[gazzington]

I respectfully disagree. I think DAC tuning is critical. One of the reasons I love A&K so much is their tuning...I think the sr-25 is so phenomenal is because the tuning is so sophisticated. I had the Fiio M11 Pro and the tuning was ham-fisted and amateurish...at least that is my opinion.

I agree, I think the sr25 is very special for its price. Love it. How does the sa700 sound in comparison?

 

[szore]

I agree, I think the sr25 is very special for its price. Love it. How does the sa700 sound in comparison?

I heard it briefly at canjam, seemed very smooth and detailed, but it's heavy as hell. I like the sr-25 because its so small and light...And it sounds fantastic, very surprised at the quality of sr-25... Buying a MEST with Leonides II cable on Monday, can't wait!

 

[Dionysus]

Users: We want 4.4mm
A&K: Here is mini XLR

Users: We want 4.4mm
A&K: Here is a second DAC

Users: We want 4.4mm let me fix this for you, uhm no we don't, and this wont change, This is because of the partnership AK has with JHAudio and the other partners that use 2.5 balance. Also I believe this was invented by AK.
A&K: Here is mini XLR, That only applies to one high powered DAP, not on the rest of the line.

Users: We want 4.4mm, no we dont,
A&K: Here is a second DAC, This is strange but excellent engineering IMHO, it's really like having two DAP and they only charged $100 more than the original SE-100. your also getting the newer technologies with the additional year of development.

 

[jupiterianvibe]

i'd like to see a drop test to see how that ceramic back cover will perform before even considering to buy this.

 

[szore]

i'd like to see a drop test to see how that ceramic back cover will perform before even considering to buy this.

In the video it was mentioned the ceramic is there for scratch resistance...I don't recommend 'dropping' this DAP, LOL

 

[Elite_Force]

and they only charged 100 more than the SE-100

for ordinary customer, probably, not the best idea to take the retail price of se100 as milestone. As sr25 was launched, plenty of discounted sr15 appeared - like for the 2/3 of price for sr25.

Simple example - during black Friday 2019 se100 in b-stock was offered for approx. 1k usd from a local distributor with full warranty.

Would be fair to consider the se200 retail vs se100 discounted. The gap would be waaaay more than some 100 usd.

 

[Ojisan]

I wonder if the jack spacing still works with this?
https://shop.musicteck.com/collecti...-4-4mm-balanced-female?variant=31710945116222

 

[darkxvx]

I wonder if the jack spacing still works with this?
https://shop.musicteck.com/collecti...-4-4mm-balanced-female?variant=31710945116222

If it doesn’t then AK’s own older cable PEF21, released around the time of the 240, that converts to two 3 pin XLR, won’t work either.

 

[gazzington]

In the video it was mentioned the ceramic is there for scratch resistance...I don't recommend 'dropping' this DAP, LOL

As a fellow sr25 fan, what iems do you use with it?

 

[Niyologist]

I don’t think Ak will ever use 4.4 as it’s Sony’s thing

Wait but HiBy and iBasso use it too. Is it because Sony Invented it?

 

[darkxvx]

Wait but HiBy and iBasso use it too. Is it because Sony Invented it?

4.4mm Pentaconn is an open standard. It’s just AK adopted the 2.5mm connector before the Pentaconn connector was a thing. Switching to 4.4mm will make many of their related products incompatible or need new converters.

 

[Niyologist]

4.4mm Pentaconn is an open standard. It’s just AK adopted the 2.5mm connector before the Pentaconn connector was a thing. Switching to 4.4mm will make many of their related products incompatible or need new converters.

Oh. I see. Maybe perhaps a 3.5mm Balanced is a good middle ground?

 

[darkxvx]

Oh. I see. Maybe perhaps a 3.5mm Balanced is a good middle ground?

3.5mm balanced will have the same issue, as they are all physically incompatible, thus requiring adapters. Another potential issue is plugging in an unbalanced 3.5mm into a balanced 3.5mm port, or vice versa.

 

[WDitters]

It is the actual jack that benefits from the larger tip of the 4.4mm connector. Unless I am misunderstanding what I have read. The jacks are supposed to be more stable due to better internal contact force during the connection.


Considering that the DAC itself should be transparent it would seem to be a moot point, but people have varying opinions about the idea.

For the sake of completeness and clarity, I only use my 2.5mm adapter cable with my AK. On my FiiO I use the 4.4mm.

 

[jwbrent]

That’s really cool that you still use the ak240. Shows nothing stops sounding good

Yes, just because a once state-of-the-art player is surpassed by newer models shouldn’t diminish one’s enjoyment. Besides, I still think the chassis design of the AK240SS is the best design AK has ever done—I like small DAPs.