[/guy]

sorry for the multiple contiguous posts but this thread has pretty well dried up it seems. but i'll try some queries anyway. i never made it to the ak70m2 manual yet (i'm lying--i did read about 3 pages before i got sidetracked and learned that what i thought was a screen defect at the bottom of the screen is a /home/ function) but i did read through all the posts in this thread since the m2 was released although about the only thing i learned was about a japanese anime movie which seems to be only available here in the states as a $60 blu-ray dvd from amazon.

in the notifications it has an entry which is persistent saying: 'sd card safely removed' which is erroneous because the card is mounted. i made the mistake of hitting the eject icon and it took about an hour to recover from it. how can i remove or suppress this line--it's really annoying. my pioneer 300r runs either android 4.1 or 5.1 i think and you can clear notifications or filter ones you don't want to see.

another question is that i think the pioneer also downsamples dsd files but i believe there are player apps on the play store which will handle the files natively. if i plug the mk2 into another dac or hp amp which doesn't downsample, will the mk2 pass the native files over the usb connection to the device? i have the ifi nano black which handles an amazing list of formats natively.

tks, /guy

 

[Imusicman]

Guys, any recommendations for pairings. I've just purchased the AK70ii & SP1000

For portable or transportable I am currently using Westone W80's & Oppo PM-1

I am interested in the new Empire Ears and will audition them at this years London CanJam.

 

[pewfish]

Hey guys, I'm trying to decide between getting one of these or get a Chord Mojo to drive my Oppo PM-3. I've thought of buying both but realistically I can afford only one. The main pull for this device is the ability to use this as a DAC on its own when I'm at the office, and a DAP on the go, which takes some battery drain away from my phone. Also, is there a DAP out there that has the same ability to double as a DAC?

Convenience aside, I'm ultimately looking for the better sound quality between the two. If anyone has experience with either, which is better?

 

[MaxD]

Hi pewfish

I have the AK70MkII and the PM3's. I made my own balenced cable for around £35 using DIY parts from Toxic. The AK70 can drive the OPPO PM3's with no problem. The detail can be a bit in your face but I like that,

You dont need an amp using the Balenced 2.5 or the 3.5mm. The PM3's are quite low impedance.

Hope this helps.

Max

 

[JasonNYC]

FYI - Starting today thru March 31,2018, the AK70 MK II in Cadet Blue (US exclusive color) is on sale at the Astell&Kern US E-Store. The deal is only available to US/Canadian customers.
https://us.astellnkern.com/collections/promotions/products/ak70-mkii-cadet-blue

 

[pewfish]

Hi pewfish

I have the AK70MkII and the PM3's. I made my own balenced cable for around £35 using DIY parts from Toxic. The AK70 can drive the OPPO PM3's with no problem. The detail can be a bit in your face but I like that,

You dont need an amp using the Balenced 2.5 or the 3.5mm. The PM3's are quite low impedance.

Hope this helps.

Max

Thanks for that. I was considering the balanced part and didn't even consider that the AK70 can do it.

Currently I have a few amp/dacs on my list like the Oppo HA-2, Chord Mojo and just maybe the Fiio Q5. I'll probably just buy all of them at some stage and do an A/B test to see which I like best. The best thing I can consider about the AK70 is the whole doubling as a dac so that I can use it as a DAC in the office. I mainly intend to use it with Tidal/Spotify and put them offline when I'm on the go. Would this be overkill?

 

[MaxD]

I have the Fiio Q5ii I use it on my work PC. It also has a balence 2.5mm Not bad but it seems to add a bit of base I wasent exspecting. Worth noting the AK70 dosent do Tidal offline. The HA-2 sounds realy nice. If you get the Mojo I wouldent mind hearing how it compairs to the HA-2. It is one of those things I keep wondering if it is worth it. Did you know you can get cases to hold both the Mojo and the AK70

 

[pewfish]

Pity about the Tidal offline bit not working. Is this both the older and the MKII version? I might have to look elsewhere if that's the case. And no I don't think I can afford the AK70 + Mojo at the same time

Maybe it might be worth to go with a DAC + iPhone instead of a DAP. I intend to try the HA-2 and Mojo at some stage next week so I'll let you know

 

[/guy]

tks for the tips. found this:

http://amzn.to/2G2VICE

would this work? i see one end has 4 pins, is that how the cable plugs into the sennheisers? is that a stable connection?

tks, /guy

got my massdrop sennheiser 6xx headphones today and tested them using the default 3.5mm plug into the ak70 and was astounded how crisp and clean they sounded. i have some well-rated headphones, but the 6xx's were definitely a step above those. i could hear from 20hz - 16khz (pretty sure i head some thumps from the 10hz test as wel) which was what i got with my two pairs of balanced iem's. also, i had no problem with volume on the 6xx's as 110-130 was comfortably loud and leaves a bit more volume between 130-150.

so i plugged in this cable i posted the link to so i could test them with the balanced output and alas, no sound from the right channel. i checked everything, but could not get any sound out of the right side. i just put my vom on it and sure enough i had connectivity on 3 of the 4 pins and the missing one was on the right side.

i could try to take apart the trrs plug end to see if it's a cold solder joint, but it's just as likely the problem is on the other end with the molded plastic tabs which would be impossible to get to, so i'm sending them back to amazon for a refund.

anyone know where i could get a cable for under $100? i don't want to try another sample of this brand.

[later note: found this one on amazon. not sure it'll be any better, but the headphone plug ends look more robust than the one i returned]

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B073RN21Q2/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[later note: i don't know how i missed this one on ebay when i was doing initial searches, but it looks like exactly what i was looking for. it's 3x the price of the chinese ones from amazon and is made in the usa but i figure if you have some of the best headphones on the market you shouldn't skimp on the cable. you also get to select your cable length, color, the 'y' splitter type, and the cable connector material (copper or silver-plated copper which is what i opted for). you can also choose the trrs plug from 3 materials and a right angle one. will take a week to get here, but when i left them a note i told them i didn't believe in burn in and if they could skip that 48 hrs i'd be fine with it. i cancelled the amazon order i'd just placed.)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/172700947662

tks, /guy

 

[MaxD]

Yes Both, it is a licencing thing.

 

[/guy]

FYI - Starting today thru March 31,2018, the AK70 MK II in Cadet Blue (US exclusive color) is on sale at the Astell&Kern US E-Store. The deal is only available to US/Canadian customers.
https://us.astellnkern.com/collections/promotions/products/ak70-mkii-cadet-blue

oh sure--one week after i purchased from amazon for full price. gee thanks.



/guy

 

[JasonNYC]

Yes Both, it is a licencing thing.

It's a contractual thing between Tidal and the record labels. We are actively working with both to hopefully add Tidal offline mode soon. Once we are given the ok, we can implement the feature pretty quickly across all our wi-fi enabled players via a firmware update. No ETA on when that could possibly happen.

 

[showme99]

Pity about the Tidal offline bit not working. Is this both the older and the MKII version? I might have to look elsewhere if that's the case. And no I don't think I can afford the AK70 + Mojo at the same time

Maybe it might be worth to go with a DAC + iPhone instead of a DAP. I intend to try the HA-2 and Mojo at some stage next week so I'll let you know

This thread has some impressions on the HA-2SE vs Mojo:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-vs-oppo-ha-2se-comparison-review.831870/

 

[samycinema]

Anyone tried running a 3 meter (10 ft) USB cable out of the AK70ii and into an external DAC?
Does it work with such length?
(My Sony WM1Z doesn't and I need it in the car).

 

[Meelis]

How is the build quality between XDP-30R and ak70II? I see the AK70 1'st version had wobbly volume knob.