Intuitively speaking, wouldn't it be halved and not doubled?
Anax, have you heard the AK Jr? Then I have some questions.1. The main reason I disliked the AK120 MKII and AK240 was mainly due to its sound sig: somewhat bright, harsh, lifeless and anemic. Did my JH13 FP no favors whatsoever. What can you tell me about the AK Jr's sound sig? Does it share the same somewhat bright and harsh qualities of the Astell&Kern DNA of its predecessors? Or would you say that it's fairly neutral, or even a tad on the warmer side?2. Not counting price into consideration, how would you rate the AK Jr's sonic performance in comparison to other DAP's? Would you go as far as to say that the Jr actually performs better than the 240 SQ-wise, or that the 240 is still better by a margin or two but value-wise the Jr is far better?I remember you also saying that the Sony ZX2 sounds mid-fi, mediocre at best... how about the Jr compared to ZX2?I heard that the Jr is definitely a class above the ZX1.
1-I hate the 240, 100, and anything mk2 so let's not go there. Total step backward IMHO. The Jr. (with and without ProEQ enabled is closer to sounding like the AK120mk1, which I thought was pretty good, if not expensive. However, the Jr. is a little less refined/smooth in the treble and bass presentation than the 120mk1, but close with a similar signature. I'd say the Jr. is almost like an AK120mk1 micro.2-See above, I hate the 240 and it's not just because of price. Thin, dead, lifeless and unrefined. Total jip. Sounds no better than a $150 Fiio to me. Jr. is definitely above the ZX1 a bit. A whole class above? Some of that lack of refinement keeps me from going that far. However, the ZX2 is almost a class above the ZX1 which makes it above average to my sensibilities. That's a warmer yet acceptable technical performer.So for me....100/120mk2<240=ZX1<Jr.<ZX2<120mk1<QP1<380<GO450+Leck+source<QP1+Leck<=GOv2+Leck+source.
Thanks a lot for your input. The Jr sems to have stunning value. And yet, you say it is not as good as the ZX2... The Cowon P1 on my mind was said to be superior to both ZX2 and 120mk1, so I'm guessing it's on a similar league with QP1. The fact that P1 has a mildly warm and forgiving sound sig, along with its touchscreen functionality which the QP1 lacks, currently makes it no.1 on my DAP to buy list.1. Have you heard the Centrance Glove A1? It supposedly latches onto the 120mk1 and makes it better sounding. If you have heard it, approximately where would you place the 120mk1/Glove A1 on your DAP scale? Don't tell me the Glove A1 actually makes the 120mk1 sounds worse compared to stock...2. Other than a smartphone, which portable source do you recommend to pair with GOv2 & Leck? An audiophile-grade portable source that can output a high quality digital line out into the GOv2?3. Have you heard the QP1R? If so, how is it different/better/worse compared to QP1?
I think you've got that exactly backwards. The impedance-to-frequency curve for the UERM looks like the Swiss Alps. That's why it's an unfortunate choice for use with the Pono Player, whose output impedance is (depending on who you believe) either (a) somewhere between 3.5 and 4 ohms or (b) a moving target due to the way the diamond buffer circuit reacts to changes in voltage. Balanced mode helps, but it's not a panacea. If I were determined to only use UERM for portable applications, I would put my Pono Player on the market today and get a AK Jr. There are, fortunately, a number of very good IEMs that don't have any impedance issues with the Pono Player, starting with the Noble 4.
