Astell&Kern AK380
Aug 19, 2021 at 7:38 AM Post #8,971 of 9,039
Isn't the battery for both the ak380 player and amp the same PR-754680N?
Good question - I don't know - but when I contacted DM Solution about it they replied to say
"Sorry to bring you the bad news.
As a result of checking with the headquarter in Korea, the production of the
AK380 AMP product has been stopped and there is no stock of the battery.
Other defects except the battery are still serviceable."

Got my 380 DAC battery replaced in January 2020 by DM.
 
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Aug 20, 2021 at 5:30 AM Post #8,973 of 9,039
Would anyone be so kind as to compare the sound signature of the ak380 to the mojo?

Ideally if youve owned both please :)
They sound great together. Fresh World kind of thing with a England-techno spin. The Mojo is an expert white-sounding machine and the AK380 is clear and high quality. But you might need a digital cable to make it sound perfect.
 
Aug 20, 2021 at 11:47 AM Post #8,974 of 9,039
Would anyone be so kind as to compare the sound signature of the ak380 to the mojo?

Ideally if youve owned both please :)
I sold my last Mojo some time ago, but I remember it as liquid, engaging and powerful. The AK380 is a bit leaner, has a touch more focus on treble.
 
Aug 20, 2021 at 2:12 PM Post #8,975 of 9,039
So I got a chance to listen to the AK380 & a Mojo Poly combo, both playing off of an Sd card with my own music.

Wow, what a different signature. The AK380 is more laid back, and definitely has it's own flavour. I spent a good 40mins with it. I liked the build a lot.

Then onto the Poly...For me, wow. That's impressive. I liked the AK380 but loved the Poly/Mojo, the energy was amped up and vocals sounded incredible. Wasn't a difficult decision, for my tastes anyway, within 3 songs I knew the Poly for me had the AK380 beat on technicalities and signature.

I must admit I've heard a mojo before, but this was much better. I think playing from the sd card eliminated the limitation of cables, smartphone connectors, etc.
 
Aug 20, 2021 at 9:04 PM Post #8,976 of 9,039
So I got a chance to listen to the AK380 & a Mojo Poly combo, both playing off of an Sd card with my own music.

Wow, what a different signature. The AK380 is more laid back, and definitely has it's own flavour. I spent a good 40mins with it. I liked the build a lot.

Then onto the Poly...For me, wow. That's impressive. I liked the AK380 but loved the Poly/Mojo, the energy was amped up and vocals sounded incredible. Wasn't a difficult decision, for my tastes anyway, within 3 songs I knew the Poly for me had the AK380 beat on technicalities and signature.

I must admit I've heard a mojo before, but this was much better. I think playing from the sd card eliminated the limitation of cables, smartphone connectors, etc.
The Mojo definitely have more power and will be forward-sounding compared to the weaker amp in the AK380. If you are driving mainly headphones, the Mojo is a no brainer.

AK DAPs tend to pair better with only pure BA iems.
 
Oct 2, 2021 at 1:01 PM Post #8,978 of 9,039
Hello everyone. I have an interesting opportunity to purchase an AK380 + AK380 AMP for $900. I'm curious to know if there is any point in buying this player? Moreover, I can also buy an equally interesting bundle of: xDuoo X10T II and IFI micro idsd black label for much less money. Which of them will sound better? My headphones are not very tight (both will cope). I like a more monitor feed with a slight bias towards naturalness. And i'm not afraid of dimensions.
 
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Oct 2, 2021 at 1:23 PM Post #8,979 of 9,039
Hello everyone. I have an interesting opportunity to purchase an AK380 + AK380 AMP for $900. I'm curious to know if there is any point in buying this player? Moreover, I can also buy an equally interesting bundle of: xDuoo X10T II and IFI micro idsd black label for much less money. Which of them will sound better? My headphones are not very tight (both will cope). I like a more monitor feed with a slight bias towards naturalness. And i'm not afraid of dimensions.
What will the battery life be ? For amp+player, that is not easy to beat as each of them have their own supplies and not sharing it
 
Oct 2, 2021 at 1:47 PM Post #8,980 of 9,039
Well, batteries like (according to the seller) still hold a good charge, but something tells me that their replacement obviously won't hurt. After all, this kit was purchased from an official retailer in 2018. And how long they lay in the store before the purchase is unknown. In general, it is possible to replace with custom high-capacity batteries, but this is still + 100 dollars.
 
Oct 2, 2021 at 2:02 PM Post #8,981 of 9,039
Well, batteries like (according to the seller) still hold a good charge, but something tells me that their replacement obviously won't hurt. After all, this kit was purchased from an official retailer in 2018. And how long they lay in the store before the purchase is unknown. In general, it is possible to replace with custom high-capacity batteries, but this is still + 100 dollars.
If that is only $100 more then I would say it is a good buy. Because the next system you be able to have two in one is an Ibasso 220Max, or 300Max.

Otherwise, there are nothing at the price that offers similar build
 
Oct 2, 2021 at 3:04 PM Post #8,982 of 9,039
Hello everyone. I have an interesting opportunity to purchase an AK380 + AK380 AMP for $900. I'm curious to know if there is any point in buying this player? Moreover, I can also buy an equally interesting bundle of: xDuoo X10T II and IFI micro idsd black label for much less money. Which of them will sound better? My headphones are not very tight (both will cope). I like a more monitor feed with a slight bias towards naturalness. And i'm not afraid of dimensions.
Ive been auditioning DACs & DAPs for last few weeks, AK380 among them.

I think the technology has moved on. Versus the Chord Mojo & Poly the Ak380 sounded inferior, less energy, detail and a slightly raspy midrange compared to the Chord.
Then trying something like the Wm1a with mrwalkman's custom WM1z firmware....Yeah, really no competition from the old AK DAP, the Sony felt superior by a decent margin (although before the firmware it was much closer, wm1a - ak380, edge still to the Sony imo but a small one). Plus the Sony has triple the battery life, making it a no brainer imo.

Id say first and foremost test the ak380 and some other DAPs. But those are my impressions. Short battery life and middling sound relative to the competition do not make for a great second hand buy tbh.
 
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Oct 2, 2021 at 6:46 PM Post #8,983 of 9,039
Is there a way to go back to the original firmware for this? Upgrading the firmware has seemed to change the sound from blue ice cream to messy caramel. It's like going from Titanium or Silver to hard bronze. I want the blue ice cream sound back.... same with the Ak320. That went from strolling in a beautiful snowy forrest to some sort of concrete fortess.
 
Oct 3, 2021 at 2:55 PM Post #8,985 of 9,039
I still think the 380 sounds great - I use mine with a pair of low-impedance Audeze LCD-XCs. I find the Pro-EQ setting smooths everything, nice and bassy. Remember, the biggest influence on the sound of your DAP will likely be you HPs / IEMs and the type of cable you use. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one but it's an old DAP now and will be very price dependent. Things go wrong / batteries fail and you can't just take it to your local AK dealer. I recently bought a brand new old-stock copper 380 + AMP on eBay for around £1,500 just as a back up for my RWAK380, and because I'd always hankered after the CU. Not so long ago, I could have bought the 380SS+AMP+CASE gift box from a UK dealer for £1,200. I would look for a 'new' 380 online (you don't really need the amp unless you have higher-impedance phones) and haggle hard. I wouldn't pay much for a used one - anything could go wrong - you'll probably get similar performance (plus a warranty) spending your money on a brand new DAP.
 

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