I am looking forward to getting my cube, it is on order and should be here tomorrow, what kind of cans are you using, couldn't fully understand you sounded like dyna 5
Hi Mike, what's that red ribbon you have connecting your Kann Cube to your laptop? Now that A&K has updated the firmware I can now connect my Kann Cube to my Surface Book.
Been waiting for this! Thanks.. i cemented my though, will go with kann rather then an all-in-one hi-fi box, and run it thru balance preamp to go to my active monitor
I don't have plans to upgrade my OG 1266 to TC bc Diana Phi matches very well with my gear. TC is so... transparent it may be more then what my gear can deliver.
@@HiFiInsider you might be suprised. I am currently using them with a metrum onyx or ak sp1000 feeding a monoprice cavlli liquid platinum and they sound incredible. The liquid platinum is an incredible value even at the new price of $800. The onyx also sounds great. I ordered a metrum pavane lv3 to upgrade from the onyx. I have heard that the onyx best many dacs that are twice the price. To me there is a certain magic that comes from an r2r nos dac. I am sure they would sound great with a good amp fed by the Sony dmp-z1.
What's the best DAP purely for sound quality for the price of a Kann cube? I have a pair of t5p gen 2s, they're high end but don't require a bunch of power. I'm running an LG V20 at the moment for music
LG V20 was too far in the Sound quality as compared with Kann Cube. Try to buy much cheaper AK player before going to Kann Cube like AK Norma SP15 its far different sound quality than your V20. Unless your too rich, I would recommend SP2000. SP2000 is superb in terms of pure sound quality.
For starters, I never like the sound of Sony Walkman because the sound is dead. I like more lively music like KANN Cube. I already tried it and I hope I can buy it in the future. Nice review MR HI-Fi Insider.
@Eggy Noggy I did not know that Fiio support is beyond terrible in your country, I did not hear much complaints here in PH, most of the time Sony is worse in ours because the service center will further make your unit worse or sometimes become dead unit. Sony here in PH is now almost dead in market due to terrible customer support.
I recommend SE100 because its much better if you compared with the sound quality but the good one in Kann Cube is Power. It can drive power hungry Head Phones. If your going to be remote users who enjoy music on the Go, SE100 is the best option. If your just an Office and Home type person go for Kann Cube due to versatility of this device.
@@sarahfuntanilla6542 The KC has Dual-DAC config, but this is offset by using a cheaper CPU. To keep the cost as low as possible. In what way, is sound quality less on the KC, compared to a SE100? Dual DAC is supposed to be a technically superior to a Single DAC system. Please explain what you mean?
Thanks for the review. I love A&K players! I currently have the SR15. Do you not find the Android File Transfer that A&K recommend sufficient? That's what I'm using currently. Is the Commander One PRO-FTP Client that much better? Thanks for your input.
Hello! Can you give me some advice please? If I want to play my itunes tracks on this or any other A&K player will I have to convert them all first? I'm looking at buying the Kann Cube but I have around 5,000 itunes songs all bought over the past 15 years that at the moment I cant play on anything but an ipod! I've seen a few videos showing how to convert itunes tracks to mp3 but before I spend £1,200 on the Kann Cube I want to know I can use it with all my music! (Also I don't stream music or use headphones, I want a player to house all my music that I can play through my Hi-Fi system).
bestbass42 I’m pretty sure I just dragged my iTunes music to the Android File Transfer and then they loaded to my SR15 without issue. You may want to reach out to Astell & Kern support to confirm. It’s been a while since I’ve done that and I’d hate to give you bad info.
I have the Kann Cube and transferring over my music is very slow. I have tried 2 different computers both with usb 3.1 via USB C connection. What gives?
I never encounter it, maybe your Kann Cube is defective or the wire is leaky. Even in my older versions of AK player like AK70 and AK70 II works perfectly fine. Try to replace cables if not working try to update the firmware of your Kann Cube. Don't spend first in third party software unless you have extra money.
@@sarahfuntanilla6542 What kind of transfer speeds are you getting. The most I get is about 450KB/s. When transferring over the network from my mac mini to my windows pc I'm getting 100MB/sec because I have a gigabit ethernet network.
@Eggy Noggy Good point on that, I normally transfer my files in the internal storage of KC but when I'm transferring data in micro SD I removed it and inserted to may laptop.
This is the card I have. Bought it from amazon. Unless it’s fake. 🙄 SanDisk 400GB Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - 100MB/s, C10, U1, Full HD, A1, Micro SD Card
How about the WiFi performance on public wifi like Starbucks for exemplo ! Does connect it easily! I do have hiby r6 and is a nightmare to connect to public WiFi ! Is time to find a new player:)
It depends on the internet speed, I'm using my phone as Wifi Hotspot in Kann Cube running Tidal Master Quality and its superb performance. I really love Kann Cube using Tidal as music source.
