[Ritvik]

Got mine...but sadly mine seen to be a trouble with the optical input

No sound at all? Make sure the bracket is fastened well too.

 

[ianmedium]

I know this is going to sound silly but did you take the protective clear cap off the end of the optical input?

 

[TienV1125]

Lols...n " did you turn it on?" Got those check out already. And No the opt output isn't obstruct by anything. A close pic. Taken by my phone

 

[ianmedium]

Have you charged it yet? Mine did not need much to fully charge it but perhaps yours has enough juice to shine the light but not enough to make a sound. I am shooting in the dark here hoping for your sake it's something simple like that.

 

[TienV1125]

Thanks. But this glove going back to Centrance

 

[ianmedium]

For owners I found a perfect little case for the combination. A Lowepro Santiago DV35. It's a fabric covered hard shell case which has enough room for the glove/AK and a small pair of IEM's. It comes with a carrying shoulder strap as well so if you set your player on playlist it can be nicely tucked up and safe whilst your listening on the move. What's really good as well is that the ends are rounded which leaves a nice little gap at the top and bottom of the combo which prevents the gloves on/off switch being accidentally activated!
Below are some images.

 

[alpha421]

I'm expecting my A1 soon to pair up with my AK100. So the A1 uses a Sabre DAC, do any owners miss the Woflson DAC sound from their AK100/AK120 at all?  I personally prefer the later.  

 

[ianmedium]

I had no idea what DAC it had until I found out yesterday. Going by my experiences so far I would say that embraces the Wolfsons warmth but adds wonderful micro detail retrieval, texture and dynamics.
It has been my experience in the past that if one wanted a warmer more analog sounding DAC you would have to trade some of the micro details and dynamics and you wanted micro details and dynamics from a DAC you would have to trade warmth . This DAC and far more importantly it's implimation completely disproves that I feel.

At the end of the day though it is the implementation that makes a great DAC chip sing and boy oh boy this one sings! I can see why Michael Mercer commented that he see's no point in getting the Hugo now. Having heard both the Hugo with my 120 and the 240 my personal preference is the glove/120 combo as it seems to strike a perfect balance between the two other protagonists I feel.

On a side note I see that the ES9018 used can play up to 32 bit so I wonder if when those recordings become available we will be able to play them? I seem to remember with one of the firmware updates the 120 can play 32 bit.

I have to say as well that I never liked DSD on the 120 it sounded glassy and one dimensional to my ears but I don't know what voodoo the glove performs but it's transformed DSD even though I believe it downsamples it.

 

[alpha421]

Thanks.  Sounds very promising indeed. You're right about implementation.  It can make or break the chain.  I was worried that the A1 would sound too edgy and digital-like, but amplified with its Sabre DAC, which I found to be the case with the DX90 (no longer own).

 

[ianmedium]

It's so far removed from that I feel, not at all edgy and very analog sounding to my ears and that keeps improving with some hours on it. It's just very natural. The ability to show the layers and textures though is mesmerizing. I have been listening to a lot of my Choral recordings today and how it portrays mass choral is something to be heard. Instead of an emulsified sound that the majority of digital players portray ( unless you spend a lot more!) is not there with the glove in the equation. One can hear all the sections of the choir easily this actually makes the sound en masse feel more believable and real.

Oh and these thoughts are mainly listening through my T5P's which take no prisoners when it comes to harsh sounding players.

 

[TienV1125]

hey yo all. so today i got my A1 replacement. but same problem as before. any suggestion? the only thing i can think of is the OPT OUT from the AK120 ( i bough it used). it like i got sport car   but there no more gasoline on earth.

 

[herijgonzalez]

How's the battery life for you guys? Battery dies, while AK120 still has half left.

 

[alpha421]

Isn't the battery life the A1 normal - around 10 hrs.  The AK120 is rated around 14 hrs and according to CEntrance, it'll increase from that because the DAC and amplification is taken away and being done through the A1.  Also, I understand with the 5V USB on the A1 can concurrently be charged with one of those large capacity battery packs and still function its DAC/amplification duties. Those battery packs are pretty darn slim now a days, relatively cheap, and shouldn't add much to the overall thickness.  I'll be picking one of the packs come BF sales.

 

[ianmedium]

I have not really looked at battery life. To be honest after a day's listening I just plug both in the great two way cable centrance supplied and charge it up.
In all the years I have been in portable HIFi battery life has never been an issue with me. I guess I just must listen less, around 5-6 hours a day but then, that's dedicated listening and I am not doing anything else. I know many listen whilst working or studying so it's more an issue for them.
I am noticing th sound opening up even more, love the sound of this!
Oh and DT1350's really sing with the glove, best I have heard them sound.

 

[alpha421]

Questions: Does the A1 remember the last volume setting?  Also, is there any indication on the AK DAP of the A1 volume? How many volume steps does the A1 have?
 
Thanks in advance.