Back to the first-gen iPod nano

Remember this guy? I do. And I've been loving mine since 2005 or 2006 (honestly I can't remember). Anyway, the first-generation iPod nano is the subject of this week's Headfonia: Back To The Future.

The 1st-gen iPod nano is the most beautiful, simplest-to-use pocketable iPod, ever. Here's a spoiler:

“The nano requires a bit of work, but it is more than just an amazing MP3 player. It is an icon. And my love and devotion to it is Biblical.”

Check it out: BACK TO THE FUTURE FRIDAY: THE ORIGINAL IPOD NANO

Headfonia: Mezzo Audio MSAK100 and MSAK120

In July, I meant what I said: Mezzo HiFi's MS-AK100 is the single best-performing DAP I've laid ears on. Finally, I get the full word out about it at Headfonia. 

By all means, read it: Mezzo Hifi MS-AK100 And MS-AK120 – Perfect Nipples

AK DAP Mini Shootout: Why subjective volume matching is a waste of time

Four days ago, headfi moderator, warrenpchi, published the beginning of what looks to be a legendary Astell & Kern shootout in the already legendary AK120/100ii thread. He went to great lengths to volume match each device by ear.

Yes, by ear.

“This actually took MUCH longer than I anticipated. It seems simple, but you’d be amazed how long it can take to subjectively match levels between five devices using 6 different tracks of varying genres and file qualities.

I began by going through all of the test tracks above to find a comfortable volume level on the AK120 - the device that I am most familiar with. It had to be loud enough that I felt confident in hearing the most intricate of details, but not loud enough that I would be subjected to too much discomfort.”

Warren, it IS simple. Calibrate each device to a single, pre-recorded frequency-neutral tone. Use a split cable, not your ears. And by all means, don't bring out a bunch of songs to do it.

Matching volumes by ear is cognitive dissonance. Not only is it not possible, it is wasteful of effort, time, and, when published, wasteful of headfi bandwidth. At worst, it is deceptive.

Myriad problems ensue even when matching via line outputs. The most insidious is current variability between devices, which can render differences in volume between tracks normalised to the same mean volume levels.

Why? When not fed ample enough current, headphones will return various anomalies, including the loss of contrast, and sound pressure in certain frequencies, all of which affect perceived volume levels.

Hire the best ears in the world. Give them the rest of their lives to match volumes. They will fail. It is neither possible - nor an expedient use of someone's life. It is far quicker and accurate to simply split the output between a single pair of earphones and a sound card. Match the volumes against a frequency-neutral calibration signal. Voila!

Subsequent volume differences indicate output defaults. They cannot be normalised across devices. I won't even get into the problems of various stimuli that trick the ear to thinking it hears one thing when it hears another.

I wish you luck Warren, but your test has already begun on the wrong foot.

Source: Mini Astell&Kern DAP Shoot-Out

Which is ultimate-er? Leica M (240) and Astell & Kern AK240

The Leica M (model 240) looks nothing like the Astell & Kern AK240, and it appears to lack optical output, not to mention support for DSD audio files. No matter. There must be a connection somewhere. I'm doing my damndest to suss it.

Headfonia: a look back at the the original Apple iPod shuffle 512

My gadget is smaller than yours, big boy. It's true. And that is only one of the reasons I love the original iPod shuffle. I swear, there are dozens of audiophile reasons, too; but I ain't listing them here. You can find a few of them at Headfonia:

Back to the Future Friday: the original Apple iPod shuffle (512)

iRiver's AK series: 7 hardware revisions in 1,5 years

In its 1,5 years at market, the AK100 has been replaced/updated thrice. So, too, has its younger sibling, the AK120 (once called the Ultimate Joy of Music). Now there's the AK240 (which bears the dubious: BE THE ULTIMATE tag). If Astell&Kern had a porn name, it would be Prejack Luvpump. Its signature move would be ejaculating every time the word 'sex' was mentioned. Somehow that sticky icky appeals to Mono and Stereo. 

“The AK100 II and AK120 II replace the Wolfson WM8740 DAC with the Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC chipset found in the flagship AK240. The AK100 II features a single DAC chipset like its predecessor, while the AK120 steps up to two (2) DACs (Digital to Analog Converters) that output audio signals independently to each channel, making the AK120 II a true dual mono (dual monaural) setup like those found in expensive hi-fi equipment. The dual Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC chips found in the AK120 II dedicates each DAC chip to a completely separate left and right channel. In result, the AK120 II provides far superior depth, clarity, and spaciousness to the audio. By providing a much clearer sound with lower distortion, the AK120 II truly replicates how the original music was recorded. ”

Maybe I just don't get it. Or maybe, my hopes for luxury goods are higher, and clearer than iRiver's. 

Luxury is a category established by superiority in service or product quality. It is punctuated by follow through, by grace, by snob appeal, and almost always, by lucid, intelligible copy. It is not established by escalating prices. It is not established by products or services whose relevance expires within a season, or whose copy contradicts itself. It is not established by Google translate and primary school editors.

Willy-nilly upgrades are the marks of indecisiveness; and indecisiveness is a mark of the cheap, of the mundane, of the mass market. It is a mark of the sticky-sheets adolescent who still chews his pronouns.