[RIGATIO]

Thank you Rigatio!! In your opinion, could a cheaper A&K deliver a good percentage of what the SP1000 or SP2000 deliver? Given so much product that I already have and for the use I will give the DAP, I don't want to pay so much... I know that many people talk about the A&K operating system. I will listen to my personal library, but I also need TIDAL streaming which I use to discover new albums and artists to add to the CD collection later and convert to FLAC for the microSD.

Tidal and Apple Music work flawlessly on my sp1000. The AK has built in Tidal app but i downloaded original app lately and it works like a charm. I needed to download an older versions of these services due to the older Android version used on the AK but everything works even better than on the Shanling M8 and the overall OS experience is even more fluid than on the new AK se300!
The operating system on the AK is amazing imho. And ive always had an open Android daps, like IBasso, Shanling and Hiby. I just love how simple, organized and well thought out the AK OS is. You dont open many apps which work in the background, you just switch from your local playback to stream services with 2 klicks and you dont need to close anything separately.

 

[droid23]

In your opinion, in all this immense text of mine that describes what I want to find in a DAP is the answer which would be the DX260??
You now sound like those Coaches who say: “The answer to your life’s dilemma is already in your mind.”
Is it really the DX260??
I still haven't figured out the confusion in my mind. Help-me!!

There's never a final answer of course, but to me it sounds that the DX260 ticks most of your boxes at the moment... until you change a requirement or you're willing to spend more. As I said, you can't do wrong with the 260.

 

[Audiofilobrpt]

Tidal and Apple Music work flawlessly on my sp1000. The AK has built in Tidal app but i downloaded original app lately and it works like a charm. I needed to download an older versions of these services due to the older Android version used on the AK but everything works even better than on the Shanling M8 and the overall OS experience is even more fluid than on the new AK se300!
The operating system on the AK is amazing imho. And ive always had an open Android daps, like IBasso, Shanling and Hiby. I just love how simple, organized and well thought out the AK OS is. You dont open many apps which work in the background, you just switch from your local playback to stream services with 2 klicks and you dont need to close anything separately.

Can any A&K under €1200 compete with recent DAPs in this price range? I don't see many new A&K options in this price range. I think just the SR35. But recently I saw some used ones under €1000, for example the SE180 with SEMA4. In your opinion, Which A&K, new or used, in the price range of up to €1200 could be better than the currently released Daps that are below €1000. And then, we would also have to take into account the longevity and fluidity of the operating system in the medium and long term. Many say that the operating system of not so recent A&Ks tends to be slower.

 

[Audiofilobrpt]

There's never a final answer of course, but to me it sounds that the DX260 ticks most of your boxes at the moment... until you change a requirement or you're willing to spend more. As I said, you can't do wrong with the 260.

Thank you for helping to clear my mind!!
It seems that the DX260 is a little ahead in this dispute.

 

[RIGATIO]

Can any A&K under €1200 compete with recent DAPs in this price range? I don't see many new A&K options in this price range. I think just the SR35. But recently I saw some used ones under €1000, for example the SE180 with SEMA4. In your opinion, Which A&K, new or used, in the price range of up to €1200 could be better than the currently released Daps that are below €1000. And then, we would also have to take into account the longevity and fluidity of the operating system in the medium and long term. Many say that the operating system of not so recent A&Ks tends to be slower.

Sound wise, AK was always at the forefront so they all compete very well in their respected price brackets. Ive had the Kann Max for example which i liked more than the dx320 in almost every department but switched back to the dx320 because i liked the dx320 dac more. The Kann Max had ESS dac which im not the biggest fan of but the overall performance, the bass, soundstage, layering, detail were all amazing. The dx320 was less separated and less layered, sounded flatter overall but the ROHM dac was more to my liking and i liked the timbre more.
The sr35 is great too. IMHO is better than Fiio M11 series from the same price bracket.

 

[seanwee]

Can any A&K under €1200 compete with recent DAPs in this price range? I don't see many new A&K options in this price range. I think just the SR35. But recently I saw some used ones under €1000, for example the SE180 with SEMA4. In your opinion, Which A&K, new or used, in the price range of up to €1200 could be better than the currently released Daps that are below €1000. And then, we would also have to take into account the longevity and fluidity of the operating system in the medium and long term. Many say that the operating system of not so recent A&Ks tends to be slower.

