Which digital audio player?

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jonboywalton75

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I was in RS just a couple of hours ago purchasing it.
I only had my Soundmagic e10's, so had a quick listen. It tantalised me.
I can't wait to get it charged to give it some serious welly with the p5's.
I'll probably leave it on all night to burn in.
Is that good procedure ?
 

tonky

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Burning in? - tbh I wouldn't know - it wouldn't do it any harm.

I'd be interested if you played different quality files - (same tracks) - 320kbps - lossless - and hi-res (if poss). And what you thought of the difference (if any - big or small?)

I read a lengthy review from someone (not an AK player I don't think) where the owner praised it to high heaven and said it was so good he couldn't tell the difference between 320kbps files and lossless. - I was surprised - I can always hear a difference

cheers tonky
 

jonboywalton75

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First and last day listening to the Astell and kern ak70!!!!
Sound is great, I'm not an audiophile so my description of sound is only basic I'm afraid.
I just know what I like I guess.
I did a few comparisons with the kit I've got.
My conclusion is that for OTG my HTC one m8 is fine.
For around the house, when I want to be a bit more mobile, I will use my Bluetooth on the B and W's more than likely.
For serious listening, when I can't crank up my Nad/ focal combo because of my infernal neighbours I'll connect my dragonfly to the B and W,'s via my cheap OTG adapter, this sounds superb to me by the way.
I've just discovered that my HTC will accept a 200 gb micro sd card (£66 from Amazon or £89 with USB card reader)
I'll get my £450.00 back from RS.
Oh, and the HTC does allow me to download offline from Tidal.
One the other hand I might go the whole hog and just downgrade to Spotify Premium, seeing as my 60 year old ears can't hear hundreds of pounds worth of difference between a phone and a DAP.
I originally bought the Note 4 because the screen is the size I like.
As a phone it's brilliant, but as I've already said the sound on the note is lacklustre (at least my ears can detect that!!!!!)
The Ak70's screen is also too small for my fat fingers to search for music.
So all in all a worthwhile exercise, I've sated my hifi yearnings for now, saved some money and I'll be able to store loads of great music on my HTC.
As I've said I'm not an audiophile so many of you guys and gals out there will no doubt enjoy your daps but for me at the moment, I'm happy listening to what I've got.
Who knows, if I'd gone for the Pioneer I may have kept that, (bigger screen and apparently it may be able to store tidal offline music)
Oh oh, the hifi itch may need scratching in the not too distant future, LOL.
If anyone is still interested in my insane ramblings, I'll comment on the differences between Tidal and Spotify premium, when I've had a chance to decide on £9.99 or £19.99 ha ha

PS, I think that the reason I started on this mini journey was, that when I went in RS originally, I compared the Ak70 to the Note, not sensible in hindsight.
Ah well, all's well that ends well
 

tonky

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Well the price of the AK70 has gone up to 500£ now at RS.

Thanks for your input on this topic - it shows that things can be a bit of a minefield out there (on the DAP front) and maybe differences aren't that vast. I will have a listen at RS some day but am in no rush - I wouldn't want to pay 200£+ for any headphone which would show up the differences in DAPs

I am currently using a Sony AWZ 15 (I think) - great sounds for the gym etc. - on the DAP front though I am interested in one which integreates nicely into a home network.

cheers tonky
 

jonboywalton75

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Actually the price was £499 when I was in RS
They will reduce by £50 if you use the right words, lol.
When I return the ak70 on Monday, they may convince me to try the Pioneer, I may take them up on it, knowing my love of tunes!!!!
Anyway I was being serious about the sound of my old HTC, it is seriously good for me.
We all know about snake oil on this site, don't we.
 
jonboywalton75 said:
Actually the price was £499 when I was in RS They will reduce by £50 if you use the right words, lol. When I return the ak70 on Monday, they may convince me to try the Pioneer, I may take them up on it, knowing my love of tunes!!!! Anyway I was being serious about the sound of my old HTC, it is seriously good for me. We all know about snake oil on this site, don't we.

There's snake oil and there are things designed to do one job excellently.... oh, and there's also a matter of people's hearing.. :)
 

jonboywalton75

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Al ears said:
jonboywalton75 said:
You're right about my hearing, I'm an old git!!!!

I must admit so am I and know I have lost some of the upper registers however I feel I still have enough left to know what sounds good to me..... and not enough to hear what the wife is yelling at me occasionally... ;-)

Wondered how bad my ears were, so I listened to a couple of tracks I knew very well on both tidal hifi and Spotify premium
Guess what??
I could tell the difference.
Thank goodness!!!
I'm not deaf, lol
 

jonboywalton75

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Al ears said:
jonboywalton75 said:
Just swapped for Pioneer Update later, lol

Swapped or was it cheaper?? Should have been £150 cheaper.

Let us know your thoughts when you had had a chance to give it a good listen.

