[jlbrach]

128GB internal storage and 1 micro SD slot....seriously?....why would anybody buy this?.....I have a 240 and a 120 Titan..I quite honestly do not understand who would buy this?

 

[fumoffuXx]

well....some people might think.. hey i like the 380 amp and the 380 dock and the AK cd ripper but i cant fork out the $ for a 380... AK solution! TADA! 320

 

[jjacq]

I was waiting for this announcement to come through so that I can decide if I should save up for the 320 or the AK240. Mainly I want something with massive storage which is why I ordered an AK Titan to replace my AK100ii. I am still waiting to see if I like the UI or not to keep it but in terms of the storage side besides the 10,000 song limit, I think the AK Titan will hold its place well(128gb + 2x microSD slots). The 240 was definitely my first choice because I was already familiar with the 100ii's UI but the 320 would be a good choice if I want something cheaper with a bigger screen. The biggest dealbreaker for me is the fact that it only has 1 microSD slot and 128gb vs the 240's 240gb. I don't really care about hirez since I only have 16/44 FLAC so I think that if the 380 and it has the same specs and it's ahead of the 240 then the 320 > 240 in terms of SQ.

I'm eager to know the price of it though I kinda wonder why they're making it a limited release. Their Facebook group had said that it's only available until the end of January. Nonetheless though, with the AK240 prices going lower and lower in the used market it also is a very appealing choice. I don't know, do I sacrifice the extra 128gb the 240 offers for a bigger screen and a newer product? Or do I go for the more heavily discounted higher capacity DAP.

It's really making my head spin lol.

 

[jjacq]

Part of me wants to wait for whatever the AK240 successor would be so that the 240 would be cheaper then that decision won't be so hard to make. The Titan should come here tomorrow so I am hoping that the UI is not too bad compared to my AK100ii. That 10,000 song count is also kinda worrying me but as long as it shows all songs when you go to each genre, I think it'll be fine.

 

[kawaivpc1]

$1799 is its price... 
I believe it will eventually sell for $1599 on Amazon... 
It supports max 24bit 192kHz and has 128GB internal storage with one microSD card slot. 

 

[Torq]

128GB internal storage and 1 micro SD slot....seriously?....why would anybody buy this?.....I have a 240 and a 120 Titan..I quite honestly do not understand who would buy this?

Agreed!

It was this kind of storage nonsense that killed my interest in the Fiio X7 (among others) as well!

 

[jjacq]

  $1799 is its price... 
I believe it will eventually sell for $1599 on Amazon... 
It supports max 24bit 192kHz and has 128GB internal storage with one microSD card slot. 

Bitrate isn't an issue to me but is the price confirmed?

 

[Torq]

Part of me wants to wait for whatever the AK240 successor would be so that the 240 would be cheaper then that decision won't be so hard to make. The Titan should come here tomorrow so I am hoping that the UI is not too bad compared to my AK100ii. That 10,000 song count is also kinda worrying me but as long as it shows all songs when you go to each genre, I think it'll be fine.

The Titan will, like the AK120 it really is, will index 10,000 songs TOTAL and then stop. If you have more than 10,000 tracks on it you have to use browse-by-folder to see those that don't make it into the index. On the upside, once you switch to folder browsing switching storage cards is quick. Personally I find it too much hassle and don't like to browse by folder anyway - hence I'm after something else (otherwise the AK120 is a great transport coupled with a Mojo).

 

[prismstorm]

If the price is around $1799, then this would be similar to the Ak120II MSRP when first announced back in mid 2014. Because the memory is only 128GB and no native DSD I would place this lower than the top echelon occupied by 240 and 380, and more like a 120II x 380 hybrid, inheriting the bigger 4 inch screen, the bigger 3400mAH battery, the metal pressure sensitive home button, the ability to use the AMP, cradle, and the design language of the 380, but keeping the internal storage and price point of the 120II. Not what I was expecting to be honest. The product range and the numbering system are just getting more and more confusing and less clearly differentiated. 
 
I'm still looking for AK to push their DAPs into a true next generation: at least double the battery life (abysmal battery right now), double the internal memory, 2 or more micro SD card slots that accept 200GB, a more reliable metal home button, and more UI customization / optimization. This just looks like more of the same stuff mashed together in order to give rich bored customers another 'new toy' to play with, but no new innovation or features here really. Moving on.     

 

[my-2000]

 
Bitrate isn't an issue to me but is the price confirmed?

 
Confirmed, it's just officially announced in HK for HKD13,880, rounding to about $1780, less than half price of AK380. So my feeling was correct: AK320 is positioned to be lower than AK240.

 

[kawaivpc1]

if official price is 1700, it can be like 1399 on Amazon...
AK240 now sells for 1799 as a brand new on Amazon.

