Astell&Kern KANN Max | Powerhouse Digital Audio Player

Improved Power, Sound, and Usability Synergize in A&K's KANN Max Digital Audio Player

Powerhouse DAP with 15Vrms of output power
Quad ESS ES9038Q2M DACs
Aluminum body, 4.1” 720 x 1280 touch screen, SE 3.5mm and Balanced 2.5mm + 4.4mm outputs
Improves on the form factor, power, sound, and usability of previous generation KANN players






Bloom's Take
KANN Max is a clear step forward in the evolution of Astell&Kern’s KANN series, and one of the best, most versatile DAPs in its price range. The build and sound quality alone could be worth the price of admission, but its class leading versatility, with the ability to drive just about anything from sensitive IEMs to planar magnetic headphones sets KANN Max apart.
We pitted it against the equally excellent iBasso DX320 for you to decide which DAP comes out on top. Read the full review here.





Ultra-high Output in a Smaller Footprint
KANN MAX takes the identity of the series to the next level to provide a perfect experience with high power and clear sound. It provides 4 stages of gain level and ultra-high output of up to 15Vrms, previously only possible with a stationary headphone amplifier.
KANN Series Player Comparison

Perfect Circuit Design
KANN MAX is equipped with ultra-high output and does not allow any noise delivering the original sound without compromise as it should be. It applies an analog volume controller to deliver a rich dynamic range without loss. By separately configuring the power supply IC for each Audio Block, each IC is stably supplied its required power. Through this design, the interference ripple noise (amplified noise) of the DC-DC power supply is minimized.

Quad-DAC Overwhelming Sound
KANN MAX is the first player in the KANN series to be equipped with 4 ES9038Q2M DACs for high-output performance. By applying Quad DACs, one can be fully allocated to one channel, allowing full expression of sound depth and realism. Combined with A&K's amp circuit technology and the DAC's perfect decoding ability, music output is expressed purely without distortion.

BT Sink

The newly introduced BT Sink function connects the KANN MAX to an external device via Bluetooth, similar to connecting a smartphone with a BT speaker. Music from an external device, such as a smartphone can now be played back in high-quality on the KANN MAX.

ReplayGain Volume Control
Enjoy your own playlists seamlessly through the ReplayGain feature, the ability to adjust sound sources with different volumes to an identical level.

*ReplayGain supports up to 24-bit/192kHz sound sources.
AK File Drop
Using the new AK File Drop, you can freely transfer files wirelessly through a PC, smartphone, or FTP program located on the same network.

LED Head's Up
KANN MAX features a LED volume wheel which indicates playback volume level and current track bit-rate.

Specifications


Body Color: Anthracite Gray, Mud

Body Material: Aluminum

Display: 4.1”, 720 x 1280 touch

Supported Formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DIFF, DSF, MQA
Sample Rate

PCM: 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32-bits per Sample)

DSD Native: DSD64 (1-bit, 2.8MHz) | DSD128 (1-bit, 5.6MHz) | DSD256 (1-bit, 11.2MHz) | DSD512 (1-bit, 22.4MHz)

Output Level (no load)

Low: Unbalanced 2Vrms | Balanced 4Vrms
Mid: Unbalanced 4Vrms | Balanced 8Vrms
High: Unbalanced 6Vrms | Balanced 12Vrms
Super: Unbalanced 8Vrms | Balanced 15Vrms



CPU: Quad-Core

DAC: ESS ES9038Q2M (x4)

Decoding: Support up to 32-Bit/768kHz Bit-to-Bit Playback

Input: USB-C (charging & data)

Outputs

Unbalanced (3.5mm), Optical Out (3.5mm)
Balanced: 2.5mm, 4.4mm (4-pole)



Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)

Bluetooth: v5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, LDAC)

Dimensions: 2.7 x 4.6" x 0.92"

Weight: 10.76 oz
Firmware upgrade supported (OTA)

Operating Temp: 0℃ ~ + 40℃ (32℉~ 104℉)

Clock Jitter: 25ps (Typ)

Reference Clock Jitter: 70ps

Built-In Memory: 64GB NAND

External Memory: microSD x1 (Max. 1TB)

Supported OS: Windows 7, 8, 10 (32/64bit); MAC OS X 10.7
Kann Max User Manual
Astell&Kern 1 Year Warranty

Battery


Capacity: 5600mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer

Charge Time: about 3.5 hours (9V 1.67A Fast Charging) | 5.5 hours (5V 2A General Charging)

Playback: About 13 hours (Standard: FLAC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz, UNBAL, Vol. 40, LCD Off, LED On, Low Gain)

Audio Specifications (Low Gain)


Frequency Response

±0.023dB (20Hz~20kHz) UNBAL
±0.026dB (20Hz~20kHz) BAL
±0.035dB (20Hz~70kHz) UNBAL
±0.072dB (20Hz~70kHz) BAL



SNR: 114dB @ 1kHz, UNBAL | 115dB @ 1kHz, BAL

Crosstalk: -124dB @ 1kHz, UNBAL │ -135dB @ 1kHz, BAL

THD+N: 0.0003% @ 1kHz, UNBAL │ 0.0004% @ 1kHz, BAL

IMD SMPTE: 0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) UNBAL │ 0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) BAL

Output Impedance

UNBAL 3.5mm: 1Ω
BAL 2.5mm & 4.4mm: 1.6Ω