[Pinna-inna]

First of all sorry for the caps... but I'm just apoplectic about what i've discovered...
 
Ok - I have spent about two years organizing my music collection. I have about 5 terabytes of music, with 99% of it being classical. I have meticulously entered all the metadata. Anyone who has undertaken such a task knows how painstaking this is. Anyway... 2 years, 10 terabytes.... thousands upon thousands of albums. I have entered the composer, the artist...
 
Last week I purchased an Astell and Kern AK120 ii. I did a lot of research, and decided this was the player for me. I upload music to it... and... please somebody tell me i'm wrong here!!!! I CAN'T SEARCH BY COMPOSER!!!!!
 
This can't be true! You can search by artist, album, song and Genre.... but not composer! How can this be?
 
If this is the case I shall be returning the piece of JUNK that is the Astell and Kern. Searching by artist is not feasible, since artists in classical music are the performers, and the same performer will likely play and record hundreds of pieces of music. Searching by son is no good either: I have many 'songs' that have more than 200 recordings.
 
I purchased this product because it sounded like a premium, well designed piece of kit. I read how well the UI had been designed. I cant believe that you cannot do a search by composer. I'm sure I have made some rookie error here, and someone more knowledgeable than myself will offer a quick solution to bring up the 'composer' search function.
 
Please someone out there help me! The device is lovely, seems very well made, and the sound is excellent. If through the asinine oversight of Astell and Kern  I cannot do a simple composer search I will be returning this piece of junk. I have all my music on micro sd cards, but if I cant do a composer search this ridiculous device must sadly be returned.
 
Hoping for someone's help out there!

 

[Currawong]

The AK100 ii has a drop-down search doesn't it? Does a composer search work there?

 

[jnorris]

Wow!  Calling something a piece of junk just because it can't do some arcane function that you and possibly a handful of others might want is a bit harsh, don't you think?  I feel your disappointment, though!

 

[Pinna-inna]

Searching via composer is an 'arcane' function for a music player??????   I wrote that 99% of my music collection is classical - why would it be 'arcane' to search by composer?????
 
 
 

 

[Pinna-inna]

Thanks for your suggestion currawong, but it doesn't work. If i do a search for 'bach' via the drop down search it comes up with hundreds and hundreds of incorrect results - namely words with the letters bach in them, or pieces with the title bach in them, such as List's 'prelude and fuge on bach'. Also any german lieder with the word bach, which means brook, in them. There are more than 50 songs in my collection with the word bach in the title.
 
There must be a way to do this - I can't believe Astell and Kern would be so dumb as to not allow a 'SEARCH BY COMPOSER' option on a music player!!!!!
 
I can search by album, artist, and song - but not by composer!!!!
 
I've just bought this device, so I'm sure someone who is more skilled at using this can tell me how to perform this search. Thanks to anyone who can help me.

 

[Currawong]

As far as I (from owning 3 AK DAPs) it isn't possible. The next best option is to suggest to the various DAP makers that they include composer tag searching in their next software update and see who comes up with that option first. 
 
Do you have an iPhone? I'm thinking if you can tolerate a 2-component portable rig with something like a Chord Mojo, you can search by composer on the iPhone. 

 

[Pinna-inna]

Are you serious??
 
you are telling me that I cant search for a COMPOSER on a MUSIC player
 
I can see the word 'administrator' by your name. This is presumably definitive them.
 
I have spent £1400
 
on a music player
 
and i cant search for composers on it
 
........

 

[jnorris]

  Searching via composer is an 'arcane' function for a music player??????   I wrote that 99% of my music collection is classical - why would it be 'arcane' to search by composer?????
 
 
 
 

Yes, it is kind of arcane.  Searching by composer would be of interest primarily to a classical listener - who are probably not the mainstay of their consumer base.  I have my classical music organized in folders by composer - although many recordings feature pieces by multiple composers so it gets a bit dicey sometimes.
 
My point is if you are displeased with any purchase for any reason you should return it.  But you have no right to call it a piece of junk because it doesn't do something that the manufacturer has never claimed it would do.  If the thing sounded like or was built like "junk" you might have an argument.  I'll bet hundreds of pleased purchasers of this product don't appreciate your comments.
 
I would also send your comments to A&K, since what you are seeking is not unreasonable.  They might be able to accommodate you in a future firmware update.

 

[Pinna-inna]

You think searching through a music library on a dedicated music player by composer is... arcane???
 
