Will AK continues to produce the original AK100Mk2 & AK120? Or we are now seeing the "until it lasts" stocks?
As Warren indicated - and I have a feeling about it: I think they're going to drop the OG AK100 & AK120,
but since there are plenty of us out there with the units -
I can't WAIT to spend more time with the CEntrance / Glove Audio A1 DAC/Amp for the AK100/120!
W/ my Audeze LCD-X and Double Helix Cable (Molecule Elite) using my own AK100 as the transport
(I actually have more music in that unit than my AK120 - only because a friend of mine did a lil' trick with some memory cards - hoping he'll do the same w/ the AK120) -
I thought the Glove Audio A1 (again, by CEntrance) w/ my AK100 was striking! Dynamic, airy, and highly engaging musically!
I was pleased with the timbre especially - which Michael Goodman is especially talented when it comes to his engineering on tonality - I suspect because of his long pro-audio
and studio experience. I wish I got more time with the Glove - but hey, just getting to spend time with it before the show started was a BLAST!
It also felt so stout and well-built in my hand it took me back to when Sony used heavier metals in their CD walkmans! They used to make terrific transport!
So thus far - for my its the AK240 on TOP - and you saw my order,
but I THINK the Glove is going to have a serious effect on our findings - in terms of what people can get for less money when it comes to enhancing the sonic integrity
of their existing A&K DAPs!!!!
Beatmaker, I have tested my SE846 with both dx90 and AK120. However testing was brief and there were different songs on each device making it difficult to judge objectively.
Initial impressions: dx90 - beautiful airy sound with very clear soundstage. User interface was simple and beautiful. Physically, device felt good for the price and elegantly designed. More neutral sound and good definition.
AK120 - strangely disappointed. Volume knob felt fragile and too loose. Is there a lock on the volume as it seemed unstable as if it could move easily or snap off. The shell's finish is more premium than dx90. UI was slightly ugly and less responsive. Might be because the buttons were so small that I found it hard to press. Sound was more artificial, like their was a veil covering the music (is this the warm sound ppl talk of?).
Preferred the dx90 which surprised me greatly as I am willing to spend more for better experience and sound quality.
I have limited experience with DAPs and not an audiophile so these are my personal findings only under less than ideal testing conditions.
Perhaps you had a faulty unit! We never know - it happens!
As I've beaten down my AK120 (and with OCD - it would drive me NUTS if things like the volume pot felt like it was going to bust too).
But, to me, testing my AK120 with records I've tracked, mixed, and mastered - it's actually pretty spot-on tonally as well as it's dynamics and micro and macro-dynamic detail.
Also:
We ALL have to remember: No matter what anybody may say - in the end we're reacting to the playback of music, an art-form - so we will interpret things differently,
and that doesn't make ANYBODY more right or wrong than the other!