OK. Thanks. Does anyone have an opinion if it helps to use WASAPI? The sound I'm getting is pretty awesome right out of the box!

I have started using a laptop with my AK 120 as a DAC. I'm going optically into a Marantz receiver. It all sounds really good to me but I'm confused about WASAPI.   I have the latest version of jRiver installed on my laptop. Do I need to add WASAPI or am I all set?   Thanks, Wayne

Great piece of work but the supporting software? Not so much.   I did finally hook it up as a DAC for my computer and I could definitely hear improved sound from the ripped CDs through the laptop vs the CDs as played on my Sony CD player. Cleaner and fuller in general with better punch in the...

Thanks for that thread. Interesting stuff!

So I have a system that I would like to play FLAC files and Hi Res file through via a computer.   Separately from this main system, I'd also like to run a Sonos system through three or four rooms of my house. Looking at jRiver, it seems like a good program but when I checked the Sonos site, it...

Why not rip with iRiver?

I used playlists a lot with iTunes and the iPod. The AK120 is more limited; you have to drag and drop tunes from the player into generically named playlists.   Since I used to have a lot of playlists with genres like 'Bluegrass', 'Folk', 'Soft Jazz', etc. I'm thinking that maybe using a...

So, playlists can be made within the AK120 but it is cumbersome and not very intuitive. You basically swipe individual tunes into playlists named 'playlist 1', 'playlist 2', etc.   Would it be possible to use a program like Jriver to make playlists and then somehow load them into the AK120?  ...

Sorry I wasn't clear, yes; USB out of laptop into AK 120 as a DAC then optical out to receiver.

I plan to play FLAC files from a hard drive into a laptop. I plan to connect the laptop to my Astell & Kern AK120 as a DAC and then go optical into a Marantz receiver for my home system.   Does the quality of the laptop matter much, or will pretty much any one do?   Thanks, Wayne

PurpleAngel, you broke that down into digestible steps! Appreciate it. I'll start exploring this stuff. My computer is in a separate room. Can I run the optical about 25 feet OK? Maybe it's best to plug the external hard drive into a laptop and then run an optical from the laptop into the...

At the risk of sounding as ignorant on this as I really am, I am wondering how to get FLAC files from my external Windows hard drive to my home system?   Some background:   I have hired a company to rip about two-thousand CDs to FLAC and store them on an external hard drive. I would like to...

Thanks Goldlion. I also see some claims by A&K that the 'new' generation of music will be sold via SD cards. But if that were the case, why would anyone choose that vs. a download? To save storage space on a hard drive maybe?

I am just getting used to my AK 120. I'm wondering, is there a way to transfer iTunes music over to the Astell and Kern? Also, regarding this Micro SD cards; are these something that you could potentially keep five or six around to store music on and use interchangeably? Is there a preferred...

No, neither ignoring you nor demanding. Just busy and fitting in what I can.   Thanks for the link.