Astell&Kern has announced its new PD10 digital audio player. And this being A&K, it comes festooned with features including a complete separation of its digital and analogue signals in a ‘HEXA-Audio Circuitry Structure’, thanks to four AKM AK4498EX DACs (the world’s first portable player to do so) and two separate AK4191EQ chips that handle digital signals.
Also included are two distinct amplifiers with different sound tunings. A normal gain option is there for delicate details and high-purity sound, while a high gain setting is there for complex and dynamic sounds, said to render audio signals more vividly and with greater clarity.
The wider spec sheet also includes the following:
- Up to 32-bit, 768kHz and DSD512 for native playback
- 256GB of internal memory with support for microSD cards up to 2TB
- USB digital audio output, USB-C for data transfer and charging, and the option to use the PD10 as an external DAC via Bluetooth or a direct USB connection to a Mac or Windows-based PC
- A 6-inch Full HD (1080×2160) hi-res touch screen
- An LED ring around the power button showing the bitrate of the currently playing track
- ReplayGain to automatically and uniformly adjust playback volume across different tracks
- AK File Drop to transfer files wirelessly through a PC, smartphone, or FTP program located on the same network
- AirPlay, 5.3 Bluetooth aptX HD, LHDC, LDAC and BT Sink support for wireless 24-bit audio playback and Roon Ready certification
- 15 hours of continuous playback with its optimised circuit configuration
Priced at £2,499, visit astellnkern.com to find out more.
