Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Astell&Kern KANN Portable High Resolution Audio Player, Astro Silver

Great player but WHAT'S UP WITH THIS INDUSTRY?

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2018

This is the ONLY unit I have seen anywhere at any price that has it's own built in headphone amplifier. It makes the unit big and heavy but is still better than rubber banding a Fiio E12 DIY to a $700 DAP (AK70 MKll, Fiio X7, Questyle QP2R, Pioneer, iBasso etc) to get anything resembling my desired sound. The look and feel are solid. They (Astell & Kern and others) have better looking units but the Kann is beefy, solid and it looks and feels well put together with an aluminum body and a large enough "retina like" display. The fidelity of the Kann is quite nice and it has enough punch to drive demanding cans (I have a couple of Senns offerings). The ability to drive high quality cans (even IEM's) at a gain or volume level rivaling HT sound or high end car audio sound is an undeniable shortcoming which spans the entire industry. Even the Astell Kern AK380 and SP1000 units which both started at $3,500 (with the SP still there) did NOT make the cut. I tried them at CanJam! They sounded great but (STILL) needed amping! Amazing, considering the ransom they are asking! Now, I want good, clean sound and I don't want to blast my head off AND my hearing is quite normal don't get me wrong. I simply want more power where I am in control of the gain and the power, not the limitations of the hardware. Currently, the hardware limits leave much to be desired but the Kann is a little different. Of course, it helps to use a nice quality 4 pole balanced out cable but, for most units, even that just doesn't make the cut (for me anyhow). I just need more "oomph"! For 3 grand, you better be delivering the mustard! Am I alone here? The Kann is the only unit I have used that comes close to delivering the required gain without feeling like I'm packing an IED while passing through TSA (DAP rubber banded to headphone amp). Quality imaging, sound stage and channel separation are, in general, fairly easy to come by in this price range or even lower if you use high end, balanced phones. Extra warmth, gain and head pounding bass and percussions ARE NOT! Please don't point me to Beats... thank you! Been there long ago. When I go to a rock concert (I'm over 50 now so not so many concerts any longer) but in my day..... I LOVED to hear the pounding of the drums! There's nothing like it and when produced with a nice portable solution and a nice DSD or FLAC lossless type file with a good quality recording, I can feel it I can live it! WITHOUT blowing out my ears. It's very very cool to hear BUT in this higher end audio arena there really seems to be a serious aversion to this type of awesome sound. I just don't get it! Is everyone listening to Beethoven, Mozart and Bach? Well, I do too but I ALSO like my Zep, Steely Dan, Police, Judas Priest (etc) but with some dang spice! It just sounds better that way! Try the Police's "I can't stand losing you on" Tidal (or whatever your poison is) with some good equipment and TURN IT UP, you'll see what I mean! I like it with my Senn IE80(S) and Senn HD630VB's and it just sounds friggin ridiculously good at elevated volumes. Ever been to a rock concert where the sound volume and the bass were tuned down to appease the audiophile crowd? Me either! Why the aversion to this completely awesome and over looked quality of music listening? Anyhow, the Kann is the only portable DAP thus far that has been able to deliver anything resembling this to my discerning ears. LOL

9 people found this helpful

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Clifford S. Dayton

Best player on the market for under 2000, and it cost half that!

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2018

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

I ended up not buying from Amazon because I could get a bundle deal by buying direct.

This is the finest player I I have ever used. Everyone gives out a lot of hype about music these days. Let's just say you'll never find better at twice the price.

There is a total of over 700 gb of usable space on this player. That is a lot of music but with DSD and uncompressed formats being the norm I can easily fill it. I'm betting this will more than hold the average person complete library.

Then there is the AC Connect software. It took me a bit to understand the need to swipe between servers but it was quick and easy when you catch on to what you need to do. I was happy to see you can get AC Connect from Google Play. It is slightly different from the built-in version but it has the same functions. If you have a server and/or computers with shared folders you can access them all.

I have no trouble using hard to drive 600-ohm headphones with the KANN so there is no worry about it being powerful enough. I use the balanced connection and it the music is just so clean, clear and live that I cannot describe it.

On a side note this will blow you away when used with some of the better headphones. I'm using the Sony MDRZ7. I can listen to music all day and only stop for the need of sleep.

