Astell & Kern AK240

A premium, feature-packed music player for audiophiles on the go, the Astell & Kern AK240 uses a balanced output and native DSD playback through a dual DAC setup to deliver sound just as the artist intended. It builds on the success of the AK100 and AK120 models with improved left and right channel separation and 256 gigs of internal memory—that’s about 2,500 four-minute songs.

The AK240’s duo of Cirrus Logic 4398 DACs allows for native transferring of DSD files without first converting them to the PCM (pulse code modulation) format. This allows for greater clarity, instrumental separation, and detail with little or no distortion. The player supports virtually any digital audio file up to 24-bit 192kHz resolution, as well as double-rate DSD formats at a max 298 Mhz. It can stream files wirelessly, or be used as a USB DAC for your Mac or PC.

Made of aircraft-grade duralumin with a gunmetal finish, the AK240 boasts a solid, sharp-angled construction and satisfying weight. Along with a volume dial and three controls for song search, pause, and play, you’ll find a 2.5-millimeter balanced stereo output and a 3.5-millimeter headphone output. The AMOLED touch screen offers intuitive navigation, with a dropdown menu that includes Bluetooth, brightness, shuffle, Wi-Fi, and EQ. The latter, a 10-band graphic equalizer, can be preset or tailored to your taste.