Ok I think it's probably a bit early to make a lot of serious impressions. But here it goes, after 7 hours of listening. This is basically a translation of what I just posted on erji.net. Excuse my crappy english. I realize that I tend to get too excited about the new toy I got, so I will try my best to clam myself and be as objective as possible!
I will give my impressions based on pairing it with SE5 which is to date the more natural, neutral CIEM I have heard. And I also use it for most of the time with dx100 and 901. SE5 has 130 impedance, so I guess it should offer a realistic presentation. The reference point will be Anedio D2 DAC, since I don't have DX100 and 901 anymore (although I want to get a dx100 back).
The design of AK120 is truly impressive! Looks gorgeous (from this only, I agree it's like a luxury as people said
) and it's so portable! Iriver put in a lot of effort in designing. Everything looks great! The package, leather case, back and screen covers and so on. If you have the ak100, you already know how fast the UI is. It's very easy to follow. The volume and song switching buttons are very convenient. And more importantly, it has gapless play!
So how does it sound? Of out the box, it didn't sound as bad as spkrs01 described, but it's pretty dull and meaty. The presentation is more focused on the mid/low part of the spectrum like 801 type of thing. Treble is smooth but not forward enough to my ears. Coherence, dynamics and power are great though. After 4 to 5 hours of burning it of DAP and my brain, the sound improved by a large margin! The bass become more controlled and refined with great depth and slam. The part improved the most is the treble, it became clearer and cleaner, leading to a more spacious presentation with super width, height and depth. I am very impressed by ak120's treble, because it has very high density and very exquisite. It's easy to hear every single detail without worrying about it going edgy. Really integrated well with the rest of the spectrum.
Overall I am very happy so far, I was thinking about buying another dx100 in case I didn't like the ak120. Looks like I can settle with ak120 for a while now. Also I was completely blown away when I pair it with a portaphile 627 amp. The sounded so good that I thought it could even compete with Anedio D2 dac.
So what's the sound signature of AK120? IMO, all dx100, 901 and ak120 are very neutral DAPs. If I have to compare, I would say dx100 is "hi-fi", 901 is "mid-fi", ak120 sits right between them leaning to 901 side. So this thing is more of a potential challenge for 901 than dx100 IMO. Very natural, smooth presentation, great low/mid/high coherence, clean and clear treble. Details are nicely presented. I have never heard of stock ak100, but I heard from my friend I trust, ak100 has somewhat bright presentation. If two chips of 9018 makes 901 sounds more musical (than dx100), the same thing definitely happened here. AK120 is indeed a very musical DAP! And haven't experience any bug on the AK120 at all. Finally a usable UI! But I DO hope ak120's soundstage and treble can open up more since it's still slightly lush side like 901
Well done Iriver!
Will update later if the sound changes more.
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