The only thing I find a bother is how it can generate heat. It is air cooled so if you keep it exposed you will be ok. However, if you let it get covered with a blanket it will end up being too hot to touch. Just make sure it is not covered and you will be fine.

A little advice. I found the best way to load music to the KANN is to connect it to a USB port and download directly to the SD and SD micro cards. For some reason, it has a hard time connecting to an SD card if you fill it and insert it. It is the same as loading up an SD and has less chance of having problems.

This is a lot better than other players that have poor player to computer usability. Plug it in and grab and drop. Slow but no slower than a drag and drop to the sd. Other players need to step and get this function working as well as this one.

Yes, a lot of money but it is worth cutting back for a year in order not to waste money on something not as good as the KANN. I got this with the Rosie earbuds and I cannot imagine anything sounding better.

After a year I'm taking one star off. The connect function will find my server but it takes far longer than my other DAPs. I did not think the weight and size would bother me. I was wrong. I brought and returned for defect another DAP in order to have MQA because the brick is such a bother to carry. I'll be looking for a case but the heating issues and the very high cost of cases means it will mostly stay home. I still recommend it for home use or when in a car, train, plane. Not something you want to carry for long.

I you don't mind using your phone to feed yhe player I recommend the cord majo or hugo. The mojo is small and light and top rated for sound. The hugo is not so light but has better sound. I'm not sure if they still make the hugo but they have the hugo ii, at twice the cost and an even better sound. Mostly I recommend the mojo for award lever sound and small and light. It you don't have access to the Internet the kann is the way to go.

17 people found this helpful

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Buyer of Things

Incredible sound for the size.

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2018

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

Listened to a Fiio X5 I had lying around and wanted to upgrade to portable and get away from the desktop system. I have a fiio X5 that sounds good but not close to the desktop. Bought the Kann started using the 3.5 headphone out to Focal Clears. The unit does sound better after a few days of use, the bass and mids filled out nicely. The upper mids and treble can get a touch of oversharpening and can sound unnatural at worst but still very musical. My desktop sounds cleaner and more "real" but only a small bit. An Airist Audio amp/Schiit Eityr/MIMBY, Bought an 2.5mm - 4-pin balanced cable adapter for a small improvement in spaciousness, but a noticeable increase in power to the full sized Focals.
People complain about the size of this unit, but compared to the sound quality and power it's minuscule. Does get very warm.
Tidal works okay, not as good as the desktop version and sometimes when pressing the forward/back buttons to move in Tidal, the Kann will start playing songs from the micro SD card, sometimes not. The EQ and balance controls are very precise if you need them. Overall a great sounding player and incredible so for this size box.

7 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Terrible Warranty Support

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2018

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

Make no mistake, this is an outstanding sounding piece of gear. It missing some resonance in the midrange, the wood in the instruments etc., however in the last three months I have listened to it for hours on end. As an old audiophile with lots of vinyl who has been in the high end audio industry, this is high praise.

The problem is the CRAP customer service from A&K. The battery in my unit is dying. It's been over a week and A&K has not followed through with their promise to provide an RMA for repair. If they do, it can't be repaired in the US. So the customer has to wait while it is returned to Seoul for repair and then shipped back to the US. Totally unacceptable for a product that claims to be high end

What happens when your $1,000 toy needs service and is out of warranty?

Edit:

28 days ago I requested a RMA from A&K. 11 days later I received a RMA number and form. Astell and Kern moved and had me send the Kann to the old address. After verifying the address with FedEx after two failed delivery attempts I finally received a response from A&K, they had moved and indicated in the email that they said they were reaching out to shippers to have packages rerouted. BS. I shipped the Kann on our corporate account and had several conversations with the appropriate folks at FedEx over three days. A&K lied, they never contacted FedEx until they finally got around to reading my emails.

Today I received another email from A&K. 15 days after receiving my Kann they have confirmed that the battery is shot and is 70% depleted after an hour of playback. IT TOOK THEM 15 DAYS AND I TOLD THEM WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS!!!! Now it will be another three weeks while the TURD is shipped to Seoul for repair. Add in another few days for their future screw ups and that's two months. Totally unacceptable for what poses to be a high end product.

As to A&K, you deserve this public flogging. Buyer beware, a high tech product is only as good as the support behind it.

