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Acoustic Research M200 Digital Audio Player

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ALL PRODUCTS / AUDIOPHILE / ACOUSTIC RESEARCH

Acoustic Research M200 Digital Audio Player

Name: Acoustic Research M200 Digital Audio Player
Brand: Acoustic Research
SKU: acoustic-research-m200-digital-audio-player
Price: 100 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 3.477612 (67 reviews)

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Product Description

The compact Acoustic Research M200 does it all. Take your smartphone, tablet or PC's sound to the next level with the amplifier, or play multiple lossless audio formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, DSD) from the local memory or expansion micro-SD card with your wired or wireless headphones Read More

Customer Reviews

3.5

(67 reviews)

(17)

(21)

(12)

(11)

(6)

52% would recommend to a friend

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MaestroZen

Apr 17, 2019

Verified Buyer

I received it for a week. I am not comparing it to $300+ Dap, that is not fair. I compare it to $50-$200 Dap. Sound Quality: The sound is warm and authentic. For $100, it is difficult to find any Dap which sounds like this. It sounds much better than $1000 dap Control and buttons: The interface looks ugly. But it is clear, direct and easy to use. Battery: The battery life is around 6 hours, relatively short. Power Output: I used it to drive k7xx and K10, so far no problem. Its output is 2Vrms, it is pretty large among daps. People always say "if you buy AR, all money are put into the sound quality" , that is really true. I like its bluetooth, 4.4mm balanced output and DSD function. Ps: For $400, it is too expensive. But $100 is a decent price for this.

(Edited)

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classAcans

Apr 8, 2019

Verified Buyer

got this as a back up music player as samsung have been messing up the android os updates and was just plain unpleasant to use with foobar , they did patch it then messed it up again blah blah ..., so i went for this as cheap back up , updated the firmware with the beautifully simple instructions on the AR site pdf before any use. now the ui menus take a bit of hunting to learn where facilities are , bluetooth output and input are not intuitively located but once that is learned its all easy to use and i personally love the all button input and control , its lightweight and after two full battery cycles it is giving full day playback at medium levels into kz zsn iem's , sound quality is it would seem totally source dependant , dsd binaural files are quite astonishing , even through my moded t50rp mk3 and moded HD58x . as a headphone amp from external bluetooth its also pretty good , as good (if slightly leaner ) than my smsl pro as via bluetooth input then into class-a LAmini (via 223v bucking tranny , dont use the LAmini with uk 243v supply) . its a surprisingly good player / amp . its so lightweight yet manages to drive the t50rp well . at the price with shipping and import fees and all its little quirks its still good value as it sounds great , non fatiguing yet detailed and spacious and good fidelity to good recordings . all my rips and downloads are flac or higher rate mp3 with a few dsd etc hi-res type files . happy with this drop .

(Edited)

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Evshrug

3772

Community

Sep 26, 2019

classAcansIt can drive the T50RP from the SE output?!?! My jaw is on the floor!

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4670rum

Apr 18, 2019

Verified Buyer

I don't intend to use the player with head phones.. I've been using it with my 'shed stereo' which is an old fashioned stereo integrated amplifier(NAD 317) Connected to a pair of bookshelf infinity speakers. Very simple setup, literally in the shed in the back yard. The sound is amazing and a definite upgrade over using my mobile phone before. After having used the player for a while now. I feel I can give an opinion on the user interface that so many have been displeased with. I've never been happy with the 'iTunes' approach of finding my music on my computer. My music tracks are already organised in named folders on my hard drive so I don't need or want a third-party app rearranging my music. If you choose the 'folder' option in the player U. I. It will allow you to play back the music in the same folder and file structure that you copied it from, from your pc. If those folders happens to have album art in them it will display on the screen as well.. It all depends on how you downloaded/ripped the music to begin with.

(Edited)

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cattlethief

Apr 19, 2019

Verified Buyer

Great sounding player, simple ui but very easy to use.Balanced is wonderful with the AR-E10 ,that good ive bought another.

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asteriskman

Apr 17, 2019

Verified Buyer

So I had ignored the folks who said the user interface was garbage...I figured 'I'm an old analog guy, what do I need with touchscreens'? Well, let me say the interface really is that bad. Not only is it hard to use, but when I try to play files it doesn't like it gets stuck in a loop popping up an error message over and over. The sound quality is good. It has trouble with my HiFiMan 400i's, but I think that's to be expected. At full juice, it manages to reach a good listening volume (this was on the non-balanced pole). Its unquestionably better than any non-dedicated mobile device. I don't have any other dedicated portable player to compare it to.

