Kann Alpha
Kann Alpha

Kann Alpha
The powerhouse

  • DAP featuring a 4.4mm balanced output
  • Complete separation of balanced lines to provide noise-free output
  • Powerful 12Vrms ultra-high output support
  • 14½ hours of continuous playback
  • Equipped with the latest version of Bluetooth, Bluetooth 5.0
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£1,099.00 NO STOCK

The Powerhouse

The Alpha is the third in our acclaimed ‘Kann’ range of players - and it’s the most powerful, the most portable, the best sounding and - let’s not pretend otherwise - the best-looking Kann yet.

KANN Alpha

The power to entertain

Despite being the most compact Kann player yet, the Alpha has huge reserves of power. With an ultra-high 12Vrms output constantly on tap, it’s able to drive any headphone or IEM to significant levels without breaking sweat. Which means it’s the most adaptable digital audio player around.

Balancing act

Kann Alpha is our first player to feature a 4.4mm balanced output alongside its 2.5mm balanced and 3.5mm unbalanced sockets. This level of flexibility, along with Apha’s sky-high power output, leaves you free to use your favourite headphones secure in the knowledge that Kann Alpha is maximising their potential.

Perfect isolation

There’s no point in offering a choice of balanced lines if they share the same circuitry - that’s a recipe for noise interference and performance degradation. So we’ve completely separated the 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced outputs using micro relays, switching off circuitry that’s not in use and preventing noise interference.

Incredible wireless performance

To maximise your wireless listening experience, Kann Alpha is our first player to feature aptX HD Bluetooth 5.0 - range of connectivity, speed of transmission and battery life all benefit. Plus, of course, aptX HD allows wireless transmission of high resolution 24-bit digital files, for perfect A&K sound without wires.

The highest resolution

Kann Alpha features dual DACs - the class-leading ES9068ES by ESS. Which means it’s able to handle 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 audio files without compression or loss, so you can be sure that you’re hearing everything the artist, the producer and the recording engineer intended.

DualDac ES9068AS
Dual DAC
32bit 32bit 768kHz
bit to bit play
DSD Native DSD
QuadCore Quad-Core CPU
Wave Ultra-High Output,
12Vrms
LED LED Indicator
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0
Roon Ready Roon Ready
Kann Alpha - Gallery 4
Kann Alpha - Gallery 3
Kann Alpha - Gallery 2
Kann Alpha - Gallery 1
Kann Alpha - Gallery 0

Included in the box

  • 1x Astell&Kern KANN ALPHA player
  • 1x USB-C to USB-A cable (1 metre)
  • 3x screen protectors
  • 1x Quick start guide
In the box

General Specifications

Model
KANN ALPHA
Body Color
Onyx Black
Body Material
Aluminum
Display
4.1inch HD 720 x 1280 Touch Display
Supported Audio Formats
WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
Sample rate
PCM : 8kHz ~ 384kHz (8/16/24/32bits per Sample) / DSD Native: DSD64(1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128(1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo / DSD256(1bit 11.2MHz), Stereo
Output Level
High: Unbalanced 6Vrms / Balanced 12Vrms (Condition No Load)
Mid: Unbalanced 4Vrms / Balanced 8Vrms (Condition No Load)
Low: Unbalanced 2Vrms / Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
DACESS ES9068AS x2 (Dual DAC)
CPU
Quad-Core
Decoding
Support up to 32bit / 384kHz Bit-to-Bit Playback
Input
USB Type-C input (for charging PC & MAC)
Outputs
Unbalanced Out (3.5mm) / Optical Out(3.5mm)
Balanced Out (2.5mm, only 4-pole supported 4.4m, only 5-pole supported)
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)
Bluetooth
V5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, LDAC)
Dimensions
2.68 ”(68.3 mm) [W] x 4.60 ”(117 mm) [H] x 0.98 ”(25 mm) [D]
Weight
about 11.14 oz (about 316 g)
Feature Enhancements
Firmware upgrades supported (OTA)

Audio Performance

Frequency Response
±0.021dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced / ±0.024dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced
±0.021dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced / ±0.155dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced
Signal to Noise Ratio
116dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 117dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
Crosstalk-128dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / -136dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
THD+N0.0003% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 0.0005% @ 1kHz, Balanced
IMD SMPTE0.0003% 800Hz 10kHz(4:1) Unbalanced / 0.0003% 800Hz 10kHz(4:1) Balanced
Output Impedance
Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (0.8ohm) / Balanced out 2.5mm (2.0ohm), 4.4mm(1.8ohm)

Clock source

Clock Jitter
25ps(Typ)
Reference Clock Jitter
250 Femto Seconds(VCXO)

Battery

Capacity
5,600mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer Battery
Playback Time
About 14.5 hours (Standard : FLAC, 16bit, 44.1kHz, Vol.80, LCD Off, Low Gain)
Charge Time
About 3.5 hours (9V/1.67A Fast Charging) / 5hours (5V/2A General Charging)

Memory

Built-in Memory
64GB [NAND]
External Memory
microSD (Max. 1TB) x1

OS

Supported OS
Windows 7,8,10 (32/64bit), MAC OS X 10.7 and up