I’m looking at the SA700 to replace my ak240. Anyone able to compare the sound? I am quite impressed with the ak240 but am wondering if new technology has provided for greater performance at this price point. I don’t care about the streaming or Bluetooth or such features, just the sound quality.
Thanks
I owned the 240 and 240SS and just bought an SA700. The tonal character is different ... the SA700 has a midrange that is pushed forward compared to the 240, and also has a warmer character in the trebles. I also feel there is a bit more heft to the bass region.
The biggest niggle is the os is sometimes sluggish, more so than the 240. With a 4-core processor, I found this surprising. Do keep in mind, though, my library is primarily populated by hi-res files which may be a factor. Oh, can’t forget to mention that for us Mac users, the Android File Transfer app makes me not want to store any files on the onboard memory because the app (latest version) is so buggy. It can be very frustrating at times, and at others it works perfectly.
As to my overall satisfaction level, I’m good with the tonal changes, the resolution is better due to the brand new 4492 dacs (which, by the way, are a more power efficient version of the 4497), the Cirrus Logic dacs used in the 240 are an old design going back to the mid 2000s. The fit and finish is typical of AK’s best daps, just beautifully made. I owned the original AK120 which the SA700 is a tribute to, so I love the design.
If AK can fix the sluggishness in a firmware update, this would be a 10/10 purchase.