[twister6]

  are there any other dealers with less pricey opus 2? only musictek ?

 
MusicTeck is their only official US distributor to sell Opus#2.  Official distributors sign agreement with manufacturer to sell the product at a specific price, and can discount only per manufacturer request.  Unfortunately, that's how it works.

 

[oncdoc]

considering the price and comparison to ak380   is this not considered a topend player? why mid-range classification?
I own an ak 100 ii that I love and have taken great care of? would this be an upgrade or same class of player. I noticed that this has two dac's but the same chip as the ak 100 ii

 

[twister6]

  considering the price and comparison to ak380   is this not considered a topend player? why mid-range classification?
I own an ak 100 ii that I love and have taken great care of? would this be an upgrade or same class of player. I noticed that this has two dac's but the same chip as the ak 100 ii

 
You probably confused it with Opus#1.  Opus#1 has a dual CS4398, same as AK120ii, while AK100ii only has a single CS4398.  I have AK120ii, and found Opus#1 to sound better (I mentioned about it in my Opus#1 review, in comparison).  Now, if you consider Opus#1 price of $399 (currently on Amazon) in comparison to discounted $1,299 AK120ii - I personally find Opus to be an upgrade in sound quality and features, at a seriously discounted price
 
Opus#2 has a dual SABRE 32bit ES9018K2M DACs  while AK380 uses dual AKM AK4490 DACs.  Opus#2 is indeed a top end DAP, among the best I heard (just keep in mind, I didn't hear yet WM1Z and AK380CU), and it's in a class with LPG, and technically sounds better than Opus#1 (though they share a lot of similar features and similar interface, even signature is similar, but Opus#2 is superior in resolution and transparency).  Plus, Opus#2 suppose to support full android with streaming, etc (not implemented yet).  So, as I mentioned before, the lack of attention is because people are still waiting for the next fw update.

 

[oncdoc]

thank you, im debating getting it.

 

[flipper203]

Twister when will you get an ear on the Sony?

 

[WCDchee]

By the way twister6 buddy,which mode are you listening to these on 24 or 32 bit?

 

[twister6]

By the way @twister6 buddy,which mode are you listening to these on 24 or 32 bit?

 
I assume you are talking about Output Setting -> DSP mode where you select between Audio, 24bit (I2S), and 32bit (X-MOS)?  I have it set to Auto, one less headache to worry about

  Here is a detailed info I got from theBit regarding that setting: 
 
DSP mode.
Audio channel used to play various audio formats may differ depending on the format. Basically device is set to be on Auto mode, DSD is played on 32bit mode, general PCM (WAV, MP3, FLAC etc.) is played through 24bit mode. However you may choose to use either 24 or 32 bit mode through settings. Please refer to a table below.
 

	DSP MODE	Input or Output Options	DSP DEVICE
	SPDIF	PCM	DSD	PCM	DSD
	24bit	x	ES9018	ES9018(PCM)	0	0		0: ES9018(24bits)
	o	XMOS	XMOS(PCM)	1	1		1: XMOS(PCM 32bits)
	32bit	x	XMOS	XMOS(Native)	1	2		2. XMOS(DSD 32bits)
	o	XMOS	XMOS(PCM)	1	1		3. B/T(16bits)
	Auto	x	ES9018	XMOS(Native)	0	2
	o	XMOS	XMOS(PCM)	1	1
	BLUETOOTH	x	B/T	B/T(PCM)	3	3
	o	B/T	B/T(PCM)	3	3

 

[WCDchee]

Yes that's it.

My Friend and I both found the 32 bit mode to be quite noticeably better even on PCM. The 24 bit mode made it sound more like the opus 1, with a sort of a softer, less dynamic, and slightly more blur sound while the 32 bit setting just made everything incredibly punchy, tight, clean, and spacious.

 

[twister6]

Yes that's it.

My Friend and I both found the 32 bit mode to be quite noticeably better even on PCM. The 24 bit mode made it sound more like the opus 1, with a sort of a softer, less dynamic, and slightly more blur sound while the 32 bit setting just made everything incredibly punchy, tight, clean, and spacious.

