[bmichels]

I'm assuming that he'll want something closed back? In that case I'm assuming it's phones that is easy to drive (low impedance, high sensitivity), has removable cables and is balance connection ready to take advantage of the balance amp of the MK2 with the more powerful output. It's actually surprisingly hard because there aren't that many closed back full size portable phones in the mid-fi and up category for portable use as most people shopping in that price range are after open backs for home use. Perhaps start with phones like the Beyerdynamic T5p 2nd Gen or Ultrasone Edition 8 Romeo?

Thanks. Actually the T5p was on my list....

 

[LondonGecko]

AK70 Mk2 - about a month in
Well, I've had my new toy for nearly a month, so I thought I'd share a few more observations.

Physical attributes
Initially I was surprised that the Mk2 felt so much bigger and heavier than it's predecessor - despite the very small dimension and weight change. In reality, you don't notice this after a few days and it feels just as portable as the Mk1.

The sound
I'm loving the wider soundstage, and the details on the bass / drums - to the point that tracks and albums I've known for years are just more detailed. It does seem to expose poor recordings more than the Mk1 though, but generally speaking it's a joy if you like clear, crisp detail. As said before, I lean towards rock, so can't comment on other sorts of music.

The battery
It is markedly worse than the AK70. I'm using the same MicroSD card, with the same files, and listening at the same sort of volumes, for the same periods of time... but I'm getting nearly 3 hours LESS out of the Mk2 than the Mk1. This means an additional charge during the week, but for the sound I guess it's worth it.

Conclusion
It's a small move up from the Mk1, and it suits my listening preferences perfectly. I'm now at the point where I'm going to start looking for "official" reviews to see what the "pros" make of it compared to the Mk1. Is it worth moving from the Mk1 to the Mk2? Maybe. It's really a case of "law of diminishing marginal returns" for me, and I'm at the point where I imagine it'll be hard to improve on this. If you're in the market for a new DAP, then personally I'd try and pick up a bargain secondhand AK70 Mk1.

 

[nanaholic]

Thanks. Actually the T5p was on my list....

I would also suggest the Edition M Plus, but the ear cup is smaller than the Edition 8, and Edition 8 for some people is already more on ear than around ear.....

 

[bmichels]

I would also suggest the Edition M Plus, but the ear cup is smaller than the Edition 8, and Edition 8 for some people is already more on ear than around ear.....

Thanks.

I heard the Astell&Kern AKT5p Beyerdynamic is discontinued ! is it correct ? Can the "standard" beyerdynamic T5p also be used balanced ?

Also, I am considering the OPPO PM-3. Is it efficient enough to be used with a AK70 ? is it possible to change its cable for balanced (is the cable removable)

 

[nanaholic]

Thanks.

I heard the Astell&Kern AKT5p Beyerdynamic is discontinued ! is it correct ? Can the "standard" beyerdynamic T5p also be used balanced ?

Also, I am considering the OPPO PM-3. Is it efficient enough to be used with a AK70 ? is it possible to change its cable for balanced (is the cable removable)

I think all the Beyers with AK branding are finished, I suspect their contract to partner with each other is up. The standard T5p are still available but you want the 2nd Generation one which has the removable cable, which makes replacing the cables easier, as the 1st Gen T5p doesn't have detachable cable (though I believe the wire inside are left/right separate so a quick retermination with a balance plug can work too).

The OPPO PM-3 are pretty sensitive and low impedance for planers, I think it's worth trying.

EDIT: https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/amfile/file/download/file_id/878/product_id/3876/
Spec sheet for the T5p Gen 2

 

[jondextan]

The sound
I'm loving the wider soundstage

Have you tried the AK240? How does the wide soundstage of the AK240 compare to the AK70ii?

 

[LondonGecko]

Nope, never heard an AK240.

 

[rschoi75]

Also, I am considering the OPPO PM-3. Is it efficient enough to be used with a AK70 ? is it possible to change its cable for balanced (is the cable removable)

Yes. I have a pmx2 (modded oppo pm-2) and it sounds great out of the AK70 MKII balanced port. The PM-3 is slightly more sensitive, so you'll be fine.

 

[MOT-Film]

Anyone have had any experience with the gapless playback function on the AK70MII? I have read that earlier models from Astell & Kern have had problems with this function, and wonder if the same problem occur on this model? I listen to a lot of live music, where the songs doesnt fade out, but keep on over to the next track. Can anyone confirm if the gapless playback work flawlesy from one song to the next, without pause? Thank you in advance!

 

[bmichels]

HELP ! I just received well the AK70 mk2, but..... I cannot mount any MicroSD card.

In system information, when I go to SD card, the « install the SD card » icon do not work, it stays on the « insert the SD card to mount » !

my system version was 1.02, so I upgraded to the latest 1.03, and … still cannot mount any MicroSd card

the SD card that I try to mount comes either from my AK100 (and works perfect in it) and also comes from my AK SP1000 and also works perfectly …and they are formated MS-DOS Fat32.... as recommended !

any idea ?

thanks in advance for your help

 

[havenlau]

I just got my ak70 mkii!

