Astell & Kern’s second-generation Kann Cube high resolution digital audio player delivers audiophile sound in a beautifully designed aluminium body.
The company, which despite what you might assume from its name is actually Korean, is aiming the Kann Cube at the professional and serious home hi-fi audio markets.
The Kann Cube has a quad-core digital processor, and an enlarged battery, more internal memory and greater power output than its predecessor, the Kann.
The Cube’s dual ESS Sabre ES9038PRO digital to analogue convertors deliver enough power to drive any headphone without the need for a separate amplifier, with a choice of low, mid and high gain modes. Noise floor is lower than before, with a wider soundstage and better stereo separation.
Also included are two 5-pin Mini XLR outputs for connection to a sound system, a 5-inch high definition screen, 128Gb internal memory and microSD card slot for additional storage.
Kann Cube supports up to 32-bit/384 kHz PCM sound and the DSD256 audiophile format, and can install the software for music streaming services directly, including Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, SoundCloud, Qobuz, SiriusXM, Tune-In, myTuner, Bandcamp and Deezer.
The Kann Cube will be released in the US at the end of May 2019 for $1,499, and will be available in Astell & Kern dealers worldwide in June 2019.
Australian availability and pricing is yet to be confirmed.
