[Scorpion667]

  Did somebody on this forum A/B AK240 and ZX1?  Are they in the same league and is it worth it $2500 to upgrade?

ZX1 has weaker amp section as per forum posts in the device thread.
 
AK240 has more features such as balanced output (which can have a large impact on SQ depending on which headphone/IEM you're using) and native DSD playback.
 
I am buying a ZX1 in a couple of weeks so I'll try to get some AB testing done with the AK240. I'll let you know.

 

[bmichels]

Now that many happy one have had their 240, could you please gentleman tell us wich full size Headphone have the best synergy with the INTERNAL AK240's Amp ? 
 
I read that the HD800 BALANCED is very good (to me it is quite a surprise considering how picky the HD800 is), but what about the other TOL headphones ? 
 
AlphaDOG ? TH-900 ? SigPRO ? ...

 

[dallan]

I listened at the meet extended and both the sig pros and ed8 sounded very good on the ak240. Escaped without one by the skin of my teeth. Still have to save another month or two.

 

[jwbrent]

Hi all,
 
I was wondering if anyone familiar with the Viablue 3.5mm small plug knows the metric size of the hex screw it uses. I'm building a cable to use with my 240, just got in one of these connectors, but none of my hex wrenches fit.
 
Thanks for any replies ...

 

[jwbrent]

  Hi all,
 
I was wondering if anyone familiar with the Viablue 3.5mm small plug knows the metric size of the hex screw it uses. I'm building a cable to use with my 240, just got in one of these connectors, but none of my hex wrenches fit.
 
Thanks for any replies ...

 
Hey teds headfood,
 
Thanks for letting me know the screw is 1.5mm.

 

[Saraguie]

I just ordered a balanced silver cable for the Mentors to use with the balanced out of the 240 from Ted's Headfood to replace the stock cable. I'm not big into cables but I am hoping I can hear a diff. The 240 sounds so good with SE I am hoping to get a little extra in balanced mode.
 
I'm happy to not have to fool around with adaptors and just be able to plug in directly to the AK. I'll have on Tuesday and let you all know.

 

[jwbrent]

Hi everyone,
 
rudi is so excited by his Opus 3 DSD recordings that I thought I would provide links to free DSD downloads. Keep in mind you have to create an account to access these downloads from these sites except for the first one:
 
http://oppodigital.com/hra/dsd-by-davidelias.aspx
 
- there are 4 songs here that were recorded in pure DSD, no PCM conversion. Interestingly, 3 of the 4 recordings were recorded where I live at a studio that I didn't even know existed.
 
http://bluecoastrecords.com/home
 
- this company is based near San Francisco and does pure DSD recordings. The free downloads link leads to a page that has a couple dozen downloads.
 
http://dsd-guide.com
 
- there are 4 free downloads here. This site is also good for those who want to know more about the technical aspects of DSD recordings.
 
http://audiogate.bluecoastrecords.com
 
- 3 songs here free to download.
 
Most of the music would be classified as folk rock, although there are other genres as well. Enjoy!

 

[jwbrent]

one more ... now you can hear what rudi is so excited about. Opus 3 double DSD!
 
http://shop.dsdfile.com/2013/01/15/opus3-dsd-showcase-1-5-6mhz-coming-soon/

 

[kh600rr]

So I've had a curious thing happen, 4 times I tried loading a 24/96 AIFF file onto the AK-240,"Miles Davis -Bitches Brew", only 2 of the songs would play, the rest would be all static. I converted it to WAV, it took it no problem, and I got all my album art. The AIFF file plays perfect in Foobar& media monkey. No idea what the issue is, with the AK-240.

 

[jwbrent]

So I've had a curious thing happen, 4 times I tried loading a 24/96 AIFF file onto the AK-240,"Miles Davis -Bitches Brew", only 2 of the songs would play, the rest would be all static. I converted it to WAV, it took it no problem, and I got all my album art. The AIFF file plays perfect in Foobar& media monkey. No idea what the issue is, with the AK-240.

 
Hi kh,
 
Wow, that's strange. I don't have any AIFF files on my 240, so I can't confirm whether this is an issue with the current firmware or not. For now, of course, just convert the album to ALAC—I have no problems playing any of my ALAC files.

 

[kh600rr]

Just ordered my Duet from moon Audio, I'll be home next week.. It should be a great pairing with the AK-240

 

[warrenpchi]

this cheap price is insulting, we need a 5K DAP, can iRiver skip AK360 and proceed straight to AK480 costing 4800$?

 
Originally Posted by willyvlyminck /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I am waiting for the AK 480 at 4800 Euro

 
Originally Posted by eso6686 /img/forum/go_quote.gif we will got all that in the upcoming AK480...lol

 
Originally Posted by CosmicHolyGhost /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Cant wait until they release AK480 next year.

 
Um... you guys... http://www.head-fi.org/t/712487/new-astell-kern-ak480-music-player 

 

[Buddhahacker]

   
Um... you guys... http://www.head-fi.org/t/712487/new-astell-kern-ak480-music-player 

I just pre-ordered mine. 

 

[my-2000]

Um... you guys... http://www.head-fi.org/t/712487/new-astell-kern-ak480-music-player  :blink:

Hats off to A&K for being such a pro money milker.

 

[nles]

Just got mine 2 days ago. Currently busy with work just drop a few music files in there. Listening to DSD files is pure joy.

My 335dw is still in production, I wonder should I get a balanced cable