[Themilkman46290]

Hey guys, I have the chance to buy an A1 for about $145, is it still a good buy? How does it compare to others? I don't plan on using Bluetooth or tidal. I have mainly flacs.

 

[Infoseeker]

It is still an android dap, and an old Android dap. Battery drain will be big for such simple use scenario.

I would stick to the newer stuff for Android.

 

[immortalsoul]

Hey guys, I have the chance to buy an A1 for about $145, is it still a good buy? How does it compare to others? I don't plan on using Bluetooth or tidal. I have mainly flacs.

Hi, where did you find it? I would be interested in buying it just to try YinLvMei sound for that price

 

[Bellyworshipper]

Hey guys, I have the chance to buy an A1 for about $145, is it still a good buy? How does it compare to others? I don't plan on using Bluetooth or tidal. I have mainly flacs.

I've been using A1 for about two years and sold it just a couple days ago The last time (a week ago) I checked the battery life I got approximately 8 hours 30 minutes of FLAC (mostly 16 bit 44.1 kHz material) playback on one charge. Yes, the Android version installed on A1 is comparatively old (5.1), but its contribution to the battery consumption is far smaller than that of the DAC and all the analog circuitry of A1. So the Android version is not the point. The sound is cool on A1, you will hardly find anything close to A1 SQ-wise among modern DAPs of similar price or even those priced at about $600.
Unfortunately, I'd say that A1 has a poor usability (analog volume knob on the top, no play/pause mechanical button), but the sound is great

 

[MatusSVK]

Just found a new product on YinLvMei website, the S3 lite. It has a new AK4462, which supports DSD512 and also has an output power of up to 200mW.

AND it's only 5cm long (50mmX22mmX11mm)

 

[Bellyworshipper]

Just found a new product on YinLvMei website, the S3 lite. It has a new AK4462, which supports DSD512 and also has an output power of up to 200mW.

AND it's only 5cm long (50mmX22mmX11mm)

Though even "old" 4497 DAC chip supports DSD 512 in hardware (pretty much a useless feature, at least in portable gear, as for me), its implementation allowed for up to DSD 256 native playback only (which is also a rare case for the recordings, on which one really can hear a difference between DSD 64-128 and DSD 256). This was mostly due to the SA 9227 USB receiver chip that YinLvMei had been using, I presume. Now, in S3 lite and their new W0 DAP built on the same AK4462 DAC (using the CT7601 USB receiver), they switched to another USB chip, which is capable of DSD 512 output.

 

[James Shoegazer]

Isn’t the A1 ridden with crazy bugs according to Chinese sources? Has anyone else tried the A1SS (silver chassis)? I read that it’s details betters the A2 and is tuned with more focus from mids to bass. It sounds more forceful than the A2, if I had to directly translate. Comparatively the A2 is tuned with more clarity from mid to upper frequencies and is looser sounding

 

[James Shoegazer]

QA361 uses Dual AK4495SEQ, and on paper just as powerful as well. Wonder if anyone compared it with A2

 

[Bellyworshipper]

Isn’t the A1 ridden with crazy bugs according to Chinese sources? Has anyone else tried the A1SS (silver chassis)? I read that it’s details betters the A2 and is tuned with more focus from mids to bass. It sounds more forceful than the A2, if I had to directly translate. Comparatively the A2 is tuned with more clarity from mid to upper frequencies and is looser sounding

Well, I did not have a chance to try A1SS (and doubt that anyone outside China has it), but the digital part of A1SS is the same as of A1S and A1, if i get it right. Thus, the A1 inherent bugs you refer to plague the A1SS as well.
However, I find A2 sounding better than A1 for me and doubt that getting A1SS is worth it. The lows on A2 are by no means loose, they are very well controlled and go deeper compared to A1

 

[James Shoegazer]

Well, I did not have a chance to try A1SS (and doubt that anyone outside China has it), but the digital part of A1SS is the same as of A1S and A1, if i get it right. Thus, the A1 inherent bugs you refer to plague the A1SS as well.
However, I find A2 sounding better than A1 for me and doubt that getting A1SS is worth it. The lows on A2 are by no means loose, they are very well controlled and go deeper compared to A1

On this chat section it seems to have two users praising that the A1SS sounds better than the A2, with one comment saying that A1SS has better resolution capabilities, and the more powerful one, A2 is more laid back on comparison (if that is what I can understand). Also both have different tuning, with more clarity on upper registers of A2


I think that the A1SS is an upgraded A1S with limited production, hence pricier.

 

[Bellyworshipper]

On this chat section it seems to have two users praising that the A1SS sounds better than the A2, with one comment saying that A1SS has better resolution capabilities, and the more powerful one, A2 is more laid back on comparison (if that is what I can understand). Also both have different tuning, with more clarity on upper registers of A2

I think that the A1SS is an upgraded A1S with limited production, hence pricier.

