[tfenton02]

Some quick thoughts after initial listening today. For reference I have the SP3000, Carin N30 LE and purchased the T on a whim.

Getting the elephant out on the table, I questioned the “yellow case” but in reality it’s drop dead gorgeous, very elegant.

Comments made in tube mode, and reference to Cayin in tube mode.

- sound stage not as expansive as SP3000 nor Cayin, so it’s not as immersive
- Tube mode is “tubey’er” (is that a word?) than Cayin, much warmer, more liquid and noticeable change to sound signature. Cayin tube mode is more reference than AK
- def lifts low end but longer decay in notes can created some unwanted congestion in lower mid range
- biggest deal breaker for me is WIFI. WiFi is practically unusable with streaming hi res files. If you fast forward a song it lags forever, I only get 1 bar in my bedroom whereas with SP3000 and Cayin are fully loaded.

So, if you like a warm, romantic set up and don’t stream, this is quite the DAP.

 

[corentin]

Interesting first user experience, thanks! You've got quite the selection of headphones, electronics and IEMs!
Which of the DAPs you have would you say punches the hardest and would be the best suited for heavy rock / metal? Also, which one of the DAPs you've tested would you say can run full fledged headphones such as Caldera or equivalent? Could that be the 3000T?

 

[JayF]

- biggest deal breaker for me is WIFI. WiFi is practically unusable with streaming hi res files. If you fast forward a song it lags forever, I only get 1 bar in my bedroom whereas with SP3000 and Cayin are fully loaded.

Thanks for sharing your impressions. The streaming issue was mentioned in the Bloom Audio review too. Wonder if a firmware update could resolve. Was looking forward to buying this but hitting pause for now.

 

[armstrj2]

I'll share sound impressions in due course, but with regard to wifi, I was streaming all afternoon while I waited for a memory card to format and transfer files. I had zero issues. I do have a mesh network in the house and have no issues with signal etc on any device but streaming was luckily not an issue so far for me at all.

 

[tfenton02]

Interesting first user experience, thanks! You've got quite the selection of headphones, electronics and IEMs!
Which of the DAPs you have would you say punches the hardest and would be the best suited for heavy rock / metal? Also, which one of the DAPs you've tested would you say can run full fledged headphones such as Caldera or equivalent? Could that be the 3000T?

Cayin N30 LE has plenty of power, tube and SS and would handle rock well. But it’s $$$$. Depending on the headphone I think the SP3000 also would do well. For the record, while I love the Cayin it just doesn’t match the SP3000 soundstage and intricate layering. I can test the caldera with the DAPs this weekend, I use it with my desktop rig ….

 

[tfenton02]

Thanks for sharing your impressions. The streaming issue was mentioned in the Bloom Audio review too. Wonder if a firmware update could resolve. Was looking forward to buying this but hitting pause for now.

I saw the bloom review after I pulled the trigger. I have no WiFi issues with any device in any room and by the pool but the SP3T just is not picking up any resemblance of an acceptable signal. I’ll try a firmware update if there is one. I feel like I’m using a MS/Intel 386 chipset in a PC!

 

[audionewbi]

@dhc0329 maybe SP3 doesn't need a cable upgrade, and needs a dap like SP3000T?

 

[dhc0329]

Maybe SP3 doesn't need a cable upgrade, and needs a dap like SP3000T

Warm tubey device on SP3 yearning for lean sound? Why do you think SP3 would go well with SP3000T? Perhaps, Ragnar would go much better with SP3000T, no?

 

[pseudomagick]

I am deciding between buying the SP3000 or SP3000T for my IEM Noble Viking Ragnar.
I have read that the original SP3000 will sound sharp and aggressive with Viking Ragnar.
Is the SP3000T a better choice?
Can someone write a more detailed comparison of SP3000 vs SP3000T?

It's a pretty big investment for me...
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[audionewbi]

Warm tubey device on SP3 yearning for lean sound? Why do you think SP3 would go well with SP3000T? Perhaps, Ragnar would go much better with SP3000T, no?

Both Ragnar and SP3 are on more detail side and a warmer midrange and bass should complement it well.

 

[dhc0329]

Both Ragnar and SP3 are on more detail side and a warmer midrange and bass should complement it well.

I would definitely agree with you on Ragnar having ultra resolution with occasional treble heat but as for SP3 I may be hearing it differently as I want it colder. I want SP3 to be clean and lean, as warmness and thickness turns me off on SP3.

 

[pseudomagick]

Ulverr wrote me:
"With SP3k, Ragnar was just aggressive and tiring at times. We all certainly listen to different music, so it may be different for you.
Actually, I probably wouldn't buy the SP3000 with any other inears, I like good textured mids and the SP3k's are a bit odd. As for the dark background and soundstage, on the contrary, it is excellent."

Astell&Kern wrote:
"Our goal was to surpass the impeccable design and high-resolution sound of our previous product, the SP3000, by crafting an audio player that truly captures the emotion and resonance of music."

Is SP3000T really better than original SP3000?
I have only heard the SP3000 with Noble Kublai Khan (not with Ragnar).

 

[audionewbi]

I would definitely agree with you on Ragnar having ultra resolution with occasional treble heat but as for SP3 I may be hearing it differently as I want it colder. I want SP3 to be clean and lean, as warmness and thickness turns me off on SP3.

