[ianmedium]

Never had that issue with that type of rip before, how odd

 

[DrSheep]

  I had an interesting problem on a plane over Thanksgiving weekend. I have a new file that is 192/24 that is one long double album (bin master rip of Physical Graffiti 1:20). As soon as the player's screen went to sleep, the file started breaking up. If I touched the power button to wake up the screen it played fine. Sort of a bummer. Was fine on shorter tracks and lower resolutions.

Must be some kind buffering bug due to power saving mode on extremely large/long files.

 

[Sam Edwards]

It's a torture test for any portable DAP. I'm definitely going to try it on Pono if it ever comes.

 

[Sam Edwards]

Hey Folks, I just want to weigh in on the issue of EQ. For really clean, well recorded tracks, EQ Off really preserves the lack of grit and grain, letting more of the natural detail come through with my Ultimate Ear Reference Monitors. The only trade off is that I really like a little EQ for some music types. 
I would call it a $500 difference in Astell & Kern dollars. 

 

[ianmedium]

Must admit I have never been a fan of electronically controlled EQ but then I have always preferred to own several types of headphone to achieve a sort of EQ instead. I find that way is less destructive to the integrity of the recording.

The best I have heard it done though is on Mr D'Agostino's momentum pre amp that I heard recently which was a very subtle application of EQ I thought which took the edge but not feeling off some more lively recordings!

 

[davehg]

I've done a few comparisons with the 120 alone paired to the HD650's, and with LCD3's, and inserting the Ray Samuels SR71A amp (using the Moon Audio Silver Dragon 1/8 to 1/8 cable). It may be the need to break in the cable, but my ears prefer the AK120 direct. Adding the amp takes a bit of warmth away and adds slight sizzle and loss of depth/detail/body. Not horrible by any means, just different.
 
Need to be careful to let the cable break in, as my experience that silver cable needs lots of break in, sounding closed-in until 50+hours.

 

[DrSheep]

Slightly off topic: alternative to the AK leather case.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Tuff-Luv-Vintage-Leather-Wallet-Style-Protector/dp/B00KRJHL3I/ref=sr_1_31?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1417576190&sr=1-31&keywords=ak120
 

 

[refault]

  They are more geared towards money than their customers IMO. At least when compared to Fiio that is. Wouldn't hold my breath lol.

The free-market vs. state-economy (or command-economy), lol.
Oh well, what can you expect from those that embrace the free-market except the desire to make money/earn profits and planned obsolescence, lol.
 
I'm still hoping AK will release a new firmware for the AK120, maybe addressing the USB DAC issues people have been having, along with the minor odd bugs that occur here and there randomly (e.g. sd cards not showing up on boot, needing restart; tracks dont playback in order sometimes after changing options in eq/gapless/repeat-shuffle)
 
But other than that, I've been mostly happy with the 1.40 firmware.
To be honest, I wouldn't waste my time on the AK100II or the AK120II, since they both lack dedicated XMOS chips and (I'm guessing) would probably give as much difficulty using as a USB DAC as the AK120 seems to have. The AK240, on the other hand, has a dedicated XMOS chip and a dedicated ASIO driver released by iriver, so that'd probably be the only one I'd get in the future, if I ever decide to drop even more money than I already have on the nascent boutique South Korean hi-fi/audiophile market.

 

[Amalz]

Anyone try this cable (Silver Dragon Toslink) ?
 
http://www.moon-audio.com/silver-dragon-toslink-digital-cable.html

 

[DrSheep]

  Anyone try this cable (Silver Dragon Toslink) ?
 
http://www.moon-audio.com/silver-dragon-toslink-digital-cable.html

Moon Audio is great an all, but I wouldn't get this cable.  I recommend the one from Sys.Concept's instead.  Cheaper, custom length, and pre-bended.
 
http://www.sysconcept.ca/product_info.php?products_id=349&osCsid=j78hpau80jqujq1q1u24njild4

 

[Imod]

Is there any expert programmer out there that knows how to make a new version of the AK120 firmware so it can play native DSD on the RWAK120S/B?

 

[likearake]

  Is there any expert programmer out there that knows how to make a new version of the AK120 firmware so it can play native DSD on the RWAK120S/B?

 
It is a hardware limitation, not a software limitation.

 

[lee730]

   
It is a hardware limitation, not a software limitation.

 
The S-mod chips used (Wolfsons flagship) are not hardware limited to that. It is software limited in this case. The original chips that came with the stock AK120 is limited though as it doesn't have that feature to do native DSD playback implemented into the chip.

 

[AnakChan]

   
The S-mod chips used (Wolfsons flagship) are not hardware limited to that. It is software limited in this case. The original chips that came with the stock AK120 is limited though as it doesn't have that feature to do native DSD playback implemented into the chip.

 
Putting the firmware aside (as I do agree the firmware has to support DSD) but I'm not certain about not needing supporting DSD h/w around the DSD DAC.
 
I could be wrong but I thought it's not as simple as plonking in a DSD capable DAC into a product that's designed for PCM even thought the DACs may be pin-out compatible. Wouldn't there be surrounding h/w component to enable/support DSD like the 64fs clock + various gates to enable/disable between modes?
 
If I look at the WM8741 datasheet, just looking at a few pins 1-4 they double up for PCM/DSD purposes but in different order. For example, picking up Pin 1 only, if it's PCM then Pin 1 is the L/R clock. But if DSD then Pin 1 is for DSD L input. I'd expect some kinda h/w gate external which would decide/switch for Pin 1's use for PCM or DSD.
 
Or are you saying that the AK120 already has the supporting DSD capable architecture around DAC?

 

[lee730]

   
Putting the firmware aside (as I do agree the firmware has to support DSD) but I'm not certain about not needing supporting DSD h/w around the DSD DAC.
 
I could be wrong but I thought it's not as simple as plonking in a DSD capable DAC into a product that's designed for PCM even thought the DACs may be pin-out compatible. Wouldn't there be surrounding h/w component to enable/support DSD like the 64fs clock + various gates to enable/disable between modes?
 
If I look at the WM8741 datasheet, just looking at a few pins 1-4 they double up for PCM/DSD purposes but in different order. For example, picking up Pin 1 only, if it's PCM then Pin 1 is the L/R clock. But if DSD then Pin 1 is for DSD L input. I'd expect some kinda h/w gate external which would decide/switch for Pin 1's use for PCM or DSD.
 
Or are you saying that the AK120 already has the supporting DSD capable architecture around DAC?

 
I'm saying the stock chips in the AK120 are not capable of true DSD playback on the fly. Where the processing is done via hardware instead of software. At least that is what I gathered. But the chips used in the S-mod are capable of it. But there is no such software to enable the feature.