Touch the beautiful: Astell & Kern AK380 portable player and Angie II headphones
Hi, Giktayms! Real connoisseurs of sound know that the 380th is not only Airbus (by the way, the largest passenger plane in the world), but also a real flagship among audio players from Astell & Kern. In certain circles, this device needs no introduction, and only a few manage to touch this miracle of audio technology. The more interesting it was to get to know him - yet, players for 250 thousand rubles, even “people in the subject”, fall into the hands not every day. Ida under the cat, even though the pictures look :)
For some reason, some people are embarrassed about the premium segment, but in vain: if expensive materials are used as the case materials and the device itself is a symbiosis of dozens of patented solutions, there is nothing surprising in the fact that its final price is appropriate. Of course, the premium can also be different: for some, these are headphones for 50-60 thousand rubles like the Fostex TH-610 (about which we have already reviewed ), for others - Audio-Technica for 100 thousand rubles and above, and for others "Premium" and does begin with a few hundred thousand. Our latest guests from Astell & Kern are the AK380 player and Angie II headphones .
At one time in the world of portable Hi-End, few could rival the Colorfly C4, true audiophiles remember it perfectly. But as soon as he went into retirement, who just did not try to take his place: iBasso and even Sony made their attempts. They offered good devices, however, no one could declare their leadership with full thoroughness. And suddenly an unexpected guest appeared on the scene from the East - Astell & Kern.
This Korean company owes its appearance to Samsung, from which several engineers left in 1999 to create their own company with the intention of producing ... mp3 players. No need to be surprised, while these devices were not at the peak of their popularity, but they were already in incredible demand. The output turned out to be iRiver, which rapidly broke into the market and managed to establish itself as a manufacturer of inexpensive, but at the same time high-quality players, because they supported not only MP3, but also OGG. Well, admit, did everyone have an airever? ;)
Everything would be fine, but iRiver’s competitors in the person of Apple with its iPod and Sony, which for a couple of years moved from the horizon to the foreground, just as quickly drew themselves. On their background, users began to forget about the once beloved brand.
However, in iRiver they didn’t lose their head and began to do the most reasonable thing in such situations - to search for a free niche. And no, they didn’t go stamping headphones for a few dollars: instead, they decided to break through the niche of the portable Hi-End, which was later dubbed as “super-expensive”. The risk, of course, was enormous - to enter a new market with an unknown brand, and even without a portfolio of engineering solutions. But whoever does not risk, he does not drink Russiano, and now Astell & Kern can easily fill himself with this drink a 50-meter pool.
The first pancake did not turn out to be a lump for the new brand - Astell & Kern AK100 was accepted by buyers cordially and with interest, so the company decided not to stop there.
Every year Astell & Kern improved technical solutions, complicated devices, making them more and more expensive. This is how the AK240 appeared, which already cost more than 3000 dollars and, despite the high price, was in incredible demand.
It would seem that here it is - the pinnacle of success, and you can stop. But in the dictionary of Koreans, it seems, there is simply no such word. After all, this is why we are telling you about AK380 today .
The audio player was introduced by Astell & Kern in May last year and in that short time won the title of one of the most accurate music playback devices on the market today.
The stylish black box hides behind itself AK380, which at first you gently take with four fingers, despite the fact that it conveniently comes out of the box using the “tongue” - here we say hello to Apple and its MacBook. In general, the “opened the box - immediately saw the device” approach was first tested by premium brands, then the others, who had previously concealed the device itself with a set of cardboard, warranty cards and other waste paper, were already brought up.
The side lines of the box exactly follow the geometry of the AK380 case, which makes it quite futuristic. Inside there are two more black boxes - in the larger one, the necessary documentation, a set of films and a stylish brown case made of handmade leather. In a small box there was a place for a micro-USB cable for charging and transferring files.
Components built on the principle of "nothing extra". Everything in its place, just a perfectionist paradise. I don’t even want to throw out such a box, but we don’t want to sing the praises for a long time - it’s better to look at the player.
