[rbalcom]

Thanks appreciate the insight, have you compared all with over ear headphones by chance - they are my preferred travel companions.

Yes and no at the same time. I have used the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x and Sennheiser HD 800. The no part is that I have not used either of them with a balanced cable to connect to the AK100 II or the AK240. Using just the stereo output, to my ears all three sound very similar and great. I should get a balanced cable for the HD 800's, but just can't get myself to spend the money because they cost so much and I am very happy with my Shure 846 and Noble 6 IEMs with balanced cables.

If it were me, I would buy not upgrade to the AK100 II. I would go at least to the AK120 II or jump right to the AK380. But that is just me and I am not going after either yet because I am just not sure my old ears could really hear the difference. Now if someone was to buy my AK100 II, I would have an AK120 II on the way to me .

 

[philk34]

My next cable will be balanced. It is planned to arrive in begining January.
 
I will look to a bargain on used AK100II, then. I fear AK120II to be out of my budget, even used.

 

[hamidr]

Hi everyone.,
How long would your Jr. take from fully depleted batt to fully charge?
I use a 850mA charger and it gets about 3:45...
Out of curiousity I ran a batt test. I played a flac 88.2 24 album looped with a 50ohms senn hd558 vol. set to 40 with EQ off .... I got 7 h and some to get fully depleted. Restarted same test with a 44 16 and ended up with 11 h and half.
Is everything O'right?

 

[Raketen]

 
BTW, UI lag is just fine for me. I upgraded to 1.03. I realize it's not Smartphone-fast, but I'm from the old days when MP3 Players were a "new thing". I've lived with MUCH MUCH worse lag than this on some of my favorite players of the past, including many from IRiver and Samsung.
 
For a dedicated DAP, it's fine and responsive enough. Every once in a while I need to wait like 0.1 seconds for something to respond or load, no big deal. I think everyone is spoiled by instant responses of smartphones

 
Personally, would glady sacrifice the slickness for something fully featured but rudimental/less graphical that operated more reliably. That said, I think the AK Jr  is probably fantastic for someone who is indifferent to podcasts, playback modes, database browsing niceties,  *only* really cares about being able to find a song or album and listen to it on a great sounding device.
 
Thanks for impressions vs 100ii

 

 

[Buddhahacker]

   
Personally, would glady sacrifice the slickness for something fully featured but rudimental/less graphical that operated more reliably. That said, I think the AK Jr  is probably fantastic for someone who is indifferent to podcasts, playback modes, database browsing niceties,  *only* really cares about being able to find a song or album and listen to it on a great sounding device.
 
Thanks for impressions vs 100ii

 

Huh. You summed up my primary requirements in a DAP.  I only use the folder mode to find my music, I never use any database functions or listen to podcasts on my DAPs. Sound quality and ease of use are my primary requirements.

 

[Semuapunmau]

Huh. You summed up my primary requirements in a DAP.  I only use the folder mode to find my music, I never use any database functions or listen to podcasts on my DAPs. Sound quality and ease of use are my primary requirements.

+1

 

[M-13]

   
Personally, would glady sacrifice the slickness for something fully featured but rudimental/less graphical that operated more reliably. That said, I think the AK Jr  is probably fantastic for someone who is indifferent to podcasts, playback modes, database browsing niceties,  *only* really cares about being able to find a song or album and listen to it on a great sounding device.
 
Thanks for impressions vs 100ii

 

Yeah with the Layla at least the Jr sings beautifully. I'm kinda surprised actually. I missed the Wolfson sound, I've never heard it implemented this well. When Fiio messes about with Wolfson it sound rich and thick but also sounds congested without much air.
 
The JR sounds expansive/3D enveloping while remaining airy, with lots of room to breath without sacrificing the richness and the meaty/fleshy mids. It's just a bit different than the AK100ii, which sounds more refined/micro-detailed, but at the same time also a bit boring.
 
The JR is pretty amazing for the form factor and the price. If they go on sale again for $350 or $399 people should grab it if they can. It's a neat little thing.

