Hi slash....
Weclome to the circle....
Please post some pictures of your player and tell us more about it.
Alex
Enthusiastic, perhaps also because I hadn't had a dap for some time. In the past I had a little Cowon at the time of the mp3s, and even a Sony "walkman", I don't remember the model, thin as a half packet of gum. These objects increase the amount of "stuff" we have in our pockets and so I have always favored extreme portability
The modern dap are now "standardized" on dimensions for me "huge" .. double dac / big displays / mini tubes / triodes .. are more "trasportable" than portable .. and after a while remain on the table. objects that are too expensive to be knock around.
I evaluated the shanling, like the m5s or the Hiby type r3, then I stumbled on a news item that talked about Teraton (A&K DAC module) that intrigued me; the only device on the market with the Teraton was actually the ACTIVO (an iRIVER brand), which I would never have shit without Qobuz, a gap that they filled with the latest fw update,. In the end I was and I remain more intrigued by the dac than by the dap in itself and I ordered it. Amazon Uk 250 euros ..
On paper, the feature that worried me most was the driving power, it was a lot lower than other devices. the rest of the features I liked ..dlna included .. in the product I was looking for I would have also liked a HiBy link feature but I resigned myself ..
well .. after a few weeks .. what do i think?
little device but the volume ..
the question is simple, comparing the listening level and the playback quality of the small DAP with the equally small Nuprime iDSD portable dac / headamp and alternating between the two IZ KZ ZSN and the Beyer 770, the Activo performs well with both and without differences in terms of quality between the two devices. With the IEMs , volume is managed with the wheel knob on the right within 0 to 150, I keeps it at around 90, while with the Beyer I lower the attenuation to 120/130. for most headphones you don't need an additional amp, it's surprising that such a small object can drive Beyer's 250ohm drives.
There is also a line-out configuration with four fixed values at 0.7, 1, 1.25 and 2v; useful when the output is connected to an external amplifier. nice feature!!
Quality
tI have tested for now only with Flac files up to 24/96 and with Qobuz App downloaded from the portal site and works very well, on the same portal you can find other music service compatible "apks" , among others:
Amazon music, Spotify, Tidal (pre-installed), Sound Cloud, Pandora, Sirius XM, Tune-In, myTuner, Melon, Bugs, Music Mate, AWA, QQ Music, KK BOX ..
the conversion of the files carried out by the processor supported by the CS4398 on TERATON module give a great sound quality, I don't have the possibility to compare it with other type of PMP, dual dac, miniature triodes and other types of amplification circuits that certainly provide different listening experiences but, there is still substance here.
Sound is clean, consistent, full and with no interference. Enjoy and relax listen the Arcadia and Rush with the Beyerdinamics without regretting the main Hi-Fi system .
VARIOUS
The quad core processor makes the interface very fluid, both when running Qobuz or Tidal apps and when browsing through songs and settings.
With a 256GB microsd that I already own at home filled with four hundred albums and everything is ok. Navigation and indexing of genres / artists / and song was done without any problem ..
It supports MQA but I haven't tried it yet. I will equip myself with some Master albums as soon as possible and I will update this page for fans of this sunny format
Other important features such as, DLNA client, equalizer, gapless support and microSD up to 400GB, stuff around the excellent player and increase the value of the product regardless of their use .
In short, everything is fine except some minor issue:
- the range of wifi is a little weaker on this device, compared to smartphones and PCs in my house the Activo suffers a bit ( latest fw update patially fix this issue , now the range is acceptable)
- if you have big fingers you will struggle. The dap is small and the display occupies only part of the front surface. It is not impossible to manage the navigation in the UI but the keyboard used for searches may be too small for you.
- the battery, declared for 10h, with active wifi and listening in streaming (qobuz) does not exceed seven hours ..
iRiver Activo is my definitive dap for portability and music quality
