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A&K AK500N + Devialet
#11
(21-Feb-2015, 01:49)bmichels Wrote: a very good review of the AK500n here : http://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/astellk...ic-server/

Thanks for sharing

The praise in the review comes as a no surprise considering my previous excellent experience with portable players from A&K

But the surprise and the sore point is the price ($12,000!!!!) especially in the context of Devialet which means that the DAC capabilities will be redundant

If in the future A&K releases a DACless product with similar CD ripping, storage and streaming functionality it will be a great match to devialet then


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Aurender X100L / Transrotor Crescendo TT / Denon DCD1520 / Macbook Pro >> D400 >> Martin Logan Montis
amabrok's system - Latest update (May 2015, Page 11, Post #109)

Dubai, UAE
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#12
This sector is really developing isn't it? I agree with amabrok that it looks very expensive when compared to the Aurender X100, but having said that, it looks almost like the budget choice if you compare it to the Aurender W20. So as ever, it comes down to build quality, functionality, desirability, and of course, its ultimate capabilities with respect to sound quality.

So if it sounds no better than the X100 then it is nothing more than a prestige item for those with more money than sense, if it can beat the W20, then it's almost a bargain.

I must admit, for a device that effectively is a delivery and clocking system for 1's and 0's, I'd want it to dance and get the beers in for $10 grand.

Anyway, I am off to the Bristol Sound and Vision show today, A&K are on the exhibitor's list with the AK500, I will certainly take a look. Thanks for starting the thread, I may have missed this one at the show otherwise!
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#13
(15-Dec-2014, 11:05)Petter Wrote: Nice one that a&k
But dont we have this quality in Naim like HDX and Unityserve?

And they have build in streaming services like internet radio already

Im more and more look in the directional of Naim

I did hear a Naim Streamer + Devialet set up once, to be frank, I didn't think the sound quality was a detailed and sharp in comparison to AIR.  Although to be honest, I can't remember if this was an NDS or NDS.  (they do look rather similar)
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#14
(21-Feb-2015, 08:11)Confused Wrote: This sector is really developing isn't it? I agree with amabrok that it looks very expensive when compared to the Aurender X100, but having said that, it looks almost like the budget choice if you compare it to the Aurender W20. So as ever, it comes down to build quality, functionality, desirability, and of course, its ultimate capabilities with respect to sound quality.

So if it sounds no better than the X100 then it is nothing more than a prestige item for those with more money than sense, if it can beat the W20, then it's almost a bargain.

I must admit, for a device that effectively is a delivery and clocking system for 1's and 0's, I'd want it to dance and get the beers in for $10 grand.

Anyway, I am off to the Bristol Sound and Vision show today, A&K are on the exhibitor's list with the AK500, I will certainly take a look. Thanks for starting the thread, I may have missed this one at the show otherwise!

Eager to know how do you find the AK500N. Please share your impression.

On the W20, I really wonder how better can it sound vis-a-vis X100, total dac D1 or 3D lab?


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Aurender X100L / Transrotor Crescendo TT / Denon DCD1520 / Macbook Pro >> D400 >> Martin Logan Montis
amabrok's system - Latest update (May 2015, Page 11, Post #109)

Dubai, UAE
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#15
(21-Feb-2015, 08:11)Confused Wrote: Anyway, I am off to the Bristol Sound and Vision show today, A&K are on the exhibitor's list with the AK500, I will certainly take a look.  Thanks for starting the thread, I may have missed this one at the show otherwise!

yes please share your thought on the Sound Quality of the AK500n. Shy

And please can you try the headphone out: I will be interested to know if it is better/more powerful than the one of the AK240. Re SQ, may be, with an headphone, you can compare AK240 & AK500 on the same music track ? this will be ideal to understand if the x4 price is justified and if the AK500 is really at "desktop" level in term of SQ..

Also, please can you ask the A&K team when it will be possible to stream QOBUZ on the AK500 like it is possible now on the AK240 ? and if we will be able to purchase/download music files from Qobuz with the AK500 (without the help of a PC/mac, the purchased music file going directly into the internal SSD)

thanks a lot, we are all waiting patiently for you to achieve your "mission" :-)
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#16
(21-Feb-2015, 08:30)Confused Wrote:
(15-Dec-2014, 11:05)Petter Wrote: Nice one that a&k
But dont we have this quality in Naim like HDX and Unityserve?

