Major differences are:
1, only 8gb internal and only 1 microSD slot.
2, coax and not optical out.
3, user replaceable battery, which is a big plus.
4, unofficial lay supports 64 DSD in DSF format, but not DFF for some reason.
5, more neutral sound with ESS Sabre DAC instead of the warmer sounds of Wolfson in AKs.
I own the AK 120 with a B-mod from Vinnie. I am thinking of going for the Duet (currently I am running single-ended through an old Mark II while researching the right amp).
A couple of questions:
- do you use IEMs with balanced connector and if so, how did you avoid out of phase wiring as IEM connector standards apparently vary by brand
- is the sound "unstable" in any way? Someone posted that most balanced armature IEMs are not ready to perform correctly when wiring is re-terminated to balanced mode??
- how would you describe the sound improvement going balanced versus single-ended?
- how would you describe the sound signature of the Duet with the AK 120 - my AK 120 sounds a little light in the bass and soundstage width - does the Duet improve on these issues?
I own the AK 120 with a B-mod from Vinnie. I am thinking of going for the Duet (currently I am running single-ended through an old Mark II while researching the right amp).
A couple of questions:
- do you use IEMs with balanced connector and if so, how did you avoid out of phase wiring as IEM connector standards apparently vary by brand
- is the sound "unstable" in any way? Someone posted that most balanced armature IEMs are not ready to perform correctly when wiring is re-terminated to balanced mode??
- how would you describe the sound improvement going balanced versus single-ended?
- how would you describe the sound signature of the Duet with the AK 120 - my AK 120 sounds a little light in the bass and soundstage width - does the Duet improve on these issues?
I do have the AK 120 -B (Titan) paired with the Duet, however i use the TH900 balanced with them. Out of all the questions you are making I can only tell you that the bass and soundstage does not sound light at all. I would say the opposite. I hope my answer helps you somehow.
Just wanted to share my experience here about the use of higher storage cards and their lag times.
The lag was not that bad when I had these two cards were filled with music and inserted to the player.
But with these cards, the lag was very noticeable.
With the 64GB cards, to return from the album song list to the album list, the loading animation would make one and a half turns, with the 128turns, it would make almost 3 full turns (which is about 1.5-2 seconds) and this kind of takes the shine out of the whole experience of using the player.
I do have the AK 120 -B (Titan) paired with the Duet, however i use the TH900 balanced with them. Out of all the questions you are making I can only tell you that the bass and soundstage does not sound light at all. I would say the opposite. I hope my answer helps you somehow.
Thanks for the feedback. I guess my experience is perhaps driven by the fact that I am using IEMs. I keep the EQ on with boosted highs and lows and though the highs are decent and the detail incredible, the lower register lacks impact and "slam" (and I'm not even a bass enthusiast persay, just like enough for a solid foundation). Anyways, glad that the Titan and Duet is working out for you. This hobby sometimes seems like a mad pursuit for perfection so when you find a combo that works, it is truly magic. My home setup is just that, magical. I just haven't hit the right formula in the DAP department yet. Enjoy yours!! Regards, Ole.
I do have the AK 120 -B (Titan) paired with the Duet, however i use the TH900 balanced with them. Out of all the questions you are making I can only tell you that the bass and soundstage does not sound light at all. I would say the opposite. I hope my answer helps you somehow.
I am curious of how the -B mod changed the sound signature of the 120 if you can comment on that? Is it similar with more definition (due to how the circuitry and chip is implemented in the player or whatever) or does the signature change significantly due to the different DAC chips?
Thanks for the feedback. I guess my experience is perhaps driven by the fact that I am using IEMs. I keep the EQ on with boosted highs and lows and though the highs are decent and the detail incredible, the lower register lacks impact and "slam" (and I'm not even a bass enthusiast persay, just like enough for a solid foundation). Anyways, glad that the Titan and Duet is working out for you. This hobby sometimes seems like a mad pursuit for perfection so when you find a combo that works, it is truly magic. My home setup is just that, magical. I just haven't hit the right formula in the DAP department yet. Enjoy yours!! Regards, Ole.
