The sound quality and physical build quality are still fantastic. But I'd say that the operating system is just a little bit dated and sluggish by modern standards. Of all the A&K players it's definitely the easiest to drop in your pocket and go.

Shouldnt be a problem at all. Different players have different volume sweet spots with different headphones. I think it mostly depends on what headphones or IEMs you're driving and what you're listening to. I remember having the volume on my Jr around 70-ish. I run my AK300 on about 75. There...

I think $250 is about the normal going rate used. They're well worth buying though at that price! They're a fantastic neutral IEM

As said above, I think this depends very much on what you're listening to. The 240 to me seemed to be a little more like the 'Japanese' refined hi-fi sound; a little more clinical - fantastic for jazz, classical and acoustic music. The AK300 is more 'rough around the edges' has a little bit more...

The AK Jr. is probably the only player that I genuinely miss. The size and the sound quality were miles ahead of the curve when the Jr came out, and I still think it sounds far more organic than a lot of modern players. Just a shame that the UI never quite got as slick as it could have been. If...

Great to see someone else using the JH3x! Running mine through an Astell & Kern AK300 and absolutely love them!

For my next CIEM I'm looking for something fairly reference quality but with a good focus on mids (guitars, piano, female vox). I tend not to enjoy V-shaped sound signatures, and had figured that the Harmony 8.2 would be my best bet by far from the current line-up. Do you think that would be the...

Definitely agree that you really have to move quite far up the ladder to get a serious upgrade on the sound of the Jr (although the UI leaves a fair bit to be desired) if you're sticking with A&K. I'd say that the AK300 is still a solid proposition as a serious upgrade from the Jr, and can be...

Well worth buying at that price!

I regretably dont have the Jr anymore, but i had around 100gb of music on an SD card, and kept the internal storage empty. I didnt find lag to be a deal-breaking issue at all with my player. UI was much much better than the click wheel blue screen ipod that i had before the A&K

I found the final firmware update was a lot better (1.03 vs 1.02) but still quicker to browse by folder than by artist. The lag really isnt that much of a deal breaker given the sound quality overall and how pocketable it is (which seems to be rare for astell and kern now!)

Orion is the only set of headphones that i regret selling. To get the most out of them you definitely need a good seal! The best results i got with tips were with JVC spiral dots for general use and comply foam for longer listening. The stock silicone tips were the hardest for me to get a good...

Thanks for the reply! That sounds like about the same as I've been getting out of mine through the 3.5mm. Can't see myself upgrading to another player any time soon, although getting the itch to lay my hands on an old blue-screen iPod 4th gen and do the SD card solid-state hack

I know the AK300 is pretty old now (in DAP years!) but I just wondered if any other owners had experienced the battery running down significantly faster when using the 2.5mm balanced out, instead of the 3.5 single-ended out?

As with most things audio, it comes down to personal taste. I'd say that $300 is a pretty good price for the AK100ii - but it's now a pretty old DAP and the user interface is probably a little bit dated. I'd say that 100ii, to my ears, aims to be more of a reference/neutral player than the...