And they have build in streaming services like internet radio already

Im more and more look in the directional of Naim

I did hear a Naim Streamer + Devialet set up once, to be frank, I didn't think the sound quality was a detailed and sharp in comparison to AIR.  Although to be honest, I can't remember if this was an NDS or NDS.  (they do look rather similar)

NDS or NDS does look the same for me as well.  Tongue
■ Devialet 1000 Pro & Roon Lifetime ■ Dynaudio Sapphire ■ Streacom fanless HTPC-SSD (W8.1) ■ Sonos  Connect (+Magna Ultimo mod) ■ Qobuz Studio  Qnap TS 219 P II ■ v.d. Hul The Revolution LS cables ■ PS Audio Quintet ■ picture: Sony VPL-HW65ES & LG-OLED65C9
Amsterdam NL
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#17
(21-Feb-2015, 08:30)ZpConfused Wrote:
(15-Dec-2014, 11:05)Petter Wrote: Nice one that a&k
But dont we have this quality in Naim like HDX and Unityserve?

And they have build in streaming services like internet radio already

Im more and more look in the directional of Naim

I did hear a Naim Streamer + Devialet set up once, to be frank, I didn't think the sound quality was a detailed and sharp in comparison to AIR.  Although to be honest, I can't remember if this was an NDS or NDS.  (they do look rather similar)

I use both a Naim NDX (S/PDIF) and Mac/AIR and would say that the sound of the Naim is warmer and has more body but Mac/AIR is more detailed and 'airy'. It would be nice to have a sound that combines the best aspects of both.

Problems (or opportunities depending on how you look at it) with using Naim streamers with Devialet include the price - they do sound better if you add an external power supply (which range from £1.5-£6k) and a Powerline power cable £495 and this makes them very expensive for what they do - about £7k for NDX/XPS or £13k for NDS/555ps; the power supplies buzz annoyingly and the streamers don't support streaming of any lossless online music services like Qobuz...

From the reviews I've read and comments on here I would doubt that the Naim streamers out-perform the TotalDac D1 Server or Aurender which are available at much lower cost.
IMac macOS 10.15.3 (no link to Devialet Sad ) / MacBook Pro Retina OS X 10.14.4 / Linn LP12 / Devialet 200 Wilson Benesch Discovery. 
Qobuz Desktop Latest Version / Audirvana 3.2.18 / Audirvana Remote / iTunes 12.9 / AIR 3.0.4 / Wi-Fi / FW 8.1.0 / SAM 50%
Cambridge, UK (Updated 27th February, 2020)
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#18
(21-Feb-2015, 14:06)PhilP Wrote: From the reviews I've read and comments on here I would doubt that the Naim streamers out-perform the TotalDac D1 Server or Aurender which are available at much lower cost.

I agree. And let's not forget that Linn and Naim where the first to jump on the wagon of hi res streaming, which back then was focused on streaming from a NAS on your local network but this domain has evolved progressively and I kind feel that both companies failed to ride the wave till the end (though they had an excellent start on this front)


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Aurender X100L / Transrotor Crescendo TT / Denon DCD1520 / Macbook Pro >> D400 >> Martin Logan Montis
amabrok's system - Latest update (May 2015, Page 11, Post #109)

Dubai, UAE
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#19
At least Linn now support Tidal - their owners rave about it. Naim have only just delivered Spotify support - lossy and not exactly hi-fiWink
IMac macOS 10.15.3 (no link to Devialet Sad ) / MacBook Pro Retina OS X 10.14.4 / Linn LP12 / Devialet 200 Wilson Benesch Discovery. 
Qobuz Desktop Latest Version / Audirvana 3.2.18 / Audirvana Remote / iTunes 12.9 / AIR 3.0.4 / Wi-Fi / FW 8.1.0 / SAM 50%
Cambridge, UK (Updated 27th February, 2020)
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#20
(21-Feb-2015, 11:05)bmichels Wrote:
(21-Feb-2015, 08:11)Confused Wrote: Anyway, I am off to the Bristol Sound and Vision show today, A&K are on the exhibitor's list with the AK500, I will certainly take a look.  Thanks for starting the thread, I may have missed this one at the show otherwise!

yes please share your thought on the Sound Quality of the AK500n.  Shy

 And please can you try the headphone out: I will be interested to know if it is better/more powerful than the one of the AK240.   Re SQ, may be, with an headphone, you can compare AK240 & AK500 on the same music track ? this will be ideal to understand if the x4 price is justified and if the AK500 is really at "desktop" level in term of SQ..

