[tim0chan]

I don’t mind carrying another source like an amp/dac , but i’d be dammed if i’m gunna buy one of those music players if I already have a device to play music on >.<. I know its not a popular opinion but I always have my phone on me and to carry around another music playing device is just a burden to me and another thing for me to worry about. I do plan to upgrade to a better cable but i definitely would like recomendations on amps/dacs from people who actually use the A12t in particular so I have an idea of what im getting myself into. I don’t know too much about amps but the first one i used was a demo fiio E17K which i had used with my Westone W60s. I loved that it had adjustable EQ and it seems that not too many other amps have that. I don't want to settle for the E17k if you guys know better don’t let me fail here headfi brothers.

Sure, a dac/amp will do, I recommend the q5 from fiio. It's very versatile and can even receive bluetooth from your phone. Feel free to upgrade ypur cable to something a bit more affordable for the time being

 

[eldss]

I use the q5 and iphone with my A12t.

 

[Rayzilla]

I don’t mind carrying another source like an amp/dac , but i’d be dammed if i’m gunna buy one of those music players if I already have a device to play music on >.<. I know its not a popular opinion but I always have my phone on me and to carry around another music playing device is just a burden to me and another thing for me to worry about. I do plan to upgrade to a better cable but i definitely would like recomendations on amps/dacs from people who actually use the A12t in particular so I have an idea of what im getting myself into. I don’t know too much about amps but the first one i used was a demo fiio E17K which i had used with my Westone W60s. I loved that it had adjustable EQ and it seems that not too many other amps have that. I don't want to settle for the E17k if you guys know better don’t let me fail here headfi brothers.

You know what? I thought the exact same thing you are thinking now. I never bothered looking into DAPs because I was using a phone with a portable dac/amp. It started with some of the Fiio's and then I moved on to HeadStage and then iDSD Black Label and Hugo concurrently. For whatever reason, I got the itch as we all do to buy something so I said that I'll try a cheap DAP. As always, I never start at the bottom and decided to pick up the iBasso DX200 along with some additional amps. Boy was I wrong about not going this way earlier. It is no more cumbersome and inconvenient than carrying around a portable dac/amp. In fact it is even less of an inconvenience because now my phone can literally last two days but more importantly my music has never sound better. And the DX200 could be used at home as part of my desktop system by connecting any of my desktop amps to it. Even an electrostatic amp.

It's your choice but I would give it some more consideration.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Marat Sar]

hey fellow u/a18 owners!

anyone have experience with the u18 and SP1000 combo? Considering updating my source from dx200 and the SP1000 is a candidate. How does it sound with the u18? I've heard there are matching issues... maybe just rumours.

 

[KuroKitsu]

I don’t mind carrying another source like an amp/dac , but i’d be dammed if i’m gunna buy one of those music players if I already have a device to play music on >.<. I know its not a popular opinion but I always have my phone on me and to carry around another music playing device is just a burden to me and another thing for me to worry about. I do plan to upgrade to a better cable but i definitely would like recomendations on amps/dacs from people who actually use the A12t in particular so I have an idea of what im getting myself into. I don’t know too much about amps but the first one i used was a demo fiio E17K which i had used with my Westone W60s. I loved that it had adjustable EQ and it seems that not too many other amps have that. I don't want to settle for the E17k if you guys know better don’t let me fail here headfi brothers.

I thought the same way, until I started actually using my phone for extended periods of time and my ears just didnt like what they were hearing. I skipped the DAC/Amp part completely and got a DAP. It just made more sense to have another device which didn't run off my phone's battery.

As some of the others suggested, the source is probably the biggest issue in the chain, but getting a good one might be streching your budget, hence why I suggested cable. I went cable first than source myself.

 

[theveterans]

I thought the same way, until I started actually using my phone for extended periods of time and my ears just didnt like what they were hearing. I skipped the DAC/Amp part completely and got a DAP. It just made more sense to have another device which didn't run off my phone's battery.

As some of the others suggested, the source is probably the biggest issue in the chain, but getting a good one might be streching your budget, hence why I suggested cable. I went cable first than source myself.

IMHO a good dedicated DAP will always sound superior to a DAC/amp with a smartphone as source unless you use a DAP as a source instead

 

[Mackiez]

hey fellow u/a18 owners!

anyone have experience with the u18 and SP1000 combo? Considering updating my source from dx200 and the SP1000 is a candidate. How does it sound with the u18? I've heard there are matching issues... maybe just rumours.

I would like to recommend you audition sp1000cu version for your 18t

 

[Mackiez]

I don’t mind carrying another source like an amp/dac , but i’d be dammed if i’m gunna buy one of those music players if I already have a device to play music on >.<. I know its not a popular opinion but I always have my phone on me and to carry around another music playing device is just a burden to me and another thing for me to worry about. I do plan to upgrade to a better cable but i definitely would like recomendations on amps/dacs from people who actually use the A12t in particular so I have an idea of what im getting myself into. I don’t know too much about amps but the first one i used was a demo fiio E17K which i had used with my Westone W60s. I loved that it had adjustable EQ and it seems that not too many other amps have that. I don't want to settle for the E17k if you guys know better don’t let me fail here headfi brothers.

