thebit Opus#1 DAP from South Korea
Apr 10, 2016 at 6:11 AM Post #286 of 4,190
  Ok, now for some real battery test results, since I wasn't using iBasso burn-in cable this time.  Running on 1.10.23 latest firmware, Opus#1 was fully charged, I used the new Fidue A83FB hybrids (hardwired cable with 2.5mm TRRS balanced termination).  Started at 2pm on a dot and just run out of battery at 12:20am.  That's 10:20 min on a single battery charge with volume set at 80, playing with a screen off, just periodically turning the screen on for battery status update.  I will repeat the test again tomorrow with 3.5mm HO output.  It does look like DAP was optimized to improve battery life, and maybe battery performance improved after half a dozen of charge cycles, and I'm also thinking that battery self-calibration resulted in a more accurate reading where previously I thought I was starting from 100% while battery could have been not fully charged.  Keep in mind A83 are efficient and easy to drive, while harder to drive IEMs/full size will drain battery faster, but nevertheless - still very impressive!


That's a little more like it, but still a little disappointing.  All these daps have one thing in common, woeful battery life.   How come a certain fruit bearing manufacturer a few years ago is able to get decent battery life, slim build and half decent sound?  How come the market seems to be going backwards to this point?   At barely 9 hours that would just about last me a working day if I were using iems.   For full size cans (I use senns venerable hd25's so no idea how efficient they are)it would be less.
 
Thanks for the tests twister6 and sorry if that was a little whinge.
 
Apr 10, 2016 at 8:30 AM Post #289 of 4,190
 
  Ok, now for some real battery test results, since I wasn't using iBasso burn-in cable this time.  Running on 1.10.23 latest firmware, Opus#1 was fully charged, I used the new Fidue A83FB hybrids (hardwired cable with 2.5mm TRRS balanced termination).  Started at 2pm on a dot and just run out of battery at 12:20am.  That's 10:20 min on a single battery charge with volume set at 80, playing with a screen off, just periodically turning the screen on for battery status update.  I will repeat the test again tomorrow with 3.5mm HO output.  It does look like DAP was optimized to improve battery life, and maybe battery performance improved after half a dozen of charge cycles, and I'm also thinking that battery self-calibration resulted in a more accurate reading where previously I thought I was starting from 100% while battery could have been not fully charged.  Keep in mind A83 are efficient and easy to drive, while harder to drive IEMs/full size will drain battery faster, but nevertheless - still very impressive!


That's a little more like it, but still a little disappointing.  All these daps have one thing in common, woeful battery life.   How come a certain fruit bearing manufacturer a few years ago is able to get decent battery life, slim build and half decent sound?  How come the market seems to be going backwards to this point?   At barely 9 hours that would just about last me a working day if I were using iems.   For full size cans (I use senns venerable hd25's so no idea how efficient they are)it would be less.
 
Thanks for the tests twister6 and sorry if that was a little whinge.

 
I guess it's all about optimization of OS, selection of components, integration of sw/fw/hw, etc.  A big company with resources can do everything under one roof since they are responsible for design of everything; not just apple, but look at sony and recent cowon (plenue d).  While other small chinese and korean companies depend on contract designers and manufacturers which bring in a different design synergy.  In the last few years I tested/reviewed close to 2 dozen of DAPs, and it's hard to miss when you see multiple models from a few popular manufacturers all using the same micro controller, a similar gui and menus, etc.  10hrs of battery life is about average and very common.  When you use hard to drive full size cans that need more juice you typically stack your DAP with an external portable amp which has its own battery so you don't drain DAP as fast.  Also, now with popularity of touch screen interface, manufacturers jumping into Android OS since it's already optimized for that and you don't have to reinvent the wheel.  I'm actually impressed that Opus#1 or DX80 running android in the background can squeeze out 10+ hrs of battery life.  And speaking of apple, recently got 6th gen ipod touch for my daughter, and see it constantly on the charger...
 
Apr 10, 2016 at 8:58 AM Post #290 of 4,190
  @twister6 I got a question for you. What AK DAP do you have there? Can you do a comparison? I'm getting feedback that "micro details" in songs is the weakness of Opus#1.
I can't confirm this since I don't have an AK on hand. I'm not starting an AK vs Opus war, but curious how does it fare with other more expensive DAPs. Thanks!

 
You are not starting a war
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 and, btw my opinion is purely subjective. 
 