Also, please can you ask the A&K team when it will be possible to stream QOBUZ on the AK500 like it is possible now on the AK240 ? and if we will be able to purchase/download music files from Qobuz with the AK500 (without the help of a PC/mac, the purchased music file going directly into the internal SSD)

thanks a lot, we are all waiting patiently for you to achieve your "mission" :-)
Thanks to the power of my iPhone 6 plus I did manage to pick up details of my "mission" whilst having a quick coffee in the bar at lunchtime.  The Astell & Kern display area was in a large open area of the show together with many other exhibitors.  This was quite a noisy area and they were running the AK500 through some teeny tiny desktop speakers, although you could hear it, it was absolutely impossible to make any judgment of sound quality.  However, they also had a large display of their portable players, with a large range of Audeze headphones.  Now I am not a headphone expert, but coincidentally I was visiting the show with someone who is looking to upgrade headphones and was keen to try more or less everything that was available for a listen at the show.  I joined in and listened to a lot of headphones yesterday!  I think the best I listened to for the money was the Audeze EL-8, which was being demoed with the SK-240, a superb combination.  Now the AK500 does have headphone sockets for the traditional 1/4" Jack the smaller 3.5mm jack sizes.  Does it sound different to the AK240, well not really.  Maybe if you had a long time to do very careful listening in a quieter environment you might be able to discern something.  However, the sales guy did inform me that the AK500 and AK240 share identical output circuitry, which is perhaps a little disappointing.  Although as I said, the AK240 with the Audeze was one of best portable / headphone combination I heard in the day.  Miles better than say the Acoustic Research / Sennheiser combo, but is this down to the cans or the player? 

The UK price for the AK500 is £9000.  Now the ultimate test as to whether or not it is worth the cash would be how it compares when  linked to a Devialet to say the Totaldac D1 or similar.  One point to note, you are paying for a Dac, a volume control dial on the side and other stuff that you don't really need.  For example, when I saw the pictures of the thing, I did like the nice built in touch screen display and thought it looked rather cool.  However, seeing the AK500 in the flesh I got a rather different impression.  The look and feel of the screen is not as good a say an iPhone or a decent tablet, to me it was maybe similar to an upmarket / aftermarket satnav unit, and do you really want a screen anyway? An iPad on your sofa works well for most folk.  In fact the whole device was like this, the look and feel of the plastic case and the big volume dial on the side was more like you would expect from a budget bedroom system, or maybe a games console, to me it looked more like a £500 product rather than a £9000 device.  Frankly, in my opinion it would need to smash rivals into submission with respect to sound quality to justify it's price.  Maybe it will, but until it can prove this aspect of it's performance, I just don't get it.  I did ask if it was likely that a cheaper DACless version planned, the answer was that they were looking to bring out related products at a lower price point but these would also be all in one solutions complete with DAC and so on.

So unless it ultimately proves itself to be king of sound quality, I just don't get the thing.  Maybe as an all in one desktop solution for the very wealthy?  Even then, won't this desk most likely have a computer or laptop on it?  So why do you need a box with a touchscreen on it?

Now I have written all this without having any idea of it's ultimate sound quality potential.  It is available now in the UK and home demo's are offered.  Just get in touch with your local dealer of the portable players and apparently, they will facilitate setting up a home demo.  Maybe it is the king of SQ?  Time will tell, but until then, my £9k is staying invested.

On a related topic, I did also see the Aria music streamer range at the Show.  This was more interesting to me.  They has a full size Aria steamer with 2TB storage and built in CD ripping for £3799.  (DAC free)  Plus an Aria mini, which looks like a classy iPad stand, which was £2295 with 2TB or £2795 with 1TB SSD.  These did at least look like they were worth somewhere near there asking price!  Plus the iPad control app looked good and appeared to work well. (looks very similar to Apple remote)  In fact both the Aria streamers looked like they would make good companions with a Devialet.  Obviously this leads to the question of how they compare to the Aurender and other obvious rivals, this one for  new thread I think!  (Although the Aria sales guy said the Aria is better, surprise surprise)

On looks / product form alone, I would have taken the full sized Aria home, rather than the AK500.
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