Astell&Kern KANN Portable High-Resolution Player

Astell&Kern’s experience with technology and portable devices makes it possible for the KANN to offer dynamic power and performance. KANN is the complete all-around portable high-res digital music player with powerful output and studio quality sound.

Technical Features:

• Single AKM AK4490 DAC
• Native DSD playback up to DSD256 (11.2mHz)
• PCM audio playback up to 32bit/382kHz
• Built-in amp with normal/high gain switch: drive the most demanding headphones with ease!
• Lowest output impedance of any our portable high-res audio players: Single-ended 3.5mm: 0.65Ω / Balanced out 2.5mm: 1.3Ω
• USB Type-C support (charging & data transfer)
• Micro USB for USB audio out & USB DAC
• Dedicated Line Out (2.5mm balanced & 3.5mm single-ended)
• 64GB internal flash memory
• Micro SD card support up to 256GB
• Full size SD card support up to 512GB
• aptX HD Bluetooth codec support
• 4″ WVGA 800 x 480 LCD touch screen
• Long battery life: 6,200mAh 3.7V Li-Polymer Battery (up to 15 hours)

Astell&Kern’s KANN provides a new power standard for on-the-go music performance. Combining a high-quality audio player and a high-performance amplifier, KANN draws on the technological expertise of Astell&Kern.

Focusing on a strong output and crystal-clear sound, the all-in-one KANN offers the following features:

Truly powerful & high-quality output

Astell&Kern has introduced a new product design that cleverly incorporates a high-performance amplifier into a player for a perfect merger of two independent devices. Supporting the output of 7 Vrms when connected via high-gain balanced output, the KANN not only drives high-impedance headphones without an additional amplifier, but also reliably reproduces high-quality sound with low-impedance speakers.

Output optimized to user’s listening environment

KANN, the first Astell&Kern product to be equipped with a line-out circuit designed to set the output values in 4 levels, depending on the user’s listening preference. This feature is a significant step up from previous products which did not provide output/volume control. With the selectable output function, you can fine-tune your sound to suit a home system, car audio or any other listening environment.

KANN also supports Astell&Kern’s 2.5mm 4-pole balanced outputs (2 Vrms). Unlike the unbalanced type, balanced output removes noise (common mode noise) from “signal + inverting amplifier signal” and has the strength to increase output with its double transmitting signals.

Deliver the perfect original sound

KANN offers the optimal condition to deliver perfect original sound. Capable of bit-to-bit playback up to 32bit/384kHz with native DSD playback up to 11.2MHz, KANN delivers detailed, distortion-free sound just as the artist intended.

Scalability using USB Audio

To increase flexibility of use, you can connect additional USB Audio to KANN via the micro USB port. KANN allows output conversion according to the specifications of the external USB Audio that supports DoP (DSD over PCM) or PCM, and provides continuous music playback with charging via the USB Type-C port while connected to the external USB Audio.

* USB audio (Digital Out) output is available only when digital input is possible through USB.
* DoP (DSD over PCM): This is a standard method for transferring DSD data to USB interface. This standard sends DSD data by mounting them onto PCM data frames.
* To link KANN with an external USB Audio, an OTG cable (not included) is required.
* The separately purchased cable connecting the OTG cable to an external USB Audio must be appropriate for the specification of the USB Audio.

The finest sound quality from audio files stored on a computer

Supporting the bit-to-bit playback up to 32-bit/384kHz when connected to the computer for use as a USB DAC, the KANN produces richer sounds with superior spatial effects and resolution that go far beyond the limits of any computer sound card.

• KANN supports up to 32-bit/384kHz with specs of USB Audio Class 2.0.
• 64/128/256MHz DSD formats can be played back with the USB DAC driver installed

Connecting to a Wireless Network

KANN supports wireless networking DLNA (Ver. 1.0), which makes it easy to work with PC/NAS on the same AP network and through the AK Connect app supporting smartphone/tablet computer interfaces.

Dual memory card slots

KANN has an internal memory of 64GB, but this can be easily and flexibly boosted via the unit’s dual memory card slots. KANN supports both standard SD cards and micro SD cards, so users can select their preferred memory type. The memory is expandable up to 512 GB to easily handle larger audio files.

• Memory cards other than validated products such as Sandisk or Samsung may not be compatible with this product.

Fast charging

Enjoy up to 6.5 hours of your favorite music with a single 1 hour charge through the fast charger. There is no fear of a dead battery when on a long journey as the 6,200mA large capacity battery offers 15 hours of continuous playback.

• The maximum 15-hour continuous play is based on 16-bit/44 kHz, FLAC file format, screen off, 50% of volume, and Normal playback.
• Fast charger (9V/1.67A) and general Charger (5V/2A) are not included in the package.

Design Concept

The design of KANN stands apart from Astell&Kern’s other product lines. During assembly, the parts are slid into the aluminum extruded body, and the unique, no-joint design delivers a durable yet sleek appearance.

The glittering space-based ‘Astro Silver’ and ‘Eos Blue’ representing the goddess of dawn embody the strong yet soft features of KANN.

The innovative volume wheel makes one-hand control easy. By positioning the main control buttons to the bottom of the front panel, convenient music search and quick home screen operation are intuitive.