 

[kawaivpc1]

But, remember that this is a limited edition....
Just like Titan 120, it will be produced in a limited quantity.

 

[M-13]

The price is South Korea is 1,980,000 Won, which is about $1700 USD...
 
I realize people are not happy with what AK is doing, BUT I do want this... because I don't care about DSD and lacking internal storage. I really wanted the AK380 just to use that AK Amp, but the price was hard to swallow. The AK320 is way more up my alley. The 128gb + 200gb micro SD is more than enough for me at least.
 
I'm guessing this thing sounds better than the AK240SS (just a guess), given that it's inheriting the capabilities of the AK380 with the Femto clock and the new A-Amp section.
 
My Layla is waiting...

 

[sonickarma]

Some detail - google translated
 
November 24, 2015

 

November 24, 2015 (Tuesday)​

THE EVOLUTION CONTINUES

Ultimate sound that was realized to more people in the top-level model "AK380".
It was followed the basic design of the AK380 is the emergence of a new standard model.

Announcement of "Astell & Kern AK320" announcement

​

Ayuto (President Shinichi Watanabe, Head Office: Tokyo) Co., Ltd. from "Astell & Kern (Astel and Cologne)", was followed the basic design of the top-level model "AK380", high-resolution portable audio players, "Astell & Kern AK320" pleased to announce.
Product details, and Release Date and selling price in Japan becoming undecided, but I will as soon as is again the guidance decision.

brand	Name / Part	Release Date / JAN	price
Astell & Kern	Astell & Kern AK320 128GB gunmetal AK320-128GB-GM	Undecided 4549325021483	Undecided

 

AK320 Overview

Astell & Kern is defined as always aims to "artists faithfully reproduce the sound of the studio mastering quality at Bit-to-Bit with the aim", has developed the AK380 is the top model.
AK320 to follow the basic design, the ultimate sound has gained worldwide reputation, for enjoy to more people, it is a new standard model.

Major features

- Asahi Kasei Electronics "AKM AK4490" of state-of-the-art DAC, is equipped with dual DAC configuration

And ultra-low-jitter 200 Femto sec is achieved, VCXO reference Clock (voltage-controlled crystal oscillator) mounted

· PCM up to 384kHz / 32bit, corresponding to the reproduction of DSD128 (5.6MHz / 1bit)
- Native SaiTadashi until 192kHz / 24bit - 352.8kHz to 176.4kHz, 384kHz to 192kHz, 32bit is down-converted to 24bit,
DSD is converted to PCM176.4kHz / 24bit

• The Parametric EQ (20 Band EQ / 0.1dB) to allow a high degree of sound quality adjustment featured

• Internal memory 128GB mounted, supports up to 256GB in conjunction with external microSD

· DLNA-enabled network function "AK Connect"
- Streaming playback from PC / NAS via Wi-Fi, and the transfer of music files - streaming playback from the smartphone-tablet to Wi-Fi via in AK320 - the AK Connect App from installed smartphone tablet via Wi-Fi AK320 The remote operation

Body material as well as AK120II / AK100II, adopt the aluminum of high rigidity

· AK380 options, AK CD-RIPPER / AK380 Cradle will be released AK380 AMP and soon also can be connected.
Earn high scalability that exceeds the frame of the portable player.

