[majo123]

Like I said, wait till all AKM module versions are released and clear, then ZiShan is going to release both ESS version of module and firmware, as ESS and AKM are really different DAC and from a different manufacturer

I presume the firmware will be easily swappable to and from? Anyway looking forward to trying them both.

 

[buzzbuzz]

I’ve seen the dual ak4493 version for $68 now (price drop). I just got that one yesterday, but haven’t had much time to play with it. I like it, though. Still have to put it through it’s paces. For the most part, it sounds like a DSD (day have the 4497 DSD), but more controlled.

The Zishan T1 4493 is not $68. The Chinese vendors on Aliexpress and eBay like to list the lowest price from a "collection" product options. It is a trick for their listings to have the "lowest" price sorting/ranking.

 

[citral23]

Yeah I heard ESS sounds cold, edgy, etc., but people have different taste and opinions. Also, the Q2M is designed for mobile purposes, so it's more suited for users like me.✌

Different tastes and opinions, and often without realizing it, influenced by vision, name etc.

Sabre sounds sharp, incisive
AK has "velvet technology", sounds mellow doesn't it
Etc.

Anyway looking again at the (it seems) very highly praised Dethonray DTR1 today I realized it has AK4490EQ. If it's good enough for their apparently very competent designers, it should be good enough for my needs, at 1/14th of the price.

 

[Merlin-PT]

@citral23
I love my zishan Z2 ak4490 sound (after I replaced both opamps and caps for genuine brands), ak4490 sounds very good to me.
Only thinking about the DAC chip, I personally be happy with any of T1 AK options. I didn't listen to the ESS DAC, can't comment on that.
One thing I noticed is that my modded zishan DSD with ak4497 is more revealing of music defects and maybe requires better circuitry than the lower models to sound better.
But what matters will be how T1 DAC options sound in T1.

 

[cqtek]

Hello.

The Zishan T1 Dual AK4493 has arrived home today and I'm starting to want it.





I have subjected it to my usual measurements and these are the results:

Frequency Response at Volume 83, from 5Hz to 40kHz:



Waveform from a pure tone at 75Hz to volume 83:



EDIT:

I erase the results until I corroborate the measurements with a real oscilloscope.

RMS voltage measured at volume 83 using a pure 75Hz tone (Output 3.5mm):

Open: 1.487V
32 Ohms 1.09V --> 11.65 Ohms Zout
100 Ohms: 1.337V --> 11.22 Ohms Zout
320 Ohms: 1.44V --> 10.44 Ohms Zout

 

[nesty]

Hello.

The Zishan T1 Dual AK4493 has arrived home today and I'm starting to want it.





I have subjected it to my usual measurements and these are the results:

Frequency Response at Volume 83, from 5Hz to 40kHz:



Waveform from a pure tone at 75Hz to volume 83:



Waveform from a pure tone at 75Hz to volume 84 (distorts):



Waveform from a pure tone at 75Hz to volume 87 (distorts):



RMS voltage measured at maximum volume without distortion (Vol. 83) using a pure 75Hz tone (Output 3.5mm):

Open: 1.487V
32 Ohms 1.09V --> 11.65 Ohms Zout
100 Ohms: 1.337V --> 11.22 Ohms Zout
320 Ohms: 1.44V --> 10.44 Ohms Zout

@cqtek , nice fr at 83% almost flat no roll off...at 84 and above the sine wave is distorted as seen its clipping symmetrically. I think that is audible did you try with headset at that level?
Also, seems it will perform better with at 100 ohm and above for max power transfer.

 

[cqtek]

I haven't tried listening to music at that volume, since I normally use IEMs, it's impossible to get to that level.

It's not that it works better with a high impedance connected, you see that the Zout almost doesn't vary.

The formula for calculating the Zout is this, so you can see why the higher the impedance connected, the bigger the Vout is.

Rout = Rload x (Vnload - Vload)/Vload

 

[Merlin-PT]

What about the BL output, in the photos I can't see coupling capacitors there, is there any DC voltage in BL output and can that be a problem for the drivers we connect?

 

[Zerohour88]

Hello.

The Zishan T1 Dual AK4493 has arrived home today and I'm starting to want it.





I have subjected it to my usual measurements and these are the results:

Frequency Response at Volume 83, from 5Hz to 40kHz:



Waveform from a pure tone at 75Hz to volume 83:



Waveform from a pure tone at 75Hz to volume 84 (distorts):



Waveform from a pure tone at 75Hz to volume 87 (distorts):



RMS voltage measured at maximum volume without distortion (Vol. 83) using a pure 75Hz tone (Output 3.5mm):

Open: 1.487V
32 Ohms 1.09V --> 11.65 Ohms Zout
100 Ohms: 1.337V --> 11.22 Ohms Zout
320 Ohms: 1.44V --> 10.44 Ohms Zout

around 11ohms OI then? I assume that might cause some hiss with sensitive multi-BA IEMs

 

[buzzbuzz]

I am confused. On AliExpress, there is a Zishan T1 with 4497 dac for $120 usd from the reputable NiceHCK store. Just 1 4497 DAC according to the specs.
On eBay, there is a Zishan T2 with "dual AK4497EQ" DAC for $160 usd. The Chinese vendor is not well known at all. Could this vendor be wrong with the specs?

 

[citral23]

around 11ohms OI then? I assume that might cause some hiss with sensitive multi-BA IEMs

Why?

 

[Zerohour88]

Why?

most sources I've had with >10 ohms OI hissed with multi-BA stuff like CA Andromeda. sometimes its loud, sometimes its just a minor hiss, but its usually there (instead of a completely black background).

well, I say >10 ohms, but sadly I only tested sources with <2 ohms OI (NX4 DSD, X7ii) and then going up to >10 ohms OI (SE4 ES9028QM DAC, smartphones) with nothing in between.

fits the 1/8 OI rules, at least

 

[dakchi]

Hi,
Would it be possible to share with us sound impressions? these numbers and technical words are chinese to most of us
Thanks

 

[cqtek]

For now the firmware of the T1 is in an initial phase, the handling is quite coarse, it costs a lot to navigate through lists of long folders and you do not see the covers. The pause button is very small, as a very basic function, should have more prominence.
The output impedance of 10 Ohms makes it not suitable for all IEMs, it is noticeable how the frequency response varies. It's a shame Zishan hasn't solved this yet.

You can see the sound differences between a source with Zout < 1 Ohms, such as the Burson Audio Playmate. The sound is darker with the T1.

 

[citral23]

Ok, for the basics :

Is the touchscreen capacitive or resistive?
Can you transfer files via USB?
Does it have usb DAC function?
Does that firmware play Ogg Vorbis?
Does it get hot playing hi-res files after ~10-15 mins like the DSD pro?
Is "playing now" now a playlist, to which you can add etc.? Or so you still have to play folder by folder and "playing now" is only one song?

And if/when possible, how's battery life? (there are more fun things to do in life, but when I get a player I leave it playing in loop with Audacity recording the output, so I have an exact measure of battery life rather than guessing)