[matbhuvi]

  Hello, 
 
I have a Mi Note pro mobile from Xiaomi that has SABRE/ESS Dac (ES9018K2M) which is supposed to offer good quality sound. I was wondering if I will notice a difference in sound quality if I take the Astell Kern JR?
 
Thank you

 
10x at least based on what headphone you are using. Jr's amp/line out will be way better than what you get in mobile phones.  DAC chip is just one part of the equation. How to properly use it is a completely different story.

 

[Lycosa777]

  Well the quality of sound is quite good. I am just wondering if it will make a difference is I buy a DAP. I listen to Flac and MP3 320k
I have a sony 1A (Hi res headphones) and a noise cancellation in-ear AKG k391-NC. I know that they are not the best headphones, but will I notice a difference even with other headphones?
 
Thank you

IMO, you would likely notice a difference in sound signature, but not in quality.

Your music files may be a limiting factor. IME, the 1A isnt the most resolving either. It sounds good, but not brilliant (via Jr). I haven't heard the AKG so I cant comment on that.

Any particular reason for the upgrade?

 

[Lycosa777]

   
10x at least based on what headphone you are using. Jr's amp/line out will be way better than what you get in mobile phones.  DAC chip is just one part of the equation. How to properly use it is a completely different story.

Quite an exaggeration.
Of course the signal would be cleaner, but mobile phones have improved a lot over the years, especially due to the push for Hi-res audio to become mainstream. The iPhone is very popular with audiophiles here in Japan!
 

 

[matbhuvi]

 

Quite an exaggeration.
Of course the signal would be cleaner, but mobile phones have improved a lot over the years, especially due to the push for Hi-res audio to become mainstream. The iPhone is very popular with audiophiles here in Japan!
 

 
Haven't used iPhone 7. But, i have used 6+ of my friends. No where close to Jr IMO. Agree that they have improved a bit.

 

[H20Fidelity]

I'm a bit torn on what to do here.
 
I had an iBasso DX200 arrive which sounds excellent (more on that in time) but the IEM I'm using with DX200 was also the same one that sounded excellent with AK JR (Tralucent Ref.1). In a rational thinking way, I should sell my AK KR and be on my way but each time I listen to JR again I'm reluctant to sell. That musicality and tone it has really I genuinely like it.
 
Just not sure what do with it if I keep it around. Over this entire period of receiving/using/then getting DX200 I'm still waiting on a damn AK JR case to arrive from Japan, a case I ordered the day JR arrived. Pushing almost a month now. 

 

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Got the AK Jr Friday, been enjoying it all weekend. Using it with my Meze 99 Classics, and loving the results. This little thing sounds way too good for it's size!!! 
 
And now comes the problem. I like the sound much more than my laptop soundcard (Sound Blaster Recon 3Di), because of it's fuller bass and amazing clarity, but AFAIK my laptop only has USB 3.0 ports, and is running Windows 10. Has anyone found a workaround for this problem? 
 
Also, I'm having trouble updating the firmware. I have no clue as to where to find the new firmware for it as the iriver site's download is being treated as an empty compressed folder. not sure why, but it won't let me unzip it. 
 
Other than that though, this thing is fantastic! The UI is much faster than I anticipated, and although it is no iPhone, it works extremely well for what it is. Hoping to use it for a good while.

 

[Rhydonia]

  Got the AK Jr Friday, been enjoying it all weekend. Using it with my Meze 99 Classics, and loving the results. This little thing sounds way too good for it's size!!! 
 
And now comes the problem. I like the sound much more than my laptop soundcard (Sound Blaster Recon 3Di), because of it's fuller bass and amazing clarity, but AFAIK my laptop only has USB 3.0 ports, and is running Windows 10. Has anyone found a workaround for this problem? 
 
Also, I'm having trouble updating the firmware. I have no clue as to where to find the new firmware for it as the iriver site's download is being treated as an empty compressed folder. not sure why, but it won't let me unzip it. 
 
Other than that though, this thing is fantastic! The UI is much faster than I anticipated, and although it is no iPhone, it works extremely well for what it is. Hoping to use it for a good while.

I was having the same issue on my Mac with unzipping the firmware update. After some trial and error, I found that downloading the file in Safari instead of Chrome did the trick for me. I see you're running Windows, but maybe it's worth a shot anyway? This is the link I got the download from: AK JR Firmware v1.03
 
As far as the USB DAC problem, I have not been able to fix it yet myself, but I suspect connecting a USB 2.0 hub to the computer would work. I plan on trying this in the near future, but maybe if anyone else has already tried this workaround they can chime in. 

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

 
I was having the same issue on my Mac with unzipping the firmware update. After some trial and error, I found that downloading the file in Safari instead of Chrome did the trick for me. I see you're running Windows, but maybe it's worth a shot anyway? This is the link I got the download from: AK JR Firmware v1.03
 
As far as the USB DAC problem, I have not been able to fix it yet myself, but I suspect connecting a USB 2.0 hub to the computer would work. I plan on trying this in the near future, but maybe if anyone else has already tried this workaround they can chime in. 

Switched to Microsoft Edge and it downloaded correctly. Not sure why it didn't work with chrome, maybe it has something to do with my anti-virus. I dunno. 

 
Still doesn't operate as a USB DAC though. Kinda makes me sad, as I really like the sound. Oh well. I'll try the USB 2.0 workaround if I can, and then I'll report back if it works. Even tough it would be a cheap solution, an even cheaper one would be a firmware update from A&K. 

 

[Rhydonia]

  Switched to Microsoft Edge and it downloaded correctly. Not sure why it didn't work with chrome, maybe it has something to do with my anti-virus. I dunno. 

 
Still doesn't operate as a USB DAC though. Kinda makes me sad, as I really like the sound. Oh well. I'll try the USB 2.0 workaround if I can, and then I'll report back if it works. Even tough it would be a cheap solution, an even cheaper one would be a firmware update from A&K. 

Glad to hear using a different browser worked for you. 

 
I agree 100% that this should be on A&K to fix the DAC issue, it's been a known issue for a while now and it wouldn't be that hard to fix on their end. Honestly, it makes me question whether I'll buy one of their products again, even though I love the sound. 

 

[Master619]

Can the AK Jr be operated while screen off (next / prev, play / pause, vol +/-)?

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Can the AK Jr be operated while screen off (next / prev, play / pause, vol +/-)?

Yep. You can use all of those with the screen off.

 

[Master619]

Yep. You can use all of those with the screen off.

Via the physical volume buttons? Since I don't see any other buttons (other than power). And how do they work for those operations?

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

The AK Jr has a volume wheel instead of buttons. The volume goes up in half steps as well, so good control for sensitive IEMs and headphones.

 

[Master619]

The AK Jr has a volume wheel instead of buttons. The volume goes up in half steps as well, so good control for sensitive IEMs and headphones.

You're right. I thought the side buttons on the left are vol +/-, turns out they're next/prev/pause already.

Are there recent firmware updates to the AK Jr that improve the responsiveness of the UI? Like the lag when scrolling through long lists.

 

[Simon Brown]

Can someone help.  I have a MACbook Pro.  I just bough this device.
 
Plugged in and it is charging but no finding the device in Finder.  So I don't how to find this?  So I can transfer music to the Android File Transfer.
 
I just don't understand if settings need to be set on the device or on my Mac?  Or if I need to upgrade.  I am lost!!!
 
Bought this and I am bit upset why this is not working.
 
Can you assist and help?
 
Simon