[tds101]

Quote:

 
 
 
To be fair this is a big arse thread and it's taken me a couple of days to plough through, rather than 15 minutes!

But, in all fairness, you DID IT!!! So you get my respect,... 

 

[Saraguie]

Quote:

 
Hipster,...lol!!! Thanks!!! 

 
 
 
Im like you. I'll READ and see if my answer is already in the thread. Usually it is,... And being a nOOb is no excuse for laziness. 

That's because we are NYC heads  You going to the New York Audio show?  Crossroads?

 

[tds101]

Quote:

That's because we are NYC heads  You going to the New York Audio show?  Crossroads?

I've never been to the show,... PM me & we can see if I can get to meet up with you, and whomever else might like to go as well.

 

[shotgunshane]

Quote:

Could anyone make sonic comparisons to an iMod / Diymod 5.5 (or 4-5) paired with a descent amp?

I ask as although the RWAK100 setup appears to have the advantage of both form factor and SQ, it is behind the iMod / Diymod in terms of storage space, interface and price... at least, that's what I'm concluding from user's complaints. Are the improvements in SQ worth this sacrifice?

Shotgunshane, your comments would be useful, as you've just reverted back to an isetup.

 
The RWAK100 storage is equal an iOS classic (32gb built in plus 2 64gb cards = 160).  
 
For me the SQ was better than the Whipmod + Arrow 4g combo I used to have.  I thought the low level detail retrieval and articulation on the RWAK100 was on par with the amp section of the Leckerton UHA-6, except the entire dap package was the same size without adding the bulk of an external amp, so it's an awesomely small footprint.  I loved the shape and feel of it in the hand and the volume knob is genius. It's simply a beautifully made dap.
 
What it came down to for me were issues with the UI.  I was able to get album art on about 80% or more of my library but for some reason, some just refused to show up.  I was spending countless hours trying new things to get it to show.  Hours for something that shouldn't matter.  Hours I should have been listening to music.  Also I like to listen to my music on random and when the right song hits, play the album containing that song in its entirety.  That's something very easy to do on iOS.  It's 1 click.  On the iRiver firmware, it is several clicks of backing out of one set of menus and entering and scrolling through another. And lastly, I hate managing music with drag and drop and folder management.  That's so 80's and cumbersome.  I know a lot around here hate iTunes but it's just simple and easy to build a playlist, then drag it or sync it to an iDevice.  Done.
 
Also during this time I've discovered the ALO Continental V3 tube amp that I've come to really love with the GR07 and Sony 7550.  A Touch mated to the V3 makes for a smaller footprint than the RWAK100 and V3 without going backwards too much in SQ.  Plus I've got other plans on the horizon.

 

[woodcans]

Quote:

 
Hipster,...lol!!! Thanks!!! 

 
 
 
Im like you. I'll READ and see if my answer is already in the thread. Usually it is,... And being a nOOb is no excuse for laziness. 

 
Your attitude and comments are entirely un-head-fi-like. This is a big thread and you could have easily answered the question as opposed to offering offensive remarks.

 

[tds101]

Quote:

 
Your attitude and comments are entirely un-head-fi-like. This is a big thread and you could have easily answered the question as opposed to offering offensive remarks.

Ok, got ya,...lee730 handled it like a champ!!! 

 

[woodcans]

Quote:

Ok, got ya,...lee730 handled it like a champ!!! 

 
Agreed. lee730 = champ! 

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

Quote:

 
Other than the Tzar 350s are there any other obvious IEM options available? <snip>

The Tzar 350 is a very nice option though, not just for the AK100. And even though it doesn't reach the mythical 8x impedance, the Tzar 90 might still be a good option, esp. since its sound is supposed to be more accessible. Personally, I think the Tzar 350 are really great-sounding. I was worried a bit about the apparent brightness, since treble harshness & esp. sibilance are my pet peeves... and the Tzar 350 didn't have any of that, to my ears. It was a bit bass-shy, but since the AK100 has a decent EQ, it's easy to remedy by bringing up the low end just a bit.
 
As far as the 425s go, can't directly comment, but I have some 535s and 1) I found the Tzar 350 to be clearly better sounding (something I can't claim often these days), 2) the 535s sounded very similar on the AK100 compared to any other amps I tried them with, incl. low-impedance ones like the FiiO E17 etc., so the theoretical negative impact of the relatively high impedance seems to depend much on the individual IEMs used, and what sound signature you're looking for. Personally, for my use with mostly headphones rather than IEMs I found nothing making wish I'd paid for the RWA mod. Or a clunky external amp, which IMHO defeats in large part the appeal of the AK100.
 
Alas, it probably won't be easy to do try-before-you-buy with your own preferred head/earphones which would of course be the best way to make an informed decision... 

 

[VisceriousZERO]

Quote:

Quote:
The Tzar 350 is a very nice option though, not just for the AK100. And even though it doesn't reach the mythical 8x impedance, the Tzar 90 might still be a good option, esp. since its sound is supposed to be more accessible. Personally, I think the Tzar 350 are really great-sounding. I was worried a bit about the apparent brightness, since treble harshness & esp. sibilance are my pet peeves... and the Tzar 350 didn't have any of that, to my ears. It was a bit bass-shy, but since the AK100 has a decent EQ, it's easy to remedy by bringing up the low end just a bit.
 
