Skip to main content

iRiver bites the Apple, releases firmware update for AK100

Image used with permission by copyright holder

For more, check out our full review of the iRiver Astell & Kern AK100 audio player.

There’s already been plenty of ado about iRiver’s AK100. The product is essentially a super-powered iPod, armed with a Wolfson WM8740 Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) which iRiver claims will deliver digital tunes the way they’re meant to be heard. Ironically, however, despite it’s creator’s titular homage to Apple products, the AK100 did not offer support for Apple-based codecs until now.

Yesterday, iRiver released firmware update version 1.3 for the AK100, which adds support for AAC, ALAC and AIFF files, rounding out a lineup that already includes MP3,WAV, WMA and APE, among others. It’s no secret that the ever-popular iPod isn’t exactly audiophile-quality, but now – if you’re willing to shell out $700 – you can hear your iTunes library in a whole new way.

When we took the AK100 for a spin, we found the interface and feature set left something to be desired – but boy did the sound quality knock our socks off. To say that the product boasts superior audio as compared to the iPod would be a criminal understatement.

Still, the AK100 presently poses no threat to Apple’s ubiquitous device. Given its sky-high price point, it’s obvious that iRiver isn’t courting the mainstream anyway. But what if the price of the technology came down? We could certainly see consumers paying a smaller premium for the AK100’s impeccable audio. And we have fun imagining  Apple incorporating higher-end digital reproduction in future devices as a response.

We’ll be posting an in-depth review of the product in the coming week. Stay tuned.

Topics
Adam Poltrack
Adam is an A/V News Writer for Digital Trends, and is responsible for bringing you the latest advances in A/V…
How to use Apple Music Sing
Apple Music Sing on an iPhone.

If you're someone who likes to sing along to your music a lot, then you might be interested to know that Apple Music has had a feature called Apple Music Sing that basically turns your iOS device or Apple TV into a karaoke machine.

Arriving late in 2022, the little-known feature enhances the lyrics feature of the Apple Music app that lets you read along with the words of your tunes. There's also a new volume control slider that lets you fade the vocal track out, so you can sing it yourself. Available only for Apple Music subscribers, it's a feature that's sure to be a holiday sing-along hit.

Read more
Dish lets you watch cable, Netflix, YouTube, and more in one place
Man watching NFL on Dish.

There are a million streaming services to try these days, with everything from Netflix to Disney having something to offer. Keeping track of all of the bills can be a headache, however, especially for the budget conscious. If you try a ton of services, you might even end up with one that you continue to use but forget to cancel. It would be nice, then, to bundle them all together, from one platform, where you can watch everything side by side. Dish lets you do that with a ton of services, including Netflix, with no special fees. All you need to do is choose add-ons at checkout when you build your bundle. The monthly additional charges for each are clearly displayed and the packages are easy to find, so go ahead and tap the button below to start building your bundle yourself. Or, continue reading for more information and answers to your big questions about switching to Dish.

Why you should try a Dish add-on
Dish add-ons are an optional part of signing up for Dish that makes customizing your package both simple and engaging. No matter what programming you want, you can likely get it from Dish. The premiere add-on has to be Netflix, which gives you the opportunity to pay your Netflix Premium or Netflix Standard bill directly through Dish. Should you like Netflix and want to keep it after you quit Dish, you can, but you'll have to pay then-current rates for Netflix via their own billing program.

Read more
The 4 best long range TV antennas in 2024
The Antennas Direct ClearStream 2Max mounted outdoors.

You don’t need to pay a cable provider for access to your local stations. As long as you have an HD TV antenna, you’ll be able to pick up broadcasts from whatever towers are in-proximity. But what if the nearest monolith isn’t beaming PBS into your living room? It sounds like you may want to invest in a long range TV antenna.

Where traditional antennas are designed for indoor use, long range models typically do their best work when mounted outdoors, high up on a structure. You’ll also want to make sure it’s aimed toward the towers you’d like to grab stations from.

Read more