Hi All,
I just wanted to mention that we now have the 2 new models on demo from Astell&Kern, the AK100 II and AK120 II, these are 2nd generation players that now replace the outgoing AK100 and AK120.
It looks like Astell&Kern learnt a lot when developing their top of the range AK240 and have now put a lot of that into the new models like MQS streaming, which I find really useful when listening at home as it gives the user the ability to access all their music stored on a NAS drive or computer and stream it wirelessly to any of the new A&K players and if you want you can then download directly to the player to take out and about with you. Also once connected to your home network you can now upgrade the firmware wirelessly which makes it all very easy.
Also now all 3 models share the same Cirrus Logic DAC’s with one in the AK100 II and 2 DACs in both the AK120 II and AK240 which allow playback of DSD files across the range, with only the AK240 playing it natively though, the 2 new players convert to PCM first.
The other main improvement other than increased storage is the new larger screens and a much improved user interface in my opinion which is now the same as the AK240, it is very clear and very intuitive to use.
Finally in a month or so Qobuz will be added as a firmware upgrade which will allow you to stream CD quality music from Qobuz’s servers directly to your Astell&Kern player, as a user of Qobuz this is something I am personally looking forward to.
So now the Astell&Kern range feels complete with all 3 models now sharing the same features and user interface, we have all 3 on demo so if you’d like to experience the ultimate portable systems please feel free to get in touch to arrange a demo.
Please find some more information below + a few pictures -
http://www.highendheadphones.co.uk/astell-and-kern
AK100 II
- Single Dac
- DSD Playback (DSD to PCM)
- Balanced Output
- Wi-FI MQS Streaming
- 64GB Internal Storage (Expandable to 192GB)
- Optical Output
Price - £799.99
http://www.highendheadphones.co.uk/a...2nd-generation
AK120 II
- Dual DAC
- DSD Playback (DSD to PCM)
- Balanced Output
- Wi-FI MQS Streaming
- 128GB Internal Storage (Expandable to 256GB)
- Optical Output
Price - £1499.99
http://www.highendheadphones.co.uk/a...2nd-generation
AK100 II & AK120 II
AK100 II
AK120 II
The Full Astell&Kern Family
Cheers,
Paul.