[Somphon]

Is it just me or does the balanced output seem to give an impression of a smaller soundstage? Any helpful inputs? Not really interested in troll answers but I've been trying diff tracks and now and then balanced seems more intimate and more concentrated in the center?
I'm using UM Merlin which has quite a wide soundstage..so using back the regular 3.5 it seems to widen by a lot.

 i'm not technical person but from listening experience, balance gives darker background which can make you think it has less soundstage when previous listening from unbalance. what you thought was wider soundstage from 3.5mm could be the ground noise giving that wide soundstage 'feel'. 

 

[AlanYWM]

Hmm I will have to try my other iem.. Seems when I go balanced the sound is more compact in the center with a sprinkle of details at the side.. It does have a black background but yeah.. What iems are you using? Could it be the cable? I'm using an female 2.5 to 3.5 adapter for the balanced plug to plug into the 3.5 so I don't have to carry and unplug my merlin repeatedly..

 
Cable does play a difference, in my opinion. Not just the cable with the iem but also the adapter. Wherever possible, I prefer to connect the AK240 with a dedicated cable terminated with a 2.5mm TRRS connector for best result. However, if you are using a good quality adapter, then I see no problem.

 

[shotgunshane]

Hmm I will have to try my other iem.. Seems when I go balanced the sound is more compact in the center with a sprinkle of details at the side.. It does have a black background but yeah.. What iems are you using? Could it be the cable? I'm using an female 2.5 to 3.5 adapter for the balanced plug to plug into the 3.5 so I don't have to carry and unplug my merlin repeatedly..

UERM and Legend R mostly. If you've not listened balanced before, give it some time to adjust. My first balanced experience with with a solo/duet stack. At first blush I thought connecting the 2 pieces balanced was reducing bass but that was just a psychological affect from the wider stereo effect and my brain eventually adjusted. Not saying that's the case here, just offering a possible suggestion. Then again, it could just be how the merlin reacts to balanced wiring.

 

[ddaktiv]

UERM and Legend R mostly. If you've not listened balanced before, give it some time to adjust. My first balanced experience with with a solo/duet stack. At first blush I thought connecting the 2 pieces balanced was reducing bass but that was just a psychological affect from the wider stereo effect and my brain eventually adjusted. Not saying that's the case here, just offering a possible suggestion. Then again, it could just be how the merlin reacts to balanced wiring.

Thanks, I didn't have this impression (smaller soundstage) last time from my Shures (in balanced mode w ak240) so I'm kinda weirded out. Merlins on balanced: bass seems deeper but the rest of the frequency seems compacted.. At least width and height seems better on the 3.5. Though that's based on not so hi-res tracks.. Some better recorded tracks do sound good. Just so far it seems consistency of sound stage width and overall eveness in clarity seems better rendered by the 3.5 out.
So far my Merlins are only a month+ old so maybe that's another culprit?
Haven't tried the balanced mode on my duet yet, but ak240 + duet is one of the best things I've heard so far. I don't get any irritating floor noise plus the goodies you'd expect from amping without blowing an eardrum.

 

[flkin]

..

And I am not a AK hater. I would buy the SS just because I like the color, but could bet my left testicle my RWAK240 sounds better.

 
Only if your left testicle was stainless steel

 

[flkin]

Hi guys
 
I decided to RWAK+ my AK240 including the line-out. Opted for the 3.5mm TTRS balanced version line-out with the view to play to my home system. 
 
Can anyone recommend what 3-pin, dual XLR cable to get for this line-out and whether it's still necessary to use the SE ground? I see the Chaperone offered, can anyone comment on it's performance?
 
Thanks!

 

[flkin]

Another questions with the RWAK+ mod:
 
Does the RWA mods improve the sound of the new line-out? If NO, then which will sound better: 
 
1. Original BAL out that benefits from the mods. Or
2. New BAL line-out that doesn't benefit from the mods but bypasses the headphone circuitry?
 
Trying to figure out how to connect to home system,
 
Thanks!

 

[DrSheep]

SQ should improve with the true line out bypass, and I think the second option should be better for your setup.

 

[onlychild]

Definitely go with option 2.  Thats what I have though I'm not feeding my home system, but rather portable balanced amps (RSA Lightning, RXMK3b+, Duet). 
 
The first time I had the "+" mod done, I had Vinnie install a 2.5mm TRRS instead of his usual 3.5mm TRRS thinking I could use some of the balanced cables that are already available for the stock AK240.  This allowed me to swap back and forth between the stock balanced out and the RWA true line out (TLO) both times using an amp and the same interconnect.
 
I noticed a few things improve with the TLO.  It was definitely more clear then the stock balanced out, but the thing that I noticed most was that the music seemed faster coming out of the TLO.  Before I got the mod done, when I used an amp from stock 2.5mm and compared it to the the the ak240 without an amp, I actually preferred the sound of the ak240 without amp with my Roxannes.  The music was slower and hazy when I used an amp.  Once I had the mod done, it was like listening to the stock ak240, but all aspects of the sound were improved. It no longer felt slow and hazy when fed through an amp.  I think the slowness probably has to do with all the circuits and caps the sound has to go through before even getting to the amp.
 
If your primary use for the TLO will be for your home system, then consider having Vinnie install a 2.5mm TRRS instead of a 3.5mm TRRS since then you can use AK balance cable or the Crystal cable, or DHC's.   I had mine swapped from the 2.5 to the 3.5 since my system is all portable and I couldn't find any right angle 2.5mm TRRS plugs.  The right angle makes carrying it around amped easier, but shouldn't be a problem for home use.

 

[flkin]

That may be a good idea to have the True Line Out 2.5mm rather than 3.5mm.
 
Vinnie says to use the earth from the SE while using the TLO so its probably safer to have 2 different size plugs rather than both 3.5mm.
 
Also if earth is necessary and to use the TLO, then the square AK plugs and balance XLR cable can't be used. What other cable options are there for playing from the RWAK240 TLO to XLR balance home systems?
 
Thanks.

 

[bmichels]

This has been advertised as "soon" since a while by A&K, but now, with the AK240...it is possible to stream from QOBUZ ?   And is it also possible to purchase/download from QOBUZ ? 
 
and: has someone been able to compare the SQ of the AK240 to the AK500n desktop server ? (I mean as a DAC and also as a Headphone amp)
 
 (they use the exact same DAC chips while the AK500 is 4X more expensive)
 
thanks

 

[hemtmaker]

I would argue that because the background is darker, the instruments are better defined and therefore the sense of soundstage should be larger

 i'm not technical person but from listening experience, balance gives darker background which can make you think it has less soundstage when previous listening from unbalance. what you thought was wider soundstage from 3.5mm could be the ground noise giving that wide soundstage 'feel'. 

 

[vincentm66]

Hi all,
 
Im the new owner of an A&K 240 and I need to buy a closed headphones with it (have tried different IEM but dont like them - Shure 846 / Westone 60 / Shure 535 red...).
 
Right now I have a PS1000 but to take the plane or the train its not really the best headphones,I was interested with the Beyerdynamic T1 or T5p.
 
Now Id prefer to purchase the T1 but Im afraid it will decrease the battery faster than with the T5p (600 ohms vs 32ohms), can someone let me know how faster the T& will consume the battery vs the T5p when listening same files / same volumes or more?
 
Cheers
 
Vincent

 

[ALRAINBOW]

The foster th900 is a very good closed can. And works well worth the ak240. It's very close to the level of a hd800 csn. Very nice but not cheap

 

[y2jdmbfan]

Safe to update to 1.18? On 1.15 but heard some conflicting information regarding sound quality issues when moving up from 1.15.
 
Thanks guys!