>>> Supported Audio Formats WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
>>> Sample Rate PCM : 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32bits per Sample)
DSD Native: DSD64(1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128(1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo
DSD256(1bit 11.2MHz), Stereo / DSD512(1bit 22.4MHz), Stereo
>>> Output Level – HEADPHONE OUT
[Low Gain] Unbalanced 2Vrms │ Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
[Mid Gain]Unbalanced 4Vrms │ Balanced 8Vrms (Condition No Load)
[High Gain]Unbalanced 6Vrms │ Balanced 12Vrms (Condition No Load)
[Super Gain]Unbalanced 8Vrms │ Balanced 16Vrms (Condition No Load)
– PRE · LINE OUT
Unbalanced 2Vrms │ Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
>>> CPU Octa-core
>>> DAC ES9039MPRO x2
>>> Decoding Support up to 32bit/768kHz Bit-to-Bit Playback
>>> Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)
>>> Bluetooth V5.3 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™-HD, LDAC, LHDC)
>>> Dimensions 3.24” (82.4mm)[W] x 5.55” (141.1mm)[H] x 0.96” (24.4mm)[D]
>>> Weight About 13.75oz (390g)
Total Score
Introduction
Hello everyone from the last day of August. Today we are together with the review of a very special device: Astell Kern KANN ULTRA
Until I heard the Kann Ultra, my favorite Astell Kern series was the SE series, because I think it is a series that gives great sound at a great price and captivates with its design. But the Kann Ultra impressed me so much, I liked it so much that I think it is my new favorite Kann series 🙂
I can’t wait to review this very powerful and handsome device in depth. Let’s see what KANN Ultra does differently.
This KANN ULTRA was given to me as a gift by a very dear elder and has a personal value. I would like to thank him for the 400 hours I spent with this beauty before writing my review.
Design & Build
Package
It’s actually a very compact box for such a device, apart from the device itself, you get a type c to type c cable, a rear screen protector, papers. There is no case in the box. When I look at the price tag, I think this is normal.
Design Of KANN ULTRA
Let’s take a look at the device itself. It has very clean and bold lines and is very satisfying just to hold in the hand. It’s a thick device, but it’s so well designed that it’s very easy to grip. It’s lighter than I thought it would be, only 390g. It is comfortable and pleasant to hold, carry and carry around. It has an all matte metal surface.
The Astell Kern Kann Ultra has outputs and the power button on the top and a type-c port and micro SD card port on the bottom. To the left of the device are three protruding buttons: forward, stop/play, back. Let’s get to the part I’m sensitive to, there’s a volume pot on the right side, placed at the back, which is a marvel of design.
I want to talk a little bit about the volume pot, it’s positioned in the corner to sit on two scales. It’s very comfortable in the hand and it looks great. And the feel is very smooth. As if all this wasn’t enough, they added a status light at the bottom of the pot, visible from both the side and the back. I take my hat off to Astell Kern for this design.
Technology & OS
Astell Kern KANN ULTRA’s OS
Readers, when we come to this part, and when it comes to Astell, we usually expect negative things. Isn’t it? Surprise surprise! Astell Kern KANN Ultra is extremely fast, using SP3000 infrastructure. Every service I have installed runs very smoothly. It is far ahead of A&futura SE300 in this respect! And because it’s so fast, you experience Astell Kern’s motto of “pure music” to the fullest.
The device’s own archive interface is the current Astell Kern interface, which is stable and fast.
Technology
Direct and clear: Dual 9039MPRO, hell yeahh!
Obviously this DAP couldn’t possibly be any good. What happens when you blend one of the best chips with an amazing amplifier stage? KANN Ultra has a dac deck with two ESS ES9039MPROs. This is very serious and I would say one of the best dac stages on the market. These chips are an upgraded and customized version of the 9039pro.
Let’s get to the crucial part: Astell Kern KANN ULTRA can swing up to 16vrms of voltage from the balanced output for headphones. That’s an abnormally high amount of power. In addition, it can output both pre and line out for stereo.
KANN Ultra produces highly resolved and powerful sound and uses special technology to adapt it to any sensitivity. Thanks to TERATON ALPHA, a technology from Astell Kern, KANN ULTRA has perfect background silence. With this massive power, there’s not the slightest background noise, whether you’re driving a headset that’s easy to drive or difficult to drive. It has a flawless black background.