I Have recently purchased one of these. I Have to say for almost £1,500 I'm a little disappointed. First of all the playlists, they arnt in aplpabeticale order & theres no way of getting them in alphabetical order once you've made one. In the list of songs-all alphabetical order so easy to find, in the list of artists all alphabetical order so easy to find. Yet when you create a playlist they are in order of when you created them. You can move the songs in playlists but not the playlist itself. So for instance I make one of Associates, then one of Swing Out Sister, then one of Joy Division & then one of XTC. So from top to bottom the playlist order reads XTC, Joy Division, Swing Out Sister, Associates. Imagine this with LOTS of playlists. There is no option to change this. I Emailed A&K about this & they said they will pass it to their design team. Surly a software update will cure this? Also the touchscreen is a bit slow. The font sizes are too small & letters too thin, no option to thicken them. And to view the screen you have to press the button on the top. Surly a 'touch to wake' option would be better & easier. I Have an iphone 11 with 128GB of music. No troubles whatsoever. Its has everything the A&K dosent. Is there much difference in sound? NO! In fact the A&K makes bad tracks sound worse. Also early itunes tracks with 'protection' wont play on the A&K even though the player accepts them. And you dont know they are protected till you can't find them on the A&K.
That is the problems with DAP. People buy this thinking that the OS will work as a celphone but they realize that eve a 2k DAP works not so good as our mobiles. Why? I don't know. It happens in almost all hifi products. They don't care about the OS eve the android ones have many issues, thay only focus in sound. I have own many DAP, my fisrt one was an Ibasso dx80, great sound bad OS.
As weird as it sounds, I like that it's so big. Gives the impression of sturdiness and quality
Do you recommend the Kann Cube on the Ifi Micro BL regarding sound quality?
Please review the SP2000 and compare with Kann Cube.
What's the most expensive bluetooth headphones?
Hi Mike, nice review:)
I am looking forward to getting my cube, it is on order and should be here tomorrow, what kind of cans are you using, couldn't fully understand you sounded like dyna 5
Abyss Diana Phi
Hi Mike, what's that red ribbon you have connecting your Kann Cube to your laptop? Now that A&K has updated the firmware I can now connect my Kann Cube to my Surface Book.
Did you know if it's possible to install via apkpure the Plex client and if KANN Cube reads DSD iso (SACD) files?
Been waiting for this! Thanks.. i cemented my though, will go with kann rather then an all-in-one hi-fi box, and run it thru balance preamp to go to my active monitor
that would be a nice setup. KC is really great for only $1500. You can spend more and get less performance.
Would this pair nicely with the woo audio wa8?
does the battery charges when using as a usb dac to your computer?
Mike are you going to get an AB-1266 PHI TC? Do you feel like the diana phi is on the same level as the bigger abyss headphones?
I don't have plans to upgrade my OG 1266 to TC bc Diana Phi matches very well with my gear. TC is so... transparent it may be more then what my gear can deliver.
@@HiFiInsider you might be suprised. I am currently using them with a metrum onyx or ak sp1000 feeding a monoprice cavlli liquid platinum and they sound incredible. The liquid platinum is an incredible value even at the new price of $800. The onyx also sounds great. I ordered a metrum pavane lv3 to upgrade from the onyx. I have heard that the onyx best many dacs that are twice the price. To me there is a certain magic that comes from an r2r nos dac. I am sure they would sound great with a good amp fed by the Sony dmp-z1.
What's the best DAP purely for sound quality for the price of a Kann cube? I have a pair of t5p gen 2s, they're high end but don't require a bunch of power. I'm running an LG V20 at the moment for music
LG V20 was too far in the Sound quality as compared with Kann Cube. Try to buy much cheaper AK player before going to Kann Cube like AK Norma SP15 its far different sound quality than your V20. Unless your too rich, I would recommend SP2000. SP2000 is superb in terms of pure sound quality.
For starters, I never like the sound of Sony Walkman because the sound is dead. I like more lively music like KANN Cube. I already tried it and I hope I can buy it in the future. Nice review MR HI-Fi Insider.
it takes some time for your ears and brain to adjust to the new sound. I find the new Sony sound to be more relaxing.
Me too, I would better buy Fiio or Ibasso than Sony players superb quality for reasonable price.
@Eggy Noggy I did not know that Fiio support is beyond terrible in your country, I did not hear much complaints here in PH, most of the time Sony is worse in ours because the service center will further make your unit worse or sometimes become dead unit. Sony here in PH is now almost dead in market due to terrible customer support.
Nice one Mike, how does the sound compare to the SE100?? Thumbs up ;)
I have not tried that one. The Kann Cube hits many points on the list of needs and price though.
I recommend SE100 because its much better if you compared with the sound quality but the good one in Kann Cube is Power. It can drive power hungry Head Phones. If your going to be remote users who enjoy music on the Go, SE100 is the best option. If your just an Office and Home type person go for Kann Cube due to versatility of this device.
