The most obvious innovation is, first of all, external. The design of the AK240 differs significantly from that of its predecessors. The casing is made of so-called aircraft-grade duralumin, whose appearance is also referred to as "gun metal." This material enables a light weight of only 185 g with modest dimensions of 66 mm x 107 x 17.5 mm (WxHxD). The rotary control located on the right side is also present on the AK240. The 3.31″ WVGA AMOLED display is pleasantly large, resulting in a screen resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The display is very easy to read and operate.
"Go big or go home" seems to have been the motto for the development of the AK240. Two Cirrus Logic CS4398 (Dual DAC) convert the signals in bit-to-bit mode. The following file formats are processed: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, up to a bit depth of 24 bits and a sample frequency of up to 192 kHz. DSD data is processed natively, both as DSD64 (1 bit, 2.8MHz) and DSD128 (1 bit, 5.6MHz), each in stereo. The AK240 can also be used as a DAC.
Next up are the internal values. The operating system for this device is now based on Android, instead of Linux, like its brethren in the AKxxx series. The device comes with 256 GB of NAND storage. Up to 128 GB of storage capacity can currently be added via a microSD card inserted into the corresponding slot; this means an impressive 384 GB in full expansion, available for high-resolution audio material. That should be enough, right?
The AK240 shows that it is not shy about connections. Quite the opposite. In addition to integrated Bluetooth 4.0 and a USB interface, which charges the internally installed 3250 mA 3.7 V Li-polymer battery when connected, Astell & Kern has now also equipped the AK240 with a WiFi module according to IEEE 802.11n. This allows access to high-resolution audio data not only within its own network infrastructure but allegedly also directly from previously unspecified download services.
The AK240 in its matching leather case.
How "The New One" performs acoustically will be determined in the near future. The Astell&Kern AK240 is available for €2,499.
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