Astell & Kern’s Newest DAP Is The KANN ALPHA

DAP maker Astell and Kern continues to update their product lineup with the addition of V3 of the KANN. Dubbed the KANN ALPHA, the newest portable hifi player adds in a 4.4mm Pentaconn Balanced Output to the top panel for the first time, among other upgrades.

Compared to the models launched just a few years ago, the newest AK devices pack a ton of tech under the hood to keep up with the ever-evolving trends in portable audio playback. Along with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, the KANN ALPHA is capable of LDAC and aptX HD wireless codex and even support for MQA filetypes.

A dual ESS Sabre ES9068AS chipset does the heavy lifting along with a quad core processor. A 5″ screen will show you want song you are listening to, but a pretty cool LED indicator lights up in a ring along the volume knob to let you know what playback resolution you are listening to as well.

The KANN line boasts a bigger amp section for greater diversity when in comes to headphone pairings. In addition to the 4.4mm jack, the KANN ALPNA packs a three-tier gain section and complete separation of the 2.5mm and 4.4mm jacks for less noise in either line.

The entire system is built upon an Android platform with Open App support, from the press release:

Astell&Kern’s latest user interface and support for Open App service is included in KANN ALPHA, which adds Android APK support, allowing users to install additional music streaming services to their player by simply copying and installing the corresponding APK file for the music service they wish to add.  Services supported include Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, SoundCloud, Qobuz, SiriusXM, Tune-In, myTuner, Bandcamp and Deezer (supported streaming services varies by country).  Offline content for supported apps can be stored in either internal or external player memory so you can listen to your favorite music streaming service tracks on the go.    

AK KANN ALPHA Press Release Sept 9, 2020

Pre orders for the KANN ALPHA start on Monday, September 21st, with an estimated release date of October 19, 2020. Retail pricing for the unit will be $1,099.

Loads more tech, specs and features on the product landing page.

More info: Astell & Kern KANN ALPHA