Might be so. However, I read on some forum or in some chat that A1S is "warmer" (and probably with little punchier bass too) than A1 and A2. Again, in terms of usability I'd prefer A2 as I find the vertical volume knob (even more so because of the protective arch on A1S) of A1 and A1S less convenient than that of A2.
Considering the limited production of A1, A1S and A2, A1SS is a super limited production DAP
Usually subjective sound improvements come at the price of increased power consumption, thus, the battery life of A1SS is comparatively low, I presume.

 

[James Shoegazer]

More interesting translations from Erji.net forums :

In this thread the OP critiques the bad heat dissipation and buggy UI of the A1S, often crashing due to conflicting programs.
He did not like that it is too enhanced sounding and strident. He further complained that A1S is powerful yet brings unrefinement* and that the company has no knowledge of how to properly integrate Dual AK4497. He also claimed that the products are "half-finished DIY project pushed to the market".
The OP argues with the "Yinlvmei army" who go about flaunting that they are the best devices around when it is in fact flawed for its price.
(suggesting that lots of 50c trolls pushing for the brand of Yinlvmei here)

 

[Bellyworshipper]

@James Shoegazer
Well, yes and no. I mean, YinLvMei's products (even flagships) are more DIY than not and definitely more DIY than those of well-known brands like FiiO, Shanling, Cayin, etc. These brands use to bring both more polished and reliable products to the market and provide a better product support. This approach greatly improves user experience, no doubt. But when it comes to the sound quality, things get more complicated. Usually, such brands already have a wide line of audio stuff and designing a new product imposes marketing limitations on it (if its better sounding it must be more expensive, if it is sold at the current model's price then it's performance or functionality, or both must be artificailly limited not to undermine the current model sales, etc.) even more than technical ones, I think.
That is what YinLvMei, as a comparatively small and DIY-oriented company, does not have (at least for now). Yes, they already have released quite a few products, but not that many. And more importantly, they practice a more experimental approach to the sound and can easily sacrifice many things related to product usability and convenience for the SQ. I don't want to idolize them, but compared to their well-established and more famous peers, YinLvMei are mavericks or rebels in terms of the sound quality.
After a year of experience with my A2 I find it the most mature YinLvMei product I've used (I started from M200+ portable DACamp, tried their D300 and A1 DAPs) and quite good in terms of usability, especially after the firmware upgrade to Android 9-based new firmware. And in terms of the SQ I still find A2 outstanding though I've auditioned FiiO M11, Shanling M6 Pro, AK Kann Cube, AK Kann Cube Alpha, Lotoo PAW Touch. So I find my A2 sounding much better than many DAPs for that or even double the price.
By the way, if you're looking for anything more vivid, "fun" than comparatively neutral A2 (sounding similar to A1S/A1SS, as I think they sound from Chinese users' descriptions), I'd recommend trying YinLvMei M400 Plus portable DACamp (there is a thread dedicated to the previous M400 model, which sounds very similar, I think). If you are not opposed to using a DACamp instead of a DAP, of course. Man, I realize that I sound like some kind of an advertiser (which I'm not, at least for the YinLvMei )and totally biased (I must admit, I am ), but the M400 Plus is a beast. No joke, this DACamp is cheaper than A2 (unfortunately its price got higher by $100 recently because of the short AKM 4499 chips supply for small companies, as one seller on Ali explained), but when it comes to the SQ, I will not be surprised if many people prefer it to the A2.
Again, this is my opinion and my preferences, but it is based on my experience with sound devices too.
Will it cannibalize A2 sales? Quite probably. Do YinLvMei care? Don't think so That's on the point of marketing limitations I mentioned above.

 

[NinjaGirayaZ]

Sorry to hear that. I've been enjoying the B2 for 2+ months. Excellent sound, so much so i took the plunge and just bought the M400 plus, delivery in progress. I experienced BT sound drop outs too when using USB Audio Player Pro. No dropouts at all when using Tidal native app.

How does B2 compare to M400 plus? Is the difference in SQ too big?

 

[wwyjoe]

How does B2 compare to M400 plus? Is the difference in SQ too big?

It would be hard to quantify the difference between the two, as this is subjective. To my ears, i can definitely hear improvements with M400plus, mainly more open and wider soundstage, and tighter bass.

I occasionally use the B2 for portability reasons, and immediately noticed the sound has 'downgraded'.

Don't get me wrong. The B2 is still very good. When i first heard the B2, i was very drawn to its musical sound and bass which none of my previous setups (e.g. LG V-series phones, portable usb-c dongles, portable bluetooth amps) can offer. That's why i upgraded to the M400 plus and never looked back since....