"Vagal Reflection. A Review Machine" Feiao Xiaowei Family, KA1, KA2 and KA3

small tail is one of the most popular HiFi products at present. Because of its small size, good sound quality, smooth experience of "parasitism" on smart phones and convenient streaming media resources, it has successfully replaced the entry-level HiFi player and even begun to occupy the market of "dessert-level" players. Feiao is one of the victims and announced that it will not develop portable players under 3000 yuan, including some hundred-dollar student machines.

But the roll is two-way, the price of the small tail is getting lower and lower, the scheme is becoming more and more mature, and the infighting is more intense. At present, there are actually many shell-changing versions of small tails on the market. Its interior may not have changed much. It is still the selling price that your audience likes. After changing the shell, it will be re-listed. Then it will disappear after three months. A new model will replace it. There is nothing wrong with this method, but for the old users, it is a bit of a backstab......

However, Feiao's playing method is to occupy the niche in different price ranges. In the range from 200 to 500 alone, KA3, KA1 and KA2 products are brought, followed by KA5 and KA7, which does not rule out KA0 with lower price.

KA3

KA3 is one of the few small tails that support 4.4mm and 3.5mm, and it is also Feiao's first truly defined small tail decoding ear. Previously, Bluetooth decoding earphones such as BTR5 can also be directly connected to mobile phones as small tails, but the compatibility is slightly poor, and some mobile phones do not recognize it.

At present, the selling price of KA3 is about 449 yuan, which is still a very strong and cost-effective choice in this price range. KA3 is like a reduced mini player. Its architecture completely follows HiFi design. USB port, DAC chip and earphone are powered by independent power supply without interference. DAC is ES9038Q2M and supports 768kHz/32bit PCM and DSD512 audio source decoding, the independent ear amplifier system powered by low noise positive and negative voltage makes the bottom noise extremely low and has large thrust of 130mW(PO3.5mm single-ended) and 235mW(BAL4.4mm balance port).

The sound of KA3 is relatively neutral, with high resolution, little polishing, but no stimulation, suitable for matching with various earphones, and can be set more comprehensively in Feiao Music, including high and low gain selection, filter and channel balance, etc. Compared with the mobile phone itself, the improvement of its sound resolution, sound field and detail reduction ability is obvious. The sounds of different instrumental music are not crowded in a group, the positioning is more obvious, the low frequency will not be stuffy and weak, the high frequency extension is better, and the details are more.

KA3 uses a separate cable, comes standard with L to C, C to C cable and USB-A adapter, supports iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android phone, Android tablet, PC and notebook computer, etc., without driving, plug and play.

Personal suggestion can be used with Yangshi OTG decoding small tail upgrade line, the effect is better.

KA1

KA1 is one of the smallest tails at present. It uses the ES9281AC PRO DAC chip produced by ESS. This chip integrates the function of operational amplifier, so it can compress the volume of KA1 and reduce the burden when used with mobile phones.

Although it is an integrated chip, its performance is not weak. It can decode up to 32bit/384kHz PCM, up to DoP128 and Native DSD256, and supports full expansion of useless MQA format.

KA1 adopts a fixed connection line design, which is divided into Lightning version and type-C version, corresponding to Apple and Android phones respectively, of which Lightning version will be slightly more expensive.

And this time there is dark night green to choose from, the shell is also 6 series aviation aluminum alloy, 180 fine sandblasting, workmanship and color value are still retained,

The earphone hole only provides 3.5mm single-ended, but the thrust is still 45mW, which is much larger than that of many players in that year. Its sound is also very obvious compared with mobile phones. The vocal position is clearer, the sound is fuller, the distance between musical instruments is opened, the positioning sense and stereoscopic sense are also obvious, the detailed sound is richer, and the presence sense is stronger.

KA2

did not expect Feiao to squeeze out a KA2 between KA1 and KA3. KA2 is currently one of the few small tails that only provide 4.4mm balanced headphone ports.

Its design idea is similar to KA1, with compressed volume, so KA2 is only a little thicker than KA1. However, KA2 is not a replacement earphone hole version of KA1. Feiao has made a big upgrade in the architecture, and the hardware is even a little guilty.

KA2 adopts a combination of dual DAC architecture. The decoding chip is two CS43131, supports up to 384kHz/32bit PCM and DSD256 audio source decoding, has five digital filter options, and the output power can reach 153mW. It is well known that dual DAC is more suitable for 4.4mm balanced headphone port.

After a simple sound audition, KA2's analytical power, detail reduction ability and sound field reduction ability are basically the same as KA3. KA2 has a positive sound, high analytical power, wide sound field, good phase restoration, and can drive some medium and high-end ring iron or multi-unit moving iron headphones. Take FH9 as an example. In the popular repertoire, the vocal position is close to the ear, the sound is full, the details between the lips and teeth are rich, the instrumental music is well positioned, the level is clear, the low-frequency musical instrument is full and powerful, the dive is deep, the encirclement is good, the atmosphere is strong, especially the dynamic is large enough, and the strength is not inferior to some low-end players.

KA2 is also a fixed line connection. Currently, there are also type-C and Lightning versions available.

The shell material is still 6 series aviation aluminum alloy, No. 180 fine sandblasting, and the appearance keeps the family design (Master Kang is lazy)

summary

horizontal comparison, Feiao these three small tails have very good product power, and their pricing is quite cost-effective, so there is no wrong choice in the same price. For longitudinal comparison, KA1 can be selected if it is small and light. If there is a good 4.4mm balance line earphone, KA2 can be considered. If you want to use it on multiple platforms, KA3 is more cost-effective. Changing lines can be compatible with different platforms and even improve sound quality performance.

author:vagal reflexEdited on 2022-6-1615:11

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