[sandalaudio]

  Hi,
 
Thanks for your info.  What tool(s) would I need to fix the slightly wobbly volume wheel?  Is it an easy fix? 

 
If it's a slightly wobbly knob then I wouldn't recommend you to bother fixing it.
 
Basically you need a torx T6 driver and tweezers, and a suction cup. Similar to fixing a laptop or smartphone.
 
Don't try to wedge open the back plate. Suction cup works the best.
 
Volume knob stiffness is adjusted by the tension on the little metal spring piece (photo below), so you have to carefully take that out and bend it a bit to make it push harder.
Don't blame me if you end up breaking it. It definitely voids warranty because the back plate is stuck by double sided tape which is obvious when broken.
 
Fixing a jumpy volume register needs a bit more effort.
 

 

 

[stevemiddie]

   
If it's a slightly wobbly knob then I wouldn't recommend you to bother fixing it.
 
Basically you need a torx T6 driver and tweezers, and a suction cup. Similar to fixing a laptop or smartphone.
 
Don't try to wedge open the back plate. Suction cup works the best.
 
Volume knob stiffness is adjusted by the tension on the little metal spring piece (photo below), so you have to carefully take that out and bend it a bit to make it push harder.
Don't blame me if you end up breaking it. It definitely voids warranty because the back plate is stuck by double sided tape which is obvious when broken.
 
Fixing a jumpy volume register needs a bit more effort.
 

 

 
Brilliant!  Many thanks!  

 

[burtomr]

 
...Fixing a jumpy volume register needs a bit more effort...
 

 
While you're at it, can you please elaborate on the "bit more effort" part...
 
Thank you!

 

[sandalaudio]

   
While you're at it, can you please elaborate on the "bit more effort" part...
 
Thank you!

 
Removing the volume knob is the hard part, so you just have to be careful not to break or bend the black plastic ring that's holding the knob shaft in place. Carefully lifting up the plastic ring clips will allow the shaft to simply slide out.
 
Once that's done, the problematic rotary encoder is attached to the AK with one ribbon cable and some sticky dab so I could just disconnect the ribbon cable and lift off the encoder board.
 
Encoder is an open ALPS model (like EC05E) so I could clean it by standing it upright on the volume shaft and washing it thoroughly with IPA while rotating it around.
 
It's only been a couple of days since I did this but so far the volume response is super smooth and doesn't jump around. It will eventually happen again someday but at least it's fixable. Worst case, skilled people can swap out the encoder.
 
Anyhow AK should have been a bit more careful with the encoder, particularly on the firmware side. These little encoders are known to jump around in fast rotation, so most instrument makers have an extra software logic to avoid sudden jumps (by averaging and prediction). AK doesn't do this so the volume value just responds too abruptly.
 
Mine was so bad that rotating it continuously one way would simply cause the volume value to wander up and down and never go anywhere..
 

 

[urbino]

Has anybody encountered an intermittent crackle when using the optical out and no signal?
 
I had mine hooked up to my HA-1 via optical the other day to test something.  As long as it was playing music, everything was great.  But once it reached the end of that playlist, every 5 seconds or so I'd get a crackling noise.  Almost like the optical equivalent of a static discharge was happening.  The same crackle every time.
 
I have a cd player hooked up to the HA-1 via optical most of the time, and haven't had a similar problem, so I don't think it's the HA-1's circuitry.

 

[jwbrent]

  Has anybody encountered an intermittent crackle when using the optical out and no signal?
 
I had mine hooked up to my HA-1 via optical the other day to test something.  As long as it was playing music, everything was great.  But once it reached the end of that playlist, every 5 seconds or so I'd get a crackling noise.  Almost like the optical equivalent of a static discharge was happening.  The same crackle every time.
 
I have a cd player hooked up to the HA-1 via optical most of the time, and haven't had a similar problem, so I don't think it's the HA-1's circuitry.

This is a long shot, but have you tried moving your 240 to a different area? They are sensitive to RF and EMI, and perhaps a different placement may help.

 

[urbino]

 
This is a long shot, but have you tried moving your 240 to a different area? They are sensitive to RF and EMI, and perhaps a different placement may help.

 
Really?  Huh.  I wouldn't have expected that.  I'll give it a try, although there's only so far I can move it, given the length of the optical cable.

 

[chawya22]

It seems that 1.29 has broken the DAC functionality for my Mac running El Capitan 10.11.2. Flac files (16/44.1) and WAV files (24/96) crackle and pop like an old vinyl recording. Any DSD files either play but over a constant hiss that's almost at the same level as the music content or won't play at all but with the same, very loud hiss background. I haven't tried any lossy files. My Audio software is Audirvana plus 2.3.3. I tried juggling Audirvana's Audio System settings but with no improvement. I noticed the maximum sampling rate for the AK240 in DAC mode, as displayed in Audirvana, is 353 and all DSD settings are greyed out. I don't remember if that was different in FWs prior to 1.29. I also tried to play around with the Audio Midi setup in OS X but again, no improvement. My ifi iDSD micro functions the same as it always has, so I don't think El Capitan is to blame.
 
