[antz123]

Both Fiio X5 G2 and A&K Jr are very tempting and also in similar price range. (ibasso x80 though is tempting too )
 
If someone has used both, could you give your views please, what sounds more neutral and cleaner. Or what would you prefer listening to and why?
 
 
 
My music is primarily classic rock and bit of new age Nineinch Nails/ Daft punk etc.  I have Dunu2000 and V-Moda Lp2 currently.  Most probably next buy would be a Meze 99. 
 
Thanks....

 

[bule1101]

I had the X5 and upgraded to the Jr. I use upgraded on purpouse, i think its a step up especially in Sound stage and Detail.
The X5 has a digital out and dedicated line out which i miss on the Jr. But everything else i think the Jr is a bit better, and if you look at build Quality and form factor (and coolness) much much better.
 
The Jr works pretty well by itself with most phones, and is easily stacked with a amp. It Looks pretty cool like that as well. I use a Creative E5 or a Pico Power when i want some more power and the Alo Rx for iems (but you dont Need to, i just like the Sound and the Looks of it)
 
 
I just bought a pair of Meze 99s, picking them up today, i can highly recommend them with the Jr, it sounds great with lots of Bass and Details.
 
I would recommend taking a look at the Shanling M5 as well if you are looking at the DX80.

 

[antz123]

Thank you for letting me know the first hand feedback.
 
Glad to hear you found Jr Better. I am tilted towards JR for its built and looks and heard/read a lot about its DAC chips.  I am more of a headphone guy and use it only for portable music player so Lineout doesnt bother me much.
 
Yes somewhere down the line an amp might be in my mind, however present purchase cycle is player then Meze. 
 
Also happy to see you picking Meze, was battling between PM3 and Meze but stuck to old school wooden built of Meze than PM3.
 
I have not heard ever Shanling nor its anywhere available for me to try so didnt consider M5 till now.  However a friend had ibasso dx90 and i think it was a very capable player. from reviews people have said good parts of dx90 have been made better in DX80, plus it looks less like a brick now. and not to mention the dual micro SD made it part of my consideration set.
 
So was thinking between Fiio X5G2, A&K Jr or DX80

 

[bule1101]

Ha! i was also looking at the PM3 but i decided to go with the 99s as they just sounded a bit more "Special". The PM2 and PM1 are still a lot better imo than the PM3 so i went for Meze.
 
I had a dx80 for one week and returned it. There are still issues with the UI (not just usability but acctually ability to Play Music files), and its not as well made, you can check a few Pictures of used models and see what i mean. Once they fix the issues with Firmware it should be a good Player.
 
The M5 from Shangling has a lot of great Reviews by members who i trust (nmatheis is one) and has all the Features you could think of. It doesnt have a touch Screen which could be a benefit (some only want touch Screen daps)
 
Your Moda is easy to drive as are the Meze so you dont really Need a amp. I just like the look and feel of good portable amps like the alo rx and the bunch...

 

[antz123]

Thanks for the DX80 feedback, shall take a look at  Shanlings further.
 
Once I wrote previously i went through the thread and was surprised to see the praise myself. The thing is if i try I can get M5 almost same rate as A&K Jr. So a comparison between them would be really something. 
 
Vmoda are good but their shape of the cushions (hexagonal) ends up pressing my ear at the corner, and i wear spects so it isnt like best feel for a long musical time. Thus after lot of reading and advice i ended up focusing on Meze, though its really really hard to find.
 
Rest I dont fiddle so much with the player , thus am not so gung-ho about touch screen, to me they seem like frills, its a personal opinion

 

[divefroggy]

Astell&Kern tells why they do not have line-out port. Dunno if this applies to the AK Jr.
 

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Sure it is "Not necessary Line out port", but that does not mean the line out of the AK is a true line out, it is not, it is going through the analog stage, a true line out would directly exit from the low pass filter.

 

[divefroggy]

  Sure it is "Not necessary Line out port", but that does not mean the line out of the AK is a true line out, it is not, it is going through the analog stage, a true line out would directly exit from the low pass filter.

Well then, for those who want a true line-out, I guess AK is out of the equation.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

^ Yep. And imo It's misleading diagrams like that which should make people steer clear of AK. Another misleading diagram from AK is for ak100ii/120ii/240. They call it A-amp, some people might think this means Class A amp, but it does not, it only means Analog amp.
 

 

[divefroggy]

  ^ Yep. And imo It's misleading diagrams like that which should make people steer clear of AK. Another misleading diagram from AK is for ak100ii/120ii/240. They call it A-amp, some people might think this means Class A amp, but it does not, it only means Analog amp.
 

This is what I call false advertising.

 

[swannie007]

When it comes to these guys, you shouldn't be surprised at misleading information.

 

[linux4ever]

The aac (m4a) bought from iTunes plays as 24 bit when using vox player on Macbook Pro  and the audio quality is top notch. But on AK Jr it shows up as 16 bit and the audio quality isn't that good either. What's up Astell & Kern?

 

[corius]

aac files are 16 bit, and the Jr is displaying it correctly. The Mac is up-sampling. Google "bit perfect" for more info

 

[linux4ever]

  aac files are 16 bit, and the Jr is displaying it correctly. The Mac is up-sampling. Google "bit perfect" for more info

Thanks for this info. I know about "bit perfect" but failed to consider the up-sampling by Vox player or Mac. Helps to know. Thanks again for the pointer.

 

[Tassie Devil]

Help Please!
 
My A&K Jnr has arrived (firmware 1.03), the battery was charged, but I cannot access the internal memory!  I did insert an external card and that loaded up fine, showed and played music files on the internal memory as well as the external (there were a few files on the internal memory - it is a used unit) but when it did not show up in Windows explorer as expected, I removed the card.
 
It often seems to hang on "Connecting USB  Do not disconnect", but has looked as if it is OK and displayed "USB connected" , then followed with "USB is in use.  Do not disconnect", then "USB Connected" BUT it did not show up as a drive in Windows Explorer (Windows 7, 64 bit).  I tried 2 USB ports - same thing.
 
I checked in computer management and one USB Mass Storage Device appears with ! in a yellow triangle and in the properties it says "This device cannot start, code 10".  So I right clicked to update the driver, it searched on the net and informed me the driver was up to date and working correctly but the yellow triangle remained.  
 
At one stage I saw a window about the USB devices with big red crosses beside them suggesting the iriver AK Jr device drivers were not correctly loaded but a net search was no help and I could not see where the drivers are on the A&K site.
 
I have "reset all settings" but that has not helped.  Seems I need drivers from somewhere but cannot find them..  Suggestions greatly appreciated.
 
John