Size
The AK70 is barely larger than the original AK120, which was a bare stretch on what I still consider the best-sized audiophile player of all time. The thing is that today, the AK100 handles like a dog. Slow, with strange interface hiccups, and indefensible menu reductions. Astell&Kern have since solidified an interface poled on swipes and universal icons. Pick up one non-Jr A&K and you’ve nearly picked up all of them. Fixing line output, screen brightness, power off, etc., is chicken soup.
And it is all done via a single thumb-friendly screen. Even small hands can easily reach any corner. Playlists are simple to create. Spitting digital via USB output is simple. Pocketing the AK70 is almost as easy as pocketing the original AK120.
Styling
The AK70 is the first full-featured AK device to skips the bow ties, the facets, the extra chins, the grills, and the fish bulbs of Astell&Kern’s latest players, whose design ethos is best described: awful shapes because we can. The AK70 also skips the stupid, tip-toeing-leaning stance of the AK380. Yes, its Korean edges poke and prick. They may even draw blood. Yes, it needs a case. And while I’m not keen on how far left its screen shifts just for the hell of it, I love that it’s square. It is AK’s maturest design yet.
Signals
Typical to AK devices, the AK70’s Bluetooth connectivity is worthless, managing two metres at a maximum with popular Bluetooth earphones and headphones. And while I’ve yet to test it, wifi streaming is supposed to work like the Dickens. George Lai swears by it. So do a few other reliable individuals. I swear I’ll be back in a bit with more than Bluetooth to swear by or at.
End words
With the exception of Bluetooth, when graded across multiple criteria, the AK70 impresses. It performs well. It looks and responds well. It keeps up only the most important family resemblances whilst ditching the rest. It is AK’s face for those to whom AK had none. To that customer – a person used to smartphone utility and consistency -, its modest failings are sore thumbs in what otherwise, is Astell & Kern’s most functionally beautiful player to date.
Barun C
Enjoyable read, Nathan. I like the initial colour scheme AK came out with. Hoping, they will come up with some more stellar looking colour iterations in the future.
Seems like a worthy player in the sub $700 USD market. Hope Tidal/Spotify comes soon on these devices. Two things I wanted to ask.
1. How big are these in comparison to the Cowon Plenue D’s?
2. How much battery life did you get out of these on average?
Thanks
Andrei
I’m also especially interested in question no.2. I have purchased an ak70 and i am (negatively) amazed by the very short battery life. If i just turn the screen off (like phone standby mode) then by the end of the day battery is empty. The only way is to shut down completely. Is it normal or perhaps i have a faulty unit? Thank you!
ohm image
I seem to have missed Barun’s question:
1. It’s 1,5x the size.
2. 6-8 hours, which is typical for this sort of unit. Only the AK100 (original) had good battery life, the main reason I throw my weight behind it.
Juan Luis
¿How it sound compared with x5ii?
Clarence
AK has terrible customer service
Cristian
Nice review Nathan! How does it compares to the chord mojo? Thanks in advance!
Tomas
PLEASE HELP!!!
Hi, can you help me please? I have one problem with my AK70, is the second unit and the problem still persist. I am from Slovakia from Europe and I dont have the MOOV app on my device. I know that MOOV app is mainly for Asian market, but I dont understand, that everytime I connect to internet it shows me an update of MOOV app, which doesnt exist on my device, and the update always ends up with error. This neverending update message is driving me crazy. Do you have this problem too? I think people from eupore. Should I give it back to seller as faulty unit? I dont know what to do. Thank you.
Tony Cruz
Don’t press the Moov option then. I did and I had a spinning icon. So I mooved (!) to Tidal! 🙂
It would be good to delete the Moov option if it is not accessible.
I know Qobuz used to work with AK but not anymore.
TOMAS
I now have the 3rd device and still the same problem. You said to not press the Moov option. But I dont have MOOV app in store Menu. It shows me only available update of this app, but it doesnt exist on my device. That is the reason why it always ends with an error. So from what you said, you have this MOOV app in store menu? With firmware v1.10 I have in store menu Groovers+ only, after update to v1.30 I have in store menu Groovers+ and TIDAL. But I dont have with both firmwares MOOV app and after connecting to internet it shows me an update of this app. I am totaly mad about it.
Tony Cruz
Nice. I have just purchased an AK 70. Disappointed with the battery life. For this reason a power dock maybe useful?
The one thing I would love would be an internet radio option. These days I can stream high quality music on my iPhone from Qobuz and Tidal, I have access to nearly every song ever recorded via Apple Music and I can listen to the news via internet radio.
Whilst the AK 70 looks beautiful and I like the volume idea, battery life is a let down and it’s missing an internet radio option.
ohm image
The battery indeed is a bugger.
Tony Cruz
What is the point of streaming Hi Rez via Bluetooth?
Surely Bluetooth compresses that massive Hi-Rez sound?
dale thorn
Doesn’t AptX HD do that?
Steve
This seems like a good place to ask my question so hope you don’t mind.
I am looking for a source for my Chord Mojo..Its gonna be the AK70 shown in the second picture of your review,or the sapphire blue ak100 ltd which is also shown in your second picture.
I can get both in Japan so am wondering if you are choosing one purely as a source,which would you go for?
Also can you confirm if the ak70 will take 200gb+ micro sd cards,as some people are stating using a high capacity cards like that causes issues with UI…
Any advice appreciated
Tony Crossan
I have an ak70. I want to load music to it from my MacBook Pro, but do cannot find an app or program to do the job. What do you recommend.
Bots
Drag and drop, baby. Drag and drop.
Luis André Ferreira
Andriod File Transfer app.
Then, just drag and drop.
Luis André Ferreira
“Android” I mean…
nishelo
Thanks for the review. One question: Would an AK70 be worth a purchase if I already have a FiiO X3 2nd Gen I can couple with the Chord Mojo? In mean, in terms of pure sound quality (forget the other Bluetooth/WiFi features).
Luis André Ferreira
Does anybody feels that the SE headphone out has more clarity and punch than the balanced one? I was A/B testing both with an adaptor, since my cable is terminated in 2.5mm and felt that: 1. the sound level on SE is higher, 2. the SE is brighter and more live.
Does someone have an opinion in this?
Thank you!!
De2
its a very old question, but I seem to have an answer! The balanced to single cable is the worst thing you can buy. it shorts the grounds of two different amps, making it worse. It struggles the amp this way. Your amp life is going down fast doing so. There is no way by which you can compare the headphone out put qualities on the same headphone unless, you mod your single ended headphone to balanced. a balanced headphone can be changed to single using a cable safely though as there are no active electronics in headphones.
Madhur Verma
Hi,
I recently got the AK70 and its basically my first DAP. I have been using it with Klipsch X4 so far, but would like to switch to a better IEM now. Any suggestions in the range of $100-150 would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Ajay
Look at the Ibasso IT01.