[Steve58]

   
 

I can say without reservation that the Beyerdynamics DT1350 could be an awsome pairing for your situation it is for me anyway, albeit they are not IEM's. They almost totally isolate and sound great . May not work if you are a full bass head, but the quality and deep reach of the bass is awsome for me.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

It's not the DAP's fault that you are (trying) to listen in a noisy environment like outside. You need some very isolating earphones like silicone CIEMs or Full Cup Headphones.

I share the same sentiement and I feel the balance output of the AK240 will help to give a fuller sound.

I live in one of the most congested and noise polluted cities. I will be getting my first pair of CIEM hoping to battle/isolate the outside noise without damaging my hearing. If this doesnt work, I will have to re-think about how much to spend on portable gear.

 

[tyojpn]

I just changed the ear tip of my S-EM6 from silicone to form type, this increased the seal as well as bass out of AK120 + S-EM6. 
Not so bad. (treble is rolled off though)
 
FYI very recently I tried sony ZX-1 at crowded store and ZX-1 does provide more bass than AK120, resulting, to my ears, it was more comfortable to listen to at the noisy place.
 
ZX-1 sounds more like "portable" as opposed to AK120 more like real audio, and I know some people don't like ZX-1 approach.
However it should depend on the situation of usage to tell which is better.
 
Once again I am very curious how AK240 will sound when carried around.

 

[harmonix]

  I just changed the ear tip of my S-EM6 from silicone to form type, this increased the seal as well as bass out of AK120 + S-EM6. 
Not so bad. (treble is rolled off though)
 
FYI very recently I tried sony ZX-1 at crowded store and ZX-1 does provide more bass than AK120, resulting, to my ears, it was more comfortable to listen to at the noisy place.
 
ZX-1 sounds more like "portable" as opposed to AK120 more like real audio, and I know some people don't like ZX-1 approach.
However it should depend on the situation of usage to tell which is better.
 
Once again I am very curious how AK240 will sound when carried around.

 
When someone says "sounds like a portable" that means to me it sounds like sh$% - is that what you meant?
 
Also not sure what is mean by the AK120 being more like "real audio"?  
From purely a DAC point of view didn't think the AK120 was that impressive Meridian Explorer sounded better. 

 

[Mython]

  If this is portable it is supposed to be used outside with so many surrounding noises.
 
So far I own AK120 and it is certainly better than iPhone 5S at least but its sound sig is so flat... in my room that's OK but when outside I feel bass is lacking.
 
I am curious how 240 is going to be but if AK sticks to their flat sound sig personally I feel that is not really suitable for portable use.

 
Maybe Hidition's NT6-Pro might suit your tastes, when using your AK120 out-&-about.
 
Not really fair to blame the DAP (be it AK120 or AK240) for having a flat sound sig'.
 
 

---

 

[Mimouille]

I also significantly prefer the ZX1 over the AK120, but the AK120 might pair better with brighter iems. The ZX1 has a larger airier soundstage and more clarity. The Ak120 is smoother overall though, never sounding fatiguing. This is all only my opinion and I wonder what the sound sig of the AK240 will be like.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I want the Sony so I can compare.

 

[greenmac]

The Mail on Sunday Event magazine has a small piece in gadgets unveiled at the CES which includes a comment and picture of the AK240.

"High resolution portable audio played with 256GB on internal memory, dual core processor and 3.31 in touchscreen. Expect stunning sound quality - and a price of around £2,500"

Enjoy

Greenmac

 

[bmichels]

Connect the AK240 to their next Integrated Amp, and you have a 10.000 $ solution ? 
 

 

[tyojpn]

   
When someone says "sounds like a portable" that means to me it sounds like sh$% - is that what you meant?
 
Also not sure what is mean by the AK120 being more like "real audio"?  
From purely a DAC point of view didn't think the AK120 was that impressive Meridian Explorer sounded better. 

 
I checked both websites of Sony and AK.
 
AK is saying they made AK120 to sound very exact and neutral.
 
