[WallPaper]

@JasonNYC

Hi Jason, I think this question and suggestion might ultimately make it to you for assistance so I thought it best to ask you directly. Over the nearly 5 years of using my A&K products and this Forum I've found everything I needed without having to create a post for any product/technical answers until now.

The problem I have daily is that the side controls get randomly pressed by either clothing or when I'm moving or if I lightly bump the unit while it's in a pocket. For years while using my KANN CUBE I rarely if ever encountered this situation. I've tried numerous solutions but they have all been imperfect and can make for awkward or multiple time consuming adjustments. For me it's caused by the buttons being so close to each other, ultra sensitive and easily activated. The case unfortunately makes this even worse given the tiny buttons are so close to each other.

So, my question is... Is there a function that I missed that can disable these buttons? If not, I'd like to suggest a change to the system SETTINGS in the future to allow deactivation of the side buttons. Perhaps this could be something changed for all models.

I thank you for all the support you personally provide on the site and the contributions of all the forum participants. Thankfully this is the only problem I've ever had with any of your products and they are a pleasure to own and use.
Sincere thanks,

Jon

 

[JasonNYC]

@JasonNYC

Hi Jason, I think this question and suggestion might ultimately make it to you for assistance so I thought it best to ask you directly. Over the nearly 5 years of using my A&K products and this Forum I've found everything I needed without having to create a post for any product/technical answers until now.

The problem I have daily is that the side controls get randomly pressed by either clothing or when I'm moving or if I lightly bump the unit while it's in a pocket. For years while using my KANN CUBE I rarely if ever encountered this situation. I've tried numerous solutions but they have all been imperfect and can make for awkward or multiple time consuming adjustments. For me it's caused by the buttons being so close to each other, ultra sensitive and easily activated. The case unfortunately makes this even worse given the tiny buttons are so close to each other.

So, my question is... Is there a function that I missed that can disable these buttons? If not, I'd like to suggest a change to the system SETTINGS in the future to allow deactivation of the side buttons. Perhaps this could be something changed for all models.

I thank you for all the support you personally provide on the site and the contributions of all the forum participants. Thankfully this is the only problem I've ever had with any of your products and they are a pleasure to own and use.
Sincere thanks,

Jon

Unfortunately, there is not a button lock. This feature has been requested a few times and I have shared with the team. I actually just shared the request again late last week.

I will follow up with the dev team again this week with this request.

 

[123peter]

I performed tests on the new firmware and checked whether it contained the necessary changes reported.
Unfortunately, nothing has changed (at least in this update)

1. USB-DAC - color change and information on the display, e.g. 44.1kHz - 24bit...
(@JasonNYC You wrote yourself that you also see shortcomings here.)
The color of the knob does not change - there is still no information on the display about the sampling of the signal reaching the DAP.
What's irritating is that you can't call up the menu from the top to be able to change the GAIN to another one,
you have to exit the USB connection, change the GAIN and re-enter.

2. End of charging mode - the red LED turns off after finish? Without changes

3. "Safely remove SD-Card" - placing this function deeper in the menu
(after so many years in the old UI, in the new perfect UI Crimson it's already there time to move it "deeper"
- no one takes out the SD card every day) I accidentally click on it
uff.
This old function is still displayed and waiting when you accidentally click on it
(removing the rubber bands, the cover and the card from the slot will be done with one wrong click)
After all, this function is already in the menu: Setting - System Information - Unmount SD Card Safely.
So why should it appear after each careless swipe from the top?

5. Turning DAR on and off distorted at different sampling rates.
When this happens, it is necessary to turn DAR back on for a while and then turn it off
Perhaps this error has been removed, this error appeared very rarely.

Hello JasonNYC
3 months ago I asked about the possibility of updating the firmware in Kann Ultra
- in my opinion only the last error in DAR has been removed.

Will Kann Ultra get new firmware from your team?
Will Astell&Kern add a "VU-meter's" indicator screen to Kann Ultra like in SP3000T?
- it would be nice for the eye and not only for the ear.
("VU-meter " have been available for a long time, e.g. at FIIO, but the window is one with two pointers)

​

 

[WallPaper]

Unfortunately, there is not a button lock. This feature has been requested a few times and I have shared with the team. I actually just shared the request again late last week.

I will follow up with the dev team again this week with this request.

Most excellent! We'll see what the team does and thanks very much.

 

[ChristoT]

Hi guys! I noticed something strange about my Ultra and got curious if anybody else has similar experience. Apparently when playing wirelessly via Ethernet to active speakers, the LED light remains stuck with the color of the first album I’ve played and keeps it the same throughout the entire listening session, regardless of the bit rate of the following albums. When I restart the device, the process repeats, again stuck at whatever new bit rate I’ve started it with. It’s always accurate when playing through optical cable, so it’s not a malfunction of the LED indicator. I wonder if it’s just a cosmetic bug or it could actually be sending off the files resampled or even downsampled to recreate the bit rate of the recordings first played in the session. Has anyone also noticed such strange behavior during Ethernet wireless playing? Thanks!

 

[Mrlittlebit]

Hi, can you please advise if there will be a noticeable improvement in sound quality when switching from se180 to Kann ultra?

 

[JasonNYC]

Hi guys! I noticed something strange about my Ultra and got curious if anybody else has similar experience. Apparently when playing wirelessly via Ethernet to active speakers, the LED light remains stuck with the color of the first album I’ve played and keeps it the same throughout the entire listening session, regardless of the bit rate of the following albums. When I restart the device, the process repeats, again stuck at whatever new bit rate I’ve started it with. It’s always accurate when playing through optical cable, so it’s not a malfunction of the LED indicator. I wonder if it’s just a cosmetic bug or it could actually be sending off the files resampled or even downsampled to recreate the bit rate of the recordings first played in the session. Has anyone also noticed such strange behavior during Ethernet wireless playing? Thanks!

Can you provide some additional information? When you say wirelessly, are you referring to Bluetooth or via DLNA?

 

[ChristoT]

Can you provide some additional information? When you say wirelessly, are you referring to Bluetooth or via DLNA?

Ultra is connected via WiFi. Bluetooth is disabled during the play to avoid confusion.

 

[ChristoT]

Can you provide some additional information? When you say wirelessly, are you referring to Bluetooth or via DLNA?

Thanks for replying, Jason. Let me be more clear- I am connecting the Ultra to Wi Fi, then I connect to the active speakers via AK Connect. There is no Bluetooth involved. The wireless play session after that is stable and sounds good. I’m just curious if the incorrect LED indicator reflects some actual quality changes in the playback.

 

[JasonNYC]

The AK HB1 received Roon Tested certification as of today - 5/31.

https://roon.app/en/partners/140/astellkern

 

[123peter]

https://darko.audio/2024/05/global-feedback-how-much-do-you-enjoy-vu-meters/

The return of VU meters in the latest audio equipment is a general trend, in the attached link from Darko it is clearly described.
In SP3000T "VU" is already there, it would be nice if they also came to Kann Ultra.
It is just a gadget, but useful for analyzing a song dynamic.