclusion, it has to be the finest MOTR Dap on the planet. It is joyful at it's best, which is frequent, and there is no need to pay for HR downloads with many genres; Opera does have a ceiling as does some early Jazz, and these are the main areas for forking out if you must. It is fun and tireless, but there is on occasion a tincture of harshness which is not defining but prevents it being high end. But oh so enjoyable all the same. It can't offer the build quality or ultimate sq of it's superiors, but you are getting a miracle at it's price point, and a true miracle with SD's. I will be happy with it for a long time.
So the boring stuff first. Build quality is OK, there is a clear join, the control wedges are very thin plastic but well recessed,and there is no reinforcement at the jack, I keep it wrapped in bubble wrap. GUI is superb, the screen has a good pixel rate and would do for vids, the radio is as mediocre as in the e 474, but will do in a pinch. I will be using standard downloads (SD's) 192/256/320 kbps. It is hard to imagine any Dap anywhere near it's sale price doing a better job of 'em, but that is the Sony way, they adore SD's, and as the e 474 was superior to the X3....
It is an IEM Dap I feel. I tried it with my ex 700, and a ten mins session with the 1A at the airport-which means next to nothing-but it simply doesn't have the power without an amp, and I feel resolution simply won't be there even when run at full volume with 'phones otherwise. If your going foreign, then an IEM in the sq range or above of the H3 would be ideal; you could slum it with the xb 90 ex I guess, if not. It runs best at 19-23/30 volume, and happily sq improves with loudness. It is not as powerful as the e 474 vol wise, but it's a small point. At first I thought the Hi-Rez setting gave an oomph, but it doesn't really, the DSEE can give a slight civilizing sheen to the terrible recording of the Karajan Mass in B minor, but otherwise dulls the SS, as does the Clear Audio+, with SD's anyway. Best to run it naked, and I am using the matrix setting with eq's running at max, and the clear bass at neutral or a step above.
So to the SQ. The main points are Clarity with full body, a superb Attack- a Naim type listen to me and nothing else-, Detail retrieval, Power, Meat, Cohesion, Immersion, and dancin' in the shop to even poorly 'remastered' jazz boxset's fun signature. Euphony is there, but not in all CD's by any means. At it's height, it offers 60% of the sq of the AK 120 on full DSD. That'll do for cloth ears jackson 6. There is a tiny mote of distortion with Do You Realize by the Flaming Lips, which I noticed after picking myself off the floor with the SS. I like jazz so we'll start there. Original albums are best, post '54 with box set's otherwise, which are enjoyable all the same. A Kenny Dorham sounds thin and the A10 boostin' doesn't really save it, Clifford Brown powers through the harshness though. Darn those pre '54 box set's, but all the same you will hear everything and allowance can be made.Best for on the fly. Genuine album re masters are another story though, and the HR snippet from Watermelon man sounded no better than the album version, which was a measly 192, IMS. I have a selection of Cd's from a 100 cd box set of 50's Jazz, and the majority sound fine and dandy, a few others not so, like Dorham .If I was to think of buying HD downloads, it would be in this Be Bop field.
It really can adapt it's sound to all genres. Folk Rock is intimate and warm, there is a soft underpinning to digital modern choral recordings, and Opera comes alive for the first time as well, with some minor ceiling issues, you really get the grandeur of superb soprano voices on Les fetes de l'Hebe by Rameau. You can hear voices from the audience with Rock in Rio by Iron Maiden, and a sense of the occasion too. Timing is fine, as is accuracy. A Break Beats album has superb detail and SS, as does The E.N.D by the Black eyed Peas.If you like Hip Hop, Rap, Electronica etc then look no further young man.
So in conclusion, it has to be the finest MOTR Dap on the planet. It is joyful at it's best, which is frequent, and there is no need to pay for HR downloads with many genres; Opera does have a ceiling as does some early Jazz, and these are the main areas for forking out if you must. It is fun and tireless, but there is on occasion a tincture of harshness which is not defining but prevents it being high end. But oh so enjoyable all the same. It can't offer the build quality or ultimate sq of it's superiors, but you are getting a miracle at it's price point, and a true miracle with SD's. I will be happy with it for a long time.