SP1000 ,1000M ,SE100 from Astell&Kern can play stream (spotify ,tidal) with new firmware ETA around middle of Oct’18
I would like you audition them before you can spoke you don’t need it.

The sound will a huge improve compare with any phone device in the world now.
Fuller body ,extend of bass and treble or even soundstage wider

 

[3mocrash]

You know what? I thought the exact same thing you are thinking now. I never bothered looking into DAPs because I was using a phone with a portable dac/amp. It started with some of the Fiio's and then I moved on to HeadStage and then iDSD Black Label and Hugo concurrently. For whatever reason, I got the itch as we all do to buy something so I said that I'll try a cheap DAP. As always, I never start at the bottom and decided to pick up the iBasso DX200 along with some additional amps. Boy was I wrong about not going this way earlier. It is no more cumbersome and inconvenient than carrying around a portable dac/amp. In fact it is even less of an inconvenience because now my phone can literally last two days but more importantly my music has never sound better. And the DX200 could be used at home as part of my desktop system by connecting any of my desktop amps to it. Even an electrostatic amp.

It's your choice but I would give it some more consideration.

The phone battery life is subjective as I have two phones my work phone and my entertainment phone. Iphone 8+ as my work which I do most of my texting and calling aswell as social media, and then I have my Galaxy S9+ for music streaming (as it does a much better job than the iphone) and videos as well as personal communications (which is alot less frequent than my work phone) so battery life of my source is not going to be a problem. What makes it confusing to me is if the A12t are LID why I would still need a DAP to power it? I definately am going to need to demo a DAP with the A12t once I get them. Its tough though , I live in Southern California and its hard to find places that do audio stuff. When I have traveled through Orgeon to demo some of Campfire audios IEMs they allowed me to use a DAP they had which I had compared to my S9+ and I just didn’t see any significance in the DAP at all. I don’t know what kind it was but maybe just a bad experience? I’m open to change of mind but i’m really gunna need that WOW factor from the DAP to get me to buy in.

I thought the same way, until I started actually using my phone for extended periods of time and my ears just didnt like what they were hearing.

As some of the others suggested, the source is probably the biggest issue in the chain, but getting a good one might be streching your budget, hence why I suggested cable. I went cable first than source myself.

You’re probably right. I don’t have the earphones in hand yet as they are still in production but i’ll see how they treat me once I have them in hand. I definately open to getting a DAP but I definately need to try some good ones before I can go out and purchase one like that. Cables may be able to tweak my experience with the phone so im looking forward to see how cables can benefit me.

I really appreciate your guy’s feedback I hope I don’t sound like an oldman stuck in his ways, I just need the light to shine on me to know what the almighty power of the DAP has in store for me. If I could manage to find places in LA that demo DAPs i’d be more than happy to give them a shot and maybe even add it to pockets

 

[3mocrash]

SP1000 ,1000M ,SE100 from Astell&Kern can play stream (spotify ,tidal) with new firmware ETA around middle of Oct’18

i like what i’m hearing, streaming of Tidal and spotify is a huge factor to why I might use a phone instead of a DAP. Looking at the price range on those look a bit expensive like I said i’m gunna have to demo them before I spend another $500-$1500 on sources alone. Now that I think about it If I bought a good DAP @ $1000 i’d be carrying a total about $4870 of equipment with me every where I go . 850 for the iphone 8+, 920 for the galaxy, 1000 for the DAP and the $2100 IEMs. Thats alot of gear to worry about IMO.

 

[galangerz]

The phone battery life is subjective as I have two phones my work phone and my entertainment phone. Iphone 8+ as my work which I do most of my texting and calling aswell as social media, and then I have my Galaxy S9+ for music streaming (as it does a much better job than the iphone) and videos as well as personal communications (which is alot less frequent than my work phone) so battery life of my source is not going to be a problem. What makes it confusing to me is if the A12t are LID why I would still need a DAP to power it? I definately am going to need to demo a DAP with the A12t once I get them. Its tough though , I live in Southern California and its hard to find places that do audio stuff. When I have traveled through Orgeon to demo some of Campfire audios IEMs they allowed me to use a DAP they had which I had compared to my S9+ and I just didn’t see any significance in the DAP at all. I don’t know what kind it was but maybe just a bad experience? I’m open to change of mind but i’m really gunna need that WOW factor from the DAP to get me to buy in.


You’re probably right. I don’t have the earphones in hand yet as they are still in production but i’ll see how they treat me once I have them in hand. I definately open to getting a DAP but I definately need to try some good ones before I can go out and purchase one like that. Cables may be able to tweak my experience with the phone so im looking forward to see how cables can benefit me.