@RIGATIO got his SP1000 under 1k iirc

Sound wise, AK was always at the forefront so they all compete very well in their respected price brackets. Ive had the Kann Max for example which i liked more than the dx320 in almost every department but switched back to the dx320 because i liked the dx320 dac more. The Kann Max had ESS dac which im not the biggest fan of but the overall performance, the bass, soundstage, layering, detail were all amazing. The dx320 was less separated and less layered, sounded flatter overall but the ROHM dac was more to my liking and i liked the timbre more.
The sr35 is great too. IMHO is better than Fiio M11 series from the same price bracket.

The R6 Pro II kills the Sr35 outright, no competition here.

 

[RIGATIO]

@RIGATIO got his SP1000 under 1k iirc

I paid 1200e for a used one.

 

[Mhog55]

I suggest you give the Hiby R6 Pro II a try, you just described what I loved about it.

Really wish I had the SP 1000/2000 to compare with it.

I'm still finalising my comparative reviews on 3 but here's the gist of it.

Bass
M15S most extended. DX260 less extended but still more than R6 Pro II. M15S powerful subbass, DX260 more neutral, better detail in really bass heavy tracks. R6 Pro II layering not as present in subbass due to lack of extension but the best layered past that.

Mids
M15S natural, lifelike. DX260 softer presentation, lifelike. R6 Pro II forward, dryer, female vocal can be grainy, and rarely, brittle.

Treble
R6 Pro II most refined and refined, M15S a little softer and rolled off in the highest registers, DX260 neutral extended but soft.

Timbre
Softer DX260 - M15S - R6 Pro II Crisp
DX260 has a blunted feel to it. R6 Pro II the most clear and crisp.

Soundstage
M15S Great depth, great width, good imaging and layering
R6 Pro II Great depth, good width, best imaging and layering
DX260 good depth, good width, good layering but imaging is a bit muddled.

Dynamics
M15S best overall. R6 Pro II comparable but let down by less extended bass. DX260 not playing on the same level as the other two, soft, blunted and lacks authority almost like it lacks power.

My biggest gripe with the DX260 would be that it lacks emotion and character compared to the other two. You have powerful Imax like bass on the M15S, outstanding layering and treble on the R6 Pro II, and what, a half hearted but technically correct version of the song on the DX260?

The other two make me want to pick them up and listen to them, the DX260 doesn't have anything that calls me back to it.

So the treble on the R6 Pro II is double refined, lol? Just kidding. I appreciate this brief comparison and summary. Because of it, I've now made my choice. The M15S it shall be, for home use exclusively. I have on the move daps. Shanling has me a bit twisted up with the release of the M5 Ultra (I only listen to local files), but some folks are stating that it sounds quite similar to the M8, which I already have, and don't use much.

 

[Mhog55]

That's what I feel!! It seems that among the 3 that are most under discussion here, the DX260 seems to fit a little more into the description I made. The R6proII and the M15s seem to have some particular characteristic that could move them away from neutrality a little. The DX260 seems to do the entire spectrum well in a relatively linear way. But now I want to put another one in the game: The M23. Does the M23's AKM take it to the hotter side? Or could the M23 join the fray to find the most neutral possible?

Doubtful

 

[jamato8]

Thank you for helping to clear my mind!!
It seems that the DX260 is a little ahead in this dispute.

Everyone hears a little differently. To me, the DX260 has a wonderful large sound field and that works well with IEMs and headphones. I use it for hiking and really enjoy it as it portrays the naturalness of sound, of music and has very good dynamics and a clean quality to the bass that is neither lacking or overblown. It in simple terms is Musical. I don't want an over hyped high frequency, which frankly is unnatural. I don't want mids pushed into my face but I enjoy voice to have its place and not be blended and this player does that. It is fairly new on the market, has some very good components and is very innovative in the dac approach and use. Also, it is extremely easy to change out the battery. Just a Torx, two screws and the glass back comes right off. Also, the CPU they use is fast. Seems to have it all.

 

[droid23]

Doubtful

Even though the overall impressions of Sandu were quite tempting on the M23 and I personally am going to listen to it hopefully soon, but as anticipated by others already, it tends to be a bit on the warm side. Still, I find the M23 an interesting contender.

Here's Sandu's review of the M23 with a timestamp to the above mentioned observation:



...and sorry for crossposting it here, but nevertheless I still would first and foremost recommend the DX260.

