Astell&Kern AK70 Portable High-Resolution Audio Player - Mint Green
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Product Specifications
- 24bit/192kHz bit to bit PCM Audio Playback / DSD64, DSD128 (DSF, DFF) Playback Through DoP
- Diverse Output Types - 2.5mm Balanced Output & 3.5mm Single Ended
- USB Audio & USB DAC Output Compatible
- DLNA Network Compatible with AK Connect
64GB Internal Flash Memory, Single Cirrus-Logic CS4398 DAC
Product Description
Color:Green • Music Friend In My Pocket, AK70 • • 24bit 192kHz bit to bit Playback: The AK70’s DAC, based on market-proven CS4398 chips of Cirrus Logic, has been used for years in Hi-Fi audios and the second-generation Astell&Kern devices. The AK70 plays back 24bit 192kHz signals into bit-to-bit type. 32bit audio is downsampled using a sample-rate converter. In addition, DSD 64⁄128 can be played back through conversion to PCM. • AK70’s Diverse Output Types - Balanced Output The AK70 supports the 2.5-mm 4-pole balanced output (2.3 Vrms) that has been in use since the second generation of the Astell&Kern players • Variety of Output Types of AK70 - USB Audio The AK70 supports USB audio digital out, first among Astell&Kern devices. Connect diverse digital-input portable amps through USB to the AK70 and transfer DSD natively through DoP. It can also convert DSD into PCM for output for portable amps that do not support DoP. • Variety of Output Types of AK70 - USB DAC The AK70 can be used with a USB DAC that can double as an embedded sound card by connecting with a PC/Mac through the USB port. In the case of using the PC’s embedded sound card, one may have to go through a complicated process to play back DSD data. In contrast, the AK70 can do so simply by connecting with the PC. • The AK70’s Network - AK Connect The AK70 comes equipped with the AK Connect feature that can be connected with network-ready Astell&Kern devices. • Design Concept The AK70 is designed with an oblique angle on one side of the body so that it can fit the contour of the user’s thumb, the finger used most frequently when controlling the screen with one hand.
Product Reviews
All I can say is WOW!!!
My iPod classic finally died and was looking for a replacement. Have never been too happy with playing music with my smartphone and have always had a dedicated music player, so wanted another dedicated player. I have read a lot lately about high resolution audio and Astell & Kern. When they announced this AK70 player last month, it looked like the perfect replacement for my iPod classic. All I can say is WOW! I cant believe what I’ve been missing all these years! I have ripped all my CDs to FLAC format years ago and put the physical copies away. One thing I always disliked about the iPod was that it could not play FLAC file formats. The AK70 plays any digital file format out there, including Apple Lossless, FLAC and Wave. The player has 64gb of internal memory and a slot for a microsd card. I added a 128gb microsd card and the player had no issues recognizing it.Excited to try hi-res audio for the first time, I went to HD Tracks this weekend and downloaded a few of my favorite albums in high-res. I could not believe the sound quality in those recordings vs what I have listened to for years in CD quality. I could hear the soft crash of cymbals, or a subtle guitar rift that I never heard before in any version of the song I listened to. It was like hearing these songs for the very first time again. I literally listened for hours, amazed at the new sounds I was hearing.The AK70 also has wifi, so you can download software updates without connecting to the computer. When I turned it on for the first time and put all my wifi info in, a message popped up on screen that there was an update and asked if I wanted to download it. I hit ok, it downloaded and installed without issue. Once connected to my home network, my nas drive appeared and all of the music I had stored on it appeared on the player. So cool! I was able to play music directly from the nas drive and even copy songs over wifi to the player’s internal memory.All of astell & kerns players can also be used as a USB dac for your computer. I haven’t tried that yet, but looking forward to improving my computer’s sound output through the AK70. I will update my review once I try that.The player is very small, much smaller than the pics suggest. I am able to easily slip it into my pocket or work bag without issue. I love the fact that it has a physical volume control and play/previous track/next track buttons so I can change those without pulling the player out of my pocket.If you are looking for the best sound possible while out and about, the AK70 is a great option. If you are unsure if it is right for you, you should head to a store where they are sold and check it out for yourself. You will be amazed.
HAPPY HE IS
Gift for my husband he absolutely LOVES it !! Sent hours downloading songs !!! HAPPY HE IS …..PLEASED !!
Extremely impressed with this player.