Other specifications
The Kann Ultra has 128gb of storage and offers up to 1tb sd card support. It has an 8400mah battery and offers 11 hours of playback. I charged it almost every 2-3 days and despite this huge battery, it was fully charged in almost 3 hours. It has BT 5.3 version and uses octa core processor.
Full Output Specs
| Parameter | Headphone Out | Pre Out | Line Out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency Response (20Hz–20kHz) | ±0.006dB (Unbal.) │ ±0.004dB (Bal.) | ±0.022dB (Unbal.) │ ±0.023dB (Bal.) | ±0.002dB (Unbal.) │ ±0.002dB (Bal.) |
| Frequency Response (20Hz–70kHz) | ±0.016dB (Unbal.) │ ±0.020dB (Bal.) | ±0.023dB (Unbal.) │ ±0.023dB (Bal.) | ±0.007dB (Unbal.) │ ±0.006dB (Bal.) |
| S/N @ 1kHz | 115dB (Unbal.) │ 119dB (Bal.) | 110dB (Unbal.) │ 126dB (Bal.) | 110dB (Unbal.) │ 125dB (Bal.) |
| Crosstalk @ 1kHz | 134dB (Unbal.) │ 140dB (Bal.) | 128dB (Unbal.) │ 128dB (Bal.) | 129dB (Unbal.) │ 121dB (Bal.) |
| THD+N @ 1kHz | 0.0004% (Unbal.) │ 0.0004% (Bal.) | 0.0012% (Unbal.) │ 0.0005% (Bal.) | 0.0013% (Unbal.) │ 0.0005% (Bal.) |
| IMD SMPTE (800Hz 10kHz 4:1) | 0.0006% (Unbal.) │ 0.0006% (Bal.) | 0.0006% (Unbal.) │ 0.0006% (Bal.) | 0.0006% (Unbal.) │ 0.0006% (Bal.) |
| Output Impedance | 3.5mm: 1Ω (Unbal.) │ 4.4mm: 1.3Ω (Bal.) | 3.5mm: 3.5Ω (Unbal.) │ 4.4mm: 5.7Ω (Bal.) | 3.5mm: 6.5Ω (Unbal.) │ 4.4mm: 10.7Ω (Bal.) |
Usability
Let’s talk a little bit about personal comments. I used Kann Ultra both at home and outside and it was quite comfortable. The interface is very fast and pleasant. Wifi connection speed is great. I love the volume pot, it’s really a design masterpiece. I always had it in my hand when I was walking around at home with the headphones on and when I was listening to iem outside. The battery lasted great despite my heavy use. It has no flaws in terms of ease of use.
Synergy
Astell Kern KANN ULTRA has a neutral – vocal push tonality that will pair well with many iems. It has a midcentric sound.
Astell Kern KANN ULTRA With Symphonium Audio Crimson
This pairing is also a litmus test because it is not easy to find a source that matches Crimson so well. The resulting sound is both analytical and has enough warmth in the right spots. KANN ULTRA keeps Crimson’s midbass in control, adding color to the sound without adding thickness. Another specific point in this pairing is that the top treble has more air frequencies than the lower treble. This adds a special timbre to the sound and I love it, which wouldn’t sound so good if the Crimson had overly extended upper highs. But the planets are lined up like a string and the result is a bright enjoyable sound that is well balanced. The only bad thing about this pairing is that the sound is sometimes too harsh on the nu metal recordings. Other than that, I rate the pairing 8.5/10.
Astell Kern KANN ULTRA With Oriolus Monachaa
What I love about this combination is that the Monachaa has a upper treble – oriented iem and transparent mids, while the KANN ULTRA has a midcentric sound and always brings the vocals to the forefront. The result is a sound that works wonders in multi-instrumental and polyphonic music. The first moment I realize this, I put on Awaking the Centuries by Haggard, which is also the title of the album it’s on. This album is about old Europe, the prophecies of Nostradamus and the pestilencia, but it also features a wide variety of instruments. What do I hear? I hear a natural and clear sound, a very wide soundstage, an exquisite positioning with great imaging ability. The body of the male vocals, both tenors and baritones, is just right. This pairing is also perfect for jazz, blues and rock recordings. My rating is 9/10.
Astell Kern KANN ULTRA With Hifiman Ananda Nano
We couldn’t not make an on-ear pairing with a powerful dap like the Astell Kern KANN ULTRA, could we?
