Disclaimer: the AK Jr unit reviewed here, and the AK380 unit mentioned in this post, are on loan from Astell & Kern Korea. They will be returned prior to 15 August.
Subject: Astell & Kern AK Jr
Spec list: AK Jr specifications page
Astell & Kern's daft copywriting strikes again, this time belittling the performance of its AK Jr. Jr, which goes for 499$ USD -- or about a fifth the price of AK's biggest mindshare devices -- is, in many metrics, able to stand toe-to-toe with the AK240 and AK380; in some arenas, it blows them out of the water. I will be reviewing it at Headfonia sometime next week. Until then, let the following impressions stand in:
Hardware and interface
1. corners are too sharp (uncomfortable)
2. volume wheel nudged too easily (dangerous)
3. navigation button spread much better than AK240 and AK380 (finally)
4. boot-up time much improved over AK380/240 (finally)
5. screen too low quality for a device marketed for "smartphone-like experience" (seriously?)
6. transfer times way too long (yawn)
7. many inconsistencies/clumsy interactions in UI (clumsy move)
8. too long for comfortable/safe pocket use with straight-angle headphone plugs (made for the man-purse)
9. UI is simplified over first-gen devices, and easier to use than latest-gen AK380 (great)
Sound
1. low amounts of hiss (great)
2. great, meaty-sounding Wolfson WM8740 (my personal favourite)
3. good performance when driving low-Ω earphones (not quite iPod nano 7G-levels of stability)
4. better handling of line out levels than AK240/AK380 (great for outboard amplification)
5. for supplying outboard analogue amplification, AK Jr should supply more dynamic range, better noise handling, and better stereo separation than the AK240 or AK380 (and only 499$ USD)
Summary: I love the AK Jr. It is the first AK device whose sound has drawn me from the first listen. But then again, I love the WM8740. I am not bothered by the crazy uptick of distortion whilst driving the Audio Technica ES7. For most earphones and headphones I use, not to mention outboard amplification, this player performs incredibly well, sounds great, and is a comparative steal. It performs leaps and bounds above some of the competition, and puts to shame AK's early lineup. Overall, well done.
The following Rightmark Audio Analyzer tests were conducted through this equipment.
Source: Astell & Kern AK Jr
ADC: Lynx Studio HILO LT-TB
Computer: 2012 27" iMac
Cables: 1,5m Hosa Pro 3,5mm stereo to dual 3-pin XLR (around 8$)
Loads:
NL - no load
SM2 - Earsonics SM2
ES7 - Audio Technica ES7
DT880 - Beyerdynamic DT880/600
16-bit & 24-bit TARGETS and loads
16-bit results summary
24-bit results summary