As far as the 425s go, can't directly comment, but I have some 535s and 1) I found the Tzar 350 to be clearly better sounding (something I can't claim often these days), 2) the 535s sounded very similar on the AK100 compared to any other amps I tried them with, incl. low-impedance ones like the FiiO E17 etc., so the theoretical negative impact of the relatively high impedance seems to depend much on the individual IEMs used, and what sound signature you're looking for. Personally, for my use with mostly headphones rather than IEMs I found nothing making wish I'd paid for the RWA mod. Or a clunky external amp, which IMHO defeats in large part the appeal of the AK100.
 
Alas, it probably won't be easy to do try-before-you-buy with your own preferred head/earphones which would of course be the best way to make an informed decision... 

 
On anything else though, the Tzar 350 killed my ears. My ears are still ringing after using them with my RWAK100...

 

[the wizard of oz]

Quote:

Quote:

Could anyone make sonic comparisons to an iMod / Diymod 5.5 (or 4-5) paired with a descent amp?

I ask as although the RWAK100 setup appears to have the advantage of both form factor and SQ, it is behind the iMod / Diymod in terms of storage space, interface and price... at least, that's what I'm concluding from user's complaints. Are the improvements in SQ worth this sacrifice?

Shotgunshane, your comments would be useful, as you've just reverted back to an isetup.

 
The RWAK100 storage is equal an iOS classic (32gb built in plus 2 64gb cards = 160).  

iMod / DIYMod were mentioned on purpose since those allow up to 256GB in SSD memory, or 240GB in HDD.

 

[tobcar]

Hearing you say that, I think you may have too high expectations for this device!
 
We are talking about a very compact, fairly reasonably priced FLAC-player.
 
I would say that the sound is about comparable in quality to the headphone output from my desktop computer speaker amp, the inexpensive but excellent Teac A-H01, which has
a BurrBrown PCM5102 DAC compared to the [size=small]Wolfson 8740 in the AK100, which I think is very good result for a device of this type. This is good sound, better than iphone5 audio output, but not highend audiophile quality![/size]
 
[size=small]If you have higher ambitions than this, I think you need to stay away from ultracompact integrated devices - you could use the AK100 as a signal source, but will need to invest considerably more money in a serious combination of highend DAC and headphone amp.   [/size]
 
[size=small] [/size]

 

[dynamiteguitar]

Hi everybody
 
I was able to try out the AK100 in a store with my UE18 pro CIEM. Didn't really like the SQ. As there's this high impedance output issue, which can be solved by the RW mod, I'm wondering how big the difference in SQ will be with UE18 pro between stock AK100 and RWAK100. If no big difference, guess this DAP would no longer be on my wish list.
 
Would appreciate any thoughts/comments on that. Thanks in advance!

 

[lee730]

Quote:

Hi everybody
 
I was able to try out the AK100 in a store with my UE18 pro CIEM. Didn't really like the SQ. As there's this high impedance output issue, which can be solved by the RW mod, I'm wondering how big the difference in SQ will be with UE18 pro between stock AK100 and RWAK100. If no big difference, guess this DAP would no longer be on my wish list.
 
Would appreciate any thoughts/comments on that. Thanks in advance!

Contact Viscerious as he owns both of the AK100/RWA AK100 units..

 

[VisceriousZERO]

Hi everybody

I was able to try out the AK100 in a store with my UE18 pro CIEM. Didn't really like the SQ. As there's this high impedance output issue, which can be solved by the RW mod, I'm wondering how big the difference in SQ will be with UE18 pro between stock AK100 and RWAK100. If no big difference, guess this DAP would no longer be on my wish list.

Would appreciate any thoughts/comments on that. Thanks in advance!

Hey!

With my MH335DW the AK100 soundstage seems small, and (for visualization's sake) just a small square in front of you. The RWAK on the other hand is a completely different story as it envelops you with its soundstage.

 

[Anthony1]

Quote:

Hearing you say that, I think you may have too high expectations for this device!
 
We are talking about a very compact, fairly reasonably priced FLAC-player.
 
I would say that the sound is about comparable in quality to the headphone output from my desktop computer speaker amp, the inexpensive but excellent Teac A-H01, which has
a BurrBrown PCM5102 DAC compared to the [size=small]Wolfson 8740 in the AK100, which I think is very good result for a device of this type. This is good sound, better than iphone5 audio output, but not highend audiophile quality![/size]
 
[size=small]If you have higher ambitions than this, I think you need to stay away from ultracompact integrated devices - you could use the AK100 as a signal source, but will need to invest considerably more money in a serious combination of highend DAC and headphone amp.   [/size]
 
[size=small] [/size]

Im interested in non ipod devices that play FLACs. How would it go as a source to a DB2>Portable amp? The interface looks kinda nice?