[HiFiGuy528]

I love my AK380 + AK380amp. Pairs really well with Westone W60 with balanced cable upgrade.
 

 

[lohanette]

Installed latest ak380 update 1.3.1 before reading screen saying what difference is.
Anyone updating can you post pic of update features please so I can read it.
Bass seems better but pro eq don't work that I can tell.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Jedaite]

I still have the PICO slim and several IPods. The problem is not with the PICO slim, the slim is a good amp for iems, very quiet and transparent, the problem is with the IPod. The iPod is dated. Today's daps like the AKs or the Lotoos with Hires materials are several levels up from the iPod. On a scale from 1 to 10, I will give the Pico/iPod combo a 4 and if you are not a picky/critical/discriminant listener may be even a 5. The AK 300 series is at least a 8 to 10 depending on which version. Also, the ES5 can be improved upon significantly. The IPod cannot play hires materials. if you acquire some of the the later offerings in hires material, the whole package is night and day different. I would start upgrading from the source in the chain. I used to have a stack of three piece (iPod-Solo-balance DAC-balance amp) combo, now my 380cu beats them all.

Thank you and everyone else that chimed in (don't know how this multi-quote works and I'm trying not to clog the screen too much).
 
Definitely the AK380 is the best, but it's too expensive... I'd need to try it out first before deciding to commit. 
 
I was actually curious of the Onkyo DP-X1A and how it may compare to some of these top players, especially the AK380. This player is currently in my budget range.

 

[Mimouille]

Mmm....if AK 380 cu/cu amp (5 grand) is just too pricey and if the successor to the AK 380 cu will be even pricier ( lol! Effin' obvious), a very good alternative is a mid-tier DAP and a very good amp/dac or amp. Use the savings to upgrade your in-ear or ciem.

IMHO I think AK has reached a critical price point and will have to stay in the 3k area for future DAPs. I don't see people going to 5,6,7...but I might be wrong.

 

[Cherubian]

So I finally got an answer for TIDAL support from AK:
 
Alex from AK: "Yes we are preparing Tidal and it is difficult to give your exact time but we will provide Tidal within couple of months. We have been preparing Tital quite long time and it is almost done. So it will be available couple of month or earlier."
 
Sounds promissing!!!
 
Btw I asked abot AK 320 dedicated amp (color and shape match) somebody was asking here but AK is not planning it. 

 

[420204]

  So I finally got an answer for TIDAL support from AK:
 
Alex from AK: "Yes we are preparing Tidal and it is difficult to give your exact time but we will provide Tidal within couple of months. We have been preparing Tital quite long time and it is almost done. So it will be available couple of month or earlier."
 
Sounds promissing!!!
 
Btw I asked abot AK 320 dedicated amp (color and shape match) somebody was asking here but AK is not planning it. 

Thanks for the info!
Couple of months... that's quite an unspecific answer. let's hope for couple of months like still in this year.

 

[jonstatt]

Installed latest ak380 update 1.3.1 before reading screen saying what difference is.
Anyone updating can you post pic of update features please so I can read it.
Bass seems better but pro eq don't work that I can tell.
Thanks in advance.

Just a fix for the AK Recorder. But the AK Recorder is still completely broken for any microphones other than the one that AK sell
 
Pro EQ does work from my own tests (at least something changes anyway)..play a section of music that is very quiet, or a silent part of a track and switching it on and off and you will hear a click. I also find it very sightly louder with pro EQ off.

 

[etteoh]

Prior to the AK380, I had the DP-X1, which superseded the iBasso DX90. Quite frankly, I like the DP-X1 a lot and for the money, I still think it is one of the best DAPs money can buy. Unfortunately, mine was riddled with the infamous jack issue, something which plagued most of them. The way Onkyo had the jacks mounted on the chassis was less than ideal. In fact the implementation of the jacks (both SE and Balanced) could have been done a lot better. Many owners turned to using Sugru / glue to seal the gaps between the jack and chassis. If left untreated, the connecting point to the board would simply break from regular plugging in / out of the plug. It happened to mine (twice) and as much as I like the DP-X1, I cannot, in good faith recommend it until the niggles on the jacks has been sorted out by Onkyo for good. Check out the DP-X1 thread – this issue was widely discussed there. Let’s hope this is a thing of a past with the new DP-X1A because the darn DAP is really quite something!

 

Sonically, while I could clearly hear the superiority of the DP-X1 over the DX90, with the AK380, it’s not so straightforward. Perhaps my ears are not as acute as they once were or maybe the DP-X1 is really that good (maybe a combination of both). Now I acknowledge the AK380 is technically superior and is only somewhat let down by a less than stellar implementation in the Balanced department (did I say battery life too). Balanced on DP-X1, whether ACG or BTL, it bests the Balanced on AK380 hands down. But move over to Single Ended and the tables are turned. To me, Single Ended on the AK380 is probably what the Balanced should have been.

