[sensui123]

Yeah, I had aspirations to buy the AK120 but the more I hear about the unit and downfalls (decent/unsatisfactory amp for the price tag, faulty DAC implementation driver related or not) and evaluating the price....I'm thinking more and more of just keeping my DX100 and DX50 for the portable setups (just got my DX100 back and I was almost in tears, forgot how good this sounds since I've been listening to the Sony Walkman Z substitute hah).  Oh well, like Greed says, I should be saving for my next amp on the desktop rig.  =)  Congrats to those getting tracking #'s, I'm in the first batch and I'm still waiting for mine...not really sweating it, I knew it was only a matter of time.

 

[kkcc]

   
My reasoning will be different than most people. I'm not expecting the sound quality to be on par or better, but instead am wondering if it is not far off. If that is the case, I have no need for the AK120 any longer. I'm not a portable type of enthusiast. Most of my critical and enjoyment listening is done at home on full sized equipment. The AK120 (couple with my IEMs) purpose at the moment is so that I can have 80% of that enjoyment on the go. If the DX50 stand alone or amped gets me close to that 80%, than I have no need for such a luxurious player like the AK120.
 
The UI/GUI and sound quality need to be up to snuff though, so we shall see. 

 
You might not be that different than most afterall.  At least I'm thinking along these same lines.  And I don't even need it to compare to my home rig.
 
If the DX50 stand alone or amped gets me close to that 80% 80% of what AK120 provided, then I have no need for such a luxurious player like the AK120.

 

[musicheaven]

I thought about getting the ak120 but I figured for that price I expected iRiver to send me a limousine to pick up the dap and drive me back home to enjoy it. Ain't gonna happen so the DX50 is a welcome addition worth the wait.

 

[Levanter]

I'm still waiting for reviews before jumping from X3 the the DX50.
One additional feature I'm hoping they'll add later is a firmware update to include USB dac function to PC.
Anyone knows if their hardware design is technically able for that with just a firmware update like the AK100?

 

[GoldfishX]

I agree on the home equipment vs portable equipment, but for a different reason...I don't expect portable gear to last as long. All it takes is one good drop and *BOOM*. Or with IEM's, one good, bad tug of the wire to ruin it. It would take effort for me to drop my home equipment, as it is mostly stationary.
 
I'm amazed by Cowon D2 has last as long as it has. Other than the battery not carrying a charge as long, it is as good as it was when I first got it. Amazingly, I have never dropped it...on a hard surface.
 
Realistically, I expect about 2 years worth of use out of the DX50, with regular abuse.

 

[Greed]

   
You might not be that different than most afterall.  At least I'm thinking along these same lines.  And I don't even need it to compare to my home rig.
 
If the DX50 stand alone or amped gets me close to that 80% 80% of what AK120 provided, then I have no need for such a luxurious player like the AK120.

 
Guess my reasoning is not far off from others!

 

[Mimouille]

Guess my reasoning is not far off from others!

Don't worry, you're still kinda weird

 

[Levanter]

Assuming the DX50 is on par with the AK100 SQ, given the chance would you choose to get the DX50 at $239 or a used mint AK100 at $380?

 

[kkcc]

Assuming the DX50 is on par with the AK100 SQ, given the chance would you choose to get the DX50 at $239 or a used mint AK100 at $380?

 
Who would want the $140 more expensive one if they are really on par?  

 

[Levanter]

Who would want the $140 more expensive one if they are really on par?  :confused_face_2:

Well for one the build quality and portability on the AK100 > DX50, plus 2 sd card slots and USB dac function.

 

[purk]

   
My reasoning will be different than most people. I'm not expecting the sound quality to be on par or better, but instead am wondering if it is not far off. If that is the case, I have no need for the AK120 any longer. I'm not a portable type of enthusiast. Most of my critical and enjoyment listening is done at home on full sized equipment. The AK120 (couple with my IEMs) purpose at the moment is so that I can have 80% of that enjoyment on the go. If the DX50 stand alone or amped gets me close to that 80%, than I have no need for such a luxurious player like the AK120.
 
The UI/GUI and sound quality need to be up to snuff though, so we shall see. 

That's one of the reason why I don't buy the AK120 or AK100 for that matter.  No matter how I put it, my full size rigs will always be a major improvement over my portable setup.  Since I hardly listen to portable listening that much any more, I hope the DX50 will wow me enough to sell my Sony Walman.  I had the DX100 in the past but sold it in favor of my Sony due to the DX100 being impractical.  For those who has no intention of playing hi-rez, they should consider the Sony Walkman (F80x, A86x, and Z10x0) as they give comparable performance to the the DX100 when playing 16 bit 44.1khz formats.

 

[kkcc]

Well for one the build quality and portability on the AK100 > DX50, plus 2 sd card slots and USB dac function.

 
Do we really know that?  Of course if DX50 really feels crappy than the extra $140 might be worth it as I'm a big sucker for aesthetics.... 

 
Btw, USB DAC might be a nice feature but it stutter, once in a while for me, and once every 5-10 seconds for others.... and this is with the AK120 where USB DAC was a key advertised feature.  Not that I bought it for this but still disappointed it isn't implemented properly.

 

[sensui123]

off topic a bit, but I don't agree they're neck and neck.....most of what I play is 16/44.1 flac and I think the DX100 is a tremendous improvement over the Walkman Z I have (Japanese 1070 64 gig) in how the DAC sounds.  But what you say is true about practicality, the Z is a much more practical in pocket to go music player.  The DX100 is more like a transportable critical listening station IMO (I use it on trips with my LCD 2 and MK3-B from ALO).  But the DX100 with all the IEMs I've heard with it directly is definitely in another class in almost every way over my Z.

 

[Levanter]

Do we really know that?  Of course if DX50 really feels crappy than the extra $140 might be worth it as I'm a big sucker for aesthetics.... :rolleyes:

Btw, USB DAC might be a nice feature but it stutter, once in a while for me, and once every 5-10 seconds for others.... and this is with the AK120 where USB DAC was a key advertised feature.  Not that I bought it for this but still disappointed it isn't implemented properly.

I know right!? I'm quite a sucker for aesthetics too, and if the SQ is on par the AK100 does look nicer... Well to me at least
I'm sure Iriver will roll out some updates to fix that stutter in the future?

 

[kkcc]

I know right!? I'm quite a sucker for aesthetics too, and if the SQ is on par the AK100 does look nicer... Well to me at least

I'm sure Iriver will roll out some updates to fix that stutter in the future?

 
Been 3 f/w releases now still not fixed and not timeline.... luckily my HTPC comes with optical out which I can use with the AK120.  But I much prefer my NFB28's dac over the AK120.
 
I'm still waiting for my shipping notice and am getting jealous for all of you who had already receive tracking info!