[jwbrent]

   
IMO - I personally don't think its looks better than AK240SS.

 
totally agree.

 

[bflat]

Yep, on the AK380, the person who designed it must have their right leg slightly longer that their left. That would explain the 5 deg screen tilt to the right. Or, in may be the same LG designer who thought the curved smartphone was going to be the next big thing.
 
I know I'm cracking jokes here, but seriously why not just make this a minimalist design using right angles and focus on usability? I'm starting to re-think AK intentions. If the point of this "creative" design was purely to bring attention to it when it's out in public view then I think my AK240 is the last AK product I buy (currently getting RWAK'd). I do admit, I put masking tape on my photo gear logos and non-descript black case on my phone because I like to travel around incognito. At least the AK240 in its' leather case looks pretty plain and easily mistaken for a low end smartphone. AK380 just screams "LOOK AT ME!!!" with or without case imho. To be fair, I have the same criticism of Chord.
 
Ah well, keep this post relevant. Thanks to all the early reports on AK380 sound quality.

 

[ATSCODE]

Keep those impressions rollin' in!
 
I have no doubt a fully burnt-in AK380 would sound absolutely magical! 

 

 

[streetcar]

Does the home button work when pressed from leather case?

 

[bmichels]

 
As for sound quality, there is definitely more detail than the 240.  Midrange is improved, as it sounds a little warmer, a bit more musical.  The 240 was just too dry and dead sounding to me.  But the bass seems to be a bit recessed perhaps?  Didn't have enough time to do a detailed side by side comparison to other players.  Having slightly recessed bass on the player side is not a problem for JH Audio Roxanne, Layla, and Angie owners, though.  

 
So... if the AK380 sound really better than the AK240, this mean that the AK380 is a better "source" than the 12.000 $ AK500n Music server !   

 

[jwbrent]

   
So... if the AK380 sound really better than the AK240, this mean that the AK380 is a better "source" than the 12.000 $ AK500n Music server !   

Not necessarily. There's more to the performance of a playback device than the DACs used. The digital filtering and analog output stage play a huge role in the overall sound. Board layout and power supply too.

 

[jwbrent]

Does the home button work when pressed from leather case?

Someone reported yes to this question.

 

[musicday]

Will the AK380 run warm if is used a a longer period of time?
The Tera player is as cold as at start up even used continuously for 10 hours.

 

[Cagin]

 
Someone reported yes to this question.

Of course, it does work through the leather case. (I used it with the leather case at Munich High End.)

 

 

[ysyung]

  Keep those impressions rollin' in!
 
I have no doubt a fully burnt-in AK380 would sound absolutely magical! 

 

AK380 sounds magical. But, the battery is still not good playing Hi-def music files, max. 5-6 hours, and the device is hot (playing DSF files)... not warm.

 

[harmonix]

AK380 sounds magical. But, the battery is still not good playing Hi-def music files, max. 5-6 hours, and the device is hot (playing DSF files)... not warm.

3000+ mah battery and still only 5-6 hours? Makes this less portable than it can be....

 

[gval13]

I'm sure the 380 will sound even better with a few hundred hours of play. Thanks for sharing your view; I'm interested in hearing more about the differences between the 380 and the 240SS.

In terms of SQ or hardware (weight, ui, etc.)?

 

[LFC_SL]

wonder if locked down or there could be third party accessories

 

[bmichels]

 
I had a chance to compare both AK240SS and AK380.
 
....I have not had a chance to connect both players to my Hugo (although I tried the AK240SS with the Hugo earlier, and it sounds nice) or try the related add-on amp.

 
This will be interesting.  
 
Apparently AK240+HUGO is better than AK240 alone.  Will the AK380 also get benefits from being connected to the HUGO or...is it good enough by himself ? 

 

[piksnz]

This will be interesting.  

Apparently AK240+HUGO is better than AK240 alone.  Will the AK380 also get benefits from being connected to the HUGO or...is it good enough by himself ? 

I have paired Hugo with my Mac and ak240 and don't see any difference in sq. is this a gimmick. How will ak240 + Hugo or ak380 + Hugo will be different.