Astell&Kern KANN ULTRA Digital Audio Player

✓ 1 Year Warranty included
✓ Authorised UK Dealer
✓ FREE Next Working Day Courier Service to mainland UK

The KANN series is adored by audiophiles all over the world for its performance that focuses on ultra-high output and clear sound. KANN ULTRA, the 5th product in the KANN series, continues the success of the KANN series by providing the highest output of any Astell&Kern player, the inclusion of Triple Output Sound, and an optimized processor and UI/UX to make it even easier to enjoy clear sound performance.

£1,599.00

Triple Output Triple Sound

KANN ULTRA features a Triple Output Mode that allows you to enjoy Astell&Kern's perfectly prepared sound when connected to demanding headphones, highly detailed IEMs, and external devices.

HEADPHONE OUT: The port features 4 preset gain settings and ultra-high output of up to 16Vrms. The headphone port is designed to perfectly run demanding headphones with high impedance using only the player with no external AMP.

PRE-OUT: Select Pre-Out mode on the Pre/Line Out port to output sound to an external amplifier or audio device.
*No Gain or Voltage settings, maximum output 2Vrms/4Vrms

LINE OUT: Select Line Out mode on the Pre/Line Out port to output sound that is optimized when connected to external devices.
Line Out has a fixed voltage output (4 levels) and no volume control.
* Do not activate the Line Out mode while earphones or headphones are connected to the PRE·LINE OUT port. Doing so may cause permanent hearing loss.

Gain Levels AndOutputs Up to 16Vrmsfor The Perfect Head-Fi

To run the most sophisticated IEMs and headphones, a DAP needs to be able to fully deliver an output that matches the characteristics of the receiver.

KANN ULTRA features 4 preset gain settings up to 16Vrms, the most powerful output of any Astell&Kern player, to optimally run the many IEMs and headphones available today. The current-handling capability of the output port has been increased to reliably run devices of different impedances at the gain Level setting, and the AMPs have been separated into Balanced and Unbalanced to optimize currents and reduce noise for the best possible sound.

On top of providing the most powerful output, KANN ULTRA features a larger 5.5-inch screen and improved grip compared to KANN CUBE, which was popular for its high output versatility. Weight of the KANN ULTRA has been significantly reduced to 390 grams.

TERATON ALPHA,The Essence of A&K Audio Technologies

From an ultra-high output that can run even the most delicate headphones, to the Triple Output design, and the complex amplifier design with minimal noise in a compact portable audio player, this would all not have been possible without AK's Ultimate Sound Solution, TERATON ALPHA. Astell&Kern has taken the TERATON ALPHA to the next level with its know-how in noise reduction at ultra-high power, acquired from its predecessors such as the KANN MAX and the CA1000 series.

TERATON ALPHA, engineered through continuous research, is Astell&Kern's unique technology that has been designed to produce audio playback that is as close to the original sound through effective power noise removal, efficient power management and unwavering amplification, and a fully converted audio output interface.

Upgraded Sound, the Newest ESS Flagship DAC

The KANN ULTRA is designed with dual ES9039MPRO DACs, the newest flagship DAC from ESS, to deliver richer and more expansive sounds that exceed your expectations.

The ES9039MPRO is an updated ES9039PRO model that has a built-in stereo hardware MQA renderer. It has even more advanced modulation than the existing flagship DAC to reduce power consumption, noise and distortions inside the DAC for enhanced audio performance.

Astell&Kern has redesigned the AMP BLOCK to ensure that the clear, high-resolution sound of the ES9039MPRO is clearly expressed through every port of the Triple Output, and each output's characteristics show its own advanced performance.

 

Incredible User Experience with Next-GenerationOcta-Core Processors

KANN ULTRA is the first to feature the next-gen Octa-Core processors with significant performance improvements, allowing you to enjoy KANN ULTRA's incredible sound performance with faster system speeds and a 4th generation UI/UX that flows faster and smoother.

The audio circuit area is physically separated from the processor area, which includes the CPU, memory, and wireless communication components, and is equipped with a dedicated shield can to minimize the heat and noise generated by the processor.

Crimson User Interface, A Music-Only Player

KANN ULTRA features a Crimson-themed UI/UX for the first time in the KANN series, making it a "Player for Music" that leaves an impression
in the process and experience of listening to music.

The Crimson UX/UI is designed so that users can quickly browse music categories and re-discover songs within their music library.
We also added an easy album art search function so that users can re-discover the joy of viewing and interacting with music album art whilst listening to their music.

The crimson theme focuses on edge, simplicity, and dark mode keywords.
The color theme of black with red highlights lowers visual fatigue and offers intuitive user experiences, and includes many other improvements
to the device’s user-friendliness of streaming app services, artist view, album sorting, and album art search function.

Immerse yourself in music with Crimson UX/UI.

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 minimized 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.