 
Cool!  Gotta check it again!  Have you compared Opus#2 to any other DAPs?  Are you planning to review it?

 

[WCDchee]

Cool!  Gotta check it again!  Have you compared Opus#2 to any other DAPs?  Are you planning to review it?

Please do and let me know what you think

I don't own it but we spent some time on it and I think the opus 2 would be among the best of DAPs on the market on the 32 bit setup.

I would love to review it, but the package offered to me by the bit was a little costly

 

[twister6]

Yes that's it.

My Friend and I both found the 32 bit mode to be quite noticeably better even on PCM. The 24 bit mode made it sound more like the opus 1, with a sort of a softer, less dynamic, and slightly more blur sound while the 32 bit setting just made everything incredibly punchy, tight, clean, and spacious.

 
Holly crap, I hear it the same!  Just spent a little bit of time testing it with Zeus XR Adel and TWau balanced cable, playing just regular 320kbps mp3s.  There is definitely a noticeable difference between 24bit and 32bit modes.  32bit sounds sharper, a faster transient of notes which makes sound cleaner and tighter, while 24bit does sound softer and closer to dynamics of Opus#1.  When I switch to "auto", for some reason it sounds somewhere in between of 24bit and 32bit.  Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me.  How do you hear auto mode?
 
The difference between 24bit and 32bit modes almost sounds like a combination of higher bit rendering along with some kind of a filter, doesn't it?

 

[WCDchee]

Holly crap, I hear it the same!  Just spent a little bit of time testing it with Zeus XR Adel and TWau balanced cable, playing just regular 320kbps mp3s.  There is definitely a noticeable difference between 24bit and 32bit modes.  32bit sounds sharper, a faster transient of notes which makes sound cleaner and tighter, while 24bit does sound softer and closer to dynamics of Opus#1.  When I switch to "auto", for some reason it sounds somewhere in between of 24bit and 32bit.  Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me.  How do you hear auto mode?

The difference between 24bit and 32bit modes almost sounds like a combination of higher bit rendering along with some kind of a filter, doesn't it?

No **** huh

I never heard auto mode but to my ears 32 bit is the ****. The power, the speedboat of the transients and the dynamics and slam just explodes as compared to the 24 bit mode, it's not even close. While the 24 bit mode maintains that laid back, slightly soft feel of the opus 1 the 32 bit transforms it completely.

 

[oncdoc]

How does the sound of opus 2 compare to onkyo do x1)

 

[twister6]

How does the sound of opus 2 compare to onkyo do x1)

 
Don't have dp-x1, but a few people who have both Opus#1 and DP-X1 preferred Opus#1 (obviously, their subjective opinion expressed in Opus#1 thread).  As it was mentioned before, Opus#2 stands above Opus#1 in sound quality.

 

[MarkTwain]

How does the sound of opus 2 compare to onkyo do x1)

 
I prefer the sound of Opus#2 over Onkyo DP X1, but prefer QP1R and Calyx M over Opus#2, Opus#1 and DP 1X in terms of sound for music I listen to. Did audition on all the DAPs I mentioned, but had the Opus#1 ABS and Metal Premium version for a while, found it very neutral, but too clinical and less engaging on my IEMs. No difference to my ears whether balanced output or SE from Opus#1, using Tralucent Ref.1, JH Roxanne 2, JH Layla 2.
 
Did a thorough audition with different DAPs at the store as was trying to upgrade to Opus#2 after having the Opus#1. All good DAPs, and was not concerned about price, and tried most of them with both balanced (if the players have 2.5mm balanced plug) and single ended output.
 
Using mainly the JH Layla 2 now, matches much better with QP1R and Calyx M.
 
Suggest that you do audition with your IEMs or headphones with your preferred music, as we all have different preferences. Some DAPs are lush and smooth, some are neutral and clinical. Depending on music you listen to, the is no "best" DAP, just which is closer to your preference. Price has no direct relationship to your preferred sound as well.