ASTELL & KERN KANN ULTRA

An outstanding piece of engineering stands out mainly for having a powerful headphone amplifier capable of authoritatively driving models of various types, including those with high-impedance designs. To achieve this, it incorporates an innovative Triple Output Mode, thanks to the prestigious South Korean brand's Teraton Alpha technology. This mode allows separate amplifier circuits for the headphone and line/preamp outputs (via unbalanced 3.5 mm jacks and balanced 4.4 mm jacks in all cases), in order to provide optimum sound for each application. Thus, on the headphone output, the user can choose between four preset gain modes and one ultra-high amplitude mode (16 Vrms), while the pre-amplified output comes from a dedicated subsystem and the line output is derived directly from the DAC without passing through an amplifier.

Another key feature of the KANN Ultra is its D/A conversion circuitry, which uses the latest ESS9039MPRO chip from US-based ESS Technology in a dual configuration. This chip integrates a stereo MQA renderer and more advanced modulation than its predecessor. In addition, the KANN Ultra offers seven filtering settings in the DAC so that the user can customise his or her listening experience.

Technical Features:

Reference Hi-Res portable audio player.

Supports PCM up to 32-bit/768 kHz, DSD up to DSD512 and MQA.

Driven by an eight-core processor.

Printed circuit board with optimised signal paths.

Astell&Kern's unique Triple Output Mode and Teraton Alpha technology.

Equipped with 2 ESS Technology ESS9039MPRO D/A converters.

Wireless Hi-Res support via Bluetooth aptX HD and LDAC.

Built-in USB DAC functionality (via USB-C).

Unbalanced headphone output for 3.5 mm jack.

Balanced headphone output for 4.4 mm/5-pole jack.

Replay Gain function for uniform volume level.

BT Sink function for connection to external devices via Bluetooth (5.3).

128 GB internal memory (expandable by an additional 1 TB via microSD).

All-aluminium body.

5.5 inch (140 mm) high-definition touch screen.

Frequency response of 20-70,000 Hz, +/-0'020 dB (balanced mode).

Crosstalk of -140 dB at 1 kHz (balanced mode).

119 dB signal-to-noise ratio at 1 kHz (balanced mode).

Reference sync clock with jitter level of 25 ps.

Lithium polymer battery with 11 hours battery life.

Dimensions: 82'4x141'1x24'4 mm (W x H x D).

Weight: 390 g.