Latest Thread Images

The Astell & Kern AK240
Jan 6, 2014 at 3:01 PM Post #181 of 9,131
streetcar said:
  is the new DAC cirrus chip better than the wolfson 8740 and 8741? How is it different to the wolfson chips?
 
 
Click to expand...

Winnie...help
 
Jan 6, 2014 at 3:34 PM Post #182 of 9,131
mython said:
What I don't really understand is the bizarre design aesthetics of the AK240 - it sincerely does look almost like they glued a Cowon J3 onto a strangely-shaped amp and called the resulting stack an AK240.
Click to expand...

That's what happens when Cowon and iRiver have a baby. It should never have happened...
wink_face.gif

 
Jan 6, 2014 at 4:00 PM Post #185 of 9,131
Looks better than I thought it would, not conventional but not ugly.

That internal storage has me drooling. I'm away from home for weeks at a time so that'd mean I can take all my music with me.
 
Jan 6, 2014 at 4:01 PM Post #186 of 9,131
streetcar said:
is the new DAC cirrus chip better than the wolfson 8740 and 8741? How is it different to the wolfson chips?

Is the ak120 not DSD ready? I thought it was.
Click to expand...


Its Cirrus top of the line DAC. Ideally a DAC should convert digital to analog, not more not less. If you ask about better sound, it is all about how you design the pcb and how and what ICs you use around the DAC. The flavor of sound is given by the opamps you use and their implementation.
 
Jan 6, 2014 at 4:15 PM Post #188 of 9,131
streetcar said:
  do you think they will soon release a 256gb ak120? or you reckon the titan is the end of ak120?
Click to expand...

 
That will probably depend upon sales figures of the AK240. If it nosedives then they may increase AK120 capacity, but mostly I anticipate that they will use the 256gb capacity to drive sales of the AK240, so they would probably not wish to have a 256gb AK120 undermining that.
 
Jan 6, 2014 at 4:18 PM Post #189 of 9,131
mython said:
   
That will probably depend upon sales figures of the AK240. If it nosedives then they may increase AK120 capacity, but mostly I anticipate that they will use the 256gb capacity to drive sales of the AK240, so they would probably not wish to have a 256gb AK120 undermining that.
Click to expand...


I also think they will leave it as Titan. Otherwise it would damage bigger brothers sales and they wouldn't want it.
 
Jan 6, 2014 at 4:31 PM Post #190 of 9,131
would you rather have the extra 128gb memory or an extra micro sd card slot?
 
It would have been interesting had they opted to create a normal sd card slot instead for the 240. that would have been the final nail in the coffin for all doubters.
 
Jan 6, 2014 at 4:36 PM Post #191 of 9,131
streetcar said:
  would you rather have the extra 128gb memory or an extra micro sd card slot?
Click to expand...

 
Theoretically, to me, 256gb onboard + 1 micro SD slot is preferable to 128gb onboard + 2 microSD card slots, so I think iRiver got that decision right, on the AK240.
 
 
 
streetcar said:
   
.... had they opted to create a normal sd card slot instead for the 240. that would have been the final nail in the coffin for all doubters.
Click to expand...

 
Err...no it wouldn't! 
tongue.gif

 
Jan 6, 2014 at 4:43 PM Post #194 of 9,131
streetcar said:
  why wouldn't it? a normal SD card has double capacity of a micro sd card.
Click to expand...

 
Yes, but there's a lot more to a DAPs performance than just its storage capacity, even though we can all agree that storage capacity is significantly important now that Hi-Rez downloads are becoming more mainstream.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 11 (members: 0, guests: 11)
Back
Top