Astell&Kern AK240 Blue Note DAP Discussions | Drop

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Astell&Kern AK240 Blue Note DAP

Audiophile

FULL DISCUSSION

curleyfrei

May 1, 2019

DISCLAIMER: Unless you are a lover of hi-res music* AND jazz, don't bother. There are much newer DAPs out there with much faster processors, better UIs, etc. This is an ultra-niche, collector's item type thing. And I say that as someone who has one and loves it. This is a toy I thought I'd never get to play with as my own, but I'm glad I decided to treat myself. I use this baby every single day and it's incredible, despite it being five years old already. PROS + Best sound you could ever want in your pocket + Massive storage + Jazz lovers rejoice! + Exquisite design & presentation CONS - Unsupported files (.txt/.log/.pdf/.png/.jpg; etc.) causes media scan to take longer - Artwork must be embedded in order to display properly - Apple users may have trouble w/ proprietary file formats (.m4a/.itl; etc.) I've listened via single-ended and balanced, and both options... well, they sound perfect. (Or at least as perfect as I can tell). I'm certainly no expert and I don't have much to reference, but I also don't feel the need to compare. I wanted this because it's a really special item, and for me, it delivers. *I say high-res music instead of audio because, yes -- there is a difference, and it's an important distinction to make.

May 1, 2019

curleyfrei

May 1, 2019

curleyfreiOne other thing worth noting for prospective buyers... Physical volume wheels on DAPs are fantastic, but can be prone to loosening over time. The AK240 is unfortunately a victim of this flaw, as I have seen many other posts talking about it. Mine was a demo unit before I had it, so the fact that it was already a little loose when I received it wasn't too surprising for me. It also worked just fine, but after a few months, I started to notice the wheel had loosened enough that I wasn't getting accurate attentuation. (e.g. While slowly moving the wheel gently, I would still see it jump a few dB in the wrong direction). I contacted Astell & Kern (aka iRiver), sent mine in for repair and $60 and about 3 weeks later, I got it back, good as new. Also note that their RMA policy states that they won't service anything purchased from an unofficial outlet (like eBay, where I got mine), but I mentioned this and they said that was primarily so they could be sure it is a genuine unit. I sent them my original invoice and they advised to go ahead w/ the RMA.

May 1, 2019