[morndewey]

I recently purchased an SE200 (based a lot on the comments on this thread; thanks to all who posted their thoughts) and have been listening for a few weeks through original Solaris iems. I've been using identical Alo Super Litz cables terminated in 2.5 and 3.5, as well as a ddHiFi adapter on the 2.5 trrs to more quickly switch between se and balanced without replacing the cable on the iems. What I have found is that the single end output on the AKM side has much greater detail and texture, and a wider soundstage, than the balanced output. The balanced output has thicker tones, especially noticeable on vocals and guitars, and a more forward midrange, but that "thickness" in tone seems to hide the nuance and detail that se output provides. I haven't spent as much time listening to the ESS side.

I think it's worth noting that, according to A&K's press material, the balanced outputs on the SE200 run through completely different amp sections than the se outputs. To my ears, the nature of the dacs come through on both sides, but the balanced outputs are tuned differently than the se outputs on both sides. I wanted to ask Jason if he can comment on what the engineers were trying to achieve with the balanced amp they chose vs the se amp on each side, and if they were going for the same sound signature on se and balanced or not?

I don't usually post here, or anywhere, but wanted to comment that it is really a helpful site and I've been reading threads here for years. I know some members here also published their SE200 reviews online. This material was somewhat helpful, but also very misleading. Some people say right off the bat they never tried the balanced vs se or adjusting the settings for the filters - which seems like reviewing a Porsche without trying the different driving modes or ever shifting out of first gear. I read one review saying the timbre of the se200 was horrible. I play guitar and am kind of a tone junky as far as having small boutique tube amps as well as an original 70's Fender deluxe reverb, etc. I felt the AKM side sounded flat occasionally, and not on key, especially as songs would fade out. It didn't seem possible a digital player could be playing back too slow, and I realized that the default filter on the AKM side is called something like "super slow decay", and figured that might be what I was hearing. I changed it to slow decay, and the flat timber went away. Similarly, when I switched to the ESS side, I noticed weird sounds were preceding the attacks on the vocals. I remembered that the graphs in the AK ads show that some DAC filters produce small peaks ahead of notes, and changing the default setting on the ESS side got rid of that too. FWIW, I believe the filters are set opposite in their default configuration, with the ESS side set to a fast decay and a the AKM side set to super slow. It seems most prefer the AKM side, but setting the ESS side to slow decay got rid of a lot of things I did not like about it.

I'd love to hear others' thoughts on balanced vs SE, and if Jason can tell us if the amps on the balanced side were designed to mimic the se sound, or to give a more powerful midrange and sound overall, though with reduced texture and detail?

Really appreciate these thoughts, comments. Cheers

 

[morndewey]

Can anyone tell me if Effect Audio 4.4 adapter is compatible with this dap? Thanks

 

[Mightygrey]

Can anyone tell me if Effect Audio 4.4 adapter is compatible with this dap? Thanks

It is

 

[morndewey]

It is

Weird cuz initially it worked on the akm side (after a short delay), then it neither worked on ESS nor AKM side. Suggestions? Thanks

 

[Tristy]

Weird cuz initially it worked on the akm side (after a short delay), then it neither worked on ESS nor AKM side. Suggestions? Thanks

Sometimes it requires an unplug and re-plugging it in while the player is on. I often try to insert the balanced jack slightly before (angled) the single ended so that the player registers it as the balanced output being used.

 

[morndewey]

Sometimes it requires an unplug and re-plugging it in while the player is on. I often try to insert the balanced jack slightly before (angled) the single ended so that the player registers it as the balanced output being used.

You still have your se200, Tristy?

 

[Tristy]

You still have your se200, Tristy?

Yep, still going strong. I'm looking to get rid of it in favour of something that doesn't require android (or any other operating system for that matter) but I'm finding it hard to part with it. The sound is really good to my ears and I love it's versatility.

 

[morndewey]

Hi. Is there an icon (visible on the top status strip) to indicate balanced playback? Could’ve sworn a letter “B” appeared on sa700?
Like to confirm my EA 4.4 adapter is playing balanced.
Ordinary 2.5 plugs don’t trigger a balanced indicator either. Thanks!

 

[Tristy]

Hi. Is there an icon (visible on the top status strip) to indicate balanced playback? Could’ve sworn a letter “B” appeared on sa700?
Like to confirm my EA 4.4 adapter is playing balanced.
Ordinary 2.5 plugs don’t trigger a balanced indicator either. Thanks!

I don't have any indicator come up on the strip. I believe that only the ground of the 3.5mm jack is connected on the adapter anyway so you wouldn't be able to hear anything if it was using SE.

 

[morndewey]

I don't have any indicator come up on the strip. I believe that only the ground of the 3.5mm jack is connected on the adapter anyway so you wouldn't be able to hear anything if it was using SE.

Thanks again, Tristy

 

[Zerviscos]

Versus the SP1000M, is the SE200 better? Thinking of getting either one as an upgrade from my current dap.

 

[morndewey]

Versus the SP1000M, is the SE200 better? Thinking of getting either one as an upgrade from my current dap.

Rather a dead thread here. Check published reviews for comparisons. Good luck

 

[ctsooner22]

Not sure on that, but the SE200 is REALLY GOOD! It’s also fun and easy to play with.

 

[fmkuz]

Yep, the SE200 is really good. I love the footprint and the double DAC y the same device, it works and sound amazing.
@JasonNYC Do you have info if the SE200 will support BT Sink? I saw some news related to kann alpha that it is receiving a new firmware update that includes BT sink.

 

[JasonNYC]

@JasonNYC Do you have info if the SE200 will support BT Sink?

No info on whether SE200 may receive BT Sink function in a future update. If I get any info, I will share in the thread.