@@sarahfuntanilla6542 The KC has Dual-DAC config, but this is offset by using a cheaper CPU. To keep the cost as low as possible. In what way, is sound quality less on the KC, compared to a SE100? Dual DAC is supposed to be a technically superior to a Single DAC system. Please explain what you mean?
Only "Deezer" and "Tidal" are preinstalled on my "Cube". How can I install qobuz and amazon music for example?
Hey Mike! when you said Walkman - which model were you comparing it to?
the one in the video, 1Z.
@@HiFiInsider I'm thinking about purchasing the NWZX300 as my first digital music player
Thanks for the review. I love A&K players! I currently have the SR15. Do you not find the Android File Transfer that A&K recommend sufficient? That's what I'm using currently. Is the Commander One PRO-FTP Client that much better? Thanks for your input.
Hello! Can you give me some advice please? If I want to play my itunes tracks on this or any other A&K player will I have to convert them all first? I'm looking at buying the Kann Cube but I have around 5,000 itunes songs all bought over the past 15 years that at the moment I cant play on anything but an ipod! I've seen a few videos showing how to convert itunes tracks to mp3 but before I spend £1,200 on the Kann Cube I want to know I can use it with all my music! (Also I don't stream music or use headphones, I want a player to house all my music that I can play through my Hi-Fi system).
bestbass42 I’m pretty sure I just dragged my iTunes music to the Android File Transfer and then they loaded to my SR15 without issue. You may want to reach out to Astell & Kern support to confirm. It’s been a while since I’ve done that and I’d hate to give you bad info.
@@bluesteblue7822 OK Mate cheers.
In the name of God
Great review thanks. Can you compare the sound quality to the Sony wm1a please? Thank you.
No don't, thanks
I have the Kann Cube and transferring over my music is very slow. I have tried 2 different computers both with usb 3.1 via USB C connection. What gives?
if you're on Mac, use the Commander One Pro app. It is very fast and worth the $29.
I never encounter it, maybe your Kann Cube is defective or the wire is leaky. Even in my older versions of AK player like AK70 and AK70 II works perfectly fine. Try to replace cables if not working try to update the firmware of your Kann Cube. Don't spend first in third party software unless you have extra money.
@@sarahfuntanilla6542 What kind of transfer speeds are you getting. The most I get is about 450KB/s. When transferring over the network from my mac mini to my windows pc I'm getting 100MB/sec because I have a gigabit ethernet network.
@Eggy Noggy Good point on that, I normally transfer my files in the internal storage of KC but when I'm transferring data in micro SD I removed it and inserted to may laptop.
This is the card I have. Bought it from amazon. Unless it’s fake. 🙄
SanDisk 400GB Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - 100MB/s, C10, U1, Full HD, A1, Micro SD Card
How about the WiFi performance on public wifi like Starbucks for exemplo ! Does connect it easily! I do have hiby r6 and is a nightmare to connect to public WiFi ! Is time to find a new player:)
It depends on the internet speed, I'm using my phone as Wifi Hotspot in Kann Cube running Tidal Master Quality and its superb performance. I really love Kann Cube using Tidal as music source.
How did you install Apple Music?
you can install most apps here. us.astellnkern.com/blogs/news/open-app-service-instructions
@@HiFiInsider Thanks.
I Have recently purchased one of these. I Have to say for almost £1,500 I'm a little disappointed. First of all the playlists, they arnt in aplpabeticale order & theres no way of getting them in alphabetical order once you've made one. In the list of songs-all alphabetical order so easy to find, in the list of artists all alphabetical order so easy to find. Yet when you create a playlist they are in order of when you created them. You can move the songs in playlists but not the playlist itself. So for instance I make one of Associates, then one of Swing Out Sister, then one of Joy Division & then one of XTC. So from top to bottom the playlist order reads XTC, Joy Division, Swing Out Sister, Associates. Imagine this with LOTS of playlists. There is no option to change this. I Emailed A&K about this & they said they will pass it to their design team. Surly a software update will cure this? Also the touchscreen is a bit slow. The font sizes are too small & letters too thin, no option to thicken them. And to view the screen you have to press the button on the top. Surly a 'touch to wake' option would be better & easier. I Have an iphone 11 with 128GB of music. No troubles whatsoever. Its has everything the A&K dosent. Is there much difference in sound? NO! In fact the A&K makes bad tracks sound worse. Also early itunes tracks with 'protection' wont play on the A&K even though the player accepts them. And you dont know they are protected till you can't find them on the A&K.
That is the problems with DAP. People buy this thinking that the OS will work as a celphone but they realize that eve a 2k DAP works not so good as our mobiles. Why? I don't know. It happens in almost all hifi products. They don't care about the OS eve the android ones have many issues, thay only focus in sound. I have own many DAP, my fisrt one was an Ibasso dx80, great sound bad OS.
The Sony sounds better than the AK Kann ? .... Ummm I'm doubting heavily
Good for hammering a nail on the wall ,but nor for listening normal sound effects at this PRICE. A sufferer
👍🏻
I'm sorry, if you buy this you are insane....