I see, my goal with SP3 is to just add a hint of warmth as I find it to similar to my electrostat.

 

[tfenton02]

Interesting first user experience, thanks! You've got quite the selection of headphones, electronics and IEMs!
Which of the DAPs you have would you say punches the hardest and would be the best suited for heavy rock / metal? Also, which one of the DAPs you've tested would you say can run full fledged headphones such as Caldera or equivalent? Could that be the 3000T?

Okay spent some time with my ZMF headphones and both SP3K and Cayin and was pleasantly surprised with the results. My comparison was SP3K vs SP3KT tube and Cayin Classic tube mode. Quick observations:

Cayin scaled more, I would say 50% volume gave me all the power I needed however at 75% power on AK delivered. So all did very well handling ZMF.

Here where I landed personally as I compared Caldera Redheart and Atrium Open.

Caldera:
- SPK3T delivered more low end punch, and fantastic sound stage.
- SPK3K delivered similar staging but slightly less punch
- Cayin was great but trailed both AK headphones

Atrium Open
- SP3K delivered greatest soundstage experience and punch was similar to SP3KT
- SPK3T was still outstanding but not quite matching SP3K

I found for ZMF headphones AK was more musical and engaging and provided enough power to deliver an amazing experience. Cayin was great, but didn’t match AK (Cayin was slightly flatter and reference)

 

[aaf evo]

I received the SP3000T demo from MusicTeck. Ever since I heard this at CanJam NYC and was quite impressed by the DAP and it has been something on my radar to spend more time with, so I've been testing it with the Storm and comparing against the Mjolnir. I'm looking to add a DAP for my occasional portable use but I'm conflicted on how much I want to spend on one since the Mjolnir is my primary source of listening. Here's some brief impressions so far:



As expected from an AK flagship, the build quality is outstanding. The device is quite heavy but feels very premium, I also think the volume knob is much better on this compared to the SP3000 as it's no longer functioning as a screen on/off button as well, there is a lock button on the top of the DAP now and a fourth button on the left side to take you to the AMP toggle screen, however if the screen is off this button is rendered useless as it doesn't actually swap the amp modes itself. It is essentially a shortcut.

The Mjolnir to me is my baseline neutral-reference sound and has very minimal coloration to its tonality. The SP3000T in comparison has a fuller and slower decaying mid bass, a warmer and more forward mid range, with a smoother but nicely detailed treble response. The balance between warmth and clarity is done rather well but I wouldn't suggest pairing this with already warmer tuned IEMs as it may be too much of a good thing. While the presentation is on the fuller and more punchy side compared to SP3000, it is still quite typical overall of what I am used to from AK-Ultima DAPs in giving a smoother, more relaxing feel to music as opposed to the more incisive dynamics and sharper transients from something like the MASSKobo 475 or DX320 Max. Soundstage is above average in size with a great sense of imaging, providing just enough separation between notes to stop things from sounding like they're too close together or congested. Background is "black" in OP amp mode as expected and has a very very faint "tape reel" background noise when using the tubes, but nothing worth making a big deal over at all.

As you scale through the modes I hear the overall tonality to remain fairly similar in being warm-tilted but the differences mostly lies in how I hear the mid bass decay and forwardness/fullness of the mid range. OP AMP mode has the tightest bass and slightly more revealing and pulled back mids compared to tube mode, with hybrid sitting somewhere in between. You can also toggle between 1-5 settings in the hybrid mode to give a tilt towards OP or Tube mode. There is also low, mid, and high current modes when you are using the hybrid or tube modes. I like hybrid 2 (leaning closer to OP amp mode) with lower current the most so far from all available settings as I like the balance between warmth and detail it provides. I have noticed when you are using the full tube mode and high current that the DAP is quite sensitive to bumps and the tubes will ring with a rather drawn out "eeeeeeeee" linger which I find quite off-putting and distracting. It's less noticeable on Storm but with easier to drive IEMs I can imagine this being very annoying, and borderline deal breaking. It's not as noticeable on medium or low current, or using the hybrid mode. One thing I do find a tad strange is that if I tap the back of the DAP to get it to ring but then cycle from tube to OP amp mode and back to tube, the ringing stops... I also occasionally hear this ringing even when the DAP is stationary but it has to be in tube mode and high current. Moving around the house with the DAP in my pocket doesn't seem to trigger it like tapping the back of the DAP does. I also did get to compare the SP3000T to the SP3000 Gold at NYC and between the OP mode of the T and the Gold I felt the SP3000 still has higher detail, resolution, clarity, and bigger staging, but I think the T is probably the better buy as you're getting more choices to tinker with without sacrificing too much.

WiFi is on the weaker side. I have some dead zones in my house where the signal gets quite weak and the SP3000T drops out completely there, whereas some other DAPs like the N30 LE or RS8 will stay connected but have a weaker signal. I would assume this is probably done on purpose to help shield the tubes from interference. The DAP can also get warm to the touch but nothing that I am finding problematic. Battery life also seems quite average at best but this hasn't really had any charging cycles and I think I am still spoiled from the RS8 and R8 II which have much larger capacity batteries in comparison. You also cannot lock the side buttons when the screen is off, why this isn't an option blows my mind. Also AK REALLY needs to let you scale the display here to take advantage of the screen resolution and real estate, because apps like Spotify are far too zoomed in for no reason as pictured below.