Astell Kern AK10 Portable USB Audio Decoder Review


Maybe a few years ago, we would think that we would be a well-known audio equipment manufacturer. You should do it for many years, such as Sennheiser, which began in 1945, such as Onkyo 1946, or Sony Walkman, and 2014. It is 35 years old. At least 10 years ago, the growth of audio equipment brands was very slow, because songs had to be disseminated via CDs, tapes, etc., and the speed was slow, the cost was high, and there were fewer sales channels for high-quality audio products and the prices were relatively expensive. Ten years later, music can be transmitted to any corner of the world through the Internet in one day, and the speed with which a new audio equipment brand grows is surprising.



Before releasing the first high-quality music player AK100 in December 2012, Avery did not even do any offline advertising. The Astell & Kern brand has already become the focus of many listeners in the world.



In a short period of 1 year, from AK100 to A120 to AK10, Avery proved to us two things: 1. Not everyone thinks that Big Design and complex music players are “upscale”; 2. HiFi circles forever There is no shortage of rich people.



Of course, the fast success of Astell & Kern is not just a marketing victory, but behind it is the experience of Avery and years of audio player R&D and manufacturing.


“AK10, Hi-Fiyour Smartphone”. This is the first sentence of the official website's product introduction page. Although “made for iPod iPhone” is specifically marked on the packaging, it is actually a multi-platform usable USB decoder, PC, MAC All can be used, Android phones can also be used through OTG function, but although many manufacturers now have compatibility issues with mobile OTG functions, Samsung Galaxy, Note 2, HTC One Vivo Xplay and Sony Xperia Z may all be able to use AK10 directly for decoding. Some mobile phones may need to install a third-party music player program, USB Audio Recorder PRO.


Either way, choosing a stable Apple device is smarter. Selling your product with Apple's market share, it seems that Apple's users have more money than Android's. In addition, at the level of product competition, AK10 is directly The competitor may be SonyPHA-1, both are very close in price, but I don't think AK10 will have a significant disadvantage because of different customer base.



Usually we always think that the same price to buy something big to feel that it is worth some, 1999 yuan to buy a large AK10 tens of times PHA-1 decoding amp seems to be a good deal, buy a large volume A hundred times the desktop amp seems to be more valuable. But under simple thinking you will find that, in portability, AK10 attacks the weakness of PHA-1.



Sony PHA-1 bundled after the larger, not everyone would like to go out every day with such a large device to go out; earlier Sony Discman/MD designed a beautiful wire, many people like to wire Do not be in the collar, first, the operation of the machine will be a lot easier; second, the line control does not really feel the tide on the clothes.


This size 54 [W] x 54 [H] x 13.15 mm [D], about half the size of the AK10 iPhone 5, connected to your iPhone, it is like Sony's wire control that year, so you do not have to pull out The phone can easily control the music playback, the volume level.



On the subway in the morning commuting, you pull out an iPhone tied with the PHA-1 and play music there. There should be many people who will look at you with a strange look; if your ear plugs are plugged in On a beautiful AK10, many people may think - well, this young man who listens to music has a great range of styles. So, do you still think that the price of 1999 yuan must be everyone's choice of PHA-1?



On the right side of the front of the fuselage, is the play control button, the previous song, play pause, the next song




The AK10 continues the design and exquisite workmanship of Astell & Kern products. The material used to control the weight of plastic, but because of the battery, there is still 51g of weight. Both the shell and the volume control dial have a metallic-like coating, so it looks like a metal case, especially when it's time to go with a black iPhone.


The volume control dial on the front of the fuselage was inspired by the record, and Astell & Kern gave it a loosely damped feel because it had 135 levels of volume control when connected to the iPhone 5 and 230 levels of volume control when connected to a Mac/Windows computer. You have to turn a few laps to get the maximum volume from the minimum volume. If the resistance is strong, it will be a bit annoying to turn around. Don't worry about the loose resistance of the turntable will change the volume in the event of a mistake, because you can use the top of the fuselage Lock the key lock.



The power button and the lock button are designed together and are located on the top, right side of the front of the camera. On the left is a 3.5mm audio connector.


The bottom of the side is a USB port, and the small hole next to it is the charging status indicator.


The Astell & Kern variant of the letter A on the rear cover with a glossy printed surface is subtle and beautiful. The nameplate parameter at the bottom indicates the origin of China, using Wolfson's decoder chip.