I really appreciate your guy’s feedback I hope I don’t sound like an oldman stuck in his ways, I just need the light to shine on me to know what the almighty power of the DAP has in store for me. If I could manage to find places in LA that demo DAPs i’d be more than happy to give them a shot and maybe even add it to pockets

to my understanding, technologies like LID and FIBAE keep sound signatures constant, but the iem will still scale in resolution between sources

the wm1z, LPGT and sp1000 will objectively send out more information and detail than a phone to an iem. LID wont compensate for loss of detail.

in your case, maybe more time with a dap will change things. they take time to appreciate. I only started to appreciate mine when I listened to it extensively for a couple weeks and then, because I left it at home, I switched to my phone, and the difference was day and night. YMMV but for me it wasnt as much a sense of "how much do I gain" at initial impression but instead it was "how much I lost" after I've gotten used to it and switched to my phone (s9+)

 

[KuroKitsu]

The phone battery life is subjective as I have two phones my work phone and my entertainment phone. Iphone 8+ as my work which I do most of my texting and calling aswell as social media, and then I have my Galaxy S9+ for music streaming (as it does a much better job than the iphone) and videos as well as personal communications (which is alot less frequent than my work phone) so battery life of my source is not going to be a problem. What makes it confusing to me is if the A12t are LID why I would still need a DAP to power it? I definately am going to need to demo a DAP with the A12t once I get them. Its tough though , I live in Southern California and its hard to find places that do audio stuff. When I have traveled through Orgeon to demo some of Campfire audios IEMs they allowed me to use a DAP they had which I had compared to my S9+ and I just didn’t see any significance in the DAP at all. I don’t know what kind it was but maybe just a bad experience? I’m open to change of mind but i’m really gunna need that WOW factor from the DAP to get me to buy in.


You’re probably right. I don’t have the earphones in hand yet as they are still in production but i’ll see how they treat me once I have them in hand. I definately open to getting a DAP but I definately need to try some good ones before I can go out and purchase one like that. Cables may be able to tweak my experience with the phone so im looking forward to see how cables can benefit me.

I really appreciate your guy’s feedback I hope I don’t sound like an oldman stuck in his ways, I just need the light to shine on me to know what the almighty power of the DAP has in store for me. If I could manage to find places in LA that demo DAPs i’d be more than happy to give them a shot and maybe even add it to pockets

To anwser your question as to why get a DAP when there's LID. Yes its suppose to keep the sound consistent across devices of varying impedance.But....

There are a couple of reasons
1.There's the question of noise getting into the analog signal from other components, hence why a lot of people at least have a DAC chained to their smartphone or desktops, to get a cleaner analog output and as a result cleaner sound. Even an entry level DAC will do this.
2. The quality of the DAC. You might not like the sound signature of the DAC that already exists. IE it's too neutral or treble heavy.
3. The existing DAC/Amp combo isn't enough to drive the headphones to a proper volume.

 

[KuroKitsu]

i like what i’m hearing, streaming of Tidal and spotify is a huge factor to why I might use a phone instead of a DAP. Looking at the price range on those look a bit expensive like I said i’m gunna have to demo them before I spend another $500-$1500 on sources alone. Now that I think about it If I bought a good DAP @ $1000 i’d be carrying a total about $4870 of equipment with me every where I go . 850 for the iphone 8+, 920 for the galaxy, 1000 for the DAP and the $2100 IEMs. Thats alot of gear to worry about IMO.

Definitely demo everything, if you can't, don't get it. It will save you a lot of grief (money) in the long run. Set a hard limit on what you'll spend on each piece and stick to it, there will always be something better at a price point. I love the AKs personally but with the cheapest being at $1k Cdn, it just wont happen.

 

[Rayzilla]

Pick up a used iBasso DX200. It's a great bang for the buck reference DAP with options to change the amp module to cater to your sound preference and cable of choice. If you don't like it, you won't lose much, if any at all but you will get to try it over a longer period. Exactly like Kenneth Galang said, you should notice the difference after your listening experience has gotten used to the improvements for a period of time.

 

[Mackiez]

i like what i’m hearing, streaming of Tidal and spotify is a huge factor to why I might use a phone instead of a DAP. Looking at the price range on those look a bit expensive like I said i’m gunna have to demo them before I spend another $500-$1500 on sources alone. Now that I think about it If I bought a good DAP @ $1000 i’d be carrying a total about $4870 of equipment with me every where I go . 850 for the iphone 8+, 920 for the galaxy, 1000 for the DAP and the $2100 IEMs. Thats alot of gear to worry about IMO.

If you satisfy your current gear and no need to invest more ,I do recommend you DO NOT DEMO THEM. It’s will cause you to lose many bucks.

And if you have many doubt ,how expensive DAP can sold to many people ,you need to DEMO them before make a purchase.

IMO ,phone like a iPhoneX or 8+ ,sound too dry and lose many micro detail in every song. Some track bass&treble extension is wonderful that phone cannot bring it to you even you listening the same source like my A/B test on tidal streaming.

My gear expensive too ,it’s more than 5,500$ and have a lot of people expensive than me. The price are no reason when the gear can satisfy you enough