[Levanter]

Matt,

Yes - I experience the issue you describe every once in awhile. The first AK100 I had would display the error about every third time I turned it on.

IRiver acknowledged the problem and said they are working on the issue.

The new unit I have now has booted up and both 32G cards didn't show up maybe 3 times in the month I've had it. The remedy is to turn the unit off and then back on - the cards should show up and work normally.

I've also experienced the issue when listening to a long passage (longer than say 25 minutes) - usually a classical piece I'm listening to. The unit will freeze for a few seconds and then I'll get a message telling me the song I've selected isn't available and both cards disappear. That's happened once.

I'm hoping they fix the issue soon.

Thanks!

That's good to hear -- I was freaking out when it first happened, I thought there's a hardware failure or something...
Yeah, hopefully they'll fix the issue on the next firmware update.

I have only experienced the not detecting the sd card is when I removed the sd card from the device and reinserted it back in.

I have never experienced any hanging or loss of detection while the AK100 is in the midst of operation or when turning it on before though.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

   
 
I would have to agree 100%, i have heard the MK2 as well.
 
but i think that they have did a specific EQ on the MK2 instead of "just reducing to 3ohm output impedance". Hence, i shall wait for Listrid to come back with a mod for MK1 with MK2 settings

Quite possible, the OI by itself should not have changed the sound by a large margin I think.
 
Impression beside the sound is fairly the same. Same UI, same volume control although the box is bigger and it came with its own leather case. The Astell & Kern logo on the bottom right in the front of the case is a little nice touch making it more classy.

 

[eskimo]

Sorry if i missed it, but is there a fix to the mp3 chopping at the end of tracks? Highly annoying as some of my music isn't available is lossless or CDs

 

[Shakenbake158]

Would you guys consider purchasing the MK I with the MK II out? Is it worth it, or should I just go for the MK II?

 

[Arekusei]

I don't what exactly has been changed in Mark 2, so I bought an rwak - a modified Mark 1.

 

[Fatalethal]

  Would you guys consider purchasing the MK I with the MK II out? Is it worth it, or should I just go for the MK II?

 
Go for the MKII. you will not regret.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

Sorry if i missed it, but is there a fix to the mp3 chopping at the end of tracks? Highly annoying as some of my music isn't available is lossless or CDs

 
I'm not sure. I remember a few discussions regarding chopping up of some files but have not heard of the fix.
 

   
Go for the MKII. you will not regret.

 
+1, the difference I think is that worth it.

 

[MistahBungle]

Have been picking my way through the thread the past two days, seems the MP3 issue applies to VBR files (there's an explanation why somewhere in the thread), and no, there doesn't seem to be a fix at this point.

 

[eskimo]

Have been picking my way through the thread the past two days, seems the MP3 issue applies to VBR files (there's an explanation why somewhere in the thread), and no, there doesn't seem to be a fix at this point.

hmm interesting.

I'll see if i can dig something out when i have time, there's allot of posts!

Thanks for the effort dude

 

[mcluzar]

  Would you guys consider purchasing the MK I with the MK II out? Is it worth it, or should I just go for the MK II?

 
I went for the AK100 Mk II after trying out both the Mk II and Mk I.
For me, it's worth the extra money and you get nice extras like 2x 32GB microSD cards and the Buttero leather case.

 

[MistahBungle]

No worries It was between now & end July working backwards (which is where I was up to last night) so that narrows it down just a tiny bit.

hmm interesting.

I'll see if i can dig something out when i have time, there's allot of posts!

Thanks for the effort dude

More generally, took possession of the AK100 Mk II today, wonderful device it is. Had the good fortune to audition/A>>B both variants + the AK120 (which I didn't have the dough for), and found the 100 Mk I required greater volume to get the same output with my 1964Ears V3's, also mids/highs tended to sound a bit 'veiled'/lacking just a bit in definition to my ears. Clearly the impedance thing at play, which became more obvious when I listened to the same music (various bitrate 16/44 FLAC's: ~700kbs-1000kbps) with the 100 Mk II. No such dramas with the Mk II, clear as a bell, lovely soundstage/imaging/detail, really makes the V3's hum.

Obviously different people's ears will hear different things, but if you have the V3's & are looking at the AK100, definitely audition first & don't buy unheard. Chances are you might want the Mk II or at the very least want to ship the Mk I off to Vinnie @ RW, and you may not have the dough for those options, so try before you buy to avoid any disappointment/loss if you have to resell

 

[DrGonzo]

I went for the AK100 Mk II after trying out both the Mk II and Mk I.
For me, it's worth the extra money and you get nice extras like 2x 32GB microSD cards and the Buttero leather case.

Where did you purchase your MK2? I'm looking to order one in about a week. I knew it came with the Buttero case, but didn't know it came with the microSD cards or was it some special deal from where you purchased?

 

[mcluzar]

Where did you purchase your MK2? I'm looking to order one in about a week. I knew it came with the Buttero case, but didn't know it came with the microSD cards or was it some special deal from where you purchased?

 
I asked my friend in Tokyo to grab one for me from e-earphone in Akihabara.
http://www.e-earphone.jp/shop/shopdetail.html?brandcode=047000000036&search=Astell&sort=brandname
 
The microSDs are inside the box so I'm assuming that the AK100MkII comes with those microSD cards as standard.
But then again... It's probably better for you to confirm with the store that you're going to buy it from, since different markets might have different standard accessories.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

No worries It was between now & end July working backwards (which is where I was up to last night) so that narrows it down just a tiny bit.
More generally, took possession of the AK100 Mk II today, wonderful device it is. Had the good fortune to audition/A>>B both variants + the AK120 (which I didn't have the dough for), and found the 100 Mk I required greater volume to get the same output with my 1964Ears V3's, also mids/highs tended to sound a bit 'veiled'/lacking just a bit in definition to my ears. Clearly the impedance thing at play, which became more obvious when I listened to the same music (various bitrate 16/44 FLAC's: ~700kbs-1000kbps) with the 100 Mk II. No such dramas with the Mk II, clear as a bell, lovely soundstage/imaging/detail, really makes the V3's hum.

Obviously different people's ears will hear different things, but if you have the V3's & are looking at the AK100, definitely audition first & don't buy unheard. Chances are you might want the Mk II or at the very least want to ship the Mk I off to Vinnie @ RW, and you may not have the dough for those options, so try before you buy to avoid any disappointment/loss if you have to resell

When you hear the Mk2 wih the V3,I wonder if you experience hissing while the music is playing?
I auditioned both of them together. Although the sound was amazing, I couldn't get around the little hiss playing in the background.
FYI, I don't hear a hiss though when not playing anything/the track is on pause.

 

[Levanter]

Where did you purchase your MK2? I'm looking to order one in about a week. I knew it came with the Buttero case, but didn't know it came with the microSD cards or was it some special deal from where you purchased?

Japan edition comes with the 2 micro sd cards.
The one I bought didn't have the sd cards, but with the free AKS01 dock which IMO is a much better deal