DAP discussion thread

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by zerodeefex, Oct 8, 2015.

  1. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    I caved and got the ZX507 to "upgrade" my ZX2.. sounds kinda similar (with IEMs using the 4.4mm) . still going through burn in as per Sony recommendation.. it hasn't blown my socks of yet, but not a bad start.. I hope burn in will show good improvements. Fiio M11 Pro sounds like a good quality desktop kit (but a touch forward/bright), coming very very close to my apogee element which is impressive, so the ZX507 needs to tighten it's belt a bit if it's to compete in this price range
     
  2. MellowVelo

    MellowVelo Friend

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    On the ZX2, did you have the various sound enhancements disabled? How does the ZX507 compare to the ZX2 with the sound enhancements turned off?
     
  3. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    I did have the sound enhancements turned off on zx2. They sound very similar although ZX507 seems to have tighter bass and lower bass (sub bass), is a bit more neutral, maybe a bit more chill in the upper mids (I found zx2 to have bit too much bite there with enhancements off), i'll give it some more time for burn in to settle before doing better comparison..
     
  4. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Does the 507 have enough juice to drive the HD650s or a Sundara?
     
  5. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    Lots of these sony daps (perhaps until you get into wm1a) are pretty power limited even on balanced output. Def not the way to go for power hungry gear.
     
  6. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    ZX507 is not bad with hd650 - the eq implementation is very good and it doesn't decrease the volume if you pump up the sub bass. it's not going to replace your tube amp, but at least it doesn't make them shouty and lean like some other daps can. As for volume there is plenty through 4.4mm. I find the Fiio M11 Pro to be a worse partner for the HD650 even though it has much more power as it makes them sound lean/bit sterile and it's eq implementation is crap
     
  7. taisserroots

    taisserroots Friend

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    Yh I hear you have to go for the Japan releases or use some rockbox editor to change it to a Japanese version.
    It's the firmware which limits it
     
  8. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    He’s not referring to the volume cap on the EU region units. He’s referring to the actual max power output even without the volume cap.
     
  9. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    (Cross posted from the product announcement thread)

    The Q1 is an excellent little player, especially at its price point.

    Sound
    • I'm using it mostly with the CA Solaris, and it's a better match than any other source I have. (ZX300 - not dynamic, strident upper mids, a little congested; GOV2A - Sabre glare; Pixel 3a - grainy, thin; desktop rigs - too strident//hot, maybe an impedance issue). It also drives the JVC FA01 well and actually does a bang up job with the Verum 1.
    • The sound is balanced with a little warmth to avoid the infamous Sabre glare. It's definitely not as strident as the GO. However it's not overly smooth or boring and does pull out enough detail and punch pretty hard. It's not as detailed as the Sony or GO, but its plenty for portable listening. (I'm not looking to try to eek the last ~10% of details out of a portable source, given background noise that masks microdetails).
    • The biggest negative I hear is that it sounds a little glassy i.e. lacking in texture. That's probably it just not being able to pull out micro details and dynamics, which is to be expected at $120.
    • Hiss only slightly audible in silence. Not an issue.
    • All in all, Shanling hasn't tried to impress with exaggerated details or bass and instead has created a player that doesn't really do anything wrong SQ wise, considering price point limitations. Personally I don't see the need for more SQ out of a portable source.
    Build and Functionality
    • Build feels solid - it's heavier than you expect.
    • The volume knob is tiny and especially with the case is inconvenient to turn. Sony style buttons or a perpendicular volume control might be more user friendly. There is software controlled volume too.
    • The play/pause, forward/back buttons are a little loose and too easy to press. I keep them locked when the screen is off.
    • The screen to bezel ratio could be better.
    • UI is close to the Sony in usability - intuitive and so far bug free.
    • Battery life is around the advertised 20 hours.
    • The USB DAC feature works well except I'm picking up some pops and crackles sometimes which I don't hear from my other USB sources. This is my main issue with the player as I use this feature often.
    • A small thing, but I wish folder navigation would always revert to the album folder of the track you're listening to. Currently if you go to navigate to sound settings or use the USB DAC for example, it defaults back to the base menu when you go backwards from the song screen.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020
  10. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    Anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of the pops and crackles using the USB DAC mode? My other DACs/DAP dont suffer the same problem and according to Shanling they haven't received these complaints before. I've tried:
    • Changing cables
    • Changing USB ports
    • Changing USB Streaming mode to extra safe
    • Increasing ASIO buffer settings
    • Reinstalling the driver
    Nothing seems to fix it.
     
  11. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    Have you turned off the BT on the Q1 and the host? My M0 would act up if it was trying to connect to BT while also acting as a wired DAC.
     
  12. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    Both are off.
     
  13. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    Anybody else here have the HiBy R6 Pro? Price has dropped to $549 on Amazon so I ordered one. Like my iBasso DX 220, you can load up your micro SD card and use the DAP as your musical server by connecting it with the supplied cable to the coax digital input of your desktop DAC. I will post my impressions when it is broke in.
     
  14. sbaf217

    sbaf217 New

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    I have an M5s that I use via aux for my car (10 speaker Audison/B&O and a custom 8" JL sub)...sounds great for that purpose and i just pop it out of the holder to travel with. For $300 or so, I have no problem with it at all. Balanced 2.5mm out is a plus, as well. Car audio for SQ, as a whole however, is a totally different animal.

    Usually listen to my N8bb at night in bed. Doesn't move around that much, so I don't care about the heft and I don't stream. I gotta agree with @EagleWings ...I don't hear any glare or digitus problems with the treble presentation, tube or no tube. Personally, I could not jive with the somewhat veiled/colored, erm..."organic" Sony sound, but never auditioned anything except the 1z for more than a moment (and being a tube guy, I can appreciate why many do like it), and found the A&K offerings to be too mid-centric and etched sounding up top, regardless of model. Wanting to put ears on a SP2000 to see what's new, but guessing not much. Admittedly, the N8 does not get pushed (always on low gain with iems), so it could still be a amp issue.

    Think if I were to pick up something on the used market with budget in mind right now it would be an dx160/220, R6, or n6ii, but YMMV.
     
  15. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    HiBy R6 Pro is now broken in. Using it to play CA Andros and the sound is just stunning and I am not sure at this time which is the better sounding DAP. The HiBy or my iBasso DX 220 with the # 8 amp. It was easy to add Tidal to the HiBy, but I never added it to the iBasso since it was difficult. If you ask me, the HiBy is a great deal. (see previous post)
     
  16. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    Heard a rumor that HiBy is coming out with a R8 new flagship DAP. Did not like what was said about the price--$2000.
     
  17. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Might as well be 2 million for me.
     
  18. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    $2000 can get you a DNA Starlett. Just saying....
     
  19. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    It’s not a rumor. The news about the R8 has been out since Q4, 2019. If it weren’t for the virus, it would have started shipping around this time.

    P.S: The price was originally expected to be in the $1300 ball park. But the last I heard, yea, apparently it’s been bumped up to the $2000 ball park.
     
  20. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Well, if it's a cheaper Cayin N8, could be interesting?
     

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