CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Head Amps, DACs, Sources, Portable Equipment Discussion => Topic started by: ohm-image on September 03, 2015, 12:16:45 AM
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I have spent about 1,5 months with it and feel confident to write a few words. Those few words ended up being 4.000 or so,and are up at Headfonia. I'm sorry that it it took so many words.
Headfonia review: http://www.headfonia.com/review-astell-kern-ak380-momentary/ (http://www.headfonia.com/review-astell-kern-ak380-momentary/)
I've also published amateur RMAA measurements of its output under load and driving wire, into a Lynx Studio HILO ADC.
ohm image RMAA: http://ohm-image.net/data/audio/rmaa-astellkern-ak380-24-bit (http://ohm-image.net/data/audio/rmaa-astellkern-ak380-24-bit)
The skinny:
good looks on paper
painful to hold
good sound
great signal unloaded
gapless works well
decent/good GUI and software
good hardware UI but bad ergonomics
good to excellent machine quality
poor design work
atrocious marketing/copy
Android File Transfer? Really?
Anyway, I love how it sounds, but only really under optimal to good circumstances. And I'm glad that A&K are trying to revive a serious luxury segment, but I think they are paying too little attention to the small things, and think that rather than purveyors (and those that understand quality from the ground up) of luxury, they have largely targeted wealthy geeks. I have no idea how this will work out in the long run.
I assume that I've made many grammatical/spelling errors, and am open to criticism otherwise.
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hello,
i think your review rocked! thanks for doing it.
(i don't think there is anything from A&K in my future.)
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Well, that was terse. Thanks for reading it. I know it probably took several beverages.
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Either the ak380 is seriously flawed or something is wrong with your measurements. the distortion levels are beyond any other graphs I have seen.
And also you omitted rmaa summary from your ak380 measurements vs your ak jr measurements which has it.
4000 words is too much, KISS is the way. You don't want to end up like 6moons.
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Either the ak380 is seriously flawed or something is wrong with your measurements. the distortion levels are beyond any other graphs I have seen.
That or he's doing measurements that are actually useful. I know Ohm-Image does loaded measurements. Still have to read the review but that might be the difference.
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That or he's doing measurements that are actually useful. I know Ohm-Image does loaded measurements. Still have to read the review but that might be the difference.
You are talking about loaded distortion levels, correct? Naturally, the HILO isn't a proper measurement device, and will show more distortion than a professional audio measurement device, but, I measure both loaded and unloaded. I don't measure loaded via resistors, but real earphones. I've tested back to back to back to back many outputs in the same day and the AK380 handled my favourite torture earphones: SM2, worse than any source I have.
EDIT: I should add that in balanced, the IQ fared far worse than the MH335DW, and is second to the SM2 as a torture-test. But since it's 800$, I don't want to subject it to the same torture. I just had to show more real-world examples. But I feel sorry for my IQ.
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You are talking about loaded distortion levels, correct? Naturally, the HILO isn't a proper measurement device, and will show more distortion than a professional audio measurement device, but, I measure both loaded and unloaded. I don't measure loaded via resistors, but real earphones. I've tested back to back to back to back many outputs in the same day and the AK380 handled my favourite torture earphones: SM2, worse than any source I have.
Straight from the horses' mouth.
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Yikes at those distortion numbers. A&K already prices most things beyond my reach, and then I hear very mixed impressions, and then I see that maybe their engineering isn't all that. I don't think they make garbage but they are one of those companies who has very successfully represented luxury to people eager to sink money into a hobby.
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Hell I rather take the zero ui terra player over this poo
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The loaded numbers are true, its not uncommon to see bad amps react so badly from loading with wild impedance curves. Nevertheless the numbers are truly shocking and its no wonder why they are selling an 'optional' amp module for the AK380.
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ah lemonade ... A sucker born every minute, right ;)
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Nice review, Ohm-Image...very thorough!
Question: do you use a single-ended cable on your FitEar and a TRS female to male TRRS balanced adapter to listen to the balanced output of the AK? Saw an adapter listed in your review.
I have heard that we can use a balanced cable with adapter to single-ended but should not use a single-ended cable to balanced with adapter...and I ordered some adapters already. :-00
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Nice review, Ohm-Image...very thorough!
Question: do you use a single-ended cable on your FitEar and a TRS female to male TRRS balanced adapter to listen to the balanced output of the AK? Saw an adapter listed in your review.
I have heard that we can use a balanced cable with adapter to single-ended but should not use a single-ended cable to balanced with adapter...and I ordered some adapters already. :-00
M.S.T. Audio Technology built a balanced cable for my MH335DW for testing their tweaks to AK devices. It's a shoddy thing but it works. They also built a 4-pin TRRS to dual 3-pin XLR splitter for testing balanced signals. I haven't used the balanced, or SE cables via adapters to the AK devices.
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^Ah, okay...thank you for replying. I'll do more research before I plug anything in. Again, thanks for a thorough review!