DAC chip: Wolfson WM8740

Frequency response: 10Hz – 20kHz (+/- 0.02dB)

Output power: 1.7Vrms Total harmonic distortion: 0.008% (1kHz/0dB, 24bit/48kHz)

Signal to noise ratio: 110dB (1kHz/0dB, 24bit/48kHz)



In different systems, the maximum code rate supported by the AK10 is different: iOS (Max 24bit, 48kHz), Android (Max 24bit, 96kHz), Windows (Max 24bit, 96kHz), Mac OS (Max 24bit, 96kHz) Only 24bit/48kHz when connecting iPhone, this is Apple's problem, but this bit rate is not low as portable. The AK10's built-in battery capacity is unknown, but it can reach about 10 hours of battery life when connected to an iPhone.



Attachments: A connection Apple has an Apple Lightning interface data cable, a USB port to the mini USB interface data cable, there is also a leather case.


The product quickly started the manual, briefly introduced the interface, keys, and usage methods. There was also a warranty manual and a one-year warranty service.


Attached leather case


The included leather case has good texture and workmanship. The design also considers it very considerate. In front of us, we said that the AK10 machine has a weight of 51g. If you plug in the earbud, it will be very fall without any fixation, so the leather case is designed. A fastener allows you to quickly attach the AK10 to your backpack or belt. In addition, using a holster will not scratch your iPhone.



On the back there is also an elastic band design, a buckle for a user-friendly use. In addition, if you do not listen to music time, untie the AK10 from the shoulder strap, this fastener design can help you receive earplugs.


The earplugs are well-preserved, because the back is covered with a layer of leather, so it won't spread.



The design of this leather case shows that Avery and all aspects of Astell & Kern products are well thought out.


16 AK10 standard Apple data line is Lightning interface, it can only connect iPhone5 ipad mini above models, in theory, iPhone 4 can also support this decoder, do not know why Astell & Kern is not configured for the data line, iPhone The 4 user community is currently Apple's largest user base.


17 Lastly, thrust, the official announced port power is 1.7Vrms, even higher than the AK120 and AK100 players, the power of the two players is 1.5Vrms. So under the impedance of 16 ohms, the AK10 output can reach 160mw. This output power pushes most of the earbuds without any problem, and some low-resistance and high-sensitivity portable headphones have no problem, such as Sony 10RC, ONKYO ES-HF300, Sennheiser MOMENTUM On- Ear et al.


AK10 used a more popular high-end level DAC chip wm8740, output indicators and AK100 are also relatively close, but the sound of AK10 and AK100 sound is somewhat different, AK100's high-frequency more elegant, and AK10's sound is thicker than some AK100 , IF is more prominent; after the connection to the iPhone 5 this increase is very obvious, first of all feel a lot of clean and transparent background, AK strengthens the harmonic overtones, the last rhyme sounds longer than when the iPhone 5 is inserted The openness of the sound field seems to be wider, and the bass style is a style that is not strong enough, but the sense of cohesion is much better than the iPhone, creating a good bass atmosphere.


In terms of midrange, the density is moderate, the vocals are close, and the treble brightness is good, but it is not particularly exciting, nor is it an elegant treble. The thickness of the middle and middle treble is more prominent in the natural and sweet style. The overall sense of hearing is a little warm, this tuning Style is the style most people like. It's easier to hear and hear. The overall sound is more contagious than the iPhone. It feels like it is parsed, and the details are rich. The sound is clearly structured. The sound is a little thicker than the middle and high frequencies. The AK100 is a more secure tuning style.


AK10 is really a weapon for both iPhone and OTG Android Android phones. It hasn't been used with desktop computers. Plugging in Windows 7 and later will install the drivers automatically. After selecting the output as "AK10 USB DAC" in the sound device, it will be fine.

I believe that with the Wm4780's skill is definitely better than most of the built-in sound card on a large section, this is a very prominent midrange vocal texture, enhance the atmosphere of the song product, I think the price is expensive, but the performance of the sound is still very Delightful.


There is a problem to mention that the 3.5mm interface used by the AK10 is an international CTIA standard. Some earbuds that use the National China OMTP standard may be plugged in. There will be compatibility issues, and the sound of one channel will be lost. In this case, Just prepare a conversion plug just fine.



AK10 should be a very valuable product. If you don't want to bring a Walkman to listen to you, this little thing will immediately allow you to enjoy high-quality and infectious music. You can watch it. It is a simplified version of the AK100 that omits the screen and some components. From this point of view, it seems that the competitor is not an amp like the PHA-1, but a high-quality music player with a level of 1,000 yuan. Based on the close price and sound quality, it depends only on whether you agree with the AK10 "HiFi & Smart" concept.




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