I have an AK120 with SE846, and I want to upgrade it in terms of soundstage and power, but not to make the trebles too sharp and ear-piercing.
I wonder which will be my better option:
1. + Glove Audio A1
2. + ALO international plus
3. AK120 MOD --> RWAK120 or MSAK120
A1 glove will take all the beating. Its performance is marginally less than the AK240 and even that is most probably debatable.......
I really fancy a pair of SE846's but I have had issues in the past with the comfort side of the in ears. Would you recommend them?
both the 100 and 120 fit perfectly using different sized attachments which fits securely and makes it look and feel seamless....the whole thing is so well thought out and worls and sounds so well....the only complaint i have is that you cannot see a volume level on the player when you use it but it is a manageable problem...otherwise it looks and sounds terrific
I've been thinking about this as well! With over the ear cans maybe not a concern but with IEM, more care is needed so you don't blow your ears out.
Volume level would be a killer feature.
I can try with a frinds ak120 vs my ak100 but since the ak acts only as transport, it just takes the digital file and transmits it digitally to the A1. I highly doubt there is any difference in quality, since no DAC nor an Amp is used. Information is transported totally unaltered.
So in general, usinga 120 for the A1 is a bit of a waste, you rather sell the 120 and buy a used ak100 to use with the A1 since the quality will be the same.
Since you can buy a new AK100 Mk2 in Japan for $420 or a used AK100 for as low as $350-$380 plus the A1 for $599 you have a great player for below $1k.
The AK120 can be sold for $650 to $700 so you have more money in your pocket, that was my only point. Using the AK120 for the A1 if a AK100 does the exact same job is a bit of a waste. Of course ONLY if you are not planning of using the AK120 without the A1 from time to time.
Since you can buy a new AK100 Mk2 in Japan for $420 or a used AK100 for as low as $350-$380 plus the A1 for $599 you have a great player for below $1k.
The AK120 can be sold for $650 to $700 so you have more money in your pocket, that was my only point. Using the AK120 for the A1 if a AK100 does the exact same job is a bit of a waste. Of course ONLY if you are not planning of using the AK120 without the A1 from time to time.
I agree with you, although in reality, different transports should behave differently (they are different products after all), I doubt the differences is in any way audible. Of course, that will bring up another question: Since different transports have no audible differences, why not just get the cheapest? Even a AK100 can be considered expensive when compared to other DAPs/transports.
I can try with a frinds ak120 vs my ak100 but since the ak acts only as transport, it just takes the digital file and transmits it digitally to the A1. I highly doubt there is any difference in quality, since no DAC nor an Amp is used. Information is transported totally unaltered.
So in general, usinga 120 for the A1 is a bit of a waste, you rather sell the 120 and buy a used ak100 to use with the A1 since the quality will be the same.
I think if I have a AK120 and ever decide to get a Glove A1, I'll still keep the AK120 instead of downgrading to a AK100, I can imagine scenarios where I might want to use an AK120 instead of with the Glove A1 (tight jean pockets anyone? ).
I agree with you, although in reality, different transports should behave differently (they are different products after all), I doubt the differences is in any way audible. Of course, that will bring up another question: Since different transports have no audible differences, why not just get the cheapest? Even a AK100 can be considered expensive when compared to other DAPs/transports.
I think if I have a AK120 and ever decide to get a Glove A1, I'll still keep the AK120 instead of downgrading to a AK100, I can imagine scenarios where I might want to use an AK120 instead of with the Glove A1 (tight jean pockets anyone? ).
Because different transports do sound different as can be evidenced by the change in sound from FW updates which usually only affect things before the dig out. The front end of these things have a huge influence on sound. Just consider how much better the AK120 or 100mk2 sound than other units using the same DAC. the 100 and 120 may not sound different into this due to them basically being very similar front ends and FW but that doesn't mean they'll be identical. Also, the glove will have been voiced for these so using the AKs is likely optimal.
Because different transports do sound different as can be evidenced by the change in sound from FW updates which usually only affect things before the dig out. The front end of these thinks has a huge influence on sound. Just consider how much better the AK120 or 100mk2 sound than other units using the same DAC. the 100 and 120 may not sound different into this due to them basically being very similar front ends and FW but that doesn't mean they'll be identical. Also, the glove will have been voiced for these so using the AKs is likely optimal.
Sorry, just to clarify because I don't own any DAPs (have a AK100 MK2 incoming, been using dac/amps all along), but by this " different transports do sound different as can be evidenced by the change in sound from FW updates", do you mean that an AK100 on FW 2.0 will sound different from an AK100 on FW1.5 if both of them are used as transports (bypassing the dac and amp)?
"Just consider how much better the AK120 or 100mk2 sound than other units using the same DAC" but that is likely due to better implementations of DACs which will not come into play when used as a transport.
What I'm thinking of is that the job of a transport is just to pass along the 1s and 0s, and we know that they are able to do that perfectly, if not we'll be losing alot of data whenever we transfer any form of data.
Any correction or light that can be shed on this will be highly appreciated since I am a noob when it comes to the technical aspects.
Yes. Change may not be larger but with good phones will be audible. I like 2.1 with my AK100 mk2 and jh13s. If you try, you'll find 2.01 less full sounding but clear and 2.4 warmer and less open....depending on your phones. I use 2.1 because it's informative yet covers it's tracks. 2.2 is a warmer take but still pretty informative and 2.3 isn't bad either. More like 2.1 but slightly less favorable for me. Check the DX90 thread and what FW changes can do.
I agree with you, although in reality, different transports should behave differently (they are different products after all), I doubt the differences is in any way audible. Of course, that will bring up another question: Since different transports have no audible differences, why not just get the cheapest? Even a AK100 can be considered expensive when compared to other DAPs/transports.
I think if I have a AK120 and ever decide to get a Glove A1, I'll still keep the AK120 instead of downgrading to a AK100, I can imagine scenarios where I might want to use an AK120 instead of with the Glove A1 (tight jean pockets anyone? ).
Yes. Change may not be larger but with good phones will be audible. I like 2.1 with my AK100 mk2 and jh13s. If you try, you'll find 2.01 less full sounding but clear and 2.4 warmer and less open....depending on your phones. I use 2.1 because it's informative yet covers it's tracks. 2.2 is a warmer take but still pretty informative and 2.3 isn't bad either. More like 2.1 but slightly less favorable for me. Check the DX90 thread and what FW changes can do.
Ok, I can kinda imagine how this works. The transport will probably change the 1s and 0s according to the equalizer setting, so if you put more bass, the 1s and 0s are changed from the original values to reflect more bass.
On the other hand, with the equalizer off, won't the transport just output the original 1s and 0s as per the music file? So different transports, all with the equalizers off, will still output the same thing.
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