· 2.5mm / 4-pole balanced output equipped

Display a wide metal touch sensor Home button mounted that can be utilized
 

Main Specifications

	Astell & Kern AK320
Body color	Gunmetal
Recording medium	Built-in capacity	128GB (NAND flash) * including system area
Expansion slot * 1	microSD card slot × 1 slot (SDHC / XC up to 128GB / exFAT support)
Music reproduction	Body From the possible number * 2	About 780 songs (FLAC / 192KHz / 24bit) About 4,940 songs (FLAC / 44.1KHz / 16bit)
Continuous playback * 3	About 10 hours (FLAC / 44.1kHz / 16bit) about 6 hours (WAV / 192KHz / 32bit)
file format	WAV, FLAC, MP3, WMA, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF
Sampling rate	8kHz, 16kHz, 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz (* 352.8kHz is down-converted 176.4kHz, 384kHz is to 192kHz)
DSD64 (1bit 2.8MHz), stereo / DSD128 (1bit 5.6MHz), stereo (* DSD is converted to PCM176.4kHz / 24bit)
Quantization bit rate	8bit, 16bit, 24bit, 32bit (Float / Integer * 24bit down-converted)
bit rate	FLAC: 0 ~ 8, APE: Fast ~ High, MP3 / WMA: up to 320Kbps, OGG: Up to Q10, AAC: up to 320Kbps
Folder management	○
Tag information	ID3 V1 Tag, ID3 V2 2.0, ID3 V2 3.0
Database management	Music (All / MQS / DSD), by album, by artist, genre
Resume function	○ * playback from the beginning
Album Art	○
Lyrics display	○
Playlist function	○
Playback method	Normal playback, shuffle
Repeat mode	Repeat, one track repeat
Equalizer function	PRO EQ (fixed), user EQ (20Band: 30Hz ~ 18KHz / Gain: ± 5.0 / Q value: 1-4)
Gapless playback	○ (WMA / APE is not supported)
audio	D / A converter	AKM (Asahi Kasei), Inc. AK4490 × 2 (Dual DAC)
Input terminal	USB microB terminal (charging and data transfer · USB-DAC)
Output terminal * 4	Earphone (unbalanced) output / optical digital output (3.5mm), the balance output (2.5mm / 4-pole), the expansion unit for the balanced output terminal
USB-DAC function * 5	44.1kHz ~ 384kHz / 16bit · 24bit · 32bit DSD 2.8MHz · 5.6MHz
Output Level	Unbalance 2.1Vrms, balance 2.3Vrms (no load)
Output impedance	Unbalanced outputs (3.5mm) 2Ω / balanced output (2.5mm) 1Ω
Frequency characteristic	± 0.053dB (20Hz ~ 20kHz imbalance and balance), ± 0.56dB (10Hz ~ 70kHz imbalance), ± 0.55dB (10Hz ~ 70kHz balance)
S / N ratio	116dB (unbalanced) / 117dB (balance) (1kHz)
Stereo crosstalk	130dB (unbalanced) / 135dB (balance) (1kHz)
THD + N	0.0008% (unbalanced) / 0.0007% (balance) (1kHz)
IMD	0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz (4: 1) imbalance / 0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz (4: 1) balance
Clock jitter	30ps (typ)
Reference clock jitter	200fs (VCXO Clock)
Physical key	Power-screen on / off, rewind, play / pause, fast forward, volume dial, metal touch sensor
Lock function	Dial volume lock (can be set from the notification bar to pull out from the upper part of the screen)
Volume control	151 step
Wifi	standard	IEEE 802.11 b / g / n (2.4GHz)
Bluetooth	Version	4.0
Profile * 6	A2DP, AVRCP
Corresponding codec	SBC, apt-X
-Enabled OS * 7	Windows 10 (32bit / 64bit), 8 / 8.1 (32bit / 64bit), 7 (32bit / 64bit), XP, Mac Os X 10.7 or more
power supply	battery	Built-in lithium polymer battery (3,400mAh / 3.7V)
Auto-off function	Auto (when there is no operation) power off, backlight off (no operation at the time), sleep timer
Charging method * 8	Charging only (when the power is turned off), charging & Play & Data Transfer
USB	shape	microUSB (5pin)
Connection method	MTP (media device) system
screen	Display	Display 4.0-inch TFT color LCD (capacitive touch screen)
resolution	WVGA (480 × 800 dots)
Size (W × H × D)	About 79.8 × about 112.4 × about 17.9 (mm)
weight	About 230g
Included items	microUSB cable, leather case, screen protective sheet x1, Back protective sheet × 1, microSD card slot cover x2, quick start guide, warranty card (body one year / accessories 90 days)
JAN	4549325015680
Model number	AK320-128GB-GM

* 1 microSD card is sold separately. It is not intended to guarantee the operation of all of the microSD card.
* 2 This is the theoretical value of if you save the playing time of 4 minutes of the file.
* 3 all volume 80, EQ off, if the screen off.
* 4 optical digital cable is sold separately.
* 5 Windows XP, 7, and is available in 8 (32bit / 64bit) MAC OS X10.7 or more. It does not correspond to the USB port 3.0. There is a case where music played by the specification of the connected equipment is interrupted. At the time of USB DAC use, it will not be able to use the optical digital output. It is not intended to guarantee the operation of all of the connected devices. Playback of DSD and high bit-rate file, you will need a separate music playback software.
* 6 maximum 96kHz / 24bit compatible (* A2DP will be the reproduction quality in the standard) does not guarantee the operation of all Bluetooth devices. Apt-x corresponding from the firmware 1.07.
* 7 MQS for the streaming function and USB-DAC function, will be the only unsupported Windows Vista OS.
* 8 Mac If you are using a PC you will need to install the file transfer software. You will be downloaded from our HP.
* 9 earphone are not included. Manual even I can be downloaded in PDF from the homepage. Is not affixed protective sheet on the screen and back.
* The above specifications are based on current information November 24, 2015. You may want to change without prior notice to improve the quality therefore please acknowledge

 

[musicday]

I had a feeling that they will be releasing a new music player so soon.
This is a never ending game as you all know.
As for me i think i rather stay with Lotoo Paw Gold and buy a 512 GB card.It will be plenty for everything.
Until something much better comes up i will not upgrade again.
Just my opinion.