I prefer a heavier device, I like the weight of my zx2,feels sturdy.
Oh come on...
You are absolutely entitled to your opinion, but, to this onlooker, it doesn't hold water. A device definitely does not need to be heavier in order to feel 'sturdy'.
Don't get me wrong - AK380 is not the heaviest DAP on the market, and I acknowledge that.
But a truly portable device (as opposed to '
trans-portable') hardly deserves merit for being heavy, or 'heavier'.
I used to own iBasso's DX100 (265g, iirc), and it was a nightmare to carry in a pocket - not just because of it's size but it's mass/weight was utterly obnoxious, wobbling around in a pocket, back-&-forth, to the extent that it drew unwelcome glances from passers-by.
I therefore contend that an increase in weight, from one iteration of a device to the next, is hardly a good thing
in a device marketed for portable use.
But the AK380 is being marketed as part of an extended ecosystem, with desktop CD drive and bulky amp module, and that muddies the water a bit, since it tends to lead it more in the direction of being marketed as a
'trans-portable' device (much like an i-stack), as opposed to it's predecessor which was both more balanced in the hand (not top-heavy), and somewhat smaller and lighter. So, the increase in bulk, if nothing else, may serve to differentiate it's potential customer base from that of the AK100/120/240, I suppose.
Perhaps that may serve as some consolation for customers who have invested substantial sums in the AK100/120/240.
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