First impression compared to my old fiio x5 is that right away the ak70 much crisper and wider soundstage,
the x5 on certain songs has uncontrolled bass with my asg 2.5, haven't experienced that with the ak70 yet. Still need more listening time tho!!

edit:
But I've encountered a weird bug with the software, whenever I attempt to change the time or date in the settings the whole thing freezes until I force restart by holding the power button,
has anyone had that problem?
trying to check for an update, but even after a factory reset it still errors out. any ideas?
this hasn't affected any of my listening experience and i likely won't use wifi to save battery anyways, but it would still be great that it doesn't show 9:00AM all the time lol
nvm after clicking through the settings for 1 hr straight i somehow got it to recognize the new firmware.. woo!! Just need a balanced cable now

edit 2:
nvm after waking up, this thing is bugged again, everytime after it boots it just goes back to 9:00 AM any idea @JasonNYC?

edit 3:
so I went to the store today to see if I could get some help, unfortunately the store that I bought it from didn't have any demo units, the guy just kept telling me it is a software bug likely to be fixed with updates.. but when i went to the other stores with the demo units they didn't have the issues.. like here in the pic below, the USB connection says DAC while it is MTP in settings, tried factory reset and setting reset still no luck.

when I first got the unit there were a few odd problems too, like the battery was completely depleted, like not even holding the power button would show the "no battery" screen, had to charge it up before using, don't remember the last time seeing a device w/ 0 juice out of the box, then connecting to wifi the whole thing froze due to the "auto set date/time", after a bunch of debugging I just feel like it is either 1. something wrong with the real time clock circuit or cmos battery or something (if there is one), or 2. part of the system was corrupted before due to 0 battery

but again, all of this is just the problem with the clock, but it is somehow bothering me a lot more than it should be lol.. it's like buying a very good monitor/tv but the power led sometimes malfunctions, you're not buying it for the power led and you shouldn't even be looking at it when you should looking at the screen... anyways lets see if a&k's customer support can get me any help..

 

[tarhana]

I just got my ak70 mkii!

First impression compared to my old fiio x5 is that right away the ak70 much crisper and wider soundstage,
the x5 on certain songs has uncontrolled bass with my asg 2.5, haven't experienced that with the ak70 yet. Still need more listening time tho!!

edit:
But I've encountered a weird bug with the software, whenever I attempt to change the time or date in the settings the whole thing freezes until I force restart by holding the power button,
has anyone had that problem?
trying to check for an update, but even after a factory reset it still errors out. any ideas?
this hasn't affected any of my listening experience and i likely won't use wifi to save battery anyways, but it would still be great that it doesn't show 9:00AM all the time lol
nvm after clicking through the settings for 1 hr straight i somehow got it to recognize the new firmware.. woo!! Just need a balanced cable now

edit 2:
nvm after waking up, this thing is bugged again, everytime after it boots it just goes back to 9:00 AM any idea @JasonNYC?

edit 3:
so I went to the store today to see if I could get some help, unfortunately the store that I bought it from didn't have any demo units, the guy just kept telling me it is a software bug likely to be fixed with updates.. but when i went to the other stores with the demo units they didn't have the issues.. like here in the pic below, the USB connection says DAC while it is MTP in settings, tried factory reset and setting reset still no luck.

when I first got the unit there were a few odd problems too, like the battery was completely depleted, like not even holding the power button would show the "no battery" screen, had to charge it up before using, don't remember the last time seeing a device w/ 0 juice out of the box, then connecting to wifi the whole thing froze due to the "auto set date/time", after a bunch of debugging I just feel like it is either 1. something wrong with the real time clock circuit or cmos battery or something (if there is one), or 2. part of the system was corrupted before due to 0 battery

but again, all of this is just the problem with the clock, but it is somehow bothering me a lot more than it should be lol.. it's like buying a very good monitor/tv but the power led sometimes malfunctions, you're not buying it for the power led and you shouldn't even be looking at it when you should looking at the screen... anyways lets see if a&k's customer support can get me any help..

damn you got a nice combo man.

i don't have anything for your problem but i hope you can solve it.

 

[JasonNYC]

I just got my ak70 mkii!

