Astell & Kern KANN - presented a new premium player (Topic)

Astell & Kern is a Korean company. It is known for producing premium players of various classes. Recently, most likely due to the competition, the company began to produce products that are affordable for the average buyer.

One of these products - KANN, is not cheap, but its price range is optimal. In addition to the new design, the product received a name that lacks the traditional digital indexes.

In view of the great competition with Chinese manufacturers, the creators took some bold steps. Astell & Kern KANN is equipped with a new sound signature, a wide range of functions and an interesting design in a proprietary shell.

About packaging and packaging

The player is packed in a dense black cardboard box. It has a gray cover that is pleasant to the touch. There is nothing to complain about here. Even the packaging shows the solidity of the brand.

Along with the product, the package includes a USB-C cable that allows you to charge the player and connect it to a PC. Screen protectors and split caps are also available.

There is no cover included in the package. The player is so beautiful that you don't want to hide it in a layer of fabric or leather.

Product ergonomics and design

Previously, Astell & Kern products had non-standard and irregular edges. This attracted buyers to her and aroused great interest. But not always.

Therefore, KANN is an experiment of the company. Here the body has a completely different shape. What added pluses to the product. It is pleasant to hold it in your hand, you can feel massiveness and manufacturability. The reason for the large weight and size lies in the presence of a battery with good capacitive characteristics.

The body is made of aluminum without component parts.

The volume is controlled by the wheel, which is located next to the power button, on the top right edge of the device. The play button is on the other side - near the display. Hardware buttons are located under the screen. There is no better place for them, which gives odds to any smartphone in this parameter. You can control the player in your clothes pocket.

At the top, at the top, there are outputs: for headphones 3.5 mm, balanced 2.5 mm.

At the bottom, the developers have placed a USB-Audio output (up to 32 bit 384 kHz / DSD: 2.8 MHz, 5.6 MHz), a charging port. Two slots of memory cards coexist right there. Their parameters are up to 256 GB microSD, up to 512 GB - SD.

Interface

The main menu is divided into several items. These are "Compositions", "Albums" and "Artists". Using a swipe at the bottom, you can open additional sub-items: "Genres", "Playlist", "Folder" and "Save".

The file manager is located in the "Folder". It is comfortable. Thanks to the context menu button, it is possible to delete files and folders, copy them and add tracks to the playlist.

The playback screen is minimalist. Swipe allows you to open other sub-items of its menu. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, key lock, equalizer, and more.

KANN has a number of possibilities. One of them allows you to support digital signal output via USB to external DACs. The player has two ports, which, when charged, allows it to be used as a transport of energy for another device.

The product does not allow installation of third-party software, but this is not required.

Sound characteristics

Immediately it is worth noting the power characteristics of the player's amplifier. This is one of the strongest devices in this respect. The amplifier works well even with a non-standard load of 8-12 ohms.

The device works with AK Connect. This network connects all Astell & Kern devices. It does not allow connecting multiple players to the same network. However, it can be used as a server on any PC. To do this, he must have only software from this company. It is available for free download on the official Astell & Kern website.

In addition, it is possible to control the player, its playback, using any smartphone.

Sounds beyond praise. It is dynamic, without lethargy, medium frequencies have their own color.

It is better to listen once than to describe.

The Topic of Article: Astell & Kern KANN - presented a new premium player.
Author: Jake Pinkman