[JasonNYC]

"Full MQA support."

That's funny.

I remember years ago when AK was one of the last DAP manufacturers to add MQA support. The hundreds of posts and PMs about how ridiculous it was that AK was the only one that didn't support it. Not going to debate MQA as it has been done in thousands of posts and articles. Fact is, many people still use it and want the option, so it is included for those that use it.

 

[123peter]

What significance can the use of BT 4.2 have in a DAP in 2023 that has the latest ESS ES9039MPRO chips and a fancy 8-core processor on board?
I can't even find an argument to use it.
To put it very simply:
BT 4.2 does not consume less power, but even more than 5.x, the range is also worse, the bandwidth is lower, and it supports fewer codecs.

A&K already has it that their devices are great and hyper, but they always have to have some but... and the system runs slowly, and there are no updates, and these are the cheapest ESS chips....
I thought it was finally the perfect one, but now - maybe it's a printing error and it's supposed to be BT 5.2???

I'm waiting for A&K's comment because it's a hot topic.

 

[JasonNYC]

Does the volume knob on AK HB1 control the system volume (on the phone / pc) or the device volume (HB1 itself)?

device volume

 

[Kordonrules]

Exactly

 

[JasonNYC]

Then is a pass for now but will be looking on the updates to see when this issue has been resolved. If i can have roon arc bit perfect on an iphone then i don't see why this can't be done on a DAP.

Unfortuntely that is a question for Roon as it is a limitation on the Android version of the app itself, not hardware specific.

 

[JasonNYC]

The new Kann looks great! Can it play Apple Music in High-resolution?

yes, supports full resolution playback of 24/192 in Apple Music.

 

[Bondipix]

What significance can the use of BT 4.2 have in a DAP in 2023 that has the latest ESS ES9039MPRO chips and a fancy 8-core processor on board?
I can't even find an argument to use it.
To put it very simply:
BT 4.2 does not consume less power, but even more than 5.x, the range is also worse, the bandwidth is lower, and it supports fewer codecs.

A&K already has it that their devices are great and hyper, but they always have to have some but... and the system runs slowly, and there are no updates, and these are the cheapest ESS chips....
I thought it was finally the perfect one, but now - maybe it's a printing error and it's supposed to be BT 5.2???

I'm waiting for A&K's comment because it's a hot topic.

I’m hoping it’s a typo, otherwise this (4.2) is really stupid.

 

[ipaddy]

I’m annoyed that it has really piqued my interest too thanks to that DAC chipset and the LO/Pre capabilities… I vowed to never buy AK again though due to their business practices.

Can you be more specific?

 

[ipaddy]

I remember years ago when AK was one of the last DAP manufacturers to add MQA support. The hundreds of posts and PMs about how ridiculous it was that AK was the only one that didn't support it. Not going to debate MQA as it has been done in thousands of posts and articles. Fact is, many people still use it and want the option, so it is included for those that use it.

I don't remember that, but if so, then I applaud AK for its delay, if it resulted in better equipment for the same price.

As for people wanting it, that's marketing. There is not one person on Earth that would notice a difference between FLAC and MQA (and all that nonsense about different levels of quality, different levels of MQA "unfolding," what a riot) in favor of MQA, but I wouldn't bet against one going the other way in favor of FLAC.

I'll bet had Sony marketed its crappy early and abandoned copy protection that actually (and to quote Dave Barry, "and I am not making this up") notched out a certain frequency because of the copy protection, Sony could have marketed it as some kind of enhancement and stupid audio folks would have bought it.

 

[JasonNYC]

What significance can the use of BT 4.2 have in a DAP in 2023 that has the latest ESS ES9039MPRO chips and a fancy 8-core processor on board?
I can't even find an argument to use it.
To put it very simply:
BT 4.2 does not consume less power, but even more than 5.x, the range is also worse, the bandwidth is lower, and it supports fewer codecs.

A&K already has it that their devices are great and hyper, but they always have to have some but... and the system runs slowly, and there are no updates, and these are the cheapest ESS chips....
I thought it was finally the perfect one, but now - maybe it's a printing error and it's supposed to be BT 5.2???

I'm waiting for A&K's comment because it's a hot topic.

I reached out to the hardware team to confirm.

Curious though, the KANN Series is all about double the output of other AK player lines for high demanding headphones. How many people are buying KANN vs other players to use Bluetooth headphones and TWS earbuds vs full sized headphones/more demanding IEMs?

 

[123peter]

Thanks to the courtesy of my colleague "Praedo" from the PL forum who had the opportunity to listen to the test model of KANN Ultra, I can tell you:
1. To obtain Super Gain amplification, an additional USB power supply is not needed.
2. Even with low impedance earphones, e.g. Um Mest MKII 12.3Ω 112 dB - do not listen to the noise
3. In the super and remastering modes, the DAR PCM is noticeably warmer, but it is nothing alarming - the temperature is close to the human body
4. Battery life according to him , in Super Gain and 39% volume with the screen off, Ultra can reach 8 hours or even more.

To JasonNYC - Astell & Kern Kann Ultra - what Android version is it based on?

 

[XERO1]

This is an honest question. Who is buying a $1600 ultra-powerful DAP to use it with BT headphones!?!

That's like buying a brand new Ferrari and using it to go off-roading!

 

[Tristy]

Can you be more specific?

Please see the comments below, think this pretty much sums it up.

CSR8675 in late 2023? Is this a joke?

It’s the updated UI that AK refuses to roll out to existing models despite them being able to support it (most models use the same hardware) due to wanting to market it as a USP for new releases.

Not going to hold my breath on that one. As much as i enjoy AK DAP's, they are the worst when it comes down to updating "older" players. And with older
i mean barely a year or two.

A new KANN is going to be released within a year and then this one here is dead wheight and people who are looking for updates will be screwed.
Has always been the case with AK, will always be that way.

 

[ipaddy]

I reached out to the hardware team to confirm.

Curious though, the KANN Series is all about double the output of other AK player lines for high demanding headphones. How many people are buying KANN vs other players to use Bluetooth headphones and TWS earbuds vs full sized headphones/more demanding IEMs?

Clearly, the intended market for the Kann series is power, as we all know from the start. But of course high fidelity, as well. Most folks will aim for a Kann because they have headphones, though some as always use iems.

*However*

1) Many use cases involve BT. Me, for example. I travel the subway. I can have little wireless in my ears, like many others. But not wires or headphones. I should not have to have a lower quality BT connection in terms of both quality and connection (for me, mostly, of course, connection--anyone who hallucinates that they can hear a difference in codecs while mobile should stop), or have to have a separate DAP.

2) This still doesn't justify why 4.2 if the Kann Max can have 5.0--This fellow, 123Peter, just before me pointed out that it's not even an advantage in power savings. and has certain disadvantages. There's been much changed since 4.2 in the point versions to 5, and from 5.0 to 5.3

 

[ipaddy]

This is an honest question. Who is buying a $1600 ultra-powerful DAP to use it with BT headphones!?!

That's like buying a brand new Ferrari and using it to go off-roading!

I know where Jason is trying to go with this, but what if the prior 2 year old Ferrari you owned had a much better off-road capability, which a number of folks might need in some cases, (and BT use is much more frequent than off-road Ferrari use) but this one doesn't, for no good reason, and actually has the capability of the one from 3 generations ago?