Astell & Kern – KANN ULTRA

Fueling Your Sound

The KANN series is recognized around the world for its high performance and clear sound.
The KANN ULTRA, the 5th product in the KANN series, continues the success of the KANN series by offering the highest output power of any Astell&Kern player, triple output sound and an optimized processor and UI/UX to make enjoying clear sound performance even easier.

Four gain levels deliver up to 16Vrms output power and desktop hi-fi level sound. This can adequately drive almost any current headphone.
The ES9039MPRO dual DAC guarantees the highest resolution and a separate pre/line out allows the user to enjoy the sound with a variety of different devices.

• Triple gain with separately configured circuit and amplifier designs
• HEADPHONE OUTPUT / PRE-OUT / LINE-OUT
• Next-generation octa-core processors with significant performance improvements
• Supports 4 preset gain settings with ultra-high output levels of up to 16Vrms (headphone output)
• Equipped with ESS ES9039MPRO Dual DACs
• Features Digital Audio Remaster (DAR) technology
• Supports playback of up to 32bit/768kHz, Native DSD512
• Features Astell&Kern’s unique TERATON ALPHA technology
• 8,400 mAh battery (up to 11 hours playback time)

Triple Output, Triple Sound

The Astell&Kern KANN ULTRA features a triple output mode that allows you to always enjoy the perfectly tuned sound whether you have sophisticated headphones, high-sensitivity IEMs or external devices connected.

Instead of simply separating the outputs, Astell&Kern’s Teraton Alpha technology enables a separate amplifier/sound design for the headphone output and the line/pre-out connections to achieve the optimum sound for each connection.

1. Headphone Out

The connection has 4 preset gain settings and an extremely high output level of up to 16Vrms. The headphone connection is designed so that demanding headphones with high impedance can only be operated with the player and without an external amplifier.

2. Pre-out

Select the Pre-Out mode on the Pre/Line Out connection to output the sound to an external amplifier or audio device.
Pre Out: In this mode, the sound is output via a specially developed preamplifier instead of the powerful headphone output amplifier. Pre-Out works like a PRE AMP, the volume is adjusted with the volume wheel.

2. Line-out

Select the Line-Out mode on the Pre/Line-Out connection to optimize the sound when connected to external devices.
Line-Out: In this mode, the sound is output directly from the DAC without passing through an amplifier, which results in the lowest noise level and is ideal for connecting to external audio devices.
ideal for connection to external audio devices.
Line Out has a fixed output voltage (4 levels) and no volume control.

Four gain levels and outputs up to 16Vrms for the perfect head-fi experience

To drive the most demanding and sensitive IEMs and headphones, a DAP must be able to deliver the appropriate output power.
The Astell & Kern KANN ULTRA has 4 preset gain settings up to 16Vrms – the most powerful output of any Astell&Kern player.

The current carrying capacity of the output has been increased to reliably drive devices with different impedances with the gain level setting. The AMPs have been divided into balanced and unbalanced to optimize currents and reduce noise for the best possible sound.

The KANN ULTRA not only offers the highest output power, but also a larger 5.5-inch screen and improved portability compared to the KANN CUBE, which was known for its high output power.
The weight of KANN ULTRA has been significantly reduced to 390 grams.

TERATON ALPHA, the essence of A&K Audio Technologies

From the ultra-high output power capable of driving even the most sensitive headphones, to the triple-output design, to the complex amplifier design and the minimization of noise in a compact portable audio player.
None of this would have been possible without A&K’s ultimate sound solution, TERATON ALPHA. With TERATON ALPHA, Astell&Kern has inherited its expertise in ultra-high performance noise reduction from its predecessors such as the KANN MAX and CA1000 series.
Developed through continuous research, TERATON ALPHA is a unique technology from Astell&Kern to ensure the best possible audio reproduction through effective noise reduction, efficient power management and consistent gain.

Improved sound thanks to the latest ESS flagship DAC

The KANN ULTRA is equipped with two ES9039MPRO DACs, the latest flagship DACs from ESS, to provide a more vivid and voluminous sound.
The ES9039MPRO is an updated ES9039PRO model that features an integrated stereo hardware MQA renderer. It features even more advanced modulation than its predecessor.

It features even more advanced modulation than the previous flagship DAC to reduce power consumption, noise and distortion within the DAC to improve audio performance.
Astell&Kern has redesigned the amplifier block to ensure that the clear, high-resolution sound of the ES9039MPRO is clearly expressed through each connection of the triple output, with each output having its own optimum performance.

Lightning-fast user experience with next-generation octa-core processors

Astell&Kern’s KANN ULTRA is equipped with next-generation octa-core processors that offer significant performance improvements.
The audio circuit area is physically separated from the processor area, which includes the CPU, memory and wireless communication components.

Crimson User Interface

The KANN ULTRA features the new Crimson user interface for the first time in the KANN series.
The Crimson UX/UI has been designed to allow users to quickly browse through music categories and rediscover tracks in their music library. There is also a simple browse function for album art,

The Crimson theme focuses on clean lines and no-frills design. The black color theme with red accents reduces visual fatigue and provides an intuitive user experience. It includes many other usability improvements to the device in terms of streaming
app services, artist view, album sorting and album cover search function.

Crossfeed – loudspeaker effect when listening through headphones

In a headphone environment where the left and right channels are clearly separated, prolonged listening can cause ear fatigue. The moment you switch on Crossfeed, the experience of a crisp but pleasant sound begins.
Crossfeed mixes parts of the original signal of one channel and sends this signal to the opposite channel with a time delay in order to center the sound image.
By using detailed settings such as shelf cutoff, shelf gain and mixer level, the crossfeed level can be adjusted according to listening preferences.

Real-time information with coloredLED

The LED lights on the volume wheel visually represent the performance of the KANN ULTRA and show the volume, level or bit rate of the currently playing song.

 

Technical Specifications

General