[Decreate]

  I want to share my "discovery".
All my Apple lossless files created with iTunes from a CD, when it was brought to the AK120, the covers don't appear on. I put the cover on the entire album (and so appeared on all tracks). The cover appears on iTunes but also on some players Mac (Audirvana, Vox, etc.) without problems. But not on AK120.
I've tried to include the cover (taking it from a JPG file) one track at a time: so the cover is displayed smoothly on the AK120.
Do you have similar experiences?

I had the same problem as well...what I do now is that I rip my CDs with itunes and use iriver's software to put album covers on the tracks. Just have to make sure the resolution of the album cover files are lower than 500x500.

 

[Imod]

  AK120-S Mod and T1 amp is just sick ....

RWAK120-B + SR-71B + HD800 is also sick

 

[ACRONYNJA]

Firmware 1.37 seems to have, as default, pro EQ turned on, or a setting that's very close to it.

 

[ianmedium]

Would you say your ASP-TU6 is on the brighter side? Makes me wonder if our amps could be playing a roll in that? I had read somewhere that either the TU-05 or 06 are bright amps? Is this true?

In many ways the 05 is not a tube sounding amp! Gavin who has just got the 06 to compliment his 05 says the 06 is more like the traditional tube sound. The 05 to my ears is a really clean open window but at the same time with zero grain and inky black background. Having listened quite a lot to Nagra tube amps my feeling is that the 05 and Nagra are very very similar bedfellows in terms of sound reproduction.

This is not to say that at any point one would think the 05 is a solid state amp as it has that natural organic nature to its sound that only the best tube amps can create I feel.

 

[flaco]

Does anyone of you guys use the AK120 as a USB-DAC regularly ? If so, what are your experiences with it ? 

 

[spkrs01]

I do regularly when travelling....with JRiver 19 and the Fidelizer app., sounds awesome on my Sony T.

 

[darinf]

  Does anyone of you guys use the AK120 as a USB-DAC regularly ? If so, what are your experiences with it ? 

Yes, I use it as a USB DAC all the time with JRiver Media Center and Out Of Your Head. I can drive my HD800's and mostly IEMs/CEIMs really well. It's a great portable solution for watching movies in surround sound on my laptop too.

 

[flaco]

Good to know that I am not the only one . Im connecting it to my O2 amp, soundquality is excellent. Cant wait to listen to it with my new SE 5-way next month.

 

[Sam Edwards]

Hey Nikit,
AFIK the only file format that supports album art is flac. There's a pretty detailed discussion of the AK120 for mac users here...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/680929/the-astell-kern-ak120-for-mac-users/15#post_10005945

 

[lee730]

In many ways the 05 is not a tube sounding amp! Gavin who has just got the 06 to compliment his 05 says the 06 is more like the traditional tube sound. The 05 to my ears is a really clean open window but at the same time with zero grain and inky black background. Having listened quite a lot to Nagra tube amps my feeling is that the 05 and Nagra are very very similar bedfellows in terms of sound reproduction.

This is not to say that at any point one would think the 05 is a solid state amp as it has that natural organic nature to its sound that only the best tube amps can create I feel.

 
Good to hear. I am planning on purchasing a TU-05 in the future . I did revert back to 1.37 to try give it another shot and its still a no go for me. Just something very special about 1.32 to me. Particularly in the treble and sound staging presentation. Just sounds more real. Like you are there live.

 

[Sam Edwards]

Hey Lee,
If you're interested in a TU-05 sometime in the future you should probably order sooner rather than later. It takes about three months for orders to be filled.

 

[ianmedium]

Good to hear. I am planning on purchasing a TU-05 in the future . I did revert back to 1.37 to try give it another shot and its still a no go for me. Just something very special about 1.32 to me. Particularly in the treble and sound staging presentation. Just sounds more real. Like you are there live.

No worries Lee. Thats one of the things I like about music reproduction, we all have our own unique ways to get the most from it, no right or wrong. I am, it has to be said, a bit of a fan of the TU-05...Oh who am I kidding, it has changed the landscape of how I listen on headphones.

To think it is all hand made by one man who stands 100% by his work and I feel is somewhat of a genius in designing and building tube amps. Part of that genius was the types of tubes he uses, really cheap compared to the normal tubes used in amps and on the whole ultra reliable being NOS military radio tubes.

I just swapped over my 3S4's tonight for some vintage mil-spec Ken-Rad's, incredible detail retrieval in combination with the Brimar's and deadly quiet to boot!

 

[mertahmet]

I want this monster

 

[stvc]

I just got my RWAK120-B but I'm having some problem with the player when I press backward button or drag to fast forward it had no sound, press pause then press play again and it back to normal, anyone having the similar issue? Thanks in advance.

 

[kerrys30]

yes - i have this.  Also have RWAK120-B but I cant rmember if experienced when stock AK120 or not.