Astell&Kern KANN Ultra Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มิ.ย. 2024
- Astell&Kern's KANN series has made a name for itself among audiophiles with their extreme portable power. Do KANN Ultra's new features make it worth the upgrade from previous players?
0:00 Intro
0:24 Skip Intro
1:11 Build and Design
4:09 Using KANN Ultra's Features
7:00 Sound
10:18 Comparison: iBasso DX320, iFi Diablo 2
17:51 Final Thoughts
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Stephen, much improved production quality to your videos. Great job!
Thanks! I'm still trying to make sure you can get that Tai Chi practice in though. ;)
That review was impressive ! Right up there with the ring you won with Green Bay !! Those of us without the opportunity to get hands on experience appreciate the straight forward commentary before laying down the jackson's this was the best review I've listened to and there have been many I'm hittin the Like and Subscribed this is my new go to !!
I liked that car analogy so much ❤
Excellent review. Loved it. Currently using ifi black label with audeze lcd xc. Looking for a dap. What would you recommend? Comparing between dx320 and fiio m11s. I need eq capabilities for my headphones so had to exclude astell kern devices unfortunately.
Been waiting for this one!
Great review! Honest and objective!
Hello Stephen,
Thanks for the important comparison.
But compared to iBasso, which one have a more Neutral sound signature?
DX320 is probably more neutral with the default amp card, while the Amp14 (also used in the testing) makes it slightly warmer than Kann.
How does this compare to Ibasso DX320 MAX in sound quality?
I have a question. 1. What astell & kern model is the best in regards to sound quality because it is my understanding that it is the Ultra? 2. Are there any other DAPs that are better than what Astell & kern sell?
Compare with FiiO M17?
More of a general question for A&K. Does the EQ works for Apple Music and for all outputs including spdif? In another word, can this be a good Apple Music transport? Or should I consider something else?
Yes. EQ works everywhere and for all streaming services. But I don’t like how all Astell&Kern players work with equalizer. I think that Shanling players are much better with EQ tuning.
How does this compare to the Astall Kern Kann Cube? I like the fact that the Ultra has a bigger screen, supports Roon Arc as well as MQA natively.
In terms of just the sound, it's a mostly incremental improvement over the previous generation KANN products, but the features and usability are significantly better than the Cube. If you're using Roon or want to use streaming apps, Ultra will be a big upgrade.
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN!!!!
Really appreciate the review, and the analogy of car torque and horsepower to voltage and current respectively.
Your review style is very helpful, and hopefully you'll get more viewers and subscribers due to you stellar content! 🎶🎧
That said, I have a small constructive criticism. You stated that there are almost no DAP's that can compete with desktop solutions due to battery power current l/voltage vs external (or wall) power.
I'm surprised that you didn't compare the A&K KANN Ultra to the FiiO M17 (disclosure: which I own). As far as I am aware, the M17 is the only DAP that a user can disable its battery in favour of external DC input power, thus negating any battery current and voltage capacity in favour of full outlet power at max rails (for the M17).
In my opinion, this is the only DAP that is equivalent to or greater in power output to many similar spec'ed headphone DAC/amps.
May I, then, ask if you have an opinion or comparison between the A&K KANN and FiiO M17 (if you have both devices at hand to compare to that is)?
Thanks! Regrettably we don't have M17 available to compare, but hopefully we can get our hands on one at some point to fully test out its capabilities. I'd be interested to see what the experience is like switching between a sort of portable/transportable experience for the added power.
@@BloomAudio That's good to hear, and I hope you enjoy the experience once you have the FiiO M17 in hand (alongside any constructive criticisms of course)!
I sincerely wish other high-amplifier power DAP's have the dual power options between internal battery and external power source, because this gives greater versatility!
For example, I use my FiiO M17 at home or in the office with an external battery bank that can supply 12v DC of clean power, and this pairs wonderfully with my T+A Solitaire T in wired balanced mode (love these headphones as they are hybrid wired/wireless cans).
That said, my upgrade path towards ultra-fi DAP's is hampered by the internal battery use only; bypassing the battery gives long term longevity to a device for many years in my opinion!
Anyway, I enjoy your reviews, and look forward to more!
(Maybe you'll review the extreme-fi Unique Melody Amber Pearl's 🤯) 👀
I need a dap for my zmf Atrium closed ? Which one should i get ? L&P p6 pro , sp2000 or this one ? Or SE300 special edition ?
For the money, KANN Ultra might be your best best, but I was also really impressed with L&P P6 Pro's performance with over-ear headphones, so that would also be a solid pick if you don't need app/streaming support.
@@BloomAudio I think I am gonna pickup the ibasso dx320 max ti
At that price point giving a ESS dac is unforgivable, they should be using FPGA.
Are you aware of any portable devices (trucks) that can approach desktop level performance with high-end planars?
I think the short answer is "no." No matter how much theoretical voltage/wattage you can produce at peak, portable batteries can't provide the level of consistent extended current that headphones like HIFIMAN Susvara need for peak performance.
Tested the new kann ultra with my new DCA E3. Volume certainly sufficient. The new interface looks good and fast. But sadly, the sound will distort above 80db, same as my kann alpha. Therefore, I can't take these for my E3.
I surprised that it was distorting so low. We tested E3 with KANN Ultra and some high-res flac files and with Qobuz, and didn't get any distortion until we were were well above what we felt were regular listening levels.
@@BloomAudio My Hugo 2 won't have this issue. So does the mojo 2, Which is not as powerful as the kann ultra. 80db still is not unbearable listening levels.
@@BloomAudio Only some flac files will work, I'll say classical genres. The rest especially heavy bass music will distort quite a lot.
Hmm diablo2 iem switch seems the old gryphon stay obsolete.. Thx bro.. Just this near to bought em. Hmm pls try susvara on diablo2 with nitro mode Then tell me bra, Hmm pls dun do dx320 but 320max bro, new vs new.. Btw the gold ed of sp3000 looks the best...JUST try the nitro mode bra on diablo2.. Use susvara Then tell me.. Peace!
Diablo 2 on Nitro had enough volume with Susvara, but it just couldn't get the slam and dynamics without distorting. I honestly think that because it's more efficient, HE1000v3 sounds better than Susvara out of most sources. You really just need that next level desktop power to get the real flagship Susvara experience.
Distorted in nitro mode with susvara.. Hmm bad units is it.. Peace!