Tell me, do you think it's arcane you can search by author at a book store?
 
Of course the Astell and Kern is junk... I cant do the most basic thing... I cant search through my music collection by composer. this is RIDICULOUS. I could maybe understand this oversight or limitation of a cheaper product... but I spent £1400 on this RUBBISH ASTELL AND KERN PRODUCT.
 
 
How can a company design a music player, and not let you search by composer???? Composers compose music.... you should be able to search by composer. There are, incidentally, other problems with the device, but I will not go into them here.
 
It is just unbelievable... I can search by artist, but not composer!
 
I can search by the name of the person who is PLAYING the piece of music.... but i cant search by the name of the person who WROTE the music.
 
UNBELIVABLE
 
Jnorris - of course i have the right to call the ASTELL AND KERN AK120 ii a piece of junk. I was unfortunate enough to purchase it. I have the right to judge it.

 

[jmills8]

Rename the files.

 

[jnorris]

  You think searching through a music library on a dedicated music player by composer is... arcane???
 
Tell me, do you think it's arcane you can search by author at a book store?
 
Of course the Astell and Kern is junk... I cant do the most basic thing... I cant search through my music collection by composer. this is RIDICULOUS. I could maybe understand this oversight or limitation of a cheaper product... but I spent £1400 on this RUBBISH ASTELL AND KERN PRODUCT.
 
 
How can a company design a music player, and not let you search by composer???? Composers compose music.... you should be able to search by composer. There are, incidentally, other problems with the device, but I will not go into them here.
 
It is just unbelievable... I can search by artist, but not composer!
 
I can search by the name of the person who is PLAYING the piece of music.... but i cant search by the name of the person who WROTE the music.
 
UNBELIVABLE
 
Jnorris - of course i have the right to call the ASTELL AND KERN AK120 ii a piece of junk. I was unfortunate enough to purchase it. I have the right to judge it.

 
 

  You think searching through a music library on a dedicated music player by composer is... arcane???
 
Tell me, do you think it's arcane you can search by author at a book store?
 
Of course the Astell and Kern is junk... I cant do the most basic thing... I cant search through my music collection by composer. this is RIDICULOUS. I could maybe understand this oversight or limitation of a cheaper product... but I spent £1400 on this RUBBISH ASTELL AND KERN PRODUCT.
 
 
How can a company design a music player, and not let you search by composer???? Composers compose music.... you should be able to search by composer. There are, incidentally, other problems with the device, but I will not go into them here.
 
It is just unbelievable... I can search by artist, but not composer!
 
I can search by the name of the person who is PLAYING the piece of music.... but i cant search by the name of the person who WROTE the music.
 
UNBELIVABLE
 
Jnorris - of course i have the right to call the ASTELL AND KERN AK120 ii a piece of junk. I was unfortunate enough to purchase it. I have the right to judge it.

 
Just return it.  Frankly, if I was planning on spending that much money on something I certainly would have spent more effort on researching it first.  A&K did not build a reputation on selling junk and rubbish.  It doesn't suit your needs.  Return it and move on.

 

[Pinna-inna]

Thanks for the idea jmills, but I have over 5 terabytes of music - more than 100000 tracks. It would take quite a long time to rename each one. Far easier to return the Piece of junk. I haven't given up hope folks. I'm sure it can't be true that there's no composer search on this Badly designed piece of RUBBISH. Maybe there's an astell and kern pro out there, who can tell me the option button I haven't seen yet....

 

[jmills8]

Folder for each and place tracks in proper folder.

 

[Pinna-inna]

Jnorris - I did extensive research on the PIECE OF JUNK ASTELL AND KERN AK120 ii - on this site, and on others. I'm AMAZED that no one pointed out that on a MUSIC PLAYER, you cant search by composer on this joke of a device. If astell and kern have a good reputation it is certainly not deserved.
 
My needs were to have a music player with the most basic options.
 
To be able to store a decent amount of music and search through it. The astell and kern utterly fails in these most basic requirements. It is a poorly designed piece of rubbish.

 

[Currawong]

I've seen so much unbelievable stuff in, or lacking from DAP software I'm over it. Now if only Apple would make an iPod touch which would play back high-res files and accept micro-SD cards...
 
Last thought: There is an inexpensive (not much above $100) DAP/video player on either Kickstarter or Indiegogo which is currently in the process of being developed, so a long shot would be to see if you couldn't twist their arm to include listing by composer and other tags (as is possible on an iPhone or iPod).