98 people found this helpful

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Solomon_King

A&K overhyped and overpriced averageness

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2018

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

For reference I used 3 separate high quality, respected $1,000.00 IEM'S on the KANN. First the good- It is solidly built, aesthetics and attention to external details are good. It is not quite as big or as heavy as so many people make it out to be, some complaints are really just small inconveniences and unreasonable expectations. The battery life is also excellent. Now the bad- KANN is WAY overpriced for what you are getting. The sound quality is really not that great, its (Meh) lackluster and unimpressive. NOT what you would expect from a $1,000.00 device. My current smartphone sound quality is LIGHTYEARS better and destroys the KANN in functionality. My old smartphone sound quality is still more impressive and even my tablet is only slightly behind the KANN. I guess having a balanced jack is cool, but I think its overhyped for mobile audio. If you really need a balanced output or have high impedance cans, you are better off getting a outboard headphone amp. Who walks around mobile with high impedance Cans on their head anyway? The KANN just kind of has some really unnecessary features and fails at its basic functions. Besides the unimpressive very clinical sound, the other deal breaker was its lack of Tidal functionality. You CANNOT use TIDAL in offline mode, it lacks the download song function. You also cannot connect to public WiFi due to its lack of browser based sign in functionality. This makes it very limited for a device aimed at the mobile market. This means you cannot stream in an airport, or a hotel, or a coffee shop etc.... A&K is not very forthcoming about this severe lack of mobile functionality, they gloss these important features over and almost false advertise it as a result. You really have to dig deep to find their honest disclaimer about this and having full Tidal functionality or lack of WiFi support is a deal breaker for allot of audiophiles. Now ill be honest, this is my first A&K device, I bought into the hype and jumped onto the bandwagon. Honestly from my opinion of the KANN I think A&K is extremely overhyped, it does not live up to the basic standards that a $1,000.00 device should meet. I think you are basically paying an unreasonable premium to be part of the A&K club. I would never buy another A&K product without thoroughly auditioning it first. If you want a great sounding low impedance mobile solution, with COMPLETE functionality for streaming, there are better options out there. Unfortunately I cannot name those options due to Amazon review guidelines. If you really need perfect hi-fi for critical listening, or need to push HI-IMP Cans you are better off with a dedicated DAC/AMP, the KANN wont really push them well. You will not be able to critical listen in a mobile environment anyway, so there are better options available for this. Ill reply with the details to any questions later. In retrospect the A&K KANN was a waste of time and money. A&K needs to up their game if they want to charge these unreasonable prices. I did not hesitate to return the KANN and am glad that I got my money back.

10 people found this helpful

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rocketW900

Just give me the music....

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2017

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

I started with a classic ipod 80gb, filled it up. Then an ipod touch6 128gb, filled it too. I finally went to FLAC codec for my library. Currently at 510 gb. That's also when I went looking for a hi-res dap. The dx90 was my first choice based on many reviews. The sound was fabulous with oppo pm-3 h/phones and also with Bose qc35. However the limited on board storage and carrying around multiple micro sd cards along with the clunky gui worked against it. I decided to try something new and went with the fiio x5 gen 3. Again, I could just barely get the whole library on it. And the controls and gui were awful in my opinion. Now the KANN. I think I've found "the one" to rule them all. Vast storage, (512gb sd card and 256gb microsd card plus 64gb on board) easy and intuitive user interface and no fru-fru apps on board. I wouldn't say I am audiophile by any means but I do know what I like. And like this unit a lot. The sound meets all my expectations and more. It is all about the music with this dap. Granted it's a brick, and not particularly pretty. But when I put the cans on my head and press play all those issues are meaningless. I would recommend this player to anyone.

41 people found this helpful

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James C Young

Pocket For Repairs, Now I’ve Got More Issues! Updated Review!

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2017

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

This initially was a 5 star rating, but know that it is just a $1,000 brick, it’s getting one. Less than two years and never used the amp section of the device and now it’s not working properly? Either poor quality or bad design! It’s kept me from buying the newest model which is $3,500! Astell&Kern has poor customer service. I’m currently using my 2014 Astell & Kern AK100 Mark-2 MQS Portable Single DAC Hi-Fi Audio System - 3 ohms Player and it sounds just as good now as it did when I purchased it! So the quality of the product seems to be in question in my opinion.

