[macdonjh]

I had an AK70, if the difference between this and the MK2 is subtle...the AK320 is in other league above this DAP in sound quality...
By the way...AK70 and Westone IEMs Doesn’t pair well (i tried the UM and W series)

Details? I am interested in the 70II and really like my W3s with my A&K Jr...

The jump from the Jr to the 70 is huge.

Stuff I've previously written....


I went from a Fiio X3 (Gen 1) to the AK Jr initially. The difference there was the detail was just so much better with the AK Jr (I was using Shure SE425s at the time). I did feel that it was a little light on the bass, although it wasn't muddy at all. With hindsight, that may have been the IEMs.

The move from the Jr to the AK70 was seismic in comparison. A much more forward presentation, and everything far crisper and clearer. Slightly warmer sound than the Jr too and better detail on complex tracks. Not sure what your musical tastes are, but with Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" you could hear every note sing on the guitar. It's a similar tale with Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" (album), and then straying into the heavier side of things Rage Against the Machine's "Bullet in the Head," the punchiness of the bass is more pronounced and doesn't roll off as quickly.

In my view, the AK70 gives a very balanced, precise sound - but I'm not one for messing with EQ settings.

Thanks for that, LondonGecko. I like my A&K Jr, and your music tastes have much in common with mine, so your post is quite useful to me. Overall I am largely satisfied with my A&K Jr, but am looking for more detail. I've got another thread going asking for recommendations in IEMs not so much for more analytical sound, but being able to hear deeper into recordings, if that makes sense. I also try to stay away from forward components with bright highs and emphasized midrange. I don't like the old B&W speakers for that reason, preferring my old Apogee ribbons and Avalons for their more "liquid" sound.

I forgive you.

Unfortunately, I just realized that neither the OPUS#2 or the AK70ii have a line out, a feature that even my budget (comparatively speaking) Hidizs dap had from a few years ago. It appears that some companies nowadays are including balanced output at the expense of the line out feature which is an unfortunate trend. Not everyone needs a line out but then not everyone needs a balanced out. Bravo to A&K for including it on the KANN. I think I may be able to live with a little warmth (muddiness?) in the low end.

That is terribly disappointing. If I were to buy a 70II it would be used 50% mobile with IEMs and 50% stationary with an external amp. No line out might be a deal breaker. Has anyone out there used a 70II with an external amp connected via the headphone jack? That seems sub-optimal to me.

Someone else made the comment that A&K shuffle play stinks. I agree, it seems to get into a "groove" and play the same dozen or so songs over and over. I did post a request on the A&K Facebook page asking that they make a FW upgrade that when in shuffle mode the player keep track of the songs played so it wouldn't repeat until all songs in the list had been played. I'm pretty basic in my usage of a DAP: load a couple of hundred songs from my collection and listen to those for a week or so, then wipe the songs off and load a couple of hundred new songs to repeat the process. I've decided that simply going through the entire list in alphabetical order using the "SONGS" menu is similar to using shuffle, but there is the guarantee of not repeating songs played.

 

[macdonjh]

Details? I am interested in the 70II and really like my W3s with my A&K Jr...


Oops, sorry, duplicate post.

 

[LondonGecko]

Details? I am interested in the 70II and really like my W3s with my A&K Jr...



Thanks for that, LondonGecko. I like my A&K Jr, and your music tastes have much in common with mine, so your post is quite useful to me. Overall I am largely satisfied with my A&K Jr, but am looking for more detail. I've got another thread going asking for recommendations in IEMs not so much for more analytical sound, but being able to hear deeper into recordings, if that makes sense. I also try to stay away from forward components with bright highs and emphasized midrange. I don't like the old B&W speakers for that reason, preferring my old Apogee ribbons and Avalons for their more "liquid" sound.

Profile doesn't say where, you're based, but if you're around London - happy to meet up for a coffee if you want a quick listen to something familiar.

The jump from the Jr to the 70 is pretty big - I was amazed at the difference. The 70 to Mk2 less so.

 

[macdonjh]

Profile doesn't say where, you're based, but if you're around London - happy to meet up for a coffee if you want a quick listen to something familiar.

The jump from the Jr to the 70 is pretty big - I was amazed at the difference. The 70 to Mk2 less so.

LondonGecko, too bad for me, I'm across the pond from you. Much too far for a cup of coffee. I did update my profile, but am apparently still to new here to have the information posted.

 

[macdonjh]

Question for A&K Tech support: are the outputs from your DAPs linear? So, if I set the volume of a 70II to 50% and connected the balanced output of it to the balanced input of my external amplifier, would that amp see 2V input?