First of all, let me say that I usually recommend a desktop source for headphones no matter what. But in this pairing, the KANN ULTRA drives the Nano 100%. very comfortably. The 88/150 volume level is more than enough in H gain. With super gain mode on, I listen at 80.
How’s the sound? It’s just like the KANN Ultra, powerful and neutral-midcentric. I put on Alchemy by Dire Straits and enjoyed the drums and guitars throughout the whole album. For some of you, the warmth and body may not be enough, but I really enjoyed this sound as it is. My rating is 8/10.
Astell Kern KANN ULTRA With Elysian Acoustics Labs Annihilator (2023)
Let’s talk about our famous prince, the Annihilator. There is something very interesting in this match. Oriolus Monachaa, whose pairing you have just read, is an iem with a quiet midbass and a sound opposite to Annihilator in terms of character. Now, if that match is good, this one should be bad, right? That’s where things change.
Annihilator is an iem with aggressive positioning. So the instruments, the vocals, almost every sound is on the same plane and with the same intensity. You hear everything focused at the same time. Astell Kern KANN ULTRA, on the other hand, pushes the vocals and some of the mid slightly forward. And this adds a very sweet color to the sound and increases the listening pleasure. And it doesn’t stop there. This gentle mid touch slightly suppresses the already excessive midbass. This is strange because when I refer to another source, KANN ULTRA adds midbass to the Monachaa. And in both pairings the amplitude fits perfectly. I think this is due to the midcentric timbre and the high power trying to flatten the graph (watt x impedance curve). If you have another opinion on this subject, let’s meet in the comments at the bottom.
Let’s come to this precious match in our subject. I have a comfortable sound that I can turn up the volume as much as I want, but this softness does not detract anything from the technique. I hear a very natural and resolving sound and the tonality goes to every genre. The pairing of two very well-designed sound design devices feels like a waltz in my ears. My score? 10/10 with a hat removed from my head.
Sound
The Astell Kern KANN ULTRA is a DAP that exceeded my expectations the first time I heard it. To be honest, I expected less given Astell Kern’s pricing policy. But it exceeded my expectations and I can easily say that the KANN ULTRA is a great value for price. The high power it has increases its potential even more.
Tonality
KANN ULTRA has a neutral-midcentric sound similar to other 9039 series devices. I would say that it is more balanced and softer than its other counterparts. While the sub is slightly more prominent in the lower parts, the mid – upper mid range is at the forefront of the overall sound. He behaves completely naturally in the trebles. The Astell Kern Kann Ultra is clearly a device that pushes both male and female vocals forward. It does so within the limits of the natural hearing range and has an exquisite timbre. The only type of headphones that it clearly doesn’t synergize well with are other vocal push headphones. Other than that, it can dance to any tango.
The KANN ULTRA is also a bit more analytical in character, but don’t take that as cold, because it’s not. It has a neutral and balanced sound profile with a tonality that has a slight mid-vocal push.
I didn’t write any comparison tracks for the KANN ULTRA because I didn’t have devices of the same caliber to compare. However, based on my previous listens, I can clearly say that the KANN ultra is better than the M17, DX320, SE300 by quite a margin. I write this because the transparency that Hifitopia offers to its readers is my number one priority.
Technique
It’s quite high resolution. It clearly has a much higher resolution than its price. Here we see the capabilities of the new 9039s, as in the Topping D50iii. Of course, this is also directly related to Astell Kern’s engineering masterpiece of an amplifier stage.
In addition to its high resolution and superior microdetail reproduction capability, the Astell Kern KANN ULTRA has a fantastic soundstage. Its separation and layering ability is very good, its positioning ability is very good, its spatial soundtage is very good. All of this combined makes for a gorgeous imaging capability.
Instrument accuracy, the amount of extension in the lowest and highest frequencies, and the overall consistency of the sound are very natural and almost impossible to find flaws. Breath gaps are plentiful and without any loss of texture, the resulting sound is very realistic and very enjoyable for an audiophile. Add to all these capabilities the high power from a sophisticated amplifier stage and you have a true masterpeace.
Last Words
Astell Kern KANN ULTRA is incredible. Much better than I expected. Frankly, I think the price tag is cheap for this sound value. The superior technique, high power, exquisite timbre and super quiet background are definitely qualities above this price. What can I say, I’m adding it to the top of the recommendation list. A top segment Astell Kern quality dap at this price, hard times for Chinese competitors.
