[jamato8]

   
Thanks.  I'm still not getting why it has to be essentially 4 cables/pins at one end, but 2 pins at where it connects to the driver assembly on the headphones only has to be 2.  That doesn't make sense to this old Dinosaur!!!

You have two drivers. Each driver requires 2 wires. So 2 drivers times 2 wires each is 4 wires total. You have a positive voltage and negative voltage per driver for balanced. 

 

[dpastern]

 
You have two drivers. Each driver requires 2 wires. So 2 drivers times 2 wires each is 4 wires total. You have a positive voltage and negative voltage per driver for balanced. 

 
Oh yeah!  
 
Dave

 

[cattlethief]

That will work; I do it also, with a 3.5mm > XLR cable.  In this case, you will be listening to the dac in your AK.  

With optical out (also from the 3.5mm port) you will not be listening to the AK`s dac.   


There are a thousand explanations on this issue, many by people much more knowledgable than me. Some of them are too technical for me and/or make no sense.   You seem to be at the same stage I was at recently, so I will share my understanding.  Two things: 
1.
 For a headphone cable to `be balanced`, there must be 4 wires all the way to the termination.  Some `phones combine the wires at some point in the cable, usually at the Y-split or, or at the cups if the cable is 1-sided.  Compare these two iem pics: First, my JVC workout specials, the FXZ2000.  Notice how there are 2 cables entering the Y-split but only one coming out? One wire from each of the cables have been fused, meaning after the Y-split the cable only contains 3 wires and therefore cannot be `balanced`.  A balanced connector can be attached, but this would only be done for connectivity, not to modify SQ.  



This is my CKR9 : 


You can see the two cables from the drivers, each with 2 wires, continue all the way to the 3.5mm plug. The cable housings are simply linked together by the Y-split; the internal wires are not affected This cable can be re-terminated to `real` balanced, with iimpact on the SQ.  (Whether or not you can hear that impact is of course a never-ending debate).  

You just need to confirm if your `phone cable has 4 wires all the way to the plug, or not.  

2.
The second point I learned is that the 2.5 TRRS plug is not uncommon in other areas of electronics, however AK`s wiring pattern apparently is uncommon.  So, you really have to confirm that the cable guy knows the correct wiring scheme.  You could damage the AK if the wiring is wrong, I think.   This: 





Good luck.  
d

I have the IM 70 which has the same cable as your ckr9,therefore is a trrs 2.5 connector enough to use them in balanced mode or do the actual iem,s need to be balanced also.

 

[JeremyLaurenson]

 
 
TIDAL already has integration agreements made with 35 of the world’s most respected audio brands, including: Anthem, Airable by Tune In Media, Astell & Kern, Audeze, Audiovector, AudioQuest, Auralic, Aurender, Autonomic, Bel Canto, Bluesound & NAD, Dan D'Agostino, Definitive Technology, Denon HEOS, DTS Play-Fi, Dynaudio, Electrocompaniet, Harman Omni, HiFiAkademie, ickStream, JH Audio, Linn, McIntosh, Meridian, MartinLogan, Paradigm, Polk, Pro-ject, PS Audio, Raumfeld, Simple Audio, Sonos, Steinway Lyngdorf, Wren Sound Systems with more to come.
 
These integrations are ongoing and will be available soon. An updated status will be available here in the help center.
 
 
Holy cow!
 
 
See Head-Fi thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/752566/tidal-music-coming-to-astell-kern
Original Here: https://tidalsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201724751-Which-Home-Audio-Players-will-TIDAL-be-available-on-
 

 

[dpastern]

   
 
TIDAL already has integration agreements made with 35 of the world’s most respected audio brands, including: Anthem, Airable by Tune In Media, Astell & Kern, Audeze, Audiovector, AudioQuest, Auralic, Aurender, Autonomic, Bel Canto, Bluesound & NAD, Dan D'Agostino, Definitive Technology, Denon HEOS, DTS Play-Fi, Dynaudio, Electrocompaniet, Harman Omni, HiFiAkademie, ickStream, JH Audio, Linn, McIntosh, Meridian, MartinLogan, Paradigm, Polk, Pro-ject, PS Audio, Raumfeld, Simple Audio, Sonos, Steinway Lyngdorf, Wren Sound Systems with more to come.
 