More Information
Features

General

Model KANN ULTRA
Body Color Astro Gray
Body Material Aluminum
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℉)

Audio Specifiication

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, Balanced

Crosstalk

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)

Clock Source

Clock Jitter 25pS (Typ)
Reference Clock Jitter 200 Femto Seconds

Storage Capacity

Built-in Memory 128GB [NAND]
External Memory microSD x1 (Max. 1TB)

Battery

Capacity 8,400mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer
Charge Time about 3.5hours (PD 3.0 Charger)
Playback Time about 11hours (Standard: FLAC, 16bit, 44.1kHz, Vol.50, LCD Off, Low Gain)

Supported OS

Supported OS Windows 8,10,11 (32/64bit) MAC OS X 10.7

Extras

- Audio was NOT muted during the measurement.
- The image/specification may be changed without notice to improve product performance and quality.


How will you send my item?

We ship to addresses within the UK using Royal Mail and DPD couriers.

How much does delivery cost?

Standard 2-3 working day delivery is FREE on all orders to mainland UK. Next working day courier service is available on all orders for a small fee of £4.99. On some items this is provided for FREE. 

For orders to UK Non-mainland and International destinations, there will be an additional charge at checkout. Please see below for more information.

How long does delivery take?

Depending on the delivery service you choose, delivery usually takes between 1-3 working days to mainland UK from the moment we despatch your order. Orders to UK non-mainland and international destinations can take longer.

When will you despatch my order?

Orders placed before 3pm are processed and despatched the same day (excluding bank holidays and weekends). Orders placed on weekends will be processed and despatched the following working day.

*Please note that international orders may require extra checks before we are able to despatch your order so timescales may vary.

Can I track my delivery?

Yes - Order tracking is offered as standard on all items, whether they are shipped via DPD or Royal Mail. You will receive your tracking information via email once we have despatched your order. 

UK Non-mainland and International destinations.

Due to the UK leaving the EU, some of our delivery partners have changed the way we ship to international and offshore destinations. This means that for the time being we are unable to ship items to these locations.

We are still accepting orders to these destinations however delivery times and prices are not final. We will confirm via email once we know more from our delivery partner.

Shipping for all items to UK Non-Mainland and International destinations will incur a charge at checkout. This charge is not final and we may need to charge for additional postage if required.

Shipping to international destinations may require further security checks and I.D. may need to be provided by the cardholder. We reserve the right to cancel any orders where you are do not pass our security checks or do not pay for appropriate postage.

Please note that we are unable to ship some items outside the UK. To avoid any disapointment please contact us before making your order.

What do you class as UK Non-mainland?

Rep. Ireland, N. Ireland, Channel Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man and Scottish Highlands. If you are unsure whether your address is classed as UK Non-mainland please feel free to contact us and an advisor will be happy to help.

For any further enquiries with regards to your delivery please contact us on 020 8813 7666 and one of our adviser's will be happy to help.


If you're not happy with your item or you've changed your mind.

Even though we're sure you'll be happy with your purchase, it's important that you are aware of how we deal with returns in the event that you need to send something back.

We understand how inconvenient it can be when you buy a product and aren't 100% satisfied with it. For this reason we have designed our returns policy to prevent any further inconvenience to you in these instances.

Under 30 days

  • You can return your goods for a full refund or exchange as long as you inform us of your intention to return the goods within 30 days of receipt, starting from the day after you receive your goods (Exclusions apply, see below.)

  • All return costs are down to the buyer and it is recommended that you return your items using a trackable method with appropriate insurance (if required).

  • Once we have confirmed your return, please ensure that you return the item within 14 days.

  • If a returns number is provided then please ensure that the parcel has this clearly marked.

  • Items need to be returned in "as new" condition in their original packaging. We don't mind if you open the product to check it, however any used or damaged products will be subject to a 25% handling fee so please take care when opening your items. 

After 30 days

  • We will not offer a refund after 30 days of you receiving your delivery unless your product is faulty. 

Exclusions from our returns policy

As we're sure you'll understand, there are some products that we can't offer returns on due to their nature. These include:

  • Special order items and cables cut from a reel (priced per metre). These items will be clearly identifiable.

  • In-Ear headphones due to health and hygiene reasons.

  • Products that include software which require activation.

 Please note that these exclusions do not apply to items that become faulty.

If your product becomes faulty

We endeavour to get your items to you in fully working order, however in the event that your items do become faulty, please read below on what you should do next.

In a lot of cases with some products, faults can be fixed by performing some basic troubleshooting, so to prevent any further inconvenience to you we advise that you contact our Customer Service team who can guide you through some basic troubleshooting before sending items back.

Under 30 days

  • If your items become faulty within 30 days of delivery you are entitled to a full refund or exchange. Please contact our customer service centre who will provide necessary returns details.

  • Please send the items back with a cover note including a description of the fault and your original order number.

  • Once we have fully tested the item and confirmed the fault, we will process the refund or exchange including cost of carriage back to us (within reason).

  • If during our testing we cannot find a fault, no refund will be given and you will be charged for delivery of the item back to you.

After 30 days

  • After 30 days you will still be able to get your faulty items repaired or replaced within the manufacturers warranty and we will be happy to assist you with this. Please contact our customer service team to find out the best way to get your items repaired or replaced. Please be aware that after 30 days we will not cover you for any carriage costs.