Astell&Kern has released the PD5 portable Hi-Fi player, featuring an 8-DAC architecture that switches between high-output and battery-saving profiles. The player pairs an aluminum chassis with a 4.1-inch curved touchscreen running on Android. The unit is now available in China for 6,888 yuan (approx. $1,029 USD).
The player measures 69.7mm by 119.7mm by 16.1mm and weighs roughly 198 grams. The front panel features a 4.1 inch curved touchscreen with a 720x1280 resolution. Internal storage sits at 64GB for local music libraries. Android powers the operating system to support third party streaming applications.
Astell&Kern equips the PD5 with 8 separate CS43198 DAC chips. Users can switch between 2 listening modes depending on power needs. Engaging all 8 DAC chips delivers up to 8Vrms through the balanced output for demanding headphones. Switching to 4 DAC mode extends battery longevity up to 28 hours. The player decodes up to 32 bit 384kHz PCM and Native DSD256 audio files.
Digital Audio Remaster technology upsamples audio streams up to PCM 384kHz, while ESA tuning minimizes group delay across frequencies. The player includes EnviroTune to boost audio frequencies masked by ambient room noise in real time. Power filtering relies on the proprietary TERATON ALPHA module to eliminate circuit noise and maintain signal stability during amplification.
