[Whitigir]

1/2 kg right ? nice ! Such a niche product

 

[raypin]

   
What kind of differences can you hear?

 
mmm......so far, better mids (very important to me because I'm a mid-centric person) and tighter bass. Substantial? Almost,  but not day and night. Worth the upgrade? It is up to you but in my case, the answer is definitely yes. On the market for a new totl  DAP? I think the 500 bucks premium over the normal 380  is worth it. Already have a 380? Very tough decision. Toss coin? lol! I think the differences can be summed up as the difference between very good and very, very good. In the end, audition it. BTW, a friend of mine does not like the cu. He says the Chord Hugo is still better. To each his own.....

 

[LouisArmstrong]

  mmm.....the AK 380 cu + Alo Audio Continental Dual Mono + JH Layla with Brimar cable = sick combo. Really, really sick!

Told ya... AK380 Cu is the way to go for new users and AK380 existing users alike. I have been an AK skeptic, but this time they really nailed it.

 

[hardbop]

   
mmm......so far, better mids (very important to me because I'm a mid-centric person) and tighter bass. Substantial? Almost,  but not day and night. Worth the upgrade? It is up to you but in my case, the answer is definitely yes. On the market for a new totl  DAP? I think the 500 bucks premium over the normal 380  is worth it. Already have a 380? Very tough decision. Toss coin? lol! I think the differences can be summed up as the difference between very good and very, very good. In the end, audition it. BTW, a friend of mine does not like the cu. He says the Chord Hugo is still better. To each his own.....

 
I've had the 380 for a several months already or I probably would have done the same as you.
 
I did recently pick up the amp, though, and the differences aren't night and day there either. It improves separation and bass for sure and there's a little more happening with vocals in the mids, maybe. I'm probably still going to send the amp off to Red Wine soon.
 
Perhaps, the 380cu is somewhere around the 380+amp? Wherever it is, I'm still happy with what I have, even after using the Sony NW ZX2 and the Onkyo DP-X1 recently.

 

[raypin]

 
mmm........testing the cu, fully balanced amp and HE1K. It blows the AK 240 out of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.  Lots of betcha by golly wow moments.

 

[raypin]

mmm.......I'm OC. How do you clean cu (copper)? Here's what I found out:
 
 
The Copper Cleaning Process:
 
1. Fill pot with water.
 
2. Add salt and vinegar.
 
3. place the Copper (cu??) in the cleaning solution.
 
4. bring the solution to boiling
 
5. leve it for several hours.
 
6. Wash with liquid dish soap, rinse and dry.
 
MMMM......do you think this will work? Help!

 

[bahbahbah]

Why do you want to clean it? I heard it has coating plated on the surface to prevent oxidizing.......

 

 

[Sound Eq]

  mmm.......I'm OC. How do you clean cu (copper)? Here's what I found out:
 
 
The Copper Cleaning Process:
 
1. Fill pot with water.
 
2. Add salt and vinegar.
 
3. place the Copper (cu??) in the cleaning solution.
 
4. bring the solution to boiling
 
5. leve it for several hours.
 
6. Wash with liquid dish soap, rinse and dry.
 
MMMM......do you think this will work? Help!

so a simple cleaning solution will not do ???

 

[Sound Eq]

can anyone comment on which was the best firmware for the ak380 sound wise

 

[bearFNF]

I think if you do that you will add a step 7 "Buy a new AK 380 to replace the one you fried boiling it in highly conductive salt water." JMHO

 

[sonickarma]

  mmm.......I'm OC. How do you clean cu (copper)? Here's what I found out:
 
 
The Copper Cleaning Process:
 
1. Fill pot with water.
 
2. Add salt and vinegar.
 
3. place the Copper (cu??) in the cleaning solution.
 
4. bring the solution to boiling
 
5. leve it for several hours.
 
6. Wash with liquid dish soap, rinse and dry.
 
MMMM......do you think this will work? Help!

Its standard - I clean all my Daps and IEMs this way - no problem so far

 

[raypin]

mmm....lol! Why do I need to clean it? Because it seems Astell & Kern forgot to clean my AK 380 cu before packaging. There was some crap on the bottom and the left side of the chassis (leftover from the milling/coating process?). Alcohol (70% isoprophyl, diluted in water) can't seem to remove the crap. So, I resorted to metal polish (J & J) - just a very minute amount. Buffed it. The problem is metal polish smells like crap. So, I wiped off the smell by using the alcohol solution (very minute amount) and buffed it again. AK crap gone.

 

[bahbahbah]

  mmm....lol! Why do I need to clean it? Because it seems Astell & Kern forgot to clean my AK 380 cu before packaging. There was some crap on the bottom and the left side of the chassis (leftover from the milling/coating process?). Alcohol (70% isoprophyl, diluted in water) can't seem to remove the crap. So, I resorted to metal polish (J & J) - just a very minute amount. Buffed it. The problem is metal polish smells like crap. So, I wiped off the smell by using the alcohol solution (very minute amount) and buffed it again. AK crap gone.

I also seeing some dark spot and dirt on the chassis, and not like the other AK having protective film covering the 4 sides of the chassis when I first unbox it.

 

[bearFNF]

Good to hear.
I would use soapy water on a slightly damp cloth for general cleaning of the body. Making sure that you don't get water inside the housing.
I use an Oakley lens cleaning kit for all my lens and portable screens.

For the screen I use glasses lens cleaner and a soft cloth.

 

[fiascogarcia]

  mmm....lol! Why do I need to clean it? Because it seems Astell & Kern forgot to clean my AK 380 cu before packaging. There was some crap on the bottom and the left side of the chassis (leftover from the milling/coating process?). Alcohol (70% isoprophyl, diluted in water) can't seem to remove the crap. So, I resorted to metal polish (J & J) - just a very minute amount. Buffed it. The problem is metal polish smells like crap. So, I wiped off the smell by using the alcohol solution (very minute amount) and buffed it again. AK crap gone.

I presume copper will eventually develop a patina, as is common with all copper products, over time.  This, especially with continued contact with your skin.  It will be interesting to see the long term look of this DAP.