Astell & Kern can be loved for only one design of its devices. But the body of the AK380 is something unbelievable: so much so that at first you simply stick to the player, trying to find the right words (rather, even epithets). Three of us came to mind at once: elegance, futurism and innovation. The appearance of the player's case is very unusual - it is not a remnant and not the usual rectangular bar, but at the same time, all the faces are quite sharp.
The hull is made of aviation duralumin, although from photographs one might sometimes think that wood is used as a material. No, only expensive metal and carbon, which is covered by the back of the player. The manufacturer describes the color as “Bright Titanium” (Meteoric Titan): in combination with materials, it changes from copper to graphite depending on the angle of incidence of light. The edges are chopped, which is why it is difficult at first to understand what the dimensions of the device are. Since the buyer places the highest demands on a player of this level, it is not surprising that the case is thought out to the smallest detail - so that it is not only beautiful, but also convenient to use. The dimensions of 112x80x18 mm and the weight of only 230 grams make the device comfortable, the player fits easily in the palm of your hand and does not slip out.
The front panel of the player is represented by a four-inch screen with a resolution of 480x800. Although it is touch-sensitive, the manufacturer did not disdain the physical buttons - the solution is somewhat reminiscent of the Apple Watch, where control is provided both from the display and using the side “wheel” of the Digital Crown. In the AK380, instead of it, a volume control wheel, located on the right edge. There is also a slot for microSD memory cards - in case the built-in 256 GB is not enough. A nice bonus is the carbon backing - a cog with which you can fasten the amplifier.
On the left side is a playback control unit consisting of three keys - two buttons for switching between tracks and the Play / Pause button. On top of the two headphone outputs (normal jack 3.5 mm and a balanced 2.5 mm) and the power button.
But it would not be Astell & Kern if he had not hidden something outlandish in the casing. In the case of the AK380, this is a touch-sensitive button recessed directly into the aluminum case. The button is located just below the screen and responds precisely to pressing - the sensor is able to recognize them from a normal touch. Looking ahead, we note that it works almost unmistakably.
This point of the review, we specifically analyze in more detail. To begin, let's go over the main parameters and sound characteristics with the help of pivot tables.
The characteristics of the AK380 are truly flagship: 32-bit / 384 kHz audio playback indicator instead of 24-bit / 192 kHz audio, reproduction of the original sound, rather than the converted original, with a reduced sampling rate. You hear the music as it should be without reducing the resolution. The difference between the 32-bit AK380 playback from other players clearly illustrate the images below.
AK380:
Other players:
Astell & Kern AK380 also uses a parametric equalizer - it is controlled by a separate processor and provides sound control with an accuracy of 0.1 dB for each band. DSP assumes all functions for the formation and filtering of the signal.
The parametric equalizer of the player is 20-band, in contrast to the AK240, where the equalizer is 10-band. This allows you to cover more frequencies than its predecessor.
Another feature of the AK380 is the high-accuracy femto clock generator with 200 femtoseconds jitter and VCXO. The latter sets the oscillation frequency using an input signal, and the input voltage correction allows you to adjust the exact frequency value.
Not to say that we were surprised to see a high-precision generator in the player - yet this is one of the indicators of expensive audio systems, and here we have a representative of the premium segment itself. In this case, you should pay attention to the value of jitter - an error occurring in the reference frequency, which is needed to perform the sampling. The AK380's jitter value is very small (femtosecond is one quadrillion second), Femto Clock ensures its better adjustment and tuning of a more accurate frequency value.
As the creators of the player decided not to save on the materials of the case, they did not stint on the technical equipment of the player so that its main task - high-quality sound reproduction, it performed better than anyone. For each channel, there are separate DACs AK4490, support for DSD 64 and DSD 128 formats, 384 kHz sampling rate — even nowadays you will not see this in many stationary Hi-Fi systems.
The player can even work as an external USB D / A converter - a special mode is provided for this in the menu. If you use a balanced connection, you can achieve maximum results for the linear output mode. Tests conducted with the RightMark Audio Analyzer clearly demonstrate that the value of some parameters is even higher than that stated by the manufacturer.
The maximum signal-to-noise ratio of 123 dB is provided by installing two AK4490 DACs in mono-mode - an indicator almost beyond the limit. Interference nonlinear distortion when playing a file with a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz is minimal.