I've owned many A&K portable players over the last few years, I have liked them all! My favorite was the dual DAC Titan model, but it was stolen or lost during a home remodeling project. I started using my smaller AK100 MQS 3 oHm model again. It's a great player and it has to 64gb cards in it and works just fine still. It doesn't like DSD for some reason, although a firmware update allows for DSD playback. It always goes through library update after a DSD file plays for some reason, I really don't care too much about DSD as it always needs tinkering to get sound right.

Anyway, I waited for the Kahn to come out with much anticipation an decided to upgrade my older, but still well loved AK100 player! I like a lot of things about the Kahn player , but there are some things I would like to have seen that didn't make the cut for some reason. I don't care much about wifi Internet connection, which my older AK100 lacked. It was simple to operate and not much more than buying files, dropping and pasting them to device or to SD cards in device. I'm not sure how to connect this to my PC. Do I add files to the device through same cord as chrarging cord, or do I need the other USB cord to add files? The input on far right on the bottom?

The things I don't really care for are the lack of an optical output. Why is this not on this device? Also for a $1,000 player, why isn't there a stand made for this. Already tried case/stand and I hate it to be honest. Poorly made and have lady had leather shop stitch lower part of stand to case as it came unglued. Had them add more ventilation holes in back of case as well. Cost as much as case and it's still unsteady for weight of device. Also, I'm not sure why this device doesn't come with a power plug, yes I know none do, and it's only a $10 to $20 dollar investment. But a dedicated metal stand for this player is a must have an I hope A&K are reading this review. I really thought I was going to use this device more than I actually do. I use my AK100 most of the time with my Shure SE846 earbuds. I like the separation of the Wolfson WM8740 chip better actually. Although the soundstage from a $400 balanced custom ordered cord has improved the newer and "more expensive" chipset.

The Kahn is great for the amount of storage that's available for a portable device! That's a Huge plus. I DO however worry about the heating up of the device as it has gotten fairly hot after using it for long periods of time.

Things I would have liked to seen:

-Dual DAC chipset
-Optical output as I have many devices that accept an optic signal,a set of High Resolution speakers, but that's too late.
-A metal dedicated stand like all other models have, rediculous that there isn't a metal stand offered for this model.
-More store options like HDtracks, or some other direct download service, not just Japanese site or Tidal.
-Better instructions for device. I've just put SD cards into computer and added files then put them in the player.

I have owned many portable Hi Resolution players and I have to say A&K has had the best models yet. I've had a few cheaper Fiio models, all returned due to issues, The original AK100 player that wasn't powerful enough to push my old Shure SE 535's was returned and I upgraded it to the 3oHm model and it was like $800.00 at that time. Made a huge difference. I've tried the Onkyo player and sold it to a friend! Still love A&K potable players, but would have considered a more expevive model to get certain features this model lacks.

Astell and Kern has the best Portable High Resolution players I've yet to own, just was disappointed that this model is missing some things I expected it to have as a newer model, optical output and a stand for starters.

UPDATE!

My Kann has been acting up terribly, It really ticks me off as I purchased this primarily for the storage size as well as the higher DSD range and the ability to use Tidal. Plus it will playback 32bit/192kHz music files natively as well. I have probably less than 150 to 200 hours on mine and in the pictures I’m getting ready to post, there are three white spots on the screen now that get so hot that they will actually burn your fingertips. The sound is screwed up as the volume on both the roller and the screen have completely stopped working as well! I noticed the spots a week or so and I thought maybe it was from something being set on the screen. It is not. I switched cords on my Shure SE 846 IEMs and no difference. I put a balanced cable on them and still having issues with the heat and volume. I am not even using the amp for higher oHm headphones! It is a poorly designed device and I purchased the square trade warranty on this , but that was a complete waste of money! I like the amount of audio files this device holds and that’s primarily why I purchased this model. The case is not worth the money as I stopped using it after one week. If Astell & Kern or Iriver is not willing to repair this device, it will be the last DAP I ever buy from them. I doubt they care as they are pushing the new $3,000 model and they can keep it if they are not producing the same quality as my AK100 or my AK120 which actually sounds better and they are still working just fine. Just no Tidal or Internet capibilities on these two great devices.

