[raypin]

Mmm.....it is not unusual. Take, for instance, the Beyerdynamic T1. Some U.S. retailers still sell it at full retail of 1400 bucks but if you check amazon, the T1 can be had for 718.00 bucks. That's a huge price difference. That's why my dealer here gave me the T1 at a price that was way below full retail. He was forced to match Amazon's price to sell his inventory. Of course , I was grinning since last night. The T1 for the price of an EL8. Epicus bargainus walletus happitus.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Love those woo audio amp. Can't find any of this in HK.

 
Woo ships direct to HK.  Email info@wooaudio.com for estimated shipping cost on the product you want.  HK is import friendly.  

 

[goodvibes]

 
Teaches us something about being early adopters.This hobby causes me to crave immature instant gratification. But that's part of the fun!
 
Companies like Shure would take away an authorized dealership if they found one of their sellers was watering down their Brand.
 
Amar Bose insisted that everyone sell Bose for MSRP. That changed as soon as he died. Now, they've lost their elitist status, be it that it was "plastic" elitist at best.
Same thing is happening to Beats, but they are laughing all the way to the bank.
 
iRiver makes a quality product. Whether or not it's priced properly, is a personal decision. Same with Chord.

I'm sure there's protection and warranty by local market. Always places to find things cheaper if ones wants to risk it and some local markets that won't be as controlled.

 

[immtbiker]

  I'm sure there's protection and warranty by local market...

 
I can't hear a thing that you're saying. Like on Charlie Brown, it sounds like the teacher talking  "wap, wah, wah wah-wah"….
 
Your avatar is luring me away from your posts 

 

[cj3209]

  When I was an audio salesman in the '80's, we had a guy/store in Manhattan, called "Uncle Steve's", whom we sold wholesale to.
 
His prices were unbeatable because he kept 2 different sets of books. One set was for all of the chachkas that he sold, like video tape (what's that?

), power adapters, accessory stuff.
But, his other high dollar item sales, like front $4000 front projection tv's (what's that?

) and $2500 cameras, etc. He sold them at his wholesale cost, so no one could possibly match his prices because of his immense buying power, and these were on his other set of unreported books. So what this enabled him to do, was pocket the 8% sales tax, which was a good hit on the big purchases. No one could undersell him.
 
There was a line out of his door on Canal Street. Of course, eventually he had plenty of time to count his money from his jail cell. 

I remember Uncle Steve's - LOL...his prices were INSANE...another short-lived place in NYC...
 

 

[LouisArmstrong]

Portability is about the ONLY thing about the AK380 that can be boasted, as they can claim they are the best sounding portable solution (although they may very well not be). Used in a desktop setup, the AK380 can immediately go straight to the "overpriced junk" category as there are so many better DACs at a similar or even lower price than the AK380 - and that's why I find that using it with the Woo amplifier not very impressing, to say the least.

 

[piercer]

  Portability is about the ONLY thing about the AK380 that can be boasted, as they can claim they are the best sounding portable solution (although they may very well not be). Used in a desktop setup, the AK380 can immediately go straight to the "overpriced junk" category as there are so many better DACs at a similar or even lower price than the AK380 - and that's why I find that using it with the Woo amplifier not very impressing, to say the least.

 
Wow Louis, what in  particular was wrong with the sound? Did it sound like a troll under a bridge or worse? What cables were you using?
 
I have connected my AK380 with line-out enabled  to my TU-05g (with Beyerdynamic T5p's) and a pair of Almarro A340 monoblocks (With Tannoy DC8T's) and it sounds completely phenomenal.
 
Was it your AK380 - if so, I'd just sell it if I were you, you seem to hate it so much.

 

[raypin]

   
Wow Louis, what in  particular was wrong with the sound? Did it sound like a troll under a bridge or worse? What cables were you using?
 
I have connected my AK380 with line-out enabled  to my TU-05g (with Beyerdynamic T5p's) and a pair of Almarro A340 monoblocks (With Tannoy DC8T's) and it sounds completely phenomenal.
 
Was it your AK380 - if so, I'd just sell it if I were you, you seem to hate it so much.

mmm....phenomenal, yes, even if played alone. Put another way, it is currently the world's best-sounding digital audio player (in the portable category). Nothing can touch it.

 

[piercer]

  mmm....phenomenal, yes, even if played alone. Put another way, it is currently the world's best-sounding digital audio player (in the portable category). Nothing can touch it.