The AK380 operating system is vaguely reminiscent of Android if it were sharpened for interaction with music content. The interface is clear and minimalistic, there is no clutter. The touch screen perfectly handles the touch, the actions are accompanied by smooth animation, there are no lags. At all. They wanted to change the mode - we looked at the corresponding menu on top at any moment in time. Here you can find the button with the settings.
The player’s home screen essentially consists of three parts: the lower part is needed to access the library on the device, the AK Connect service utility block and the cover of the track being played are located in the middle of the screen, the status bar with the battery charge level, current time and other parameters. The player plays songs from a folder as well as by artist or a specific genre, works with playlists. To download the tracks do not need to install additional software.
Tracks are played not only from a memory card, but also using external sources using the DLNA protocol. Pleased with the support of Wi-Fi - this allows, for example, automatically update the firmware when there is a connection to the network.
As mentioned above, Astell & Kern AK380 also works in an external USB DAC mode. We connected a mobile device with its own media library to it - and that’s ready, you don’t need to transfer everything to the internal media of the player. To transfer and play files from smartphones and tablets was even more convenient, Astell & Kern offers AK Connect application, available for iOS and Android .
AK Connect for Android
AK Connect for iOS
For the story about the sound settings for preferences, let's return to the story about the 20-band parametric equalizer. The possibilities are incredibly broad, besides the possibility of saving user presets is provided. A large number of frequency bands are available, surprised by the presence of filtering settings using the Q-factor of equalizer filters. One of the presets provides itself Astell & Kern (PRO EQ).
The battery life of the AK380 is on average 8 hours with a volume above average and headphones of 17 Ohms (by the way, we tested the player with Angie II reinforcement headphones ). A full charge takes about 5 hours. Only mind you without "pff, I have an iPod for 50 hours playing!" :)
Most importantly, of course, how does the AK380 sound? As we already said, we used Angie II in-ear headphones, which are also from Astell & Kern, to estimate this parameter. It is believed that if you use the player and headphones from the same manufacturer, you can comprehend Zen while listening. And it seems that this is exactly what happened in our case.
How does the AK380 in conjunction with the Angie II, you ask? You can, of course, say that “an imaginary scene has been worked out well”, “every instrument is heard in the orchestra” and “takes the performer to a concert”, but all this is already so banal and beaten that you don’t want to once again get this barrel organ. It sounds cool, just believe it. You can say amazing.
The devices perfectly reveal each other's potential, thanks to which you will want to listen to music again and again, regardless of genre preferences - be it hip-hop or classical or electronic music. But if you are interested in subjective impressions - the bass is saturated, the high frequencies are crystal clear, the timbre of the voice also has not gone away. Well, “brings the performer to the concert”, of course :) But listen to it yourself, here the saying “it’s better to see once” does not work.
By the way, to expand the capabilities of the player, you can still additionally acquire a docking station for recharging with the ability to connect to a speaker system, a CD ripper or a portable amplifier. If the first two accessories are more for an amateur, then an amplifier will be a great addition.
Of course, when listening to songs, a lot depends on the headphones. Angie II fits perfectly in this regard - a unique fit, custom rebar balanced drivers of 8 per channel, the built-in fourth-order crossover is one of the best in-channel monitors in the segment up to 120 thousand rubles.
Approximately simultaneously with the appearance of AK240, Astell & Kern began to collaborate in Jerry Harvey in the area of producing a joint line of headphones based on the Sirens series (Sirens) - earlier Harvey released it only in a custom version.
Every detail of the hull and sound channels of Angie II are made of a single block of aluminum, on the outside there is a carbon plate with the brand logo. New patented driver design turns headphones into the perfect mastering tool. The SoundrIVe technology uses 8 drivers per channel (2 reinforcement balanced drivers for low and medium frequencies, 4 drivers for high). And with the help of FreqPhase, each driver is provided with a signal within 0.01 milliseconds.
Included with the Angie II are Comply foam ear cushions, as well as two cables - an unbalanced 3.5 mm and a balanced 2.5 mm. Astell & Kern decided to go for such a decision due to the presence of a 4-pin balanced output of 2.5 mm in AK380. In fact, the manufacturer itself advises to use the player with these headphones.
