[rollomat]

Thank you. Can you tell me the name of the App? Maybe they've got one for iOS too?!

 

[emorrison33]

Thank you. Can you tell me the name of the App? Maybe they've got one for iOS too?!

It's called Bluetooth Remote & Mouse. Developer is Ahmed Moharram.

 

[DanielListening]

Hello everyone. The SR25 MKII has what software?

I just demo’d the A&K SP3000 and loved the updated software. The A&K SR25 doesn’t have this same software?

I hope there is a SR25 MKIII with this updated software/firmware.

 

[Ieonasj]

Hello everyone. The SR25 MKII has what software?

I just demo’d the A&K SP3000 and loved the updated software. The A&K SR25 doesn’t have this same software?

I hope there is a SR25 MKIII with this updated software/firmware.

it is android

 

[opis]

any news on if there is a way to scrobble (audioscrobble/lastfm) on this thing yet?

 

[Puertex]

Has anyone experienced battery problems with the Astell players brand?
I purchased my unit new from Crutchfield in the US in August of 2020.
In February 2023, the battery failed, ballooning and popping out of the back of the player.
When I looked at the battery, the manufacturing date is 2018! I have photos of this !
Sadly, I purchased a new unit with a 2 year old battery !
I called Astell (Iriver) customer service to find out the cost of a new battery and they said $75.
But... When I asked how old the batteries they sell are, they say they cannot answer that question. This is concerning...
Also, I Googled the battery model number and BABA will sell it for $20 plus shipping.
So, buyer beware... Sell old batteries that will need replacement in a couple of years with a huge markup? Seems to me this is a good way to make money by replacing batteries.
I am wondering if I should switch to a different brand.
Please let me know if there is a solution to this.
Puertex

 

[freddyisaac]

Has anyone experienced battery problems with the Astell players brand?
I purchased my unit new from Crutchfield in the US in August of 2020.
In February 2023, the battery failed, ballooning and popping out of the back of the player.
When I looked at the battery, the manufacturing date is 2018! I have photos of this !
Sadly, I purchased a new unit with a 2 year old battery !
I called Astell (Iriver) customer service to find out the cost of a new battery and they said $75.
But... When I asked how old the batteries they sell are, they say they cannot answer that question. This is concerning...
Also, I Googled the battery model number and BABA will sell it for $20 plus shipping.
So, buyer beware... Sell old batteries that will need replacement in a couple of years with a huge markup? Seems to me this is a good way to make money by replacing batteries.
I am wondering if I should switch to a different brand.
Please let me know if there is a solution to this.
Puertex

The cost for the new battery did it include installation ?

 

[Puertex]

The cost for the new battery did it include installation ?

Yes, the $75 included the installation. But... they will not answer the question about how old the "new" battery is.
They may install a 2 year old battery and then it will need replacement in a couple of years...
This may be a way to make extra income for these companies...
Are there players with user replaceable batteries?
Puertex

 

[freddyisaac]

Yes, the $75 included the installation. But... they will not answer the question about how old the "new" battery is.
They may install a 2 year old battery and then it will need replacement in a couple of years...
This may be a way to make extra income for these companies...
Are there players with user replaceable batteries?
Puertex

I have a nice old iBasso DX90 and that uses Galaxy S3 batteries - but you only get about 5 or so hours out of it and those things go bad all the time
Sadly replaceable batteries do not appear to be common in the DAP world - I think as a niche product it should be a more common option.
I would guess that the $75 includes return shipping and a one year warranty.
I understand your feelings on this matter of the date but that would be their prerogative.
At $75 I would think that they are probably not rubbing their hands gleefully and planning retirement in the Bahamas anytime soon.
They probably would prefer this didn't happen in order to not tarnish their reputation.

 

[Carpet]

Yes, the $75 included the installation. But... they will not answer the question about how old the "new" battery is.
They may install a 2 year old battery and then it will need replacement in a couple of years...
This may be a way to make extra income for these companies...
Are there players with user replaceable batteries?
Puertex

How much does a Lithium polymer battery degrade in storage? I suspect repeated discharge and recharging has a much more significant effect. With newer devices using improved batteries, we need to be grateful that batteries for older devices continue to be available. In some ways audio manufacturers are as much at the mercy of component manufacturers, as we are of them.