Also, feature request for firmware update: a setting where the line out level can be user set. The default on my A&K Jr is 75 (full volume). For use in my car, I'd like it to be 60 so the car's preamp doesn't clip. It would be great to be able to set the line out level so when I set it to line out, the volume is set to 60 rather than 75.

 

[JasonNYC]

Question for A&K Tech support: are the outputs from your DAPs linear? So, if I set the volume of a 70II to 50% and connected the balanced output of it to the balanced input of my external amplifier, would that amp see 2V input?

Also, feature request for firmware update: a setting where the line out level can be user set. The default on my A&K Jr is 75 (full volume). For use in my car, I'd like it to be 60 so the car's preamp doesn't clip. It would be great to be able to set the line out level so when I set it to line out, the volume is set to 60 rather than 75.

Not sure on the voltage output. I will check. When you set Line Out to on in the settings, it locks the volume control, so it does not matter what the volume was set at previously.

On the SP1000, when you turn on Line Out, you can set the voltage output to 0.7V, 1V, 1.25V or 2V. Of course on the KANN with the dedicated line outs, you can also set the voltage output to these 4 choices. Currently you cannot on any of our other players, but I could see that as a possibility in a future firmware update. I will pass your request on to our software development team.

 

[macdonjh]

Thank you, JasonNYC. I understand the function of the line out setting on the Jr. Does the 70II have the same function: employing "line out" sets the player to maximum volume and locks volume there?

Looking forward to hearing what you find out. Short of an AK380 for $700, the AK70 Mk II looks like just what I am looking for.

 

[StiffFingers]

Have anyone tried pairing AK70 MKII with Shure SE846? do they pair well? I heard that AK70 MK II is not pairing well with Campfire Andromeda (hissing issue). Thanks : )

 

[akira281]

Not sure on the voltage output. I will check. When you set Line Out to on in the settings, it locks the volume control, so it does not matter what the volume was set at previously.

On the SP1000, when you turn on Line Out, you can set the voltage output to 0.7V, 1V, 1.25V or 2V. Of course on the KANN with the dedicated line outs, you can also set the voltage output to these 4 choices. Currently you cannot on any of our other players, but I could see that as a possibility in a future firmware update. I will pass your request on to our software development team.

JasonNYC, the "line out" setting locks the volume control and sets the output volume at a certain level using, no doubt, the internal amp. Is that correct? Does it do anything else?

 

[kubig123]

enjoying the mkII with my Encore

 

[kubig123]

Yes, although not yet extensively. It's a WM1A, not ZX300.

---

By the way, this AK70II is like a heat stone. It heats a lot when playing normal, or using tidal, and even more when being charged. I think it's best to not use casing for them in order to allow the heat to dissipate better. I usually just put it in a cloth/pouch when not using, and let it out when listening. This I guess can help prevent any potential internal overheat. Better be safe than sorry (Galaxy Note?). The battery lasted less than half a day, probably because of its resource-intensive internal components. The dual-DAC sounds wonderful, and the tiny pocketable size is very convenient.

I have to say that it heats up when it's charging, but not too much while playing music, I'm listening right now to ssd file and the player it's room temperatureT the "old" AK380 would be an oven at this time.

 

[bharat2580]

Well, in the end it's up to you. But here is an opinion from a person who sold AK70mk2 and bought X7mk2:

1. Both have really good SQ for their price range. This is so subjective that you need to audition them.
2. Software (including the altered Android OS) is more mature and streamlined on AK70mk2.
3. If you are Tidal user, you may want to go with X7mk2 because of offline option (AK70mk2 does not provide offline option).
4. X7mk2 provides multiple amp module options that allows you to customize your setup depending on your gears (e.g. IEM centered system, or mainly using full size cans, etc.). With AK70mk2 you are stuck with one amplifier although it works pretty well and powerful enough for most situations.
5. Battery life is pretty similar on both. However, X7mk2 may have shorter battery life if you use high powered amp module like AM5.

Edit: One more important point. X7mk2 has 2 micro SD slots, while AK70mk2 has one. Both supports 400GB card.

Hope this helps.

thanks a lot for the help, and sorry for the late reply , pulled the trigger on the x7 ii

 

[Giraku]

thanks a lot for the help, and sorry for the late reply , pulled the trigger on the x7 ii

You’re welcome. Enjoy your X7mk2!!

 

[R7photo]

User Report, rocking mk2 and AK Rosie, no hiss, sq amazing

 

[R7photo]

New 8 balance armature each side updated model I guess,,