Astell&Kern KANN Ultra

The Astell&Kern KANN ULTRA is the first DAP in the renowned KANN series to feature Octa-Core processors, levelling up from Quad-Core in previous models. The Octa-Core element brings significant performance improvements allowing the listener to enjoy incredible sound quality with faster system speeds and a smooth flowing 4th generation UI/UX.

With the new internal design, the audio circuitry is separated from the processors – which include CPU, memory and wireless connection components – and is equipped with a dedicated shield to minimise heat and noise from the processor.

Design

The design concept of KANN ULTRA is “Forceful Impact”.

The design is an over-scaled volume wheel knob that has been slammed and embedded into the body of the KANN to visually represent its more powerful performance than its predecessor. With the KANN ULTRA, we continued the design identity of the KANN series, which emphasizes the hexagonal columnar body while still keeping it visible.

We minimised the visible parting lines and designed the wheel protectors so that the outer edge of the body where the volume wheel sits naturally acts as a protector and improves usability. These elements emphasize the bold mass of the KANN ULTRA, representing primal power through a solid chunk of metal.

We applied decorative parts that connect with the serrated pattern on the volume wheel knob to make the wheel visually larger and maintain a balance with the massive body, while expressing the powerful performance of the KANN ULTRA. Additionally, the hairline spin decoration applied to the rear of the wheel acts as a delicate detail element along with the lettering engraving, showing the volume wheel knob strongly embedded into the BODY.

Due to the increased size, we have redesigned the orientation of the volume wheel to accommodate usage in different environments, such as on the desk, or held in your hand.

• Model KANN ULTRA
• Body Colour Astro Grey
• Body Material Aluminium
• Display 5.5inch HD 1080 x 1920 touch screen
• Supported Audio Formats WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
• Sample Rate PCM : 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32bits per Sample)
  DSD Native: DSD64(1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128(1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo
  DSD256(1bit 11.2MHz), Stereo / DSD512(1bit 22.4MHz), Stereo
• Output Level – HEADPHONE OUT
  [Low Gain] Unbalanced 2Vrms │ Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
  [Mid Gain]Unbalanced 4Vrms │ Balanced 8Vrms (Condition No Load)
  [High Gain]Unbalanced 6Vrms │ Balanced 12Vrms (Condition No Load)
  [Super Gain]Unbalanced 8Vrms │ Balanced 16Vrms (Condition No Load)
  – PRE · LINE OUT
  Unbalanced 2Vrms │ Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
• CPU Octa-core
• DAC ES9039MPRO x2
• Decoding Support up to 32bit/768kHz Bit-to-Bit Playback
• Input USB Type-C input (for charging & PC & MAC)
• Outputs – HEADPHONE OUT
  3.5mm(Unbalanced Out, Optical Out), 4.4mm (Balanced Out, only 5-pole supported)
  – PRE · LINE OUT
  3.5mm(Unbalanced Out), 4.4mm (Balanced Out, only 5-pole supported)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)
• Bluetooth V5.3 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™-HD, LDAC, LHDC)
• Dimensions 3.24” (82.4mm)[W] x 5.55” (141.1mm)[H] x 0.96” (24.4mm)[D]
• Weight About 13.75oz (390g)
• Feature Enhancements Firmware upgrade supported (OTA)Operating Temperature 0℃ ~ + 40℃ (32℉~ 104℉)Frequency Response  HEADPHONE OUT
  ±0.006dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.004dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced
  ±0.016dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.020dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced
  PRE OUT
  ±0.022dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.023dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced
  ±0.023dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.023dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced
  LINE OUT
  ±0.002dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.002dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced
  ±0.007dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.006dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced”S/N HEADPHONE OUT
  115dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 119dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
  PRE OUT
  110dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 126dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
  LINE OUT
  110dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 125dB @ 1kHz, BalancedCrosstalk HEADPHONE OUT
  134dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 140dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
  PRE OUT
  128dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 128dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
  LINE OUT
  129dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 121dB @ 1kHz, Balanced

  THD+N HEADPHONE OUT
  0.0004% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 0.0004% @ 1kHz, Balanced
  PRE OUT
  0.0012% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 0.0005% @ 1kHz, Balanced
  LINE OUT
  0.0013% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 0.0005% @ 1kHz, Balanced

  IMD SMPTE HEADPHONE OUT
  0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Unbalanced │0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Balanced
  PRE OUT
  0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Unbalanced │0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Balanced
  LINE OUT
  0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Unbalanced │0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Balanced

  Output Impedance HEADPHONE OUT
  Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (1ohm) │ Balanced Out 4.4mm (1.3ohm)
  PRE OUT
  Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (3.5ohm) │ Balanced Out 4.4mm (5.7ohm)
  LINE OUT
  Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (6.5ohm) │ Balanced Out 4.4mm (10.7ohm)