[Healeyman]

  Hi there!
 
I had an unpleasant surprise this morning. It seems that my AK100 has deleted about 35 GB of music from one of the 128 GB Micro SD cards. I'm absolutely sure that I haven't deleted anything myself. It started as usual with a message from my iMac that one drive (micro SD card) cannot be read, then I removed both SDs form AK100 and put back. The lost drive was recognized, but 35 GB of music have disappeared from the second micro SD that was visible before. Maybe the loss of information has nothing to do with my AK 100, it's just a defect of Sandisk SD card, but it's annoying anyway. I'll fill it up again sure however I'm starting to feel a bit reserved against this unstable gadget.
Has anybody encountered something like this?

For sure the 'gadget' still has issues but it may have been the way the drive (SD card) was unmounted from your iMac.  I also have a Mac and on occasions have had similar issues.  When I was very new to this 'gadget' (still am I suppose) I managed to have to reformat one or both of the cards on a number of occasions. The results of the incorrect unmounting was loss of data on the cards.  The device wants to see everything exactly, no fuzzy logic here.  I found using a direct USB  port off the back of the Mac for data transfer was best.  Also by starting the AK100 first as in a complete boot up before plugging it into your iMac.  Just yesterday I plugged the AK100 in to the puter before powering it up and only one of the cards was recognized.  What I did was unmount what was showing, unplugged it and rebooted the unit before plugging it in again.  It can take quite a few seconds before all the drives show up on your desktop and that seems to vary each time.....why I don't know.  After transferring your tunes and making sure they are complete, then unmount your drive (SD card) and be sure they are gone from your desktop and the AK100 shows they have been unmounted.  If your card is showing lost data then it should be reformatted before loading data again.  The file system seems to get buggered up when unmounted incorrectly.  Windows based systems don't seem to give a rats about it or that's what I recall anyway.  Good luck!

 

[Klonatans]

 
For sure the 'gadget' still has issues but it may have been the way the drive (SD card) was unmounted from your iMac.  I also have a Mac and on occasions have had similar issues.  When I was very new to this 'gadget' (still am I suppose) I managed to have to reformat one or both of the cards on a number of occasions. The results of the incorrect unmounting was loss of data on the cards.  The device wants to see everything exactly, no fuzzy logic here.  I found using a direct USB  port off the back of the Mac for data transfer was best.  Also by starting the AK100 first as in a complete boot up before plugging it into your iMac.  Just yesterday I plugged the AK100 in to the puter before powering it up and only one of the cards was recognized.  What I did was unmount what was showing, unplugged it and rebooted the unit before plugging it in again.  It can take quite a few seconds before all the drives show up on your desktop and that seems to vary each time.....why I don't know.  After transferring your tunes and making sure they are complete, then unmount your drive (SD card) and be sure they are gone from your desktop and the AK100 shows they have been unmounted.  If your card is showing lost data then it should be reformatted before loading data again.  The file system seems to get buggered up when unmounted incorrectly.  Windows based systems don't seem to give a rats about it or that's what I recall anyway.  Good luck!

Most likely you are right, I think the AK100 is innocent in this case as it has no capacity to erase files stored on its external data carriers. The loss of information might happened due to unsafe unplugging of one of the drives.
 
I still like my AK100, at least soundwise, but sometimes voluntary library scan, regular non-recognition of a drive, 5 h charging time and terribly slow response just makes me sick and tired. I fear that no update can cure these issues.
 
Has anybody encountered the new generation AK100 and AK120? I've heard that they both have Android based UI, so they might be much faster and stable.

 

[Healeyman]

Originally Posted by Klonatans
 
I still like my AK100, at least soundwise, but sometimes voluntary library scan, regular non-recognition of a drive, 5 h charging time and terribly slow response just makes me sick and tired. I fear that no update can cure these issues.

I gave up on auto library scan, it would see something that it didn't like and then rescan, which could take a number of minutes.  I turned it off and if it 'craps out' I just shut it down and restart and all seems to be good again.  There are still lots of issues but as I learn to work around them it's been better.  It still will hang on a tune and need rebooting yet play it the next time, go figure.  I wouldn't hold my breath for another firmware update. I think what you have you will have to live with.  I found that there was lots of info in the ID tags that it wouldn't tolerate.  Someone on the forum a 100 or so posts back mentioned an app for the Mac called 'Tag'.  It's not free but it works and it has alleviated a lot of my issues.  I like the sound and the GUI is fine I just wish it was less temperamental or there was a very detailed manual of do's and don'ts.  

 

[burtomr]

  ..... I just wish it was less temperamental or there was a very detailed manual of do's and don'ts.  

