Description
The Astell&Kern KANN Ultra is a flagship digital audio player built for audiophiles who demand uncompromised portable sound. Its Octa-core processor and dual ESS ES9039MPRO DACs deliver reference-grade performance in a portable form factor, supporting PCM up to 768kHz and native DSD up to DSD512.
Three signature technologies define the KANN Ultra experience. Digital Audio Remaster (DAR) upsamples lower-resolution sources to reveal detail hidden in compressed formats. TERATON ALPHA technology provides separate amplifier circuits for Headphone Out, Line Out, and Pre-Out ports, each tuned for its specific load. Triple Output Mode lets users connect demanding headphones, sensitive IEMs, and external components simultaneously with optimized sound for each connection.
With 16Vrms balanced output and 390g of high-grade aluminium construction, the KANN Ultra handles everything from power-hungry planars to delicate in-ears. Users praise the refined UI, Crossfeed processing, and Replay Gain features that make it a joy to own and use.
Specifications
| Model | KANN ULTRA (PPM45) |
| Body Colour | Astro Grey |
| Body Material | Aluminium |
| Display | 5.5 inch HD 1080 × 1920 touch screen |
| CPU | Octa-core |
| DAC | ESS ES9039MPRO ×2 |
| Supported Audio Formats | WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA |
| Sample Rate | PCM 8kHz–768kHz (8/16/24/32-bit); DSD Native DSD64/128/256/512 |
| Headphone Output | 3.5mm Unbalanced, 4.4mm Balanced (5-pole) Optical Out |
| Pre/Line Output | 3.5mm Unbalanced, 4.4mm Balanced (5-pole) |
| Output Power (Balanced Super Gain) | 16Vrms |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5GHz) |
| Bluetooth | V5.3 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™-HD, LDAC, LHDC) |
| Dimensions | 82.4 × 141.1 × 24.4 mm |
| Weight | 390g |
| Input | USB Type-C |
| Frequency Response (HP Out) | ±0.012dB (20Hz–20kHz) Unbalanced; ±0.011dB Balanced |
| SNR (HP Out Balanced) | 119dB @ 1kHz |
| THD+N (HP Out Balanced) | 0.0004% @ 1kHz |