Just did a quick a/b/c comparison using ES60 (those are my best reference quality CIEMs, and No, they are not custom version of W60 which many people confuse them with :)).  Used Opus#1, PAW Gold, and AK120ii while playing the same song, all 3 sources volume matched by ear.  All 3 are great performers, but in terms of detail retrieval its easier to hear that Opus/Gold are edging ahead of AK120ii.  AK is smoother which add an analog warmth to the sound and looses some of the micro details, and it's slightly behind in terms of layering/separating and transparency.  With Opus#1 vs Gold, you get a very similar retrieval of details on micro-detail level and a very similar layering/separation of sounds, but Gold has slightly better transparency and a touch better dynamic performance.  One thing about Gold, it adds a bit more punch to mid-bass, while Opus is more neutral, and that is a reason I'm leaning more toward Opus as my new flavor of the month or until something better replaces it (DX200 is around the corner, who knows). 
 
Btw, in the past I also tested AK240 and it sounded exactly like AK120ii, but I have no idea how AK380 or 380 Copper will sound, though read somewhere Copper version sound better while some compared Gold to sound close to a regular 380.  I can only speak about what I have and currently use.  When you get down to micro-detail comparison, anybody who tells you about the sound by memory or while demoing it in the store or at CanJam/meet for 5-10min - take that with a serious grain of salt.  Of course, my opinion is subjective as well, relative to monitors I use, songs I selected, and my hearing level, so take all this into consideration.
 
Apr 10, 2016 at 10:59 AM Post #292 of 4,190
 And speaking of apple, recently got 6th gen ipod touch for my daughter, and see it constantly on the charger...

How much of that is due to being a dedicated music player though?  I imagine that apps, wifi, bluetooth etc etc would be much more battery draining than as a simple music player...
 
Apr 10, 2016 at 11:08 AM Post #293 of 4,190
 
 And speaking of apple, recently got 6th gen ipod touch for my daughter, and see it constantly on the charger...

How much of that is due to being a dedicated music player though?  I imagine that apps, wifi, bluetooth etc etc would be much more battery draining than as a simple music player...

 
Oh, without a doubt, that was exactly the point I'm trying to make.   With something like a dedicated iPod classic you can optimize the performance based on one task, with iPod touch you have an iPhone without a "phone" part with a ton of processes running in the background.  The same with all these latest android based DAPs, though Opus is not running a full Android OS. Manufacturer/developer will have to optimize it by allowing only bare minimum stuff to run in the background, otherwise you are wasting the battery. 
 
Apr 13, 2016 at 10:34 AM Post #295 of 4,190
I don't know how I never got around actually testing the EQ, only enabling/disabling it, but I just realized that EQ is not really working but rather a functional GUI without any sound changes behind it.  Is that correct?  I tried selecting one of the custom EQ sets, enable EQ, and tweak the bands - but there is no change in the sound.  So, I assume EQ is disabled for now?!?
 
Apr 13, 2016 at 12:03 PM Post #296 of 4,190
  I don't know how I never got around actually testing the EQ, only enabling/disabling it, but I just realized that EQ is not really working but rather a functional GUI without any sound changes behind it.  Is that correct?  I tried selecting one of the custom EQ sets, enable EQ, and tweak the bands - but there is no change in the sound.  So, I assume EQ is disabled for now?!?

 
Look here - http://www.head-fi.org/t/792354/thebit-opus-1-dap-from-south-korea/90#post_12349597
 
Apr 13, 2016 at 12:28 PM Post #297 of 4,190
 
  anyone could confirm or not that the equalizer is not usable ?

You may need to activate EQ then go to settings and make your own settings saving them as User 1/2/3. After you do it, just stop playing the file and restart it after few seconds. It will not take effect immediately like in other devices. But it works well!

 
Hi Jason,
 
Any chance EQ will be updated to adjust the sound in real time?  Even so I personally don't use the EQ, I can't imagine it being useful to adjust on the screen without real time audio feedback on what you are actually changing.  That is the only way to use an EQ, you listen to audio while adjusting the bands to shape the sound. Otherwise, it makes no sense
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  Also, as you probably aware, there is a noticeable delay once you activate the EQ and before you hear a sound change, the reason I was under impression that EQ is not working.
 
Apr 15, 2016 at 9:38 PM Post #300 of 4,190
Alex, how's your review of the Opus#1 coming along? Are ya still loving it overall. I may get to try one next week though which will be awesome.

 
Planning to finish it over the weekend, so hopefully it will be up early next week.  This is the only DAP i'm using exclusively right now :)  Was jamming it with some DSD 256 tracks, flawless playback and touch swiping through a track without a single hiccup.
 
Btw, I noticed that Amazon listing has Leather case (Dignis) included.  That's definitely a bonus.
 

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