 
Yes, you're right - maybe phenomenal when compared to current high-end full-size kit is over egging it, but its easily better than the NAIM streamer I used to have that was massive and cost more.
 
Its not quite as good (but nearly) as my 2Qute standalone DAC (over galvanically isolated USB), but that requires at least one more box to be attached, as well as a power supply etc...

 

[goodvibes]

   
I can't hear a thing that you're saying. Like on Charlie Brown, it sounds like the teacher talking  "wap, wah, wah wah-wah"….
 
Your avatar is luring me away from your posts 

Yes, she has a nice pair of phones.

 

[goodvibes]

From another thread:
Quote:

 

 Again, if you plan on spending good money on a source, please skip Schitt and iRiver. I do have a mission to make sure people who spend north of $3K don't spend it on an iRiver

and now: Used in a desktop setup, the AK380 can immediately go straight to the "overpriced junk" category as there are so many better DACs at a similar or even lower price than the AK380 - and that's why I find that using it with the Woo amplifier not very impressing, to say the least.

I haven't heard an AK380 and suspect you haven't heard the 380/woo combo but I do tend to prefer dedicated streaming devices over PCs via USB DACs for home playback. I also prefer listening to speakers but I don't see how that diminishes my portable enjoyment and my home kit dwarf these prices. I get what you've been saying about headphone perspective but there's still separation, localization etc and some brain fooling imaging available. Music isn't about massive amounts of depth etc. It about relaying an emotional message, the art, goosebump or boogie factor. That tangibility that makes you believe while not being especially different in measurements.
 
It's debateable but I think that last bit has always been within the understanding of some makers and helps continue their popularity. Mike Moffit gets music and I think AK does as well so I would include the very 2 lines you have a vendetta against.

 

[Ike1985]

  When I was an audio salesman in the '80's, we had a guy/store in Manhattan, called "Uncle Steve's", whom we sold wholesale to.
 
His prices were unbeatable because he kept 2 different sets of books. One set was for all of the chachkas that he sold, like video tape (what's that?

), power adapters, accessory stuff.
But, his other high dollar item sales, like front $4000 front projection tv's (what's that?

) and $2500 cameras, etc. He sold them at his wholesale cost, so no one could possibly match his prices because of his immense buying power, and these were on his other set of unreported books. So what this enabled him to do, was pocket the 8% sales tax, which was a good hit on the big purchases. No one could undersell him.
 
There was a line out of his door on Canal Street. Of course, eventually he had plenty of time to count his money from his jail cell. 

 
No victim, no crime.  Good on him, wish everyone had the cojones to not pay taxes.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fasTSY-dB-s

 

[AnakChan]

But do any of the firmware upgrades ever say they have changed the sound?
Don't they just tweak UI or enable new functions. Have they ever said we make the sound different.
So really is it just wishful thinking?

Not stated on iRiver's website but is easily tested so a little more than wishful thinking (plenty of AK380's around to test) :-
 

 
And just for sanity, checking against another AK380 with v1.11

 
And for fun, comparing against the AK240SS. This AK240SS has f/w 1.25. I have to give to @Mimouille, the difference of the AK240SS f/w 1.25 and AK380 is slight. And oh, the AK240SS still feels so nice in the hand. The AK380 still has the edge (slight!) over the AK240SS - am I allowed to mention slight again for the 3rd time in a paragraph?
 


P.S. Anyone here who hangs around the Korean audio forums and their talks about the AK380? If so can you please PM me? Just chasing up a lead tipped by the local iRiver distributor.

 

[bflat]

Oh snap! Now iRiver is in trouble:
 

 

[Mimouille]

 
Not stated on iRiver's website but is easily tested so a little more than wishful thinking (plenty of AK380's around to test) :-
 
And just for sanity, checking against another AK380 with v1.11
 
 
And for fun, comparing against the AK240SS. This AK240SS has f/w 1.25. I have to give to @Mimouille, the difference of the AK240SS f/w 1.25 and AK380 is slight. And oh, the AK240SS still feels so nice in the hand. The AK380 still has the edge (slight!) over the AK240SS - am I allowed to mention slight again for the 3rd time in a paragraph?

I was not clear on your first points, are you saying the 380 sounds slightly different from 1.07 to 1.11?
 
Well I am definitely sticking to the 240SS until the 380SS arrives