[whoever]

 
Why is that SOOO unfortunate?
Do you also dislike brands such as Ferrari, Leica, or Rolex?
That's not a greed game they practice, it's called capitalism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism
As long as it's their cash, and not somehow yours being misappropriated, let it be.
If those buyers perceive value at those prices, it's not your job to tell them they are wrong or in some way damaging your own fun. Everyone's wallet is different, and quantifying an item's performance in the context of the asking price is an inexact science. You don't know any better than they do, if it floats their boat, so what?

 
 

  I have to admit that any purchase you make is truly personal. Always remember: One man's trash is another man's treasure

 

 
 
 
yes it is. But, yet, Iriver Price jumps from simple to double are just ridiculous.... as are tera jumps.....and all the others. If you have the money why not, nothing against it, it's just that doubling a price out of the blue is kind of....well....ah, you know what i mean.....

 

[musicheaven]

   
 
 
 
 
yes it is. But, yet, Iriver Price jumps from simple to double are just ridiculous.... as are tera jumps.....and all the others. If you have the money why not, nothing against it, it's just that doubling a price out of the blue is kind of....well....ah, you know what i mean.....

Sure that's understandable but it is not that it had no features to show, the AK240 has a boat load of features. Taking the resentment for boosting the price to higher grounds aside, it has an array of features that approaches the offering of the likes of Apple and Sony which makes it a more modern player. Now one thing to keep in mind, iRiver R&D ability is no where near Apple/Sony hence they have to cover their costs and make a profit. If you do not approve of their strategy, no one forces you to buy the player. In a way it is as if there is some jealousy for the ones who can afford the good life. I think you should wish them congratulations for their purchase and move on to other players. I for one liked Jude's AK240 features presentation. I could sense he was very excited about it and so was I. I initially bitched a bit about the price but it was more because I would have like to own one and see how good it was. The shape kind a put me off for a little while but it sounds like you can grow into it, except for the AK480 whiskey bottle.

 
Anyway, I am not sure if they are going to continue their trend with the AK, if they do they will most likely surprise us in many ways, price included.

 

[MCImes]

I just read about this player toady in another thread and thought this was a joke since its April 1st. Sadly it is not...

Edit: How do I enter the lottery? I have no interest in owning this, but im sure some sucker on here (with wayyyy too much money) would pay me another $1000 to get my lottery ticket =)

 

[Achmedisdead]

   
 
Ahh, but I'd howl even louder than you, because if the AK480 is a 'real, soon-to-be-released product', it will still be a joke, but instead of being a good joke, it'll be a bad joke.

 

[fiascogarcia]

   
 
 
 
 
yes it is. But, yet, Iriver Price jumps from simple to double are just ridiculous.... as are tera jumps.....and all the others. If you have the money why not, nothing against it, it's just that doubling a price out of the blue is kind of....well....ah, you know what i mean.....

 
Tera seems a little different.  He appears to not want to make his players anymore. 

 

[reihead]

is this a joke?
Yes, I have read almost every previous post and yet, is this a joke?

 

[Mython]

DELETE

 

[reihead]

   
 
1) If it's a joke, then yes, it's a joke.
 
2) If it's not a joke, then yes, it's a joke.
 
 
HTH 

 
Exactly

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

we laughed on 1st of April
AK will laugh all the way to the bank in 2015.

 

[fiascogarcia]

  is this a joke?
Yes, I have read almost every previous post and yet, is this a joke?

 
OOOOHH yeah! 

 

[fiascogarcia]

Really did want a future proof Hi Rez DAC though!!!!

 

[Mython]

DELETE

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

I just sold my car for this.  Where do I sign up for this lottery?

 

[arnaud]

The thing is it looks less ugly to me than the 240 with its weird asymmetry! Maybe A&K can take a hint from this (hopefully not the misunderstanding that many can actually fall for a 5k dap )

 

[BeyerMonster]

  Right now it's all about the price wars, more expensive the better (no, just no). The Tera Player set the original benchmark at $1300, then it was $2200, so A&K came out with the 240 at what is it? $2.8k? Now the 480 is out again at $4.9k. Then next year we can expect to see a 960 at $8k, then the AK1920 will be $11-12k. I feel sorry for people who not know what they are buying something that isn't remotely close to what it values at, but hey there money not mine.

And this is why in 2014, I'm still looking at trying to piece together a digital audio solution for work that involves a bargain basement $250 laptop instead of buying something off the shelf.