[ButtUglyJeff]

Quote:

I'd be pretty pissed off if I was an AK120 owner right about now. 
 
The difference between the units has now been pretty much reduced to an extra dac, for almost twice the price.
 
I'm certainly not denying the SQ is improved in the newer device, however it's value has just taken one more solid kick to the nuts!  

 
...which may be why A&K didn't give the features to begin with?

 

[AlanYWM]

Quote:

 
I'm certainly not denying the SQ is improved in the newer device, however it's value has just taken one more solid kick to the nuts!  

 
 Ouch! That must have hurt real bad 

 

[bmichels]

At least I would have like to have a twice bigger screen on the AK120

 

[snapple10]

Some will still pay the 2x cost , with just a different case or the most minute change
The value individuals place on what each wants, will determine what each is willing to pay

 

[CraftyClown]

Quote:

Some will still pay the 2x cost , with just a different case or the most minute change
The value individuals place on what each wants, will determine what each is willing to pay

 
Absolutely. We are all audiophiles here and ultimately we will pay whatever it takes (within reason) to get the sound we desire. However this little revelation doesn't paint I-River in the greatest light.
 
Maybe I'm just an old cynic, but the fact the new improved unit's firmware appears to work so seamlessly with the older cheaper unit, gives the impression they were always holding back on the potential of the AK100 in an attempt to charge as much as possible when they released the fully featured AK120. 

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

If gapless was available on the AK100 sooner, my money would have most likely been placed on one, instead of a CLAS db....

 

[Trendin]

Absolutely. We are all audiophiles here and ultimately we will pay whatever it takes (within reason) to get the sound we desire. However this little revelation doesn't paint I-River in the greatest light.

Maybe I'm just an old cynic, but the fact the new improved unit's firmware appears to work so seamlessly with the older cheaper unit, gives the impression they were always holding back on the potential of the AK100 in an attempt to charge as much as possible when they released the fully featured AK120. 

I think you are totally right, they saw $ and lots of potential after the release of the ak100.. Why fix a product when you can charge twice for the same bug releases..


I just wonder how the russian guy got it to work as the hardware isnt thexsame and he didn't have the source code.

 

[snapple10]

Agree
I was just adding another angle
I have knowingly paid more , with other factors playing a part, for stuff


to open or not
to open my AK100, that is the question

 

[ilpicchio]

I'm Italian. I have just tried russian firmware. It  works very well with gapless. Thank you Very Very Very much

 

[Fatalethal]

im going to try this russian firmware mod on my Gold Dust.

 

[kkcc]

Quote:

I think you are totally right, they saw $ and lots of potential after the release of the ak100.. Why fix a product when you can charge twice for the same bug releases..


I just wonder how the russian guy got it to work as the hardware isnt thexsame and he didn't have the source code.

 
I was naively thinking maybe a hex editor changing some device name or model number might do the trick when I first saw the AK120 1.00 firmware but seems there are more to that and the russians FTW!
 
I think my AK100 resell value just rebounded significantly   while at the same time my AK120 feels even more expensive tho we all knew it'd be a matter of time the software features will be "synchonised", not unlike the android ROMs
 
Hopefully this will send a strong signal to AK/iriver that they'd actually gain more customers/market if they had opened up more instead of getting totally embarrassed.

 

[Mimouille]

I think iriver cares nothing for 50 headfi customers when their products are selling like hotcakes in Korea and Japan, which is to say they are selling thousands...they have proved it repeatedly....

 

[Fatalethal]

just got it working on mine;
 
main difference is the very very full bodied vocals, vocal and bass depth.

and now im confused bcoz i cant conduct A/B test but... issit me or the soundstaging and imaging improved quite a bit? (it isnt a tremendous difference but i felt so)

 

[vladzakhar]

I am testing the patch as of now and can confirm, it's working. Gapless is working. Only once it didn't. And I tried the same spot the second time and it was working. SQ wise, if I turn the pro eq on, it is lauder and seems like more mids. I think, everything else, like sounstage, bass and highs are the same.

 

[InfiniteGene]

Quote:

just got it working on mine;
 
main difference is the very very full bodied vocals, vocal and bass depth.

and now im confused bcoz i cant conduct A/B test but... issit me or the soundstaging and imaging improved quite a bit? (it isnt a tremendous difference but i felt so)

yours is gold ed, cannot compare with stock black ed...