I paid £450 for Ak, pioneer was £350
£100 refund
That'll get me a 200 gb micro sd
Only listened for short time, initial thoughts, very detailed
Let you know more when I've had a good listen
 

jonboywalton75

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The Pioneer is a keeper!!!!
I prefer the whole package compared to the Ak70.
The screen makes searching for music much easier. Obviously it's heavier and bulkier, that doesn't bother me at all.
For me the sound quality doesn't suffer in comparison to the Ak70, my ears are not trained to hear all the intricacies, like many on this forum, but for me the detail is amazing for the type of music I like.
Admittedly though if you like heavier rock than I do, maybe the base may not be to your liking.
The WiFi works well, however, using Bluetooth you need to have the player in reasonably close proximity to your device. Battery life is better than one expected, from the reviews I'd read previously.
It's very pleasing with all my headphones, on ear and in.
The 2 sd card slots also give much more storage than the ak70.
Overall very pleased with my purchase.
Just bought a 200 gb card to go with it.
Also I can listen to all my prog albums in HD, and loud without driving the missus to distraction.
All in all, to my ageing ears:- music heaven.
 
jonboywalton75 said:
The Pioneer is a keeper!!!! I prefer the whole package compared to the Ak70. The screen makes searching for music much easier. Obviously it's heavier and bulkier, that doesn't bother me at all. For me the sound quality doesn't suffer in comparison to the Ak70, my ears are not trained to hear all the intricacies, like many on this forum, but for me the detail is amazing for the type of music I like. Admittedly though if you like heavier rock than I do, maybe the base may not be to your liking. The WiFi works well, however, using Bluetooth you need to have the player in reasonably close proximity to your device. Battery life is better than one expected, from the reviews I'd read previously. It's very pleasing with all my headphones, on ear and in. The 2 sd card slots also give much more storage than the ak70. Overall very pleased with my purchase. Just bought a 200 gb card to go with it. Also I can listen to all my prog albums in HD, and loud without driving the missus to distraction. All in all, to my ageing ears:- music heaven.

Excellent news. Enjoy.

Bass output for heavy rock etc can be adjusted using the equaliser like most DMPs I guess.
 

tonky

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Al ears said:
jonboywalton75 said:
The Pioneer is a keeper!!!! I prefer the whole package compared to the Ak70. The screen makes searching for music much easier. Obviously it's heavier and bulkier, that doesn't bother me at all. For me the sound quality doesn't suffer in comparison to the Ak70, my ears are not trained to hear all the intricacies, like many on this forum, but for me the detail is amazing for the type of music I like. Admittedly though if you like heavier rock than I do, maybe the base may not be to your liking. The WiFi works well, however, using Bluetooth you need to have the player in reasonably close proximity to your device. Battery life is better than one expected, from the reviews I'd read previously. It's very pleasing with all my headphones, on ear and in. The 2 sd card slots also give much more storage than the ak70. Overall very pleased with my purchase. Just bought a 200 gb card to go with it. Also I can listen to all my prog albums in HD, and loud without driving the missus to distraction. All in all, to my ageing ears:- music heaven.

Excellent news. Enjoy.

Bass output for heavy rock etc can be adjusted using the equaliser like most DMPs I guess.

Thanks for the report back JBW75 - enjoy! - btw nothing wrong with your ears (or hearing) - we all hear in the same way and are capable of hearing those finer nuances which we enjoy so much (just a few KHz at the top end maybe!)

And Al ears - awaiting your report on the Fiio x5 3rd gen as and when it suits of course

cheers tonky
 

jonboywalton75

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OTG I don't really note sound quality as much as at home, obviously, but the advantage with so much portable storage is, that every mood is catered for.
Wondering how long before my 200gb card is full?
No long, methinks.
 
tonky said:
Al ears said:
jonboywalton75 said:
The Pioneer is a keeper!!!! I prefer the whole package compared to the Ak70. The screen makes searching for music much easier. Obviously it's heavier and bulkier, that doesn't bother me at all. For me the sound quality doesn't suffer in comparison to the Ak70, my ears are not trained to hear all the intricacies, like many on this forum, but for me the detail is amazing for the type of music I like. Admittedly though if you like heavier rock than I do, maybe the base may not be to your liking. The WiFi works well, however, using Bluetooth you need to have the player in reasonably close proximity to your device. Battery life is better than one expected, from the reviews I'd read previously. It's very pleasing with all my headphones, on ear and in. The 2 sd card slots also give much more storage than the ak70. Overall very pleased with my purchase. Just bought a 200 gb card to go with it. Also I can listen to all my prog albums in HD, and loud without driving the missus to distraction. All in all, to my ageing ears:- music heaven.

Excellent news. Enjoy.

Bass output for heavy rock etc can be adjusted using the equaliser like most DMPs I guess.

Thanks for the report back JBW75 - enjoy! - btw nothing wrong with your ears (or hearing) - we all hear in the same way and are capable of hearing those finer nuances which we enjoy so much (just a few KHz at the top end maybe!)

And Al ears - awaiting your report on the Fiio x5 3rd gen as and when it suits of course

cheers tonky

As and when I get one I am afraid. Looking to sell on a couple of my others to make that possible.
 

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