Using the remote on the cable and a screwdriver, you can adjust the variable bass of the headphones - adjust the low-frequency drivers in the range from 10 Hz to 100 Hz by changing the amount of bass from 0 to +15 dB.
But writing it is not so easy. The words AK380 and Angie II cannot be described in words , even using the most eloquent expressions of the Russian language. The sensations are as if the head and the ears seem to start working differently: the sound is so steep that you unwittingly become a music critic who evaluates the playing of a drummer or keyboard player. Favorite songs start to sound completely different and at first it even scares. At first, you just listen to different tracks, then you start listening to the same track on different equalizer presets, then you choose one and listen to all the previously heard tracks on it and then go around.
Are there many 350 thousand rubles for such a kit? This question is haunted by many. Let's answer this way: you can talk as much as you like about the uselessness of similar Hi-End devices, that audiophilia is worse than drug addiction, that with this money you can buy a car or 20 washing machines and so on. However, if you don’t hear how a violinist in the third row fakes a violinist during a concert of the orchestra, it doesn’t mean that people with hearing can’t catch it much sharper. For them, it's not just music.
For some reason, some people are embarrassed about the premium segment, but in vain: if expensive materials are used as the case materials and the device itself is a symbiosis of dozens of patented solutions, there is nothing surprising in the fact that its final price is appropriate. Of course, the premium can also be different: for some, these are headphones for 50-60 thousand rubles like the Fostex TH-610 (about which we have already reviewed ), for others - Audio-Technica for 100 thousand rubles and above, and for others "Premium" and does begin with a few hundred thousand. Our latest guests from Astell & Kern are the AK380 player and Angie II headphones .
At one time in the world of portable Hi-End, few could rival the Colorfly C4, true audiophiles remember it perfectly. But as soon as he went into retirement, who just did not try to take his place: iBasso and even Sony made their attempts. They offered good devices, however, no one could declare their leadership with full thoroughness. And suddenly an unexpected guest appeared on the scene from the East - Astell & Kern.
This Korean company owes its appearance to Samsung, from which several engineers left in 1999 to create their own company with the intention of producing ... mp3 players. No need to be surprised, while these devices were not at the peak of their popularity, but they were already in incredible demand. The output turned out to be iRiver, which rapidly broke into the market and managed to establish itself as a manufacturer of inexpensive, but at the same time high-quality players, because they supported not only MP3, but also OGG. Well, admit, did everyone have an airever? ;)
Everything would be fine, but iRiver’s competitors in the person of Apple with its iPod and Sony, which for a couple of years moved from the horizon to the foreground, just as quickly drew themselves. On their background, users began to forget about the once beloved brand.
However, in iRiver they didn’t lose their head and began to do the most reasonable thing in such situations - to search for a free niche. And no, they didn’t go stamping headphones for a few dollars: instead, they decided to break through the niche of the portable Hi-End, which was later dubbed as “super-expensive”. The risk, of course, was enormous - to enter a new market with an unknown brand, and even without a portfolio of engineering solutions. But whoever does not risk, he does not drink Russiano, and now Astell & Kern can easily fill himself with this drink a 50-meter pool.
The first pancake did not turn out to be a lump for the new brand - Astell & Kern AK100 was accepted by buyers cordially and with interest, so the company decided not to stop there.
Every year Astell & Kern improved technical solutions, complicated devices, making them more and more expensive. This is how the AK240 appeared, which already cost more than 3000 dollars and, despite the high price, was in incredible demand.
It would seem that here it is - the pinnacle of success, and you can stop. But in the dictionary of Koreans, it seems, there is simply no such word. After all, this is why we are telling you about AK380 today .
The audio player was introduced by Astell & Kern in May last year and in that short time won the title of one of the most accurate music playback devices on the market today.
Equipment
The stylish black box hides behind itself AK380, which at first you gently take with four fingers, despite the fact that it conveniently comes out of the box using the “tongue” - here we say hello to Apple and its MacBook. In general, the “opened the box - immediately saw the device” approach was first tested by premium brands, then the others, who had previously concealed the device itself with a set of cardboard, warranty cards and other waste paper, were already brought up.
