tpbholm
08-12-2014, 17:33
The demise of the iPod Classic and the fact that mine is in constant use in the car got me thinking about a new music player. I've always felt that the although the Classic sounded pretty good I had over-invested on my Sennheiser IE80 in ear 'phones. They sound good with the iPod but I couldn't help feeling they could sound a lot better if given a better source.
So I started looking around for a high resolution player. I had previously considered the Pono player, but it's odd shape put me off. I looked at the Sony high res player as well as the Fiio and another one I can't remember the name of, before I finally settled on the Astell & Kern AK100 MkII (not to be confused with the AK100 II which is the latest Android based model). I was attracted first and foremost by its sound which is stunningly good - my IE80's have come into their own. The soundstage is spacious and deep and gets as close to a 3D image as any headphone based music player can. The wealth of detail and crystal clear sound with high resolution files is breathtaking. I find myself listening to the AK100 instead of my hifi.
Transferring music files from my Macbook Pro is a simple drag and drop. The player recognises hi-res files and places them in a dedicated folder. The interface is simple and easy to use. It's not slick like a iPhone or any other smartphone, but then this is a music player and that's where the money has gone.
I've also tried the AK100 with my B & W P7 headphones and it sounds even better. Next up is connecting it to my hifi and seeing how it sounds in comparison to my LivZen high res music player / Audio MDAC.
The AK100 is expensive, but the sound is worth it.
So I started looking around for a high resolution player. I had previously considered the Pono player, but it's odd shape put me off. I looked at the Sony high res player as well as the Fiio and another one I can't remember the name of, before I finally settled on the Astell & Kern AK100 MkII (not to be confused with the AK100 II which is the latest Android based model). I was attracted first and foremost by its sound which is stunningly good - my IE80's have come into their own. The soundstage is spacious and deep and gets as close to a 3D image as any headphone based music player can. The wealth of detail and crystal clear sound with high resolution files is breathtaking. I find myself listening to the AK100 instead of my hifi.
Transferring music files from my Macbook Pro is a simple drag and drop. The player recognises hi-res files and places them in a dedicated folder. The interface is simple and easy to use. It's not slick like a iPhone or any other smartphone, but then this is a music player and that's where the money has gone.
I've also tried the AK100 with my B & W P7 headphones and it sounds even better. Next up is connecting it to my hifi and seeing how it sounds in comparison to my LivZen high res music player / Audio MDAC.
The AK100 is expensive, but the sound is worth it.