First impression compared to my old fiio x5 is that right away the ak70 much crisper and wider soundstage,
the x5 on certain songs has uncontrolled bass with my asg 2.5, haven't experienced that with the ak70 yet. Still need more listening time tho!!

edit:
But I've encountered a weird bug with the software, whenever I attempt to change the time or date in the settings the whole thing freezes until I force restart by holding the power button,
has anyone had that problem?
trying to check for an update, but even after a factory reset it still errors out. any ideas?
this hasn't affected any of my listening experience and i likely won't use wifi to save battery anyways, but it would still be great that it doesn't show 9:00AM all the time lol
nvm after clicking through the settings for 1 hr straight i somehow got it to recognize the new firmware.. woo!! Just need a balanced cable now

edit 2:
nvm after waking up, this thing is bugged again, everytime after it boots it just goes back to 9:00 AM any idea @JasonNYC?

edit 3:
so I went to the store today to see if I could get some help, unfortunately the store that I bought it from didn't have any demo units, the guy just kept telling me it is a software bug likely to be fixed with updates.. but when i went to the other stores with the demo units they didn't have the issues.. like here in the pic below, the USB connection says DAC while it is MTP in settings, tried factory reset and setting reset still no luck.

when I first got the unit there were a few odd problems too, like the battery was completely depleted, like not even holding the power button would show the "no battery" screen, had to charge it up before using, don't remember the last time seeing a device w/ 0 juice out of the box, then connecting to wifi the whole thing froze due to the "auto set date/time", after a bunch of debugging I just feel like it is either 1. something wrong with the real time clock circuit or cmos battery or something (if there is one), or 2. part of the system was corrupted before due to 0 battery

but again, all of this is just the problem with the clock, but it is somehow bothering me a lot more than it should be lol.. it's like buying a very good monitor/tv but the power led sometimes malfunctions, you're not buying it for the power led and you shouldn't even be looking at it when you should looking at the screen... anyways lets see if a&k's customer support can get me any help..

@havenlau

Let me speak to our global customer support and software development team about your clock issue. I haven't see that issue here in the US, so they might have a better idea on what the issue is. Can you confirm your firmware version please? Settings, System Information. Latest firmware is 1.03.

The DAC/MTP settings is correct, but slightly confusing. In the full settings menu, you see USB Connection - MTP, which is the default data connection for USB. In quick settings, you see DAC because if you hit that it changes to USB DAC mode. If you are in USB DAC mode, you would see MTP in the quick settings (to change back to that mode) and in the full settings menu it would say USB Connection - DAC.

 

[havenlau]

@havenlau

Let me speak to our global customer support and software development team about your clock issue. I haven't see that issue here in the US, so they might have a better idea on what the issue is. Can you confirm your firmware version please? Settings, System Information. Latest firmware is 1.03.

The DAC/MTP settings is correct, but slightly confusing. In the full settings menu, you see USB Connection - MTP, which is the default data connection for USB. In quick settings, you see DAC because if you hit that it changes to USB DAC mode. If you are in USB DAC mode, you would see MTP in the quick settings (to change back to that mode) and in the full settings menu it would say USB Connection - DAC.

Thanks for the reply, I have indeed updated to the latest firmware 1.03, and from the units at the store those don't appear to have the same issue, so I am a bit lost as to whether this is a hardware or a software issue, factory reset should clear everything to its default settings right? I just hope if it is a hardware issue I can somehow convince the sales that it is the hardware and get it exchanged at the store, if not then I can wait for another software update. Thanks again!

 

[nanaholic]

I just got my ak70 mkii!

First impression compared to my old fiio x5 is that right away the ak70 much crisper and wider soundstage,
the x5 on certain songs has uncontrolled bass with my asg 2.5, haven't experienced that with the ak70 yet. Still need more listening time tho!!

edit:
But I've encountered a weird bug with the software, whenever I attempt to change the time or date in the settings the whole thing freezes until I force restart by holding the power button,
has anyone had that problem?
trying to check for an update, but even after a factory reset it still errors out. any ideas?
this hasn't affected any of my listening experience and i likely won't use wifi to save battery anyways, but it would still be great that it doesn't show 9:00AM all the time lol
nvm after clicking through the settings for 1 hr straight i somehow got it to recognize the new firmware.. woo!! Just need a balanced cable now

edit 2:
nvm after waking up, this thing is bugged again, everytime after it boots it just goes back to 9:00 AM any idea @JasonNYC?

edit 3:
so I went to the store today to see if I could get some help, unfortunately the store that I bought it from didn't have any demo units, the guy just kept telling me it is a software bug likely to be fixed with updates.. but when i went to the other stores with the demo units they didn't have the issues.. like here in the pic below, the USB connection says DAC while it is MTP in settings, tried factory reset and setting reset still no luck.

when I first got the unit there were a few odd problems too, like the battery was completely depleted, like not even holding the power button would show the "no battery" screen, had to charge it up before using, don't remember the last time seeing a device w/ 0 juice out of the box, then connecting to wifi the whole thing froze due to the "auto set date/time", after a bunch of debugging I just feel like it is either 1. something wrong with the real time clock circuit or cmos battery or something (if there is one), or 2. part of the system was corrupted before due to 0 battery

but again, all of this is just the problem with the clock, but it is somehow bothering me a lot more than it should be lol.. it's like buying a very good monitor/tv but the power led sometimes malfunctions, you're not buying it for the power led and you shouldn't even be looking at it when you should looking at the screen... anyways lets see if a&k's customer support can get me any help..

Didn't think I would see hi-res pics of the Fate Stay Night limited edition AK70 MkII on head-fi first.