 
Update: Seems I listed the wrong FW version. Corrected.
 
I sent an email to Jimmy Moon at iRiver with the above post. I don't know if he still works for iRiver or not. Probably an exercise in futility. I may try to call but that's definitely an exercise in futility.    

 

[Saraguie]

  It seems that 2.4 has broken the DAC functionality for my Mac running El Capitan 10.11.2. Flac files (16/44.1) and WAV files (24/96) crackle and pop like an old vinyl recording. Any DSD files either play but over a constant hiss that's almost at the same level as the music content or won't play at all but with the same, very loud hiss background. I haven't tried any lossy files. My Audio software is Audirvana plus 2.3.3. I tried juggling Audirvana's Audio System settings but with no improvement. I noticed the maximum sampling rate for the AK240 in DAC mode, as displayed in Audirvana, is 353 and all DSD settings are greyed out. I don't remember if that was different in FWs prior to 2.4. I also tired to play around with the Audio Midi setup in OS X but again, no improvement. My ifi iDSD micro functions the same as it always has, so I don't think El Capitan is to blame.     

     This is why I'm hesitant to update from 1.15.  I want to since I install every single other update for my electronics.

 

[jwbrent]

  It seems that 2.4 has broken the DAC functionality for my Mac running El Capitan 10.11.2. Flac files (16/44.1) and WAV files (24/96) crackle and pop like an old vinyl recording. Any DSD files either play but over a constant hiss that's almost at the same level as the music content or won't play at all but with the same, very loud hiss background. I haven't tried any lossy files. My Audio software is Audirvana plus 2.3.3. I tried juggling Audirvana's Audio System settings but with no improvement. I noticed the maximum sampling rate for the AK240 in DAC mode, as displayed in Audirvana, is 353 and all DSD settings are greyed out. I don't remember if that was different in FWs prior to 2.4. I also tired to play around with the Audio Midi setup in OS X but again, no improvement. My ifi iDSD micro functions the same as it always has, so I don't think El Capitan is to blame.     

Well, that's not good to hear. Hopefully, others too will bring this to the attention of A&K and a fix will be in the offing.

 

[chawya22]

 

     This is why I'm hesitant to update from 1.15.  I want to since I install every single other update for my electronics.

 
 

 
Well, that's not good to hear. Hopefully, others too will bring this to the attention of A&K and a fix will be in the offing.

It's not that I really use it as a DAC that often, that's why it took a while to discover it was broken. I have 2 other dedicated DACs and my Calyx M is a very capable DAP that also functions as a 384 DAC. I also have a DX90 that, at one point, was a passable Mac DAC. It's just disheartening that a device (a premium device) now doesn't function as it once did. iBasso FW update architecture is superior and more user friendly. If you don't like iBasso DX90 FW 2.4.0 (current) just load up whatever previous FW that works for you. From what I understand, you are locked into the FW you last installed, with the AK240. Maybe A&K will fix the existing problem. I'm still surprised that they give such timely FW support to keep us elderly AK240 owners current. Three quarters Kudos.

     

 

[wldcohso]

Hello, I need your help..... I'm purchasing an AK240 from someone and he mentioned the volume Knob isn't precise and I have to adjust the volume on the screen for better precision.. Is this a known issue with the AK240?

 

[ozzymo]

Yes that is an extremely common issue with the rotary encoder that controls the volume.  I've sent mine to Vinnie twice already to install a new encoder.  I'm getting ready to send it in to him a third time to replace the rotary encoder yet again.  That is probably the main reason to have your AK240 modded.  You can deal with Vinnie when it comes to repairs.  Dealing with Astell & Kern, well good luck hearing back from them.  I wish I could find another DAP that meets all my needs like the AK240 and never have to deal with all these A&K issues, but I can't seem to find one that I like as much.  

 

[wldcohso]

It appears the warranty for the RWAK240 is only for the original owner. Guess I'll have to keep saving up for it.... Bummer

 

[chawya22]

 

     This is why I'm hesitant to update from 1.15.  I want to since I install every single other update for my electronics.

 
 

 
Well, that's not good to hear. Hopefully, others too will bring this to the attention of A&K and a fix will be in the offing.

As posted yesterday, I sent an email to Jimmy Moon, describing the problem I was having. This morning I received a reply back, stating that he would forward the problem to the R&D team.