 

If I had to sum things up, the one single most apparent quality the AK380 has that I would readily favor it over the DP-X1 (or any other DAPs that I have previously owned / tried) is…wait for it…musicality. The AK380 has a very unique way of conveying the music. I cannot explain it but I can practically play from one genre to the other without losing the rhythm and emotion of the music. I don’t find myself getting all tangled up with the technicalities of the sound but just enjoying the music. This I like VERY much! And this the AK380 does so darn well. Proves that it's not always about excelling at the different sound characteristics but how well they work in tandem as one complete package. 

 

[Jedaite]

  Prior to the AK380, I had the DP-X1, which superseded the iBasso DX90. Quite frankly, I like the DP-X1 a lot and for the money, I still think it is one of the best DAPs money can buy. Unfortunately, mine was riddled with the infamous jack issue, something which plagued most of them. The way Onkyo had the jacks mounted on the chassis was less than ideal. In fact the implementation of the jacks (both SE and Balanced) could have been done a lot better. Many owners turned to using Sugru / glue to seal the gaps between the jack and chassis. If left untreated, the connecting point to the board would simply break from regular plugging in / out of the plug. It happened to mine (twice) and as much as I like the DP-X1, I cannot, in good faith recommend it until the niggles on the jacks has been sorted out by Onkyo for good. Check out the DP-X1 thread – this issue was widely discussed there. Let’s hope this is a thing of a past with the new DP-X1A because the darn DAP is really quite something!

 

Sonically, while I could clearly hear the superiority of the DP-X1 over the DX90, with the AK380, it’s not so straightforward. Perhaps my ears are not as acute as they once were or maybe the DP-X1 is really that good (maybe a combination of both). Now I acknowledge the AK380 is technically superior and is only somewhat let down by a less than stellar implementation in the Balanced department (did I say battery life too). Balanced on DP-X1, whether ACG or BTL, it bests the Balanced on AK380 hands down. But move over to Single Ended and the tables are turned. To me, Single Ended on the AK380 is probably what the Balanced should have been.

 

If I had to sum things up, the one single most apparent quality the AK380 has that I would readily favor it over the DP-X1 (or any other DAPs that I have previously owned / tried) is…wait for it…musicality. The AK380 has a very unique way of conveying the music. I cannot explain it but I can practically play from one genre to the other without losing the rhythm and emotion of the music. I don’t find myself getting all tangled up with the technicalities of the sound but just enjoying the music. This I like VERY much! And this the AK380 does so darn well. Proves that it's not always about excelling at the different sound characteristics but how well they work in tandem as one complete package. 

A very interesting reply that's highly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to write it, it's very insightful...

 

[bmichels]

  So I finally got an answer for TIDAL support from AK:
 
Alex from AK: "Yes we are preparing Tidal and it is difficult to give your exact time but we will provide Tidal within couple of months. We have been preparing Tital quite long time and it is almost done. So it will be available couple of month or earlier."
 
Sounds promissing!!!
 
Btw I asked abot AK 320 dedicated amp (color and shape match) somebody was asking here but AK is not planning it. 

 
Promissing indeed.   May be we will also get MQA with TIDAL if we are VERY VERY lucky ...

 

[Traveller]

  The firmware 1.25 added manual selection of balanced and unbalanced, I suppose as a reaction after tons of users RMA their units for hardware maintenance of the stuck in balanced mode issue. I just sent in my 380 to the local distributor and now they tell me this -_- 

Speechless ...

 
Is this "workaround" 100% effective?
 
p.s. So what are we talking about here, a defective 3.5mm jack's auto-sense (/impedance-based) switch?

 

[JNOISE JA]

Please guide me
Among
Cowon Plenue M2 vs Astell & Kern AK300 vs Pioneer XDP-100R vs NW-ZX100 vs Onkyo DP-X1
Headphones that I bought a sony xba-a2

 

[Eroica4th]

Does ak380 read 256 GB memory card from Samsung

 

[pompom]

  So I finally got an answer for TIDAL support from AK:
 
Alex from AK: "Yes we are preparing Tidal and it is difficult to give your exact time but we will provide Tidal within couple of months. We have been preparing Tital quite long time and it is almost done. So it will be available couple of month or earlier."
 
Sounds promissing!!!
 
Btw I asked abot AK 320 dedicated amp (color and shape match) somebody was asking here but AK is not planning it. 

 
I start to wonder why A&K has not yet implemented TIDAL !
 
Is it really for real technical reasons or... for financial reasons like A&K wants a commission from TIDAL when an A&K user uses Tidal ??  

 


 

 

[Leviticus]

Among AK380 owners, is there a general consensus on whether or not the copper version sounds "better"? I'm asking because of Sony's WM1Z, which, too, will have a copper chassis.
 
I hope this doesn't trigger a debate...