These integrations are ongoing and will be available soon. An updated status will be available here in the help center.
 
 
Holy cow!
 
 
See Head-Fi thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/752566/tidal-music-coming-to-astell-kern
Original Here: https://tidalsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201724751-Which-Home-Audio-Players-will-TIDAL-be-available-on-
 

 
I'm not a fan of streaming.  Sorry, but they pay the artist bugger sweet all.  I'm with Taylor Swift on this one.  streaming is just glorified legal piracy.

 

[Sorensiim]

   
I'm not a fan of streaming.  Sorry, but they pay the artist bugger sweet all.  I'm with Taylor Swift on this one.  streaming is just glorified legal piracy.

Legal piracy? Isn't that sort of a contradiction in terms, like "German humor" and "Intelligence Agency"?
 
On a positive note: Using the AK120 II as a DAC on Windows 10 64 bit just works. No drivers, no muss, no fuss. Pure plug & play 

 

 

[Dopaminer]

I have the IM 70 which has the same cable as your ckr9,therefore is a trrs 2.5 connector enough to use them in balanced mode or do the actual iem,s need to be balanced also.

`Balanced` cables refers to the wires and the termination : having 4 wires with separate + and - wires to each speaker, as per my rudimentary explanation above, and a dedicated 4-pole balanced connector, of which there are several.  Iems are not `balanced`. You may be thinking of `balanced armature` iems, which is a completely different topic, refering to the type of driver producing the sound waves.  
 
And yes, any balanced connector including 2.5 trrs will work with your IM70 if it has the same cable as the CKR9.  
 
d

 

[Dopaminer]

   
On a positive note: Using the AK120 II as a DAC on Windows 10 64 bit just works. No drivers, no muss, no fuss. Pure plug & play 

 

 
 
Same on Mac OSX.  Isn`t it glorious ?  
 
 
(iBasso, isn`t it glorious?) 

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

   
 
Same on Mac OSX.  Isn`t it glorious ?  
 
 
(iBasso, isn`t it glorious?) 

Also plug-n-play on Android and iOS (via powered USB hub). 

 

[sonickarma]

Thought I'd share my new case for my RWAK100II
 

 

 
 
camera flash pictures make it look much brighter, its actually the colour below:
 

 
A friend picked it up in Japan for me he said it was limited - anyway I'm happy with it.

 

[jamato8]

  Thought I'd share my new case for my RWAK100II
 
A friend picked it up in Japan for me he said it was limited - anyway I'm happy with it.

Very nice!

 

[Dopaminer]

  Thought I'd share my new case for my RWAK100II
 

 

 
 
A friend picked it up in Japan for me he said it was limited - anyway I'm happy with it.

 
Is this one of the official Buttero cases?  Could you ask your friend where he got it in Japan?  I`ve been searching for a case for my 120ii here, and all I`ve found are the (very nice) Buttero cases and the (hideous) plastic cases I posted a few pages back.   This one you have is really nice - maybe it is one of the Buttero cases in some color I haven`t seen ?  

 

[RUMAY408]

 
What would your "plenty of interconnects"  be other than the IC cable from DAP to MK3 and the headphone cable?

This is what I mean:

AK 100ll Balanced>2.5 ALO SXC mini XLR>ALO MK3B+ Balanced>ALO mini XLR>ALO Balanced Green Line HD650
  ^^                                                                                                       >ALO mini XLR Furatech XLR>Balanced Norne Draug2 HD800
  ^^                                                                                                                                      ^^               >Balanced Stock Audeze LCD3F

 

[Noobmachine]

Is this one of the official Buttero cases?  Could you ask your friend where he got it in Japan?  I`ve been searching for a case for my 120ii here, and all I`ve found are the (very nice) Buttero cases and the (hideous) plastic cases I posted a few pages back.   This one you have is really nice - maybe it is one of the Buttero cases in some color I haven`t seen ?  

Ditto here, looking for a good case for my AK100ii, and all I can find is the polyurethane ones or the croc leather buttero ones.

 

[Ray1684]

Wouldn't mind spotify jumping on the AK series either tbh. 
 
Have yet to figure out how to use my AK100ii as a DAC for my Windows laptop yet, and honestly, have not read up on it either. Tried plugging it in when I first got it but no sound appears to be coming out of it.