Very interestingly, Sony is also saying that they tried their best to keep the sound of ZX1 exact and neutral.
However they also clearly state that they made ZX1 to sound ideal with IEM or closed type full-size headphones because this DAP is portable, to be used outside.
I suspect, this may be the reason why ZX1 sounds a little more "punchy".
 
Well both are portable anyway but ZX1 seems to be more optimized towards portable usage... is what I wanted to say, and indeed, ZX1 might sound better than AK120 depending on surrounding noise and the headphones being used. (and vice versa)

 

[bmichels]

   
I checked both websites of Sony and AK.
 
AK is saying they made AK120 to sound very exact and neutral.
 
Very interestingly, Sony is also saying that they tried their best to keep the sound of ZX1 exact and neutral.
However they also clearly state that they made ZX1 to sound ideal with IEM or closed type full-size headphones because this DAP is portable, to be used outside.
I suspect, this may be the reason why ZX1 sounds a little more "punchy".
 
Well both are portable anyway but ZX1 seems to be more optimized towards portable usage... is what I wanted to say, and indeed, ZX1 might sound better than AK120 depending on surrounding noise and the headphones being used. (and vice versa)

 
Well, for me a DAP without any capacity possibility (limited to 128 Gb) is a NO NO.....
 
Come on SONY, add one (or two)  MicroSD slot or... make a 256 Gb version (minimum)...

 

[PLA01]

If this is a ak100 or ak120 question, please ask in the appropriate thread.

AK120 with firmware version 1.37, same thing happened with firmware version 1.33.

 

[bmichels]

HELP..... Am I afraid to verse into the obscure side of the Force (to get a AK240) !! 
 
But before, I will need to get answers on 2 important questions:
 
 
 
- WHY did A&K changed from  Wolfson  to Cirrus Logic  ??  Vinnie seems to say that the Cirrus Logic CS4398 is not as good sounding as the Wolfson WM8740. They could have go to the Wolfson WM8741 that Vinnie uses in its Mods and that supports also natively DSD ?  Any idea for this change of supplier ? 
 
 
 
- DOES it offer a "real line out" or not ?  (not just the "headphone out set to max volume" ! A real line out need to bypass the headphone amp stage and some other stuff like Vinnie explain here).  May be this strange box that was used at CES to connect the AK240 to their prototype integrated AMP is a "real line out" ??
 
 

 

[Bluebear]

  - WHY did A&K changed from  Wolfson  to Cirrus Logic  ??  Vinnie seems to say that the Cirrus Logic CS4398 is not as good sounding as the Wolfson WM8740. They could have go to the Wolfson WM8741 that Vinnie uses in its Mods and that supports also natively DSD ?  Any idea for this change of supplier ? 
 
 
 
- DOES it offer a "real line out" or not ?  (not just the "headphone out set to max volume" ! A real line out need to bypass the headphone amp stage and some other stuff like Vinnie explain here).  May be this strange box that was used at CES to connect the AK240 to their prototype integrated AMP is a "real line out" ??

 
I believe the one advantage mentioned earlier is that CS4398 or Cirrus Logic DAC is more energy efficient and consumes less battery life, thereby extending the usage time of the DAP per charge. However, I think someone also mentioned earlier that Cirrus Logic ends up sounding much more mellow than Wolfson due to its more conservative energy consumption level.
 
How is that adapter thing going to bypass the headphone amp stage if it is connected to the AK240 through its headphone out or some output that is not line level out? There is no way it can magically skip the headphone amp stage circuitry like that.

 

[jamato8]

 
 
- WHY did A&K changed from  Wolfson  to Cirrus Logic  ??  Vinnie seems to say that the Cirrus Logic CS4398 is not as good sounding as the Wolfson WM8740. They could have go to the Wolfson WM8741 that Vinnie uses in its Mods and that supports also natively DSD ?  Any idea for this change of supplier ? 

Good question and pretty much answered above. The CS4398 is cheap and uses less current. The 8741 consumes too much power for most portable applications if you are going to have an amp in the same portable. The 4398 is not thought highly off with regards to higher end sound. Now put that into a 2400 dollars DAP and I wonder who had their hand in the implementation because I doubt they were going for the best sound. You find the CS4398 in much cheaper equipment, generally.