 
There is....it's this thread, all 579+ pages   

 

[AlterSack]

   
There is....it's this thread, all 579+ pages   

True - but unfortuneately nobody here has an answer on the phenomenon that the AK starts playing FLAC files, then stops playing them telling you that the format is unknown, plays the next one (a little bit shorter this time) and so on until it freezes.
 
We still need someone to explain this weird behaviour ...

 

[Healeyman]

 
Quote:

   
There is....it's this thread, all 579+ pages   

 

        Good point!

 

[aqtaket]

When I formatted my 64GB SDXC cards into exFat (FW 2.40 supports it, but they were previously formatten in FAT32) - the "freezing issue" disappeared totally.

 

[Healeyman]

  When I formatted my 64GB SDXC cards into exFat (FW 2.40 supports it, but they were previously formatten in FAT32) - the "freezing issue" disappeared totally.

I use a Mac (OS X Mavericks), had a look and it does format exFat so I did.  Thanks for the info aqtaket, hopefully my results will be the same as yours.  Cheers.

 

[DiDi]

I just came up with another problem,  I have used igrado headphones for years . The sound suits me really well. Since using them with the AK 100 I have had two pairs blow drivers.  I do listen loud , but I should be able to !!  Currently seeing if they can play it at about the as loud as I do over an extended length of time.  

 

[xnuthecaveman]

I use a Mac (OS X Mavericks), had a look and it does format exFat so I did.  Thanks for the info aqtaket, hopefully my results will be the same as yours.  Cheers.

Can you format the card while the SD card is in the AK100? Or you have to remove them and use a card reader?

 

[DiDi]

Can you format the card while the SD card is in the AK100? Or you have to remove them and use a card reader?

You can do it in the AK100 

 

[bearington]

I have had my AK100 since I purchased it in the first release. I currently have a 128Gb and 64GB formatted as FAT32 cards in it. Each half full and over 2000 tracks. I use a MBP Maverick, The programs I use to support the DAP are, Xact to convert AIFs to FLAC, MusicBrainz Picard for tags and artwork, and the last is sqlightbrowser. I use sqlighbrowser on the ak100syncDB.db3 file to correct it, because the Library scan is an issue on very large libraries. I just let the slow scan do the job manually, then I correct the DB, by replacing the 1s in the album cell with the actual name of the album as to correct the data base tag, and reboot the AK. Once done, all of the AK100 menus work fine. Firmware 2.40 doesn't seem to correct much of my issues, I have to do it manually. If you don't see the two SD card in the icons on the top left of the screen, shut off your AK, pull the cards, and put them back in, the library will come back. If the auto timer shuts mine off, it sometime losses the SD cards, turn off the timer. 
I don't think the AK100 was built to support larger capacity SD cards and large libraries. These are the issues we deal with. Good bad or indifferent, I like the small unit and enjoy it, but understand that it is very temperamental.  

 

[DiDi]

  I have had my AK100 since I purchased it in the first release. I currently have a 128Gb and 64GB formatted as FAT32 cards in it. Each half full and over 2000 tracks. I use a MBP Maverick, The programs I use to support the DAP are, Xact to convert AIFs to FLAC, MusicBrainz Picard for tags and artwork, and the last is sqlightbrowser. I use sqlighbrowser on the ak100syncDB.db3 file to correct it, because the Library scan is an issue on very large libraries. I just let the slow scan do the job manually, then I correct the DB, by replacing the 1s in the album cell with the actual name of the album as to correct the data base tag, and reboot the AK. Once done, all of the AK100 menus work fine. Firmware 2.40 doesn't seem to correct much of my issues, I have to do it manually. If you don't see the two SD card in the icons on the top left of the screen, shut off your AK, pull the cards, and put them back in, the library will come back. If the auto timer shuts mine off, it sometime losses the SD cards, turn off the timer. 
I don't think the AK100 was built to support larger capacity SD cards and large libraries. These are the issues we deal with. Good bad or indifferent, I like the small unit and enjoy it, but understand that it is very temperamental.  

I have found you don't have to take the cards out to get them back, just switch off restart and scan.  

 

[bearington]

Then the db3 file will get corrupt and I would have to copy a back up over the new one and reboot, also the scan takes 30 min or more, do to my large library. I would rather pull the SD cards. 

 

[robm321]

I bought my AK100 used. And I notice the battery drain while it is completely off. Its strange but I'll turn in off (completely not just the screen) and if I don't listen to it for a couple of days. It'll be dead and won't turn on until I give it a full charge. 
 
So, I think my battery is shot. For some reason I haven't been able to find any info on a google search about how or what batter to replace it with other than having to send it in to RWA. Has anyone replaced their own battery or are all your batteries working without problems?