In the past two weeks I have auditioned two “higher end” music players, this one and the HiFiMan superMini player. The A&K player does cost $200 more than the superMini, so a direct comparison may not be entirely fair. Anyways, here is what I have found so far:1) The ergonomics of the AK70 are really good. The player is not “too big” or “too small”. The edges are a bit sharp, but the touchscreen is large enough. Controls are well placed, and their menu system did not take too long for me to figure out. It’s a shame that the case for this player has some issues with heat, etc. The superMini was, well, too small with a very primitive interface.2) The AK70 does charge really slowly, that is true. The superMini was better in this regard. Still, not really a big issue in the scheme of things.3) The playback was flawless on the AK70. On the other hand, I have had a lot of issues with the superMini player; it tends to “chop off” the first .1 to .3 seconds of every third or fourth song. That’s the main reason it will be returned. With the AK70 the volume stays where I last left it. On the superMini, it always starts at a whisper; really annoying. On the other hand, for some reason the AK70 during playback keeps showing a file format/bit rate that does not match my actual audio files (FLAC). Hey iRiver, PLEASE fix this!4) OK, the sound quality? Well, the superMini was a little more forward, whereas the AK70 was smoother without sacrificing either the mid-range or top end. Both players has a solid, tight low end. There was a real clarity with the AK70, without being too strident; In fact, I am simply amazed as to how much better this player sounds (coupled with my Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones) than what my old cheapo players could do. I can hear details in songs that I have heard for 50+ years that I never noticed before. As far a sound quality is concerned, this player gets a 95⁄100.In summary: $599 is a lot of coin for something like this. For me, this is a no-brainer; one of best under $1K audio/video purchases I’ve ever made.
Easy to Use and Sounds Amazing!
Purchased the AK70 to try out hi-res audio for myself and see what all the hype was about. The player comes pre-loaded with a few hi-res demo tracks and they all sound amazing! The touch screen is bright and easy to use and the interface is similar to my smartphone. Adding music was simple, connected the player to my laptop. The player appears like a flash drive and you just copy and paste the music from the computer hard drive to the player.The player itself is all metal and feels solid in my hands. It is very stylish and easy to slip into my bag while traveling. There was a software update this week and the player popped a message up on the screen asking me to download it. Clicked ok, let it download, then it installed without issue. Simple and uncomplicated. Loved how easy it was to update.At $599, the price is definitely worth it. You may be asking yourself why do you need to purchase this when your phone can do the same thing. The sound quality doesn’t even compare. Even with some MP3s that I saved to the player sounded way better than they do on my phone. Anyone who loves music really owes it to themselves to take the leap to one of these new dedicated hi-res audio players.
Five Stars
Very fine!!!
Worked until it didn’t
I bought the AK70 in June 2017 and the AK70 worked great until recently when the balanced mode internal jack quit working.
Great Sound - But Tidal Functionality is Limited
The AK70’s sound quality is exceptionally good. However, there are two deficiencies buyers should be aware of:1. I purchased the AK70 mainly to listen to Tidal.
Excellent Sound and Build Quality
This player is my new favorite. I prefer it to my Pono Player and iPod classic. It’s not only the better build quality - it’s all metal (or seems so) - but also the sound quality…
Perfect! The ultimate small dap.
This is the best (small) dap you can get your hands on. The bulid quality is second to none - it’s really beautiful and the UI is fast and efficient.
Totally worth it.
Phenomenal sound. Compared to the FiiO X3, X5 (gen 3), LG v20, you name it - this is the best sounding player I’ve ever had the privilege to listen to.
Bad quality control
Overpriced. Bad quality control. The plug when inserted into the 3.5mm jack is at an angle and not perpendicular.I will sell this and buy a Sony player.
interface hard for me to use but sounds great, 5⁄5 stars
I have big hands, poor motor skills, and am 62 years old. I find the touch screen hard to use and am not comfortable with the user interface (I don’t use anything else with a…
AK70 Astell & Kern
AK70 portable player, great quality sound, puts my iPod to shame. Has a few quirks with storage but am working through that now. Would buy it again!
sound quality is great, but you will never fully enjoy it due …
Purchased it after long and serious researches… very excited to have it in my hands and ready to pair them with a Sony MDR 1000X..
The AK70 is a preferred device for a number of reasons compared to other devices in this category and price range.
comments powered by DisqusAWESOME! Sounds and feels marvelous. It is clearly a premium aluminum quality built device. The touch screen is actually very nice and as responsive as my iphone.