Hi There (to Likearake and CraftyClown): As Oriise well said "This hobby sometimes seems like a mad pursuit for perfection" therefore my opinion might be subjective to you. I am by no means an expert, just an enthusiast that had the fortune to start enjoying music during the years of vinyl records and tubes amplifiers. Therefore, I am now looking for the most analog possible type of sound in a portable system. That's my goal and I am not sure if it yours. On my side, I do work for a Korean Energy Firm and some of its Korean employees have all possible combinations of HiFi set-ups. I have tried most of them since they do not mod them. I tried the AK Titan stock before purchasing but my perception was that, although it has a nice separation and excels in all ranges, its sound was still too digital for me. I must tell you that I purchased the Titan-B mod without previous trial. Just based on a 3 months research reading all the comments here and some other blogs and chatting with Red Wine Audio and Moon Audio. I am very satisfied with it, it sounds is very (i mean very) analog type. The bass cannot be more accurate and mid ranges are phenomenal. Highs are too bright for me so I use the Equalizer to level it off. The power of the unit (plus the duet) is excellent (I do have a balanced TH900). Recently, I listened to the new AK 240 (and compare the same song Peter Gabriel Flac) and although I couldn't use my TH 900, I found that it is not what I am looking for. Purists might be extremely pleased with the 240 since (IMO) is too perfect. My Titan B has more drive (I would say more passion) particularly for rock music. But that is what I was looking for, in order to listen to Queen, Supertramp, Genesis, Pink Floyd, REM, and The Police. That is my simple comparison based on a pursuit of perfection on analog type of sound. I hope it helps. If you are in Houston you can try my set up. Cheers,
Highs are too bright for me so I use the Equalizer to level it off. The power of the unit (plus the duet) is excellent (I do have a balanced TH900). Recently, I listened to the new AK 240 (and compare the same song Peter Gabriel Flac) and although I couldn't use my TH 900, I found that it is not what I am looking for. Purists might be extremely pleased with the 240 since (IMO) is too perfect. My Titan B has more drive (I would say more passion) particularly for rock music. But that is what I was looking for, in order to listen to Queen, Supertramp, Genesis, Pink Floyd, REM, and The Police. That is my simple comparison based on a pursuit of perfection on analog type of sound. I hope it helps. If you are in Houston you can try my set up. Cheers,
Very interesting, thanks for the comments Papiro! I am a big Peter Gabriel fan coincidently...
Can you recall the 240 being brighter than the 120? The 120 has a very different presentation, and is far brighter than my other DACs (CLAS -db and Violectric V800) so I am still adjusting to it. I am enjoying it though, the detail really smacks you in the face compared to my systems, very transperant sound. Can't decide whether it is more natural or less natural...! But I am enjoying re-listening to my music at the moment with it. Your comments sound good otherwise but perhaps if it is still bright I'll have to think about whether it is right for me.
With the new A&K series being based on the 240 it will be interesting to compare...
Does anybody really hear a difference/improvement between DSF files and 88.2 flacs that are converted from those files on the AK120? I use Korg Audiogate on the Mac to convert and the sound is so close that I can't really choose a winner, and the flacs are half the size.
A couple of quick questions: one of which is probably not discussed, the other probably has but my back is getting ridiculously stiff for any more forum trawling...
I am legally blind, hence this is quite important: what font size are we dealing with here and can it be altered either in settings or additional firmware?
If it's the same size as Facebook-for-iPhone-sized, or similar to an iPod classic's menu font (a manageable struggle), there is obviously approx. zero point in dropping AU$1,400 for the unit.
Secondly, in terms of browsing through music, what's the go? Cue sheets, ID3 tags or file tree (please say the latter!) or (best of all,) all of the above?
Oh and a big favour... To abridge nearly 400 pages of discussion, is this device a worthwhile pairing with the Shure SE846? I am looking for a step (or several) step(s) up from pairing the 846 with an iPhone 5.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