UPDATE:

I finally got an email from customer support and they sent me a quote to replace the screen as well as the battery. I mailed it out and filled out the paperwork they requested as well as a copy of my receipt from where I purchased this player less than 2 years ago here on Amazon. I think it’s pretty sad that Astell&Kern only offers a one year warranty for their players. So, I’m having to pay to get this device repaired. I don’t think that the issue is the battery or the screen as it was getting so hot where the spots appeared on the screen that it would burn your finger. The roller volume control was also acting up as well and they still have not contacted me yet about wether or not they have even received the player. It says it could be up to 3 weeks from the time they receive the device until they notify you if they can repair the unit, or if additional charges are required for repairing the player. I do not want to spend as much as I could buy a new one for only to receive a 90 or 60 day warranty on the repair. If this player starts acting up and I start having issues with the player similar to the one that they are going to repair, it will be the last Astell&Kern player I drop $1,000 and up on. If it is repaired it will be a player that I have $1,300 invested in. The ONLY reason I’m even getting this player repaired in the first place is that Tidal has several new Master releases out now and they sound incredible. Astell&Kern players sound extremely nice and they are generally very well made as my AK100 & my AK120 Titan sound incredible, but I will be in the market for something that will play MQA files and they are the company that I would like to get that player from. However if this turns out to be a huge letdown, I will find an equivalent. More players are coming out and I’m sure that eventually an equally good player will hit the market. I have a very nice sounding Questyle QP2R player that is pretty good, but it has a much more difficult User Interface to use and it sounds great with my Shure SE-846 earbuds, but I’ve tried a few other players like the Fiio players which I had terrible experiences with as well as the Onkyo player and the Pioneer player, all of which sounded far less impressive than the Astell&Kern players. I hear the Sony player sounds great, but I lost faith in Sony when they replaced their CEO. It all started to become poorly made junk. I’ll update soon to let you know when I either get a response on why my KANN player is acting strange and if they want more to fix the issue.

UPDATE AS OF MAY 21, 2019:

Well I got back my Kann player back from the repair center and so far it appears to be working properly. It also doesn’t seem to get as hot. It still gets warm and it’s still a concern I have as well. I sent it in for with a requested RMA number along with the original box and the cable that came with the player. I was told by email that the device needed a new battery, a LCD screen, and after they received the device and properly diagnosed the problem, I also needed a new headphone jack. I’m giving this 5 stars as the Customer Support team was really good at keeping me updated on the progress of the repair as well as when they had finished the job. I also got a reduced price for the repairs compared to what they generally charge. It took about 2 months to get my player back and it sounds like it is should sound. The Kann is a good player and holds a lot of Hi Rez files. It’s exactly why I purchased this model in the first place. The newer Kann Cube looks better designed and holds over 1 Terabyte of files.

My only real complaint with Astell&Kern is that I have two older players , the 3oHm version of the AK-100 and the larger AK-120 which are both around 5 years old now. Neither of these two players have ever given me any issues and the AK-100 gets used almost daily. So I don’t know if the earlier players where built better or if I just got a “bad egg” with buying the Kann player. I also think that a player that is as expensive as these are should have a warranty of more than one year. I rarely ever used the Kann player until they added Tidal. It’s also a round the time I started noticing the white spot on the “A” in the starting of the player. Then within a few weeks time, I had 3 spots which got much worse and they where very hot to the touch, then it really started acting up. I will use it more as the repair warranty is good for 60 days as if it decides to start acting up again, I don’t want to pay out of pocket to get it repaired again. If it acts up after the repair warranty has run out, I certainly will not pay to get it repaired again.

My volume knob on my AK-100 stated to feel loose, but the steel bumper that was once available has kept it secure and it doesn’t move anymore. The two earlier models have never had any problems with them and they both play well. I have never had any issues with either and use I tend to use the AK-100 (3oHm Model) the most of all three models I have. The Ak-120 was a spontaneous purchase while visiting New York City as I left my AK-100 at home. It sounds great, but it’s only really noticeable with a balanced set of earbuds. I have two sets of Shure SE-846 earbuds. One with an aftermarket brand cable for the balanced models and the other set for my AK-100. I damaged a set of the Shure SE-535 earbuds, when they we’re the top of the line model by switching from a balanced cord to a unbalanced cord and eventually the inner post broke off the earpiece. Shure wanted almost the full price for a replacement earpiece as a new set of earbuds.