The side lines of the box exactly follow the geometry of the AK380 case, which makes it quite futuristic. Inside there are two more black boxes - in the larger one, the necessary documentation, a set of films and a stylish brown case made of handmade leather. In a small box there was a place for a micro-USB cable for charging and transferring files.
Components built on the principle of "nothing extra". Everything in its place, just a perfectionist paradise. I don’t even want to throw out such a box, but we don’t want to sing the praises for a long time - it’s better to look at the player.
Appearance
Astell & Kern can be loved for only one design of its devices. But the body of the AK380 is something unbelievable: so much so that at first you simply stick to the player, trying to find the right words (rather, even epithets). Three of us came to mind at once: elegance, futurism and innovation. The appearance of the player's case is very unusual - it is not a remnant and not the usual rectangular bar, but at the same time, all the faces are quite sharp.
The hull is made of aviation duralumin, although from photographs one might sometimes think that wood is used as a material. No, only expensive metal and carbon, which is covered by the back of the player. The manufacturer describes the color as “Bright Titanium” (Meteoric Titan): in combination with materials, it changes from copper to graphite depending on the angle of incidence of light. The edges are chopped, which is why it is difficult at first to understand what the dimensions of the device are. Since the buyer places the highest demands on a player of this level, it is not surprising that the case is thought out to the smallest detail - so that it is not only beautiful, but also convenient to use. The dimensions of 112x80x18 mm and the weight of only 230 grams make the device comfortable, the player fits easily in the palm of your hand and does not slip out.
The front panel of the player is represented by a four-inch screen with a resolution of 480x800. Although it is touch-sensitive, the manufacturer did not disdain the physical buttons - the solution is somewhat reminiscent of the Apple Watch, where control is provided both from the display and using the side “wheel” of the Digital Crown. In the AK380, instead of it, a volume control wheel, located on the right edge. There is also a slot for microSD memory cards - in case the built-in 256 GB is not enough. A nice bonus is the carbon backing - a cog with which you can fasten the amplifier.
On the left side is a playback control unit consisting of three keys - two buttons for switching between tracks and the Play / Pause button. On top of the two headphone outputs (normal jack 3.5 mm and a balanced 2.5 mm) and the power button.
But it would not be Astell & Kern if he had not hidden something outlandish in the casing. In the case of the AK380, this is a touch-sensitive button recessed directly into the aluminum case. The button is located just below the screen and responds precisely to pressing - the sensor is able to recognize them from a normal touch. Looking ahead, we note that it works almost unmistakably.
AK380 specifications
This point of the review, we specifically analyze in more detail. To begin, let's go over the main parameters and sound characteristics with the help of pivot tables.
Main settings
| Body material | Aviation duralumin |
| Colour | Bright Titanium (Meteoric Titan) |
| Display | 4 "WVGA (480x800), touch |
| Supported Audio Formats | WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE (Normal, High, Fast), AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF |
| Sampling frequency | PCM: 8 - 384 kHz (8/16/24/32 bits per sample) / native DSD: DSD64 (1 bit 2.8 MHz), Stereo / DSD128 (1 bit 5.6 MHz), Stereo |
| Output level (no load) | 2.2 Vrms (unbalanced output) / 2.3 Vrms (balanced output) |
| DAC | AKM AK4490 x 2 (Dual DAC) |
| Decoding | 32 bit / 384 kHz bit decoding support |
| entrance | micro USB type B |
| Outputs | Optical (3.5 mm), balanced (2.5 mm, 4 pin only) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b / g / n (2.4 GHz) |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, aptX) |
| Nutrition | 3400 mAh, lithium polymer |
| Dimensions | 79.8 x 112.4 x 17.9 mm |
| Weight | 230 g |
| Internal memory | 256 GB (NAND) |
| Additional memory | microSD up to 128 GB |
Sound parameters
| Frequency response | ± 0.053 dB (20 Hz - 20 kHz), unbalanced and balanced output Unbalanced: ± 0.56 dB (10 Hz - 70 kHz) Balanced: ± 0.55 dB (10 Hz - 70 kHz) |
| S / N ratio | Unbalanced: 116 dB / kHz Balanced: 117 dB / kHz |
| Crosstalk | Unbalanced: 130 dB / kHz Balanced: 135 dB / kHz |
| OIG + H | Unbalanced: 0.0008% @ 1 kHz Balanced: 0.0007% @ 1 kHz |
| IMD SMPTE | Unbalanced: 0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz 4: 1 Balanced: 0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz 4: 1 |
| Output impedance | Balance output 2.5 mm: 1 Ohm Headphones 3.5 mm: 2 Ohm |
The characteristics of the AK380 are truly flagship: 32-bit / 384 kHz audio playback indicator instead of 24-bit / 192 kHz audio, reproduction of the original sound, rather than the converted original, with a reduced sampling rate. You hear the music as it should be without reducing the resolution. The difference between the 32-bit AK380 playback from other players clearly illustrate the images below.
