Maybe a few years ago, we thought that it would take many years to become a well-known audio equipment manufacturer, such as Sennheiser, which started in 1945, such as Onkyo in 1946, or Sony Walkman. By 2014, you will be 35 years old. At least 10 years ago, the growth of audio equipment brands was very slow, because songs had to be spread through CD, tape and other carriers. The promotion speed was very slow, the cost was high, and high-quality audio products had few sales channels and the price was relatively expensive. Today, 10 years later, music can be transmitted to any corner of the world in one day through the network, and the speed of the growth of a new audio equipment brand is amazing.
This article is from: Ainongji Digital Alliance Contribution from member Xiao'an (Weibo @ most digital Xiao'an).
Before the release of the first high-quality music player AK100 in December 2012, Alihe did not even do any offline advertising. Astell&Kern has already become the focus of many listeners in the world.
In just one year, from AK100 to A120 to AK10, Alihe has proved two things to us: 1. Not everyone thinks that big and complicated music players are "high-end"; 2. There is no shortage of rich people in HiFi circle.
Of course, Astell&Kern's rapid success is not just a victory in marketing, but is backed by years of experience in the development and manufacturing of audio players.
"AK10, Hi Fi your Smartphone". This is the first sentence on the product introduction page of the official website. Although "make for iPod iPhone" is specifically marked on the outer package, it is actually a USB decoder available for multiple platforms, Both PC and MAC can be used, and Android phones can also be used through OTG functions. However, although many mobile phones produced by manufacturers have compatibility problems with OTG functions, based on my previous experience with Android USB decoders, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, HTC One, vivo Xplay, and Sony Xperia Z may all be able to decode directly with AK10. Some mobile phones may need to install a third-party music player program - USB Audio Recorder PRO.
In any case, it is smart to choose stable Apple devices. Apple's market share is used to sell its own products, and it seems that Apple users have more money than Android users; In addition, on the level of product competition, AK10's direct competitor may be Sony PHA-1, whose pricing is very close, but I don't think AK10 will have obvious disadvantages because of different customer groups.
Usually, we always think that something bought at the same price is worth more when it is larger. It seems that it is worthwhile to buy a PHA-1 decoding earphone that is dozens of times larger than AK10 for 1999 yuan, and it seems more worthwhile to buy a desktop earphone that is hundreds of times larger. But when you think about it briefly, AK10 attacks the weakness of PHA-1 in terms of portability.
Sony PHA-1 is bulky after bundling, and not everyone likes to take such a large set of equipment out every day; In the early years, Sony Discman/MD designed a beautiful remote control. Many people like to pin the remote control at the collar. First, it will be more convenient to operate the machine; The second is that the remote control clip on the clothes really feels damp.
This AK10, 54 [W] x 54 [H] x 13.15 mm [D] in size, is about half of the size of the iPhone. When connected to your iPhone, it is very similar to the remote control used by Sony. You can easily control music playing and volume without taking out your phone.
On the commuter subway in the morning, you take out an iPhone tied to PHA-1 and play music there. There should be many people looking at you with strange eyes; And if your earplug is inserted into such a beautiful AK10, many people may think -- well, this young music listener is very stylish. So, do you still think that everyone will choose PHA-1 at the price of 1999 yuan?
On the right side of the front of the fuselage is the playback control button, the previous song, the playback pause, and the next song ▼ AK10 continues the square design and exquisite workmanship of Astell&Kern products. In terms of material, plastic is used to control the weight, but because of the battery, it still weighs 51g. The shell and volume control dial have metal like coating, so they look like metal shells, especially when placed together with the black iPhone.
The volume control dial on the front of the fuselage is inspired by the record, Astell&Kern gives it a looser damping sense, because there is 135 level volume control when connecting iPhone 5, and how much 230 level volume control is available when connecting Mac/Windows computers. You have to turn several times to increase the volume from the minimum volume to the maximum volume. If the resistance is strong, it will be a bit annoying when turning. Don't worry that the turntable with looser resistance will change the volume when you touch it by mistake, Because you can use the lock key on the top of the fuselage to lock.
The power key and lock key are designed together, located on the top side of the front of the fuselage to the right, and the left side is a 3.5mm audio interface. ▼
At the bottom of the side is the USB interface, and the hole beside it is the charging status indicator. ▼
The back cover has a printed smooth Astell&Kern deformed A-letter logo, which is implicit and beautiful. The nameplate parameters at the bottom indicate the origin of China, and Wolfson's decoding chip is used. ▼
DAC chip: Wolfson WM8740
Frequency response: 10Hz – 20kHz (+/- 0.02dB)
Output power: 1.7Vrms Total harmonic distortion: 0.008% (1kHz/0dB, 24bit/48kHz)
Signal noise ratio: 110dB (1kHz/0dB, 24bit/48kHz)
In systems of different devices, the maximum code rate supported by AK10 is different. For iOS (Max 24bit, 48kHz), Android (Max 24bit, 96kHz), Windows (Max 24bit, 96kHz), and Mac OS (Max 24bit, 96kHz), when connecting iPhone, the code rate is only 24bit/48kHz, which is Apple's problem, but it is not low as a portable device. The built-in battery capacity of AK10 is unknown, but it can reach about 10 hours of battery life when connected to iPhone.