 

[BORUSSIA]

I own the Shanling H7 and I’m asking myself if the DX260 is an improvement in sound quality?
I own the Annihilator 2023 and the Arya Organic. Is the DAP a good pairing with the Anni?

 

[Arkaium]

Received my new case today! Fits perfect and very nice quality,can highly recommend Valentinum on Etsy.

I love that and will check them out. I pooh poohed someone’s suggestion of a tempered glass protector because it comes with one (four actually) but they’re just plastic and now, after having slid the thing in the green leather case and watched the corner of the protector repeatedly lift up, I’m interested in both a different case and also a tempered glass protector that fits the DX260.

Any leads?

 

[seanwee]

Everyone hears a little differently. To me, the DX260 has a wonderful large sound field and that works well with IEMs and headphones. I use it for hiking and really enjoy it as it portrays the naturalness of sound, of music and has very good dynamics and a clean quality to the bass that is neither lacking or overblown. It in simple terms is Musical. I don't want an over hyped high frequency, which frankly is unnatural. I don't want mids pushed into my face but I enjoy voice to have its place and not be blended and this player does that. It is fairly new on the market, has some very good components and is very innovative in the dac approach and use. Also, it is extremely easy to change out the battery. Just a Torx, two screws and the glass back comes right off. Also, the CPU they use is fast. Seems to have it all.

Yeah unfortunately dynamics is one thing the DX260 is quite weak at relative to the M15S and R6 Pro II. It's makes a bigger difference than the M15S and R6 Pro II slight roll off in the treble and bass respectively.

If you asked me to guess the dacs used in the players I would have guessed that the DX260 was the AKM player and the R6 Pro II the citrus logic player.

BTW I'm curious how many people enjoy the FIR-2x/4x modes, and does FIR-NOR only use two of the 8 dacs?

 

[droid23]

BTW I'm curious how many people enjoy the FIR-2x/4x modes, and does FIR-NOR only use two of the 8 dacs?

on a personal note: I work in the wider field related to acoustics and hearing, but I am not a sound engineer, nor have I experience with designing and implementing filters. I work on the "hardware", especially on the implementation of medicinal drugs for restoring hearing pathologies from a pharmacological point of view... so take my impressions of FIR filters with a grain of salt. :

I "don't want to apply" heavy FIR filters (or in the DX260, let's say I leave it at "normal" which likely might be the minimum tap length of n=23 for an FIR filter to work as a standard low-pass filter according to Fred Harris rule of thumb?? *). ...from a pure practical point of view, and not mathematical, here's why:
one of the most relevant things FIR filers do is making a frequency response curve smoother. E.g. smoothening the low, and high FQs. The higher the filter value, the more "smoothness" you get from a digital signal (where time and frequency are principally linked). Another by-product is to filter out a potentially present digital noise-floor.... all at the cost of quite significant processing power, resulting in higher temperatures and battery power consumption.

*EDIT: iBasso does not disclose the FIR filter length (taps) it just states "normal", "2x" and "4x"... so anyones guess is just fishing in milky waters.
>> @Paul - iBasso would your engineers be possible to shine some light ont the iBasso FIR implementation please?

Anyway, what I think it means for us audiophiles with good gear?

When you don't need FIR:
a) if you have a well developed DAC implementation in your source gear, there's likely no audible noise floor by the source itself > so, no 2x or 4x FIR needed
b) if you're happy with your FQ-response curve of your headphones (or source gear as well), why would you like to smooth things out with 2x or 4x?

When you still would benefit from FIR:
a) if you have crappy recordings, or some not so good live recordings, a FIR filter could do some magic there
b) if any gear in your chain produces noise, applying FIR might give better results.
c) if you have a somewhat analytical headphone where you get psychoacoustically annoyed by fatiguing highs, you can try FIR.... but
...d) be aware that also the bass response might get more "muddy" (in terms of reduced frequency separation... which is now smoothened out by the FIR, but you wanted it^^).

But again, from a psychoacoustic point of view, you get the impression that there might be a tad bit more bass and more rolled off highs and your acoustic impression turned into something all so slightly warmer. In general, don't expect FIR filtering to have a massive impact, IMHO it is for sure audible, but still relatively subtle. It's just to average out some FQ response peaks in the time domain, that's all.