I’ve owned many pairs of earbuds and the only ones I’ve ever owned that I liked as much as the Shure SE846’s where a pair of Westone WD-80s but still lacked that true “subwoofer” sounding Bass that only I have found in the Shure SE-846s. My actual headphone are a pair of original Byerdynanics Tesla’s. I also have the overpriced Focal Utopia open back headphones that I should have returned, and a my go to set for listening in the same room while my husband watches television is a set of Beyerdynamic T70 250 oHm headphones or my Original Tesla 1s. I have bought the Astell&Kern Layla’s , and another expensive set, both where disappointing as the are heavy, so they fall out of my ear. Also I sleep listening to my AK-100 and now my Kann, but these are painful to wear while sleeping. The metal edge is hard and it just isn’t a good fit for me. Also, I’m not a huge fan of anything wireless when it comes to audio. Yes,Tidal is a wireless streaming system, but I don’t think that wireless headphones or earbuds are superior to a great set of aftermarket headphone cables.

Had the Customer Support team and the notifications from them about my Kann players progress had not been sent to me, I more than likely would have given this player a 3 star rating. The price to fix this was also reduced to an affordable price for having it repaired, but it will not get repaired again if it goes bad after the repair warranty is up.

Having said all of this shouldn’t turn people off from buying an Astell&Kern player as they are the best sounding players you can buy for portable devices. I have loved the two older models I have had for years and they sound superior to any of the other models I’ve tried or a couple I still own that never get used. I think Astell&Kern needs to offer a better warranty on their Potable Audio players! Especially when some of the models are upwards of the $3,000 price range. For a player that cost this much , a five year warranty or a separate extended warranty through Astell&Kern , not square trader a third party dealer, but Astell&Kern should be offered for purchase.

So far I’m extremely happy with the ability to get this player repaired. If it last for a few months, I will probably purchase the Kann Cube as it has more capabilities than the original model and it will be MQA compatible with the next few firmware updates.

Updated Review And Last A&K Player I’m Buying!

Well I forked out almost as much as a new one to have this thing repaired! I rarely ever use the built in amp as I have a pair of Shure SE-846 wired in ear headphones that are 9 oHm and the unit has plenty of power to drive these incredible sounding earbuds. I recently decided to try and listen to my Byerdynanics over the ear 250oHm headphones and now the onboard external amp doesn’t work at all! Needless to say I wasn’t exactly happy with this as I would like to listen to my over the ear headphones on occasion as inner earbuds make my ears sore occasionally.

I’m extremely disappointed with Astell & Kern as their quality is subpar and the price is only getting higher. I have a older version, the Astell & Kern AK100 Mark-2 MQS Portable Single DAC Hi-Fi Audio System - 3 ohms player and it works great still after 6yrs. I also own the Astell&Kern AK120 Dual-DAC Mastering Quality Sound Portable System that I rarely use and it was a spontaneous purchase while on a trip to NYC. It’s basically new and it sounds good, but it doesn’t sound as good as the AK100 3oHm player sounds. The issue with both of these is that they are older models and don’t support Tidal and have a very limited amount of storage. I’ve got twice the amount of SD card that they claim is the maximum, yet both of these work like they did from day one! It’s proof that they are cutting corners and their quality of workmanship is not nearly what it use to be, or you have to buy the $3,000 model to get a better built player.

I had decided that I was going to buy the Kann Cube, however I’m not sure if I am going to or not. It’s makes me extremely uncertain about buying the other models as well! I think that Astell&Kern sounds extremely good compared to a few others I’ve listened to and it supports MQA. I wasn’t impressed with the Sony NW-WM1A 128GB Premium Walkman as it doesn’t sound as good as the Astell&Kern devices and I’ve not had a great experience with Sony’s products since the son became the CEO, plus it’s not cheap either. I refuse to buy anything that’s Onkyo as I’ve had two Onkyo Surround Sound Receivers quite working on me in just a couple of years time. So Onkyo is off the table for sure. Currently , I’m listening to my Oppo UDP-205 player that does the MQA decoding as well as Tidal. I was fortunate enough to get one before Oppo closed and the price of this amazing player has skyrocketed!

I guess it’s just going to be awhile before I buy another Portable Hi Resolution player! My Kann player is still working on the main amp and it’s generally what I use it for, my Shure Earbuds, but now I’m concerned about how much longer before I start having the issues that I had repaired!

