Astell & Kern is preparing to launch a new portable music player, the PD5. Not everything is known about it just yet, but it’s definitely on its way.
South Korean manufacturer Astell & Kern looks set to make some noise again soon. The company is currently teasing its upcoming PD5, with several sources – like this one – already reporting some of its specifications. Details are still relatively scarce, and neither pricing nor an exact release date has been announced at the time of writing. However, a number of interesting specifications appear to have been deliberately ‘leaked’.
The PD5 is intended as the successor to the SR35. Compared with that model, the newcomer is somewhat more compact and offers impressive battery life. A full charge should provide up to 28 hours of playback, which explains why the manufacturer apparently refers to it as an ‘All Day Player’.
Eight DAC-chips
Underneath its aluminium chassis is a switchable quad- or octa-DAC architecture, built around no fewer than eight Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips. The four-DAC mode is primarily intended to reduce power consumption