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  #11  
Old 02-20-2015, 10:38 AM
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Puma Cat Puma Cat is offline
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AK uses Cirrus DACs.
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Lumin P1 streamer/DAC/preamp, Constellation Inspiration integrated TT: Michell Gyro SE MkII, SME V, Koetsu Urushi Vermilion, EAR324. Harbeth 30.2s, REL R-305, Shunyata Alpha V2 ICs, Alpha V2 SPs, Sigma XC, Sigma NRv2, Omega QR-s & Alpha NRv2 PCs, segmented Altaira SG stack w/ Alpha & Omega CGCs, Everest 8000 PD. Remote Server Room: Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark Master Clock & LPS, Alita, Battle Angel, (Akasa NUC Roon Core), iFi DC Purifiers (for SMPS used for Alita & router), Shunyata Gemini combo power distributor & Altaira-type CG GP-NR hub, Venom & Alpha CGCs, Shunyata NRv14 power cords for digital components.
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  #12  
Old 02-20-2015, 09:44 PM
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robfine robfine is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radio times View Post
I'd stick with the 120 myself. Is a bigger fish worth it?
I love the sound-- really love the sound of my AK 120. But I hate the GUI. When you have about 3000 songs, every time I want to find an artist or album that starts with a letter towards the end of the alphabet if feels like it takes a week to scroll there.
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Office/Music Room
Dynaudio Heritage Special. Uptone Audio EtherRegen Ethernet Switch. Akasa NUC 10i7 with Roon Rock. Bryston BDP-3 Digital Music Player (with 4 Tb Internal SSD and Synology DS920+ NAS)-->Holo Audio May Kitsune Edition DAC-->Shunyata Sigma USB—>Gryphon Diablo 120 Integreted Amp w Transpatent XL PC. Oppo BDP-105D and BDP-203. Power: Shunyata Hydra Sigma S12 PD. Additional Cabling: WW Silver Electra PC, WW Electra PC, Shunyata Venom 3 PC. Digital: WW Starlight Ethernet, WW Gold Starlight AES-EBU, WW Platinum Starlight USB. IC and Speaker: WW Eclipse 8.

Bedroom System
Ipad with MusicStreamer App-->Schiit Jotunheim DAC/Amp—>Audeze LCD-XC, Focal for Bentley Radiance HO, Massdrop E-MU Teak HP. AK SE 200 DAP.

Mobile Survival Kit
Astell & Kern SP1000M. Noble Kaiser Encore IEM with Double Helix Balanced cable, Westone W80 IEM w ALOaudio Ref 8 cable, Westone W60 IEM, Shure se535 Ltd with Westone Bluetooth Wireless cable-amp. Mark Levinson No. 5909 Wireless HP.
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  #13  
Old 02-20-2015, 09:58 PM
Golucid Golucid is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robfine View Post
I love the sound-- really love the sound of my AK 120. But I hate the GUI. When you have about 3000 songs, every time I want to find an artist or album that starts with a letter towards the end of the alphabet if feels like it takes a week to scroll there.
i could not agree more. What you describe is a fundamental flaw.
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  #14  
Old 02-21-2015, 06:02 AM
radio times radio times is offline
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An admin point, but quite a biggie. My A17 has a sublime GUI, but yer slashing 40% of the sq.If you equate it with finding a song on 3000 lp's, it might remain bearable.
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  #15  
Old 02-21-2015, 12:57 PM
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Puma Cat Puma Cat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Golucid View Post
i could not agree more. What you describe is a fundamental flaw.
Why not use the search function?
__________________
Lumin P1 streamer/DAC/preamp, Constellation Inspiration integrated TT: Michell Gyro SE MkII, SME V, Koetsu Urushi Vermilion, EAR324. Harbeth 30.2s, REL R-305, Shunyata Alpha V2 ICs, Alpha V2 SPs, Sigma XC, Sigma NRv2, Omega QR-s & Alpha NRv2 PCs, segmented Altaira SG stack w/ Alpha & Omega CGCs, Everest 8000 PD. Remote Server Room: Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark Master Clock & LPS, Alita, Battle Angel, (Akasa NUC Roon Core), iFi DC Purifiers (for SMPS used for Alita & router), Shunyata Gemini combo power distributor & Altaira-type CG GP-NR hub, Venom & Alpha CGCs, Shunyata NRv14 power cords for digital components.
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  #16  
Old 02-21-2015, 02:11 PM
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robfine robfine is offline
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The original AK 120 does not have a search function like the Mk II. That's the point of looking to upgrade because the sound is very good.
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Office/Music Room
Dynaudio Heritage Special. Uptone Audio EtherRegen Ethernet Switch. Akasa NUC 10i7 with Roon Rock. Bryston BDP-3 Digital Music Player (with 4 Tb Internal SSD and Synology DS920+ NAS)-->Holo Audio May Kitsune Edition DAC-->Shunyata Sigma USB—>Gryphon Diablo 120 Integreted Amp w Transpatent XL PC. Oppo BDP-105D and BDP-203. Power: Shunyata Hydra Sigma S12 PD. Additional Cabling: WW Silver Electra PC, WW Electra PC, Shunyata Venom 3 PC. Digital: WW Starlight Ethernet, WW Gold Starlight AES-EBU, WW Platinum Starlight USB. IC and Speaker: WW Eclipse 8.

