The Astell & Kern KANN Alpha received the Roon Ready certificate and was released in the Urbanely Blue color
The Astell & Kern KANN Alpha audio player has received two major updates. First of all, this is the Roon Ready certification, which was absent when the player was released last fall.
Roon support will allow the Alpha owner to use all their music, including in high resolution and wirelessly, regardless of sources. These can include network streaming services like Tidal or Qobuz, as well as local or network meetings on hard drives, computers or NAS.
KANN Alpha allows you to connect headphones — including via a 4.4 mm balanced connector — with the ability to listen to DSD256 and PCM audio up to 32 bit/384 Hz. The wireless version supports 24-bit aptX HD and LDAC codecs. To this, you can add the ability to play MQA: both downloaded audio files and streaming via the Tidal music app.
The KANN Alpha battery is capable of providing 14.5 hours of music with a crosstalk level of 141 dB. In addition, the design of the player, still presented in the Onyx Black finish, has been supplemented with the Urbanely Blue version — this is a deep blue color.
In both colors, the cost of the KANN Alpha player from Astell & Kern remained unchanged — in the UK it is £1,100.