 

[Puertex]

I have a nice old iBasso DX90 and that uses Galaxy S3 batteries - but you only get about 5 or so hours out of it and those things go bad all the time
Sadly replaceable batteries do not appear to be common in the DAP world - I think as a niche product it should be a more common option.
I would guess that the $75 includes return shipping and a one year warranty.
I understand your feelings on this matter of the date but that would be their prerogative.
At $75 I would think that they are probably not rubbing their hands gleefully and planning retirement in the Bahamas anytime soon.
They probably would prefer this didn't happen in order to not tarnish their reputation.

I will check on the IBasso DX90.
The SR25 battery model# is PL685065.
When you Google it, it can be purchased for $16 each.
They sell it installed for $75...That is 4x the cost of the battery online.
It doesn't take 30 minutes to replace a battery.
They probably pay a tech $15 (for half an hour) and pay $10 for the battery. Total cost to them is $25.
That is a 300% markup on the battery replacement!
A lot of businesses make more $ on the maintenance (like replacing batteries that last 2 years) than selling a new unit...

Thanks,
Puertex

 

[Puertex]

How much does a Lithium polymer battery degrade in storage? I suspect repeated discharge and recharging has a much more significant effect. With newer devices using improved batteries, we need to be grateful that batteries for older devices continue to be available. In some ways audio manufacturers are as much at the mercy of component manufacturers, as we are of them.

Hello,
This is what I found out:
"If stored for a very long time without usage, then they will last only for 2 years.
If they are used regularly and undergo regular charge cycles then they will last for 5 years."

In my SR25, they lasted 5 years from the manufacturing date.
However, the batteries were already 2.5 years old when I purchased my unit new.
So, the battery life was roughly 50% spent as I purchased it new.
Perhaps they don't sell as many of these units and they assemble them and leave them sitting on a shelf for years.

Thanks,
Puertex

 

[freddyisaac]

Hello,
This is what I found out:
"If stored for a very long time without usage, then they will last only for 2 years.
If they are used regularly and undergo regular charge cycles then they will last for 5 years."

In my SR25, they lasted 5 years from the manufacturing date.
However, the batteries were already 2.5 years old when I purchased my unit new.
So, the battery life was roughly 50% spent as I purchased it new.
Perhaps they don't sell as many of these units and they assemble them and leave them sitting on a shelf for years.

Thanks,
Puertex

one thing is that with the SR25 AK used a glued construction which makes replacing it yourself all the more awkward
I think that older models like SR15, SE100 etc. had case backs that were held in place with screws which simplifies replacement by the owner
I'm not a fan of the whole glued together construction.

 

[Puertex]

one thing is that with the SR25 AK used a glued construction which makes replacing it yourself all the more awkward
I think that older models like SR15, SE100 etc. had case backs that were held in place with screws which simplifies replacement by the owner
I'm not a fan of the whole glued together construction.

I agree with you. This may be the Achilles heal of these units.
If the battery may last 2 years in storage and the new units may have a 2 year old battery, the chances of an early failure on a new super expensive device is very high.
Have you experienced the back of one of them pop out?
Puertex

 

[freddyisaac]

I agree with you. This may be the Achilles heal of these units.
If the battery may last 2 years in storage and the new units may have a 2 year old battery, the chances of an early failure on a new super expensive device is very high.
Have you experienced the back of one of them pop out?
Puertex

Not with an AK - I do have a SR25 though and so far so good
I have had several batteries on an apple macbook do this but they have screw down backs and are quite easily replaceable.
If you look at the SR25 reviews on Amazon there are a couple of 1-star reviews that have experienced this problem so you are not alone
Did they give any special shipping instructions as lithium batteries that have swollen due to off-gassing are at greater risk of thermal runaway and present an increased fire hazard which may not always be possible to ship in all regions. Certainly they should never be sent via air.
Did they ask you to remove the battery from the unit before shipping and dispose of it safely if at all possible.

I do think that there should be at the very least a menu item showing the cycle count of the battery along with a simple health indicator so that owners can assess the potential aging of their device - especially in "luxury" products like these

IMHO batteries are a maintenance item and should be considered so when products are designed
My vote would definitely be for devices that had removable rear panels permitting access to the battery but I fear that in the great world of market trend we are just lonely voices shouting into the wind.

The failure mode of lithium batteries is one of the reasons I have never used and never will use rechargeable bluetooth earphones (that and the fact that bluetooth uses the same frequency as microwave ovens - oh no the conspiracy theories beckon )