Accessories: a data cable connecting Apple with an Apple Lightning interface, a data cable from the USB port to the mini USB interface, and a leather case. ▼
The product quick start manual briefly introduces the interface, keys and usage. In addition, there is a warranty manual that provides one-year warranty service. ▼
Attached leather jacket ▼ The quality and workmanship of the included leather case are good, and the design is also very considerate. We said that the AK10's overall weight is 51g. If you plug in earplugs and wear them without fixing them, it will be very ear dropping, so the leather case has a fastener designed to facilitate you to quickly put the AK10 on your backpack belt or belt. In addition, the leather case will not scratch your iPhone.
There is also an elastic belt design on the back, which is convenient for users to use. In addition, if you are not listening to music, you can remove the AK10 from the shoulder belt of the bag. This fastener design can help you store earplugs. ▼
The earplugs are well stored and arranged. Because there is a layer of leather wrapped on the back, they will not spread. ▼ From the design of this leather case, we can see that Eli and Astell&Kern have taken every aspect of the product into consideration.
The standard Apple data cable of AK10 is the Lightning interface, so it can only connect the iPhone 5 iPad mini and above models. Theoretically, the iPhone 4 can also support this decoder. I don't know why Astell&Kern didn't configure the right data cable. The user group of iPhone 4 is currently Apple's largest user group.
Finally, let's talk about the thrust. The officially announced port power is 1.7 Vrms, even higher than the AK120 and AK100 players. The power of the two players is 1.5 Vrms. So under the impedance of 16 ohms, the output of AK10 can reach 160 mw. This output power can drive most earplugs without any problem, and some portable earphones with low resistance and high sensitivity, such as Sony 10RC, ONKYO ES-HF300, Sennheiser MOMENTUM On Ear, etc.
The AK10 uses the popular high-end DAC chip wm8740, and its output index is also close to that of the AK100. However, the sound of the AK10 is somewhat different from that of the AK100. The high frequency of the AK100 is somewhat elegant, while the sound of the AK10 is thicker than that of the AK100, and the intermediate frequency is more prominent; After connecting to iPhone 5, this improvement is very obvious. First, I feel that the background is clean and transparent. AK strengthens the overtone of the bass. The aftertaste sounds longer than when the iPhone 5 is inserted directly. The sound field is wider. The bass style belongs to the style with more volume and less strength, but the sense of cohesion is much better than that of the iPhone, creating a good bass atmosphere.
In terms of mid-range, the density is moderate, the voice is close, and the brightness of the treble is good, but it is not particularly stimulating, nor is it elegant treble. I feel that the thickness of the mid-range and treble is more natural and sweet, and the overall listening feeling is slightly warm. This tuning style will be the style most people like. It is pleasant to listen to, and the overall sound is more appealing than the direct insertion of the iPhone, In terms of analysis, I feel that it is average, with rich details and a lot of distinct sound levels. The sound is a bit like the AK100 with thickened medium and high frequency sound, which is a relatively stable tuning style.
The AK10 is really a powerful tool to improve the sound quality and sense of hearing for the iPhone and Android phones that can OTG. I have not used it with a desktop computer yet. When I plug in Windows 7 and later systems, the driver will be automatically installed, and then select the output as "AK10 USB DAC" in the sound device.
I believe that the Wm4780 is definitely better than most of the built-in sound cards. It is a product that highlights the quality of the mid-range voice and enhances the atmosphere of songs. I think the price is expensive, but the sound performance is still very satisfactory.
One question to mention is that the 3.5mm interface used by AK10 is the international CTIA standard. Some earplugs that use the national OMTP standard of China may have compatibility problems when plugged in, and the sound of one channel may be lost. In this case, a conversion plug should be prepared.
The AK10 should be a valuable product. If you don't want to bring an additional walkman to listen to music on your body, this little thing will immediately let you enjoy high-quality and infectious music. You can think of it as a simplified AK100 that omits the screen and some components. From this point of view, it seems that its competitor is not an earphone like PHA-1, It is a high-quality music player at the level of 1000 yuan. On the basis of relatively close price and sound quality, it only depends on whether you agree with the concept of AK10 "HiFi&Smart".