AK380:
Other players:
Astell & Kern AK380 also uses a parametric equalizer - it is controlled by a separate processor and provides sound control with an accuracy of 0.1 dB for each band. DSP assumes all functions for the formation and filtering of the signal.
The parametric equalizer of the player is 20-band, in contrast to the AK240, where the equalizer is 10-band. This allows you to cover more frequencies than its predecessor.
Another feature of the AK380 is the high-accuracy femto clock generator with 200 femtoseconds jitter and VCXO. The latter sets the oscillation frequency using an input signal, and the input voltage correction allows you to adjust the exact frequency value.
Not to say that we were surprised to see a high-precision generator in the player - yet this is one of the indicators of expensive audio systems, and here we have a representative of the premium segment itself. In this case, you should pay attention to the value of jitter - an error occurring in the reference frequency, which is needed to perform the sampling. The AK380's jitter value is very small (femtosecond is one quadrillion second), Femto Clock ensures its better adjustment and tuning of a more accurate frequency value.
As the creators of the player decided not to save on the materials of the case, they did not stint on the technical equipment of the player so that its main task - high-quality sound reproduction, it performed better than anyone. For each channel, there are separate DACs AK4490, support for DSD 64 and DSD 128 formats, 384 kHz sampling rate — even nowadays you will not see this in many stationary Hi-Fi systems.
The player can even work as an external USB D / A converter - a special mode is provided for this in the menu. If you use a balanced connection, you can achieve maximum results for the linear output mode. Tests conducted with the RightMark Audio Analyzer clearly demonstrate that the value of some parameters is even higher than that stated by the manufacturer.
The maximum signal-to-noise ratio of 123 dB is provided by installing two AK4490 DACs in mono-mode - an indicator almost beyond the limit. Interference nonlinear distortion when playing a file with a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz is minimal.
Interface and functionality
The AK380 operating system is vaguely reminiscent of Android if it were sharpened for interaction with music content. The interface is clear and minimalistic, there is no clutter. The touch screen perfectly handles the touch, the actions are accompanied by smooth animation, there are no lags. At all. They wanted to change the mode - we looked at the corresponding menu on top at any moment in time. Here you can find the button with the settings.
The player’s home screen essentially consists of three parts: the lower part is needed to access the library on the device, the AK Connect service utility block and the cover of the track being played are located in the middle of the screen, the status bar with the battery charge level, current time and other parameters. The player plays songs from a folder as well as by artist or a specific genre, works with playlists. To download the tracks do not need to install additional software.
Tracks are played not only from a memory card, but also using external sources using the DLNA protocol. Pleased with the support of Wi-Fi - this allows, for example, automatically update the firmware when there is a connection to the network.
As mentioned above, Astell & Kern AK380 also works in an external USB DAC mode. We connected a mobile device with its own media library to it - and that’s ready, you don’t need to transfer everything to the internal media of the player. To transfer and play files from smartphones and tablets was even more convenient, Astell & Kern offers AK Connect application, available for iOS and Android .
AK Connect for Android
AK Connect for iOS
For the story about the sound settings for preferences, let's return to the story about the 20-band parametric equalizer. The possibilities are incredibly broad, besides the possibility of saving user presets is provided. A large number of frequency bands are available, surprised by the presence of filtering settings using the Q-factor of equalizer filters. One of the presets provides itself Astell & Kern (PRO EQ).
