Activo P1 DAP w Guests Shootout iBasso DX180 , Hiby R6iii , Shanling M5 Ultra , Cayin N3 Ultra

[@MrMartellSincere]

Dropping a super chat around your way and I'm interested of the Activio P1 DSP player for all my digital audio content and audiobooks. Good work 👏😄

[@tonedeafmonk]

Thank you so much!

[@AndrewYouTubehandle]

Excellent review, just what I needed!

[@tonedeafmonk]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks 😊

[@SoundmeowAudio]

Great detailed review. Gave me all the info I needed to compare these daps. I think it's going to be the DX180 for me

[@tonedeafmonk]

Good choice! That's my personal favorite

[@davies9330]

Excellent review and comparisons Monk.

[@chrisbee9164]

I like to be able to pick out and hear detail properly and I like the trebles admits to be pretty crisp and spot on so of these three would you suggest the ibasso

[@tonedeafmonk]

Yup DX180 for the win!

[@nooneinpart]

No dark mode??? I no longer feel like I'm missing out. I have a Sony NW-A306. The performance is...just enough for music playback where you don't feel like throwing it at a wall and the US model has the same volume limit as the EU model, but it was $250 and drives earbuds/IEMs perfectly fine. And it has a dark mode. :/

[@constable416]

As it's an A&K sub brand, is it compatible with the A&K CD Ripper?

[@tonedeafmonk]

Not sure of that sorry Maybe FB A&K thread could answer that.

[@nahkenny]

Hi , do you know by any chance can I put songs in a dap without pc ?

[@tonedeafmonk]

You can wifi them to the unit or download from a on line streaming app

[@michaelpastoral3957]

HI IM FROM PHILIPPINES WHICH DAP IS BEST MIDRANGE TODAY ? THAMK YOU

[@tonedeafmonk]

iBasso DX180

[@thedar7164]

I'll take the Shanling please- 😃. Good stuff as usual.

[@mariusz_kozlowski]

Quick question: shanling m3 ultra ($373) or shanling m5 ultra ($471). I want to purchase a first DAC for my daughter

[@tonedeafmonk]

I would go with the Android M3U more versatile and less $ a great player for sure.

[@mariusz_kozlowski]

@@tonedeafmonk Now I see another option....ibasso 180....more expensive but maybe it's worth +$150

[@tonedeafmonk]

@mariusz_kozlowski Yes it is definitely worth the extra , someone has a lucky daughter 😊

[@mariusz_kozlowski]

@@tonedeafmonk Thank you. I've just purchased ibasso 180 + Aful Performer 5+2. Good set at the beginning :-)

[@CYNC33]

​@@mariusz_kozlowski That's exactly what I've just ordered for myself in the past couple days 😂

[@thomaskuhn6541]

What's your personal choice based on sound if you had to buy one of the DAPs in your review?

[@tonedeafmonk]

DX180 hands down. Best for stage, bass, neutral but very musical very clean top end without adding in any thing and well controlled. Battery is standout, light has a volume wheel, replaceable battery, powerfull, 128GB Memory, fully android 13 and fully bypassed for Bit perfect system wide not just for stock player.... should I go on LOL

[@mervinfernandes]

@@tonedeafmonk : Can you review Ibasso DX180 (usb-c) output connected to DC07pro? and confirm whether the output is same as DX240.

[@MARYOLIONHEART]

@@tonedeafmonk Just 2 days more and i get mine soon, my first ever DAP..the DX180 :) ....just ca't wait, then i go for some FT1 headphones, for this....

[@tonedeafmonk]

@MARYOLIONHEART oh great choice it's does everything so well and is very uncolored and resolving. Yeah great choice 👌

[@MARYOLIONHEART]

@@tonedeafmonk Yeah, thank you very much, i watched your review and i just fall inlove of this player, i just cant wait, just arrived at custom in my country today, so in 2-3 days next week i can keep this in my hands, finaly, after a long month waiting. I am 55 years old and this is my first ever DAP in my life, i am an old firefighter here, not that rich, i made a big sacrifice to get this player, as life here is so hard, so i hope to not be disapointed of this. I am like a child right now, waiting for my toy to arrive at home :) . I have big eotions until this come up to my home :p . Then i must get those FT1 heaphones, i saw they have both 3.5 and 4.4 so for me should be enough for now, later maybe, i would get a better headphones, but for now they are enough for a new guy like me in these audio things.

[@GEFELICITEERD45]

Ibasso dx180 100% replacement battery 👍

[@orangeyellow-me1pz]

Power output?

[@tonedeafmonk]

Was not really listed

[@orangeyellow-me1pz]

I got my Cayin N3 Ultra for $428. I am fine with it not having wifi or bluetooth. My phone is there for that.

[@tonedeafmonk]

Same it a perfect carry DAP size and weight as well

[@JRVick]

See you tomorrow. Don't put ketchup on everything.

[@sandydennylives1392]

I have the S12 pro iem as well. Have is not the same thing as use. Treeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeble is a touch forward.

[@wahid-lg1kk]

Ya, what is with these guys who insist all DAPs sound the same? I don't get it. Why are they in this hobby? They should just be happy, they don't need expensive gear. Get a Ruizu player, and use the flatheads that come with it. Same, right? Total expenditure, $50, done and done.

[@krzysztofobodzinski2529]

But the thing is, they’re supposed to sound similar. They’re just there to translate ones and zeros to electrical impulses and to be as neutral as possible. It’s not really that complicated these days. Any gear that colors the music is, by definition, broken or underwhelming. It’s supposed to let the headphones shine. You wouldn’t want a translator changing your style from, for example, formal to slang during the translation, would you?

[@wahid-lg1kk]

@@krzysztofobodzinski2529 They don't sound at all similar. So these companies are so bad at their jobs, the 'house sound' is there by mistake? They just can't get it right? Buy a Ruizu. $50. Done. Headphones just translate electrical current into vibrations in the air. Dacs just translate data into analog signals. All the same. Right. Enjoy your Ruizu! It comes with flatheads! That's all you need.

[@tonedeafmonk]

LOL year when I heard another prominent reviewer saying all source sound the same I was thinking they should retire and just use some airplane buds and call it quits!

[@tonedeafmonk]

Yeah you would want sometimes to get a colored sound and create the right synergy with your gear.

[@krzysztofobodzinski2529]

@wahid-lg1kk The difference between DACs and headphones is that headphones are specifically tuned using scientifically proven methods, and it shows in their frequency response curves. There are many considerations that are far more elusive, such as the materials used, shape, acoustics, and many moving parts in drivers. Additionally, many people do not like a completely flat sound, so headphone producers try to differentiate their products a little. DACs are just translating binary instructions to the corresponding percentage of electrical current thousands of times a second. Every reputable company tries to make DACs as transparent as possible. I used to believe that balanced cables in IEMs, DACs used, and so on, mattered. I have used some expensive gear, but in the end, I just use a debloated Galaxy S9 with Samsung's sound processing removed as a DAP for my IEMs and Cayin RU7 for headphones because it's quite powerful. At least was when it came out. To get to the point, companies will tell you everything they can get away with in order to push more sales of the really expensive stuff. If any audio product has a "house sound," it means it's poorly calibrated. As for resolution and technicalities, more expensive equipment is better (by a minuscule margin), but the question arises: does it matter to human hearing? Not really. We've reached a level where 99% of products are good enough. Before you say it, I'm young, listen to music quietly, and have my hearing checked regularly. It's excellent.