Before I started writing about the contrasting text of the thousand-ear headphones, I realized that my previous image was really not good enough. This time, I decided to give it a try—like "mei," "tu," and "xiu"—trying to capture the essence of what makes this headphone worth the value for friends.
This time, the protagonist is an amp from the early 1000s. The new Poke from Shenzhen Yidu Technology is actually a decoding amplifier.
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Reasons to Buy
The first reason is the laziness of changing equipment. I've been stuck in a fish pit more than once, maybe even called it the "dove" attribute. It's easy to find various reasons to return something, and honestly, it's just too tiring to keep going back. The digital output of the A35 still uses a dedicated WM-port interface for Walkman for years. Because the A35's WM-port is quite closed, it has Dafa's own chips and requires authorization to function properly. That’s why there are very few commercially available integrated versions. The only truly compatible one is Dafa's own PHA series and the Poke optimized for the Walkman. So, the calculation of the limitations can only be between PHA-1a and Poke.
Why buy a decoding amp instead of a pure amp? Because the A35 uses the S-Master full digital zoom AH, its biggest significance is when using a portable turntable: control, battery life, portability, and other features that were previously used by the Kaiyin N6 domestic HIFI player (called "Brick"), and then separate the two parts that determine 99% of the sound quality—the decoding and amplification—to independent HIFI machines like PHA and Poke.
Looking at the configuration: PHA-1a uses the WM8740 decoder, TPA6120 amplifier, and LME49860 op-amp. The Poke uses the AK4490 decoder and OPA1622 amplifier.
Looking at the parameters, the PHA-1a has a power of 80mW@32 ohms, supports up to 24bit/192KHz via USB, and has a 6-hour battery life. The Poke has 250mW@32 ohms, supports up to 32bit/384KHz via USB, has a hard solution for DSD, and offers an 8-hour battery life.
Compared to domestic HIFI products at the same price point, the hardware parameters clearly show an advantage—especially in power and decoding quality. Plus, the Poke is more compact and lightweight, fitting perfectly with the A35. And finally, considering the face value, I hesitated for two nights before making the decision to go for it blindly.
Appearance Gallery
The first combined shot shows a perfect fit. The wooden Poke has a 0.91-inch monochrome display, divided into two rows: the top row shows power, sample rate, and volume; the bottom row includes filter, input, gain, and bit. There's also an optional Velcro sticker, which is a black sticker placed in the middle of the two devices. It's water-washable and very firm. One-handed operation won't cause it to fall off completely. The biggest advantage is that it doesn’t interfere with touch operations, unlike binding tape. (Here is the official picture.)
The standard Walkman digital cable is also quite good, although it looks long in the photo, it's still portable. If you switch to a U-shaped horizontal connection, it would be even better. In addition to the large USB main input port on the bottom of the device, there's also a micro USB charging port and an aux in/out analog port. This means that the Poke can decode independently as an external amp or active speaker, and it can also connect directly to a CD or line out. A practical possibility is decoding game audio through active speakers.
The side buttons are simple. One side has volume buttons and filter options, similar to the A35. Since the Poke is mainly for earbuds rather than headphones, it uses digital volume control instead of an analog potentiometer. At low volumes, it doesn’t have the same issue as other amps. As for filtering, it’s more complex. With my current knowledge, I can’t fully explain the principle, but I can say there are four levels. The arrangement of the sound field and overall flavor (analog vs. digital) will vary slightly.
The other side of the operating logic is also similar to the A35, designed for “blind†use when bundled. However, the buttons have been changed to levers, including key, input/output options, gain, and bass gain. Overall, the Poke and A35 are almost completely “flush.â€
Experience Feelings
Sound quality: My main earplugs are EN700PRO copper tins. I’ve mentioned before that I prefer female voices, and copper tins tend to be boring with a crowded soundstage. Although the impedance is only 16 ohms, its sensitivity is just 101dB/mW. The A35 struggles to push this 10mm ultra-high magnetic composite moving coil unit. So, I wanted to buy an affordable amp to increase the low-end thrust and make the copper tins sound more open.
After adding the Poke, the most obvious change wasn’t increased intensity, but the high-frequency openness. Violin tremolos and subtle guitar plucks became clearer. The female voice also sounded younger, thanks to a more transparent high-frequency band. The overall soundstage improved, and the sense of space became noticeable compared to before. The audience’s voice at the concert scene moved from being inside the head to spreading out.
Compared to the improvement in high frequencies, the low end actually shrank a bit. It has a fast and light style, not the deep, full-bodied bass of the A35. The clarity and fullness of vocals improved, and the mouth shape moved slightly forward.
When I turned on high gain and then the bass gain, the feeling was different. The strength and low-end punch increased significantly. At this point, the Poke felt heavier than the A35. After adjusting repeatedly, I gradually got used to the Poke without the bass gain. After all, I don’t listen much to electronic or metal music. A clean, straightforward style with moderate bass was sufficient for European, American, Japanese, and Korean music. The key is that it could relatively completely solve the “boring†and “crowded†issues of the A35 directly pushing copper tins.
In Summary
As a domestic portable decoding amp specialized for the Walkman, this product’s design idea is still very bold. It further sub-divides in the niche of the nifi, accurately targeting Walkman users. For us who are fans of the A35 direct push, it's definitely a great gospel machine with outstanding value, high-quality sound, and delicate, transparent tuning. It improves the Walkman’s power and high-frequency performance, offering a good value-for-money return. The disadvantages include occasional signal interference noise when connecting some mobile phones, the need to purchase a specific line for iOS devices, and if you don’t activate the bass gain, the volume may not be high enough, even less than the A35 directly pushing. Finally, I recommend everyone to reduce the risk of blind buying, consider whether to try after auditioning, and be cautious about the risk of fever and burning. Wishing all of you a 2018 worth burning friendship, and a happy new year with new blessings!
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