Astell &Kern announce AK240, successor to AK120

The market for dedicated portable media player (ipod, zune, zen blah blah) is definitely falling off the cliff but there is still lot of demand for certain type of media players. These players are not about aesthetics or app stores, they are about pleasing hardcore audiophiles who are interested about quality of audio coming out. Astell & Kern AK240 is one such player that is purely meant for audio purists. Before you even think of buying one, remember that this one costs $3200 (yes, thats four digit price, pricier than 4k HDTV). According Astell & Kern, AK240 is designed to deliver sound exactly as the artist had intended.

To create best possible audio quality , A&K used dual Cirrus Logic CS4398 chip process the data and send it to exclusive XMOS chip and the data is finally delivered to output. Cirrus Logic CS4398 is a 120 dB, 24-Bit, 192 kHz D/A complete stereo audio converter with DSD Support. Dual DAC setup is used to create balanced output by eliminating maximum amount of ‘external’ noise. Each DAC processes same signal,

Specification for CS4398 is:

• Advanced multibit Delta-Sigma architecture
• 120 dB dynamic range
• -107 dB THD+N
• Up to 192 kHz sample rates
• Low-latency digital filter
• Direct Stream Digital® mode (SACD)
• • Non-decimating volume control
  • On-chip 50 kHz filter
  • Dedicated input pins
• Low-clock-jitter sensitivity
• Differential analog outputs
• 5 V analog power supply
• 3.3 V or 5 V digital power supply
• Supports direct interface to logic levels from 1.8 V to 5 V
• Control output for external muting
• Package: 28-pin TSSOP; lead-free assembly

DSD is currently used in Super Audio CDs. Thanks to the DSD support, AK240 is able to provide audio quality that is better than PCM used in traditional audio CDs. Dual DSPs are used to create ‘balanced method’ to clear maximum ‘external noise’ and to achieve increased output.

For more technical detail on AK240’s DAC and signal transmission setup, head over to this page. Listed below is full specification list of AK240 media player.

General Specifications for AK240