The New iRiver AK100: A High-End DAP - Page 215

 

Aren't you also on the demo tour for the 1Plus2 the last time we checked? ;)... Will be interesting to hear comparisons from you on both these units.

I think I am, I havent checked but I think the demo tour will begin first in US/Canda and than it will come to Australia. 

Good luck.... that's a very ambitious project...

 

if you have no life I could see it taking several weeks if not a month...if you have an semblance of one I could see it taking...oh say, never lol

Two month should be plenty, when there is no dead line there is really no pressure and ofcourse not all of those headphones/IEM will have a good synergy, so I am sure the list will be indeed small after I have a quick listen. So far the DD socket 1 is done, I am quiet familiar with the combination, I can do those review in about  a week time or on a good productive weekend. 

I think you have a good mythology there trying out various combinations. Synergy between components is quite important in my personal opinion.

I didn't realize the RDB+ v2 (or now named RDB+ 2 v1) tour had started. I've been using mine for about 3 weeks and although its no 1Plus2, to my ears it's more referential monitor & not so U-shaped as the 1Plus2. As such the soundstage is also not as wide but great for jazz vocals.

I actually have the AK100 & RWAK100 with me & at least for me he RWAK100 feels more robust, rich, & fulfilling. Overall even though the RWAK100 is no DX100 nor Tera Player, it keeps me satisfied when I'm on the move. And it's synergy with other earphones is quite generic that makes it reasonably IEM agnostic.

Seems like that amping the AK100 is than essential. What amps would you recommend with AK100?

PS:I dont think I will go down the RWAK100 anytime soon, I hope my mid this year we have more reviews. I am sure the prices for the AK100 will reduce in near future. I sort of feel as I type this there is a revision of AK100 taking place some where in korea. 

I don't have as many amps as you. I only have the SR-71b, Rx Mk3 & the MHd-Q7 and like the MHd-Q7 the best for this combination. If the AK100 did balanced out, then my choice would have been the Rx Mk3.

Mind you just over a week ago, I did spend about 3 hrs at a store (bless those folks for accommodating me for so long & I only spent $7 in the end), & felt the International was a nice combination to the (RW)AK100.

 

Your thoughts on AK100 or HM901?

Just let you know guys....the ak100+alo international is my favorite rig this time. I have found a very good synergy using my hd650 (balanced) and my dt1350. Just love it

 

Sadly not enough time with the HM901. I tried it at the Fujiya Show last month and that was with their tracks, not mine. I liked what I heard though and felt it definitely was an improvement over the earlier prototypes. I dare speculate though that I think I may prefer the HM901 over the RWAK100...as for the HM901 over the DX100, I've got to find a way to do side-by-side comparisons.

 

 

On a slightly different topic,

 

I just  managed to do a quick little test of the RWAK100 and AK100 with the MH335DW. A difference in signature is naturally to be expected as the FitEars are quite low impedance. What I didn't expect was distortion coming from the AK100. I was getting clipping of some sort.

Any idea what is the cause of some songs that stopped playing near before end of track ?

 
 

 

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/630288/the-new-iriver-ak100-a-high-end-dap/2490#post_9135174

So I got my RWAK100 today from Vinnie. 

 

I don't remember minute, specific details of the AK100 sound - only that, in comparison to my tiny 7th gen nano, bass was cleaner but had less impact and that soundstage felt bigger. this was using my Heir 4.ai

 

Well, with the RWAK100, the bass impact is definitely there. It beats the nano easily in both bass detail and texture (as the AK100 did) but now there's more kick to the bass as well, reminding me of the ALO Amphora I have.

 

But, for a lot of the songs I like, and when using the 4.ai, the difference between the ipod and RWAK100 is not night and day. it's a subtle improvement. I suppose for other people who are pickier about DAPs (or DACs, in general) they might characterize the difference as being more obvious. but I need to really search for the differences sometimes.

 

One other thing I liked about the RWAK100 is that, for a Neko Case Live album that I like, her voice was smoother, deeper and less harsh than on the iPod. this was noticeable when cranking the volume up.

 

Now, when I had the AK100, I did not have an excellent dynamic headphone (I had a stax setup) But now I have an LA7000-lite. So I took that and hooked that up the both the ipod and RWAK100. A-ha! Now we're talking. the difference in bass quantity, dynamics and soundstage is readily noticeable and in the RWAK100's favor compared to the ipod. The sound was very impressive with a good amount of volume range available on the dial (it was maxed on the ipod just to keep pace and match volume with the RWAK100 at around 60)

 

Now, I did not buy any of these portable players to use with the LA7000. I am sticking with the IEMs for portable use. But it was nice to see how well the RWAK100 handled the LA7000. But note that I can't comment on how those headphones would have worked on the AK100 as they are a more recent purchase

 

I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep the RWAK100 long term as I need to spend some time dealing with its interface and attempting to recreate playlists I have with itunes. if it becomes too much of a hassle, I may move to an iPod classic (for the storage space) and maybe a C5 amp.

Edited by LCfiner - 3/14/13 at 5:13pm

Which one would you guys actually prefer, going for rwa ak100 or use the mod money to actually get an amp with the non mod ak100

I have the RWAK100 and also paired it with the vorzuge Vorzamp duo. Decided to sell off the amp. While it did improve the overall dynamics and sound, it kind of defeated the purpose of getting the RWAK100 in the first place (ie. ultimate portability). I use only the RWAK100 now with my IEMs and am satisfied.