New DAP

Posted by: Timmo1341 on 25 August 2017

I'm now into my 5th day of ownership of an Astell & Kearn KANN. To say I'm pleased would be huge understatement. I was fortunate enough to be able to test drive, with the help of a couple of friends and Richer Sounds, some of the competition, including AK 320, AK 300, AK 70, Sony NW-WM1A and Fiio X5 (3rd Gen). To my ears the KANN came an easy first, with the exception of the AK 320 which ran it pretty close. The deciding factors were expandability (2 SD slots), battery life (minimum of 15 hrs) and price (£600 cheaper).

My 'go to' earphones are Shure 846, which I've used for quite a while with an AK Jr. The difference was stunning! I really am hearing things within a multitude of tracks I've never heard before via headphones. The soundstage is huge, the 846s are now delivering their renowned bass better than ever. Using my other 'phones, B&W P7s, simply confirms this. What staggers me is the improvement I'm hearing over listening through headphones via NAP 272, SuperUniti and UnitiQute 2. The KANN wipes the floor with the lot!

Thankfully the KANN has built in WiFi, so will now be my 'go to' for 'phones listening at home as well as on the go. I had been considering a dedicated headphone DAC/Amp, but will not bother now!

 

Posted on: 25 August 2017 by Bert Schurink

Good to see that you are happy with your Kann. This device has definitely a lot speaking for. High amount of memory you can add, good / strong amp and strong battery life. So at the price definitely the one to beat. 

 

However I had a short encounter at Munich with this device and some competitors. While not comparable from a price perspective I was easily taken away by theAstell & Kern Ultimate - it's sound was more refined more round and also my own Sony NW-ZX2 are in another league. But still I fully understand why you like it a lot it's i think a great offer.

Posted on: 25 August 2017 by Timmo1341
Bert Schurink posted:

Good to see that you are happy with your Kann. This device has definitely a lot speaking for. High amount of memory you can add, good / strong amp and strong battery life. So at the price definitely the one to beat. 

 

However I had a short encounter at Munich with this device and some competitors. While not comparable from a price perspective I was easily taken away by theAstell & Kern Ultimate - it's sound was more refined more round and also my own Sony NW-ZX2 are in another league. But still I fully understand why you like it a lot it's i think a great offer.

If I win the lottery(!) I could well be tempted by either of those two you mention Bert - I deliberately haven't listened to either as they are so far out of my price range. I was limited to spending no more than £1,500 and was originally going to buy the AK 320. Then the KANN was released, I auditioned both and the rest, as they say, is history!!

Posted on: 25 August 2017 by Emre

No tidal offline is a real breaker for me for AK, happy with zx2 maybe new fiio x7 even

I download all new albums and do my canvasing on more with zx2

Posted on: 26 August 2017 by Pev

Damn - thought this was a thread about plimsolls