Final Update on this player as of October 2020

Well the player is now having issues with the speaker jacks. It still gets way too hot and I have just quit using it altogether. I own a few different Astell and Kern players and this one is the lemon of the lot. I also want to be able to listen to MQA files from my server as well as Tidal. I am contemplating on buying the Kann Alpha as it plays Tidal Master Audio files and I can also put my Japanese MQA disc that I have ripped on the device as well. If this purchase goes south like the original Kann player then I am done with this company. My biggest issue with this company is that for the price you pay for these players you should get a proper charger. This is just ridiculous that you have to purchase the charging adapter separately. I am also thinking of getting the Astell and Kern ripper as well as it is suppose to rip directly to the Kann Alpha as well as play them.

12 people found this helpful

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Jonathan v Holtzman

Great sound. Clunky software and interface

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2017

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

Great sound. Clunky software and interface. Also, a little weak on bass with Audeze cans. Could use a little more amplification. Still, overall, very enjoyable!

9 people found this helpful

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Mr. Vinyl

Returning item

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

Having satisfactorily used an AK70 for more than three years, I thought I was ready for a modest upgrade/newer technology unit, and so elected to purchase their KANN. I use Shure SE846 in-ear monitors, which are provide a superb, but very revealing sound. On first listen to the KANN, with very familiar material, I just felt something was different. I scanned the settings to insure I was hearing a full, process-free, flat signal. Eventually, I loaded 12 identical, hi-res music files onto two memory cards, one for the KANN, and the other for my AK70. After equalizing volume, I was able to merely switch my balanced headphone cable between the two players for a virtual A/B listening test.

It immediately became apparent that I preferred playback through the AK70, but was that because of my long-time familiarity with it? Perhaps. I went on listening in an attempt to discern the actual variances I was hearing. While the KANN seem to have plenty of bottom and high freq. power and detail, the differences I eventually isolated fell into the mid and mid low ranges. The KANN seemed to illustrate a little more of what I don't like about some digital playback. Some call it an irritating sibilance, or just an audible, digital by-product, but I've never found it present on a well recorded file playing back through the AK70.

I own and listen to a lot of music, the vast majority of which is analog from start to finish and my home electronics are tubed, so its fair to say that I prefer the warmth of analog. Nonetheless, I've embraced digital, and my comparative end-result was that overall, the AK70 provides a much more natural, musical playback than the KANN. I also perceived better imaging through the AK70. The only logical explanation for this must be the differences between the two DACs. From two different mfgs., the AK70 uses a Cirrus Logic CS4398 (circa 2003), while the KANN utilizes an AKM AK4490 chip (circa 2014).

As always, both units are well-constructed, and I can attest to the reliability of the AK70. Nonetheless, the KANN is being returned.

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C H

Sounds good, but is borderline unusable

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2019

Color: Astro SilverVerified Purchase

Pros: it sounds good

Cons: too many to count
You would think for so much money the OS wouldn't be written by monkeys. This has to scan your entire library every time it boots up, so you have to wait a minute before you can play your currently queued song. It needs to scan EVERYTHING so if you want to change songs you have to wait 5 minutes for the entire library to refresh before you can even press the "next" button. Trying to switch albums before it's ready will cause the OS to crash.

Additionally, it's really, really finicky about adding more music. There's a 50% chance adding a song will remove its ability to read your SD card and require a reformat and complete transfer of all music again. It took me an entire week, with about 5 attempts of writing my library, before it finally liked to read the files. I just added a new album and it, of course, lost the ability to read the SD card and got locked into a reboot loop. I cannot even power the device off, because now it boots itself up without prompting, then gets stuck in a reboot loop. Removing the SD cards stopped the reboot loop, but now I have to reformat and re-add all my music.

Button presses almost never work the first time. "Pause/play", "next", and "previous" usually require 2 or 3 attempts to actually do anything.

The playback is absolutely not gapless. There's usually a second gap in between songs.

The user interface is just terrible. It doesn't display the entire track name. It doesn't remember your location so if you want to switch albums within in artist you need to reselect the artist, then the album. Of course to select an artist you must scroll to find them, which takes quite some time if you have a decently sized library. There are no easy shortcuts like choosing a letter, you have to scroll.

In short, I cannot recommend this to anyone. I will be selling it as soon as possible.

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