Astell & Kern Jr - new DAP (£400)

I see Astell and Kern have a new portable digital player on the market. Looks good. Details here:-

http://andreweverard.com/2015/06/17/review-ak-jr-astell-kerns-new-kid-on-the-block/

 

Has one up on the Pono in that you can stream through it. But like the Pono, no digital output. Looks sharp!

 

Comes with the Wolfson WM8740 DAC as well, which is a cracker albeit a few years old now.

And they finally put the volume knob in a sensible place!

 

Cirrus Logic acquired Wolfson last year I think. Maybe the Wolfson brand may end up being phased out?

 

No wifi for £400???

 

Has anyone tried it yet?

 

Maybe but their WM8740 DAC chip is clearly still popular - Cambridge also use it in their 752BD and in some of their new range as well. Hopefully they'll keep the line and the brand going.

 

I still have one of these...and it works particularly well....I think it was a serious bit of kit back in the day

 

Just got me one and it's fantastic with flac cd files alone. I don't have any hi-rez stuff yet to try but looking forward to when I do

 

What's the battery life you're getting? Thanks

 

Not too sure. I haven't used it for extensive listening. Sorry.

 

I have one and the sound is fantastic. I compare against iPod and other Apple devices which are not that bad sound wise. The A&K jr however plays in another league. I do not have that many "hires" sources but mainly ACC 320 kB and lossless CD rips (Apple lossless).
My cans are: Grado SR80 and SR325. I notice a big improvement when going from the 80 to the 325.
The Astell&Kern drives both headphones without problems.
I tried a FiiO X1 before and it was a disappointment. The FiiO X1 sound more "digital", the frequency range appears to be limited (bass rolloff is severe), and it is overall a more "grainy" sound. The A&K beats the FiiOX1 is every respect (it cost more of course .... but if you are an "audiophile", the FiiO X1 is just not enough).
I payed around 300€ for the A&K jr. I could not resist....

Battery life: With the Grado RS80 i get around 8 hours.... Maybe the capacity will increase a little when charged/discharged a few times (just a speculation)