Bedroom System
Ipad with MusicStreamer App-->Schiit Jotunheim DAC/Amp—>Audeze LCD-XC, Focal for Bentley Radiance HO, Massdrop E-MU Teak HP. AK SE 200 DAP.

Mobile Survival Kit
Astell & Kern SP1000M. Noble Kaiser Encore IEM with Double Helix Balanced cable, Westone W80 IEM w ALOaudio Ref 8 cable, Westone W60 IEM, Shure se535 Ltd with Westone Bluetooth Wireless cable-amp. Mark Levinson No. 5909 Wireless HP.
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  #17  
Old 02-21-2015, 11:57 PM
Golucid Golucid is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Puma Cat View Post
Why not use the search function?
Yes, that is an option. But it is not a solid solution for impulse cruising.
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  #18  
Old 06-13-2015, 07:23 AM
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robfine robfine is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Puma Cat View Post
Why not use the search function?
Search function? What search function? (I hope the response isn't something like the Dell support line's most common fix: "okay sir, would you please check to see if the unit is securely plugged into the receptacle"). What don't I know and am not finding (AK120)?

Thanks
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Office/Music Room
Dynaudio Heritage Special. Uptone Audio EtherRegen Ethernet Switch. Akasa NUC 10i7 with Roon Rock. Bryston BDP-3 Digital Music Player (with 4 Tb Internal SSD and Synology DS920+ NAS)-->Holo Audio May Kitsune Edition DAC-->Shunyata Sigma USB—>Gryphon Diablo 120 Integreted Amp w Transpatent XL PC. Oppo BDP-105D and BDP-203. Power: Shunyata Hydra Sigma S12 PD. Additional Cabling: WW Silver Electra PC, WW Electra PC, Shunyata Venom 3 PC. Digital: WW Starlight Ethernet, WW Gold Starlight AES-EBU, WW Platinum Starlight USB. IC and Speaker: WW Eclipse 8.

Bedroom System
Ipad with MusicStreamer App-->Schiit Jotunheim DAC/Amp—>Audeze LCD-XC, Focal for Bentley Radiance HO, Massdrop E-MU Teak HP. AK SE 200 DAP.

Mobile Survival Kit
Astell & Kern SP1000M. Noble Kaiser Encore IEM with Double Helix Balanced cable, Westone W80 IEM w ALOaudio Ref 8 cable, Westone W60 IEM, Shure se535 Ltd with Westone Bluetooth Wireless cable-amp. Mark Levinson No. 5909 Wireless HP.
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  #19  
Old 06-13-2015, 08:27 AM
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robfine robfine is offline
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Black Gloves

Something new was apparently coming-- just not made by AK.

The years of slow, subtle, insidious and subconscious training may be starting to pay off! Father's Day came early. And breathed new life into my AK120, even if if didn't fix my GUI issues. Since I will be traveling for business on Father's Day, it came a bit early in my house. And my ladies (the 3 of them) gifted me with a new glove. Not the leather kind. It was the

Glove Audio A1 DAC/Amp by Centrance. It's made to fit ((only) the AK100 and AK 120 (original, not Mk II). It locks in the AK and then offloads the DAC and amp functions. The DAC is excellent (goes up to 196/24) and is compatible with DSD. The amp is supposed to be able to comfortably push all of the Audeze's, etc. oh, and it has balanced output (as well as single-ended). Since it off-loads the DAC and amp functions, the AK's battery lasts much longer and it has a 10 hr run time which now the AK should be up to. I only have an hour or so on it and it is already sounding really great. So far I've only tried my IEMs (Shure SE 535 Ltd with Double Helix wires- see photos). A touch of warmth and really nice bass. Not boom-boom bass- more like the guy playing the upright moved about 2 feet closer to you. So my travel, flying (and surviving at the mall with my daughters) rig has gotten some new like breathed into it. It's a really nice compact package - bigger the AK but very manageable. Haven't tried it with full-size headphones yet but will report back when I do.

image-1919264062.jpg



image-3980450642.jpg
__________________
Office/Music Room
Dynaudio Heritage Special. Uptone Audio EtherRegen Ethernet Switch. Akasa NUC 10i7 with Roon Rock. Bryston BDP-3 Digital Music Player (with 4 Tb Internal SSD and Synology DS920+ NAS)-->Holo Audio May Kitsune Edition DAC-->Shunyata Sigma USB—>Gryphon Diablo 120 Integreted Amp w Transpatent XL PC. Oppo BDP-105D and BDP-203. Power: Shunyata Hydra Sigma S12 PD. Additional Cabling: WW Silver Electra PC, WW Electra PC, Shunyata Venom 3 PC. Digital: WW Starlight Ethernet, WW Gold Starlight AES-EBU, WW Platinum Starlight USB. IC and Speaker: WW Eclipse 8.

Bedroom System
Ipad with MusicStreamer App-->Schiit Jotunheim DAC/Amp—>Audeze LCD-XC, Focal for Bentley Radiance HO, Massdrop E-MU Teak HP. AK SE 200 DAP.

Mobile Survival Kit
Astell & Kern SP1000M. Noble Kaiser Encore IEM with Double Helix Balanced cable, Westone W80 IEM w ALOaudio Ref 8 cable, Westone W60 IEM, Shure se535 Ltd with Westone Bluetooth Wireless cable-amp. Mark Levinson No. 5909 Wireless HP.
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  #20  
Old 08-21-2015, 07:41 PM
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HiFiGuy528 HiFiGuy528 is offline
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AK380! go big or go home.

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