 

[dman127]

 
2 things;
1) I have not received the cables yet they should be here next week though.
 
2) There are a lot of skeptical members who think the only advantage is looks but I like many others have heard sonic changes in sound when using different cables. I borrowed a Forza cable for my CIEMs from a head-fi'er and noticed right away that the soundstage was noticeably bigger and the sound was a bit tighter.
 
So I think it is definitely worth the investment especially if you plan on keeping the PM3s. You can read some of the reviews in the Forza thread and see some pictures,there in one picture with the PM3s with the cable it is not mine though. When I get mine I will definitely post some pics.

I will definitely check out that thread. Look forward to your update.

 

[cpaud]

Hi, all -
 
I got my AK Jr about a week ago, and have been listening on my morning (train and walking) commute for a couple of hours each day. (Thanks to DrSheep, Philk35, and Hikaru11 for suggestions on setting it up!)
 
I'm new to high-res portable audio (though I've been into home theater for a while), and this is my first DAP, but I'm very impressed with the AK Jr so far. I'm running it with RHA T20i IEMs, and I'm loving how detailed and immersive the sound is, compared with regular iPhone MP3s (which was my previous commuting audio experience.)
 
I did the upgrade to the latest firmware right out of the box, and put a 200GB Sandisk Ultra card in it. I don't have a ton of music on it yet, but I'd agree with the assessments that the UI isn't exactly snappy. But I'm putting only tracks I really like on it, and letting it shuffle most of the time; I'm not navigating much so it's not a problem for me. Haven't had any problems, and I love the small, slim form factor.
 
I'm using DBPoweramp for ripping CDs (excellent program, thanks for the suggestion, DrSheep!) and also buying FLACs from Audio Sounds. Everything sounds great.
 
I've found this forum to be a great resource, and I appreciate all of the insights and information here!
 
Best,
Christina

 

[DrSheep]

Good to know and thanks for the kudos.  Happy new year and enjoy.

 

[philk34]

You are welcome. Enjoy your Jr and happy new year.

 

[junz415]

The only thing I don't like the JR is the music attribution. the music attribution works perfect on my android phone, but the JR can't recognize it at all (can't read artist, album), 

 

[Hikaru11]

Hey guys, will AK support the new MQA files? I heard it can be hardware and software powered. If it's software, then a new firmware could update it to play MQA? 

 

[divefroggy]

  Hi, all -
 
I got my AK Jr about a week ago, and have been listening on my morning (train and walking) commute for a couple of hours each day. (Thanks to DrSheep, Philk35, and Hikaru11 for suggestions on setting it up!)
 
I'm new to high-res portable audio (though I've been into home theater for a while), and this is my first DAP, but I'm very impressed with the AK Jr so far. I'm running it with RHA T20i IEMs, and I'm loving how detailed and immersive the sound is, compared with regular iPhone MP3s (which was my previous commuting audio experience.)
 
I did the upgrade to the latest firmware right out of the box, and put a 200GB Sandisk Ultra card in it. I don't have a ton of music on it yet, but I'd agree with the assessments that the UI isn't exactly snappy. But I'm putting only tracks I really like on it, and letting it shuffle most of the time; I'm not navigating much so it's not a problem for me. Haven't had any problems, and I love the small, slim form factor.
 
I'm using DBPoweramp for ripping CDs (excellent program, thanks for the suggestion, DrSheep!) and also buying FLACs from Audio Sounds. Everything sounds great.
 
I've found this forum to be a great resource, and I appreciate all of the insights and information here!
 
Best,
Christina

Hi Christina,
 
The Jr. can read the 200GB card without any problem at all? What brand are you using?

 

[cpaud]

Hi Christina,

The Jr. can read the 200GB card without any problem at all? What brand are you using?

Seamlessly. And other members have been using 200GB cards successfully for much longer. I'd recommend the Sandisk Ultra; they're very high quality and they're all I use for my photography, too.