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Kotomine

Apr 19, 2019

Thank you for the detailed answer! I have several DSD and many flac files (several from just ripping CDs with EAC) and had the samr mentality that you did with not caring much for the interface so I have been debating on getting it. What type of desktop amp do you have (just for reference)?

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Evshrug

3772

Community

Sep 26, 2019

Kotomine@Kotomine, AR made an app to remote-control this DAP from your phone (it can also receive audio via Bluetooth), and the remote app is apparently much more responsive and easier to use.

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PH17C0

May 4, 2019

Verified Buyer

So this happened when trying to change the ear piece component from bluetooth cable to the wired cable. I've not had these for more than a week. It's like crashing your new car on the way home from the dealer.

(Edited)

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bhalejos

Apr 20, 2019

Verified Buyer

Who cares how good a device might sound when you cannot even find the track you’re willing to play in the first place? I cannot believe it’s been almost two decades since the first iPod and other manufacturers are still imposing this kind of frustration on their users. Stay away from this!

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Sep 27, 2019

All of the DAPs I listed have the feature to act as a transport to send audio out via USB, it’s an important feature to me too! I’m not 100% sure, but I think this AR M100 has USB-Out as well, but if you only care about digital output you probably could get a cheaper device (although $100 is already very cheap!). I got to borrow a Shanling M1 (and I assume their newer DAPs are similar), it came with a USB-C to USB-A (Full-size male USB connector) cable, and if your DAC has the square-ish USB-B type connector (also common on printers) it’s easy & inexpensive to find a USB-C to B cable: Chroma Cables: Audio Optimized USB-C to USB-B Cable with 56K Resistor (Blue) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQPDRLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4qAJDb953V5MC You can also get a green Audioquest cable for $40... I can’t think of any DAP that had a “full-size” USB-A port in it, though such a thing probably exists. Closest I can think of is the original iPod, which featured a normal sized FireWire port so you could transfer music fast! (slightly faster than USB 2.0 speeds, haha). Best of luck to you, enjoy!

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LostnAmerica

Sep 27, 2019

EvshrugThank you Evshrug for all that helpful information, I currently have a usb A to B cable. I’ll continue the search. Best to you. lostnamerica

Traid

Mar 21, 2019

Verified Buyer

So first things first. Yes the UI is primitive and a pain to use. At 8 hours, the battery life could be a lot better. For the life of me, I don't know why they (AR) can't seem to give this DAP a firmware update that fixes the relatively infrequent crashes. Additionally, I haven't had the shuffling issue that others are seeming to have so there's that. Other than that, I am really enjoying this DAP. The sound is Crystal clear and this little guy can pump out a lot of power. The Bluetooth works and sounds great (ATPx HD). For $100, this isn't a bad option for a Bluetooth audio receiver and/or edc DAP. I will update my review if any other issues arise. Fingers crossed.

(Edited)

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Traid

Oct 29, 2019

Huh. This is news to me. Is there an android app? I can't seem to find anything on it.

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Evshrug

3772

Community

Oct 30, 2019

TraidHmm, they may have taken it down. It appears as if the only current AR product are some wireless garden speakers.

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HotChocolate

Sep 26, 2019

Verified Buyer

When you get this player PLEASE test it to ensure its working properly, the warranty provided by Drop expires after 30 days and not the 12 months printed in the Quickstart Guide. The player in my opinion is great for the price, BUT I feel like I have been let down by the warranty given with this product, this is the reason for my 1 star. About a month and a half into owning my player I noticed the battery was only lasting at best 4 hours from a full charge when used extremely conservatively, plus getting extremely hot and shutting down. I contacted Drop Customer Service approximately 3 months into my ownership of this player and got the following response. sic; "For products that do not have an included manufacturer's warranty, customers have 30 days from the date of delivery to report an issue. For products that include a manufacturer's warranty, customers must report an issue within the stated warranty period." IF I didn't have the issue with the battery, I'd have given this player 4 Stars, why I'm still recommending this product, BUT with a warning to others interested in buying this product. PROS; Sounds great, very Neutral wired or wireless. Wireless connection is great and clear. Feels solid and of quality build. CONS; Interface is slow and archaic looking for a player in this day and age, but forgiven for price.

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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tyll

Jul 1, 2019

Verified Buyer

The best dap for the price

There are a couple things I could get mad about with the ar m200, like that their company doesnt exist more, kind of. So no software updates anymore, I couldn't even find a download for their newest software. Or that its a really lackluster dap interface. But none of that matters because it sounds awesome, especially balanced with my Sendy Aivas, even though they run at 130 out of 150, the included class a amp runs completely clear even at max volume. The fact that I can use it as a bluetooth receiver makes this the perfect portable device for me.

Recommends this product? Yes

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