So I got the Sr25 in a month or two ago. Might have been more in fact. And at first I wasn’t really digging it with my Andros, felt more “digital” sounding. And not as organic as the hiby r5 etc etc. However all this time I had been using it with a specific cable (will not mention its name to protect its identity lol) since it was a 2.5 terminated cable which is perfect for the sr25. And just today this morning I remembered that I have a 2.5 adapter for my hart audio cable so I tried it out and dang dude I misjudged the sr25 really bad because of the other cable. Now using it with the same cable I used in the hiby the sr25 is actually pretty fucking fun sounding. First of all the three biggest improvements are dynamics, detail and clarity. It’s not as rolled off in the treble as the hiby however it maintains a nice generally smooth sound while preserving more clarity, the dynamics are also just a huge improvement imo. Everything I hear sounds so fun! And not “digital” sounding at all, intact it’s definitely very organic, with great tonal balance and pretty good timbre! Finally the other main improvement I hear of it would be the general detail and depth. It just has a fair bit of a better focus on the little things etc. Oh yeah I forgot to mention everything else is bomb so far too, the separation, imaging depth etc. Been loving it! I just feel so bad because I almost completely misunderstood it due to a stupid cable!
Also lesson learned, cables always made a difference but I learned the extent to which they can matter where I actually went from kinda disliking a product to loving it. Already took it off any listing because I am absolutely loving this dude
Looking back the other cable really thinned the bass, was fairly bright sounding and detailed BUT lacked organic abilities like texture and good timbre etc. Best word I can find to describe it is that it sounded brittle and cold
Cons : really only that even tho I believe it’s technically android you can’t install USB audio player which I love in terms of interface but this dude has a cool looking interface as well
Alright ive had this dude for a day, been burning it in since i got it, including during night. It’s pretty dope for sure, it’s definetly a A&K device as it’s sound characteristics are clarity and microdynamics. I think the most promising thing about it is the use case versatility and price, I got it new from amazon for 1,199 bucks. Originally i think it costed around 2.2k which is crazy tbh lol, but A&K items are typically overpriced for sure in terms of sound quality, in terms of build it can be debated specially since they are made in Korea which is pretty uncommon in a world of more and more chinese made DAPs (reeeeal good ones too like the Hiby DAPs, P6P etc). I would say it’s utility is basically the same as that of the Woo Audio WA8, where it was created to be a good portable amplifier, the DAC it has isn’t the best, it’s certainly better than the built in WA8 DAC however lol. I would say it’s a step up over things like the IFI Diablo & WA8 built in DACs but most definetly well under the Hiby RS6 DAC, Schiit Bifrost and most definetly the Wadia DACs. Make no mistake however, the DAC is pretty dang decent! What surprises me the most is the Subbass detail that it has, again, a positive side of the utility of this portabe is that it does have a line out output and line in input. With the line out i’ve been able to hook it up to my Focal speakers and jam out a bit.
I would say I look forward to upgrading to a stand alone DAC again, and using that DAC with the line in of the A&K CA1000’s amplifier portion the most. Specially since the amplifier really does seem to be really powerful and I would looooove to test it out on more power hungry headphones lol, like a planar magnetic or somethinggggg. I also am plannning on soon buying the Fostex Pearl white again because I think it would be pretty dope on this shit, but that would be of course after buying a DAC. Been using it with the only gear I have which are the Focal speakers and the Campfire Audio Fathoms.
I will say that I like to use the Crossfeed option that it has built in as well for my IEMs, feels like a less fatiguing presentation and it just sounds very “natural” in comparison. Idk what else to say, it’s just a very well built and versatile portabe amp that at the price of 1.2k is a reasonable purchase, but the og price would be too much lol, since it really dosen’t compare to stuff like the RS6 in terms of DAC but it probably does beat it with Amp juice and possibly quality too of the amp’s sound, altho that is uncomfirmed.
I’ve been looking hard at the A&K KANN Ultra. It is a chunky monkey but I think it tics many of my boxes, primarily enough power for IEMs obviously but also for the headphones that I would want to use with it, and it has the updated system where I can use it for streaming Qobuz, Amazon, Spotify, Apple etc. and it’s Roon Ready not just Arc but can be used as an endpoint, I’m close to pulling the trigger blindly even though it is about $600 more than I’d like to spend.
I just haven’t really seen any reports on actual battery life, not that it matters a lot as would be primarily using in house as I have other DAPs more travel friendly but still, I’d like to have a better feel for that. And the biggest is that I haven’t been able to get a sense for how it sounds or a comparison to others.
Maybe I’m crazy, but with the looming tariffs, I took advantage of the incredible discount A&K is running currently and picked up an A&Futura SE300 using their discrete 24-bit R2R ladder DAC. It’s currently marked down to $999 (from $1899) at Bloom Audio (where I purchased) and Moon Audio and I’m sure others.
I definitely didn’t need it, but my primary “DAP” is an LG V30 that isn’t getting any younger. I’m excited for mobile R2R goodness.
I’ve been listening a little bit after about 120 hours of burn in and I am stunned. This DAP sounds INCREDIBLE. I’ve been messing with tweaks in the software as well as changing out tips on my IEMs (plus, I finally learned how to properly insert IEMs and my, what a world of difference that has made).
More impressions to come, but in the meantime, I don’t have a case. I ordered the leather one from Bloom, but it’s backordered. In the meantime, this thing is slippery as hell. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I could use to rest it on to prevent it from sliding around so much? I just had a major scare and somehow caught it mid-air before it fell. My heart is still racing and this just isn’t going to work.
This thing is just frictionless. It doesn’t matter what I put it on, it still slips around like crazy. I’m actually considering using some adhesive velcro strips, attaching one to my desk and the other to the back of the DAP so it can be held in place, but that doesn’t seem like the best idea…
