Astell&Kern KANN MAX portable digital audio player
Endowed with the iconic aesthetic and the exceptional build quality that characterizes the products of the South Korean Astell&Kernthe KANN MAX is a portable digital audio player thought from the beginning to the end to provide audiophile level sound for a very competitive price. On the other hand, its status as the fourth product of the KANN range means that it not only incorporates the most significant technical refinements of it, but also innovations from the elite of the South Korean firm, to which must be added more compact dimensions and a lower weight. Thus, the KANN MAX allows you to have nothing less than 4 gain levels -with a spectacular maximum value of 15 Vrms in the “Super” output mode!- to guarantee the full compatibility with a wide spectrum of headphones. It also brings unprecedented flexibility, offering the ability to fine-tune our favorite recordings to suit the demands of any listening environment.
Regarding the digital audio section, let us point out that the KANN MAX is the first model in the KANN range that incorporates four of the prestigious D/A conversion chips (DAC’s) ES9038Q2M from ESS Technology. The use of an elaborate Quad setup allows you to assign a DAC to each of the four individual amplifier channels for a more expressive sound accompanied by unparalleled performance in a product of this class and price. With respect to compatibility with digital files, the KANN MAX supports PCM encoding up to 32bit/768kHz and native DSD up to DSD512, being equipped with 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm plug sockets in order to accommodate an extensive variety of headphones. Likewise, to satisfy Astell&Kern’s traditional commitment to the background noise reductionnoise from the output jacks is minimized by using a gold plating method based on physical vapor deposition (PVD) instead of the typical rings used by other products.
Another very interesting feature of the KANN MAX is the Replay Gain functionwhich automatically and smoothly adjusts the volume level of signals encoded at up to 24-bit/192kHz, while the exclusive TERATON ALPHA technologythe highest expression of Astell&Kern engineering, eliminates noise to achieve low power consumption and amplification more efficient throughout the path traveled by the audio signal. Astell&Kern’s new portable digital audio player is also Bluetooth 5.0 compatible and includes the BT Sink function to facilitate its connection to a smartphone or other device and play music from it. The KANN MAX is also compatible with the wireless Hi-Res streaming via aptX-HD and LDAC, while including support for Wi-Fi, a battery with a range of 13 hours and an internal memory of 64 GB that can be expanded by another 1 TB via microSD card.
Technical characteristics
- Very high-performance “Hi-Res” portable audio player.
- Capable of reproducing bit by bit PCM signals up to 32 bits/768 kHz.
- Capable of reproducing DSD signals bit by bit up to DSD512 (22.4 MHz).
- Managed by a quad core processor.
- Printed circuit board with optimized signal paths.
- Amplification section with 4 user selectable output levels.
- Equipped with 4 ES9038Q2M D/A converters from ESS Technology.
- “Hi-Res” wireless connectivity via Bluetooth aptX-HD and LDAC,
- Built-in USB DAC functionality (via USB-C).
- Balanced outputs (2.5 mm / 4-pole connector and 4.4 mm / 5 poles).
- Unbalanced output (3.5 mm).
- Replay Gain function to standardize the volume level.
- BT Sink function for connection to external devices via Bluetooth.
- 64 GB internal memory (expandable by an additional 1 TB microSD).
- Body built entirely in aluminium.
- 4.1-inch high-definition touch screen.
- Frequency response of 20-70,000 Hz, +/-0.072 dB (balanced mode).
- Crosstalk of -135 dB at 1 kHz (balanced mode).
- Signal to noise ratio of 115 dB at 1 kHz (balanced mode).
- Reference synchronism clock with jitter level of 25 ps.
- Battery with 13 hours of autonomy.
- Dimensions: 68’3x117x123’6 mm (WxHxD).
- Weight: 305g.
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