The battery life of the AK380 is on average 8 hours with a volume above average and headphones of 17 Ohms (by the way, we tested the player with Angie II reinforcement headphones ). A full charge takes about 5 hours. Only mind you without "pff, I have an iPod for 50 hours playing!" :)
Sound
Most importantly, of course, how does the AK380 sound? As we already said, we used Angie II in-ear headphones, which are also from Astell & Kern, to estimate this parameter. It is believed that if you use the player and headphones from the same manufacturer, you can comprehend Zen while listening. And it seems that this is exactly what happened in our case.
How does the AK380 in conjunction with the Angie II, you ask? You can, of course, say that “an imaginary scene has been worked out well”, “every instrument is heard in the orchestra” and “takes the performer to a concert”, but all this is already so banal and beaten that you don’t want to once again get this barrel organ. It sounds cool, just believe it. You can say amazing.
The devices perfectly reveal each other's potential, thanks to which you will want to listen to music again and again, regardless of genre preferences - be it hip-hop or classical or electronic music. But if you are interested in subjective impressions - the bass is saturated, the high frequencies are crystal clear, the timbre of the voice also has not gone away. Well, “brings the performer to the concert”, of course :) But listen to it yourself, here the saying “it’s better to see once” does not work.
By the way, to expand the capabilities of the player, you can still additionally acquire a docking station for recharging with the ability to connect to a speaker system, a CD ripper or a portable amplifier. If the first two accessories are more for an amateur, then an amplifier will be a great addition.
Of course, when listening to songs, a lot depends on the headphones. Angie II fits perfectly in this regard - a unique fit, custom rebar balanced drivers of 8 per channel, the built-in fourth-order crossover is one of the best in-channel monitors in the segment up to 120 thousand rubles.
Approximately simultaneously with the appearance of AK240, Astell & Kern began to collaborate in Jerry Harvey in the area of producing a joint line of headphones based on the Sirens series (Sirens) - earlier Harvey released it only in a custom version.
Every detail of the hull and sound channels of Angie II are made of a single block of aluminum, on the outside there is a carbon plate with the brand logo. New patented driver design turns headphones into the perfect mastering tool. The SoundrIVe technology uses 8 drivers per channel (2 reinforcement balanced drivers for low and medium frequencies, 4 drivers for high). And with the help of FreqPhase, each driver is provided with a signal within 0.01 milliseconds.
Included with the Angie II are Comply foam ear cushions, as well as two cables - an unbalanced 3.5 mm and a balanced 2.5 mm. Astell & Kern decided to go for such a decision due to the presence of a 4-pin balanced output of 2.5 mm in AK380. In fact, the manufacturer itself advises to use the player with these headphones.
Astell & Kern Angie II Specs
| Headphone Type | Reinforcement |
| Impedance | 17 ohm |
| Sensitivity | 117 dB / mW |
| Frequency range | 10 - 23,000 Hz |
| The number of emitters | eight |
| Isolation from external noise | 26 dB |
| Headphone jack | 3.5 mm minijack |
| Connection | Wired |
Using the remote on the cable and a screwdriver, you can adjust the variable bass of the headphones - adjust the low-frequency drivers in the range from 10 Hz to 100 Hz by changing the amount of bass from 0 to +15 dB.
There should be a conclusion
But writing it is not so easy. The words AK380 and Angie II cannot be described in words , even using the most eloquent expressions of the Russian language. The sensations are as if the head and the ears seem to start working differently: the sound is so steep that you unwittingly become a music critic who evaluates the playing of a drummer or keyboard player. Favorite songs start to sound completely different and at first it even scares. At first, you just listen to different tracks, then you start listening to the same track on different equalizer presets, then you choose one and listen to all the previously heard tracks on it and then go around.
Are there many 350 thousand rubles for such a kit? This question is haunted by many. Let's answer this way: you can talk as much as you like about the uselessness of similar Hi-End devices, that audiophilia is worse than drug addiction, that with this money you can buy a car or 20 washing machines and so on. However, if you don’t hear how a violinist in the third row fakes a violinist during a concert of the orchestra, it doesn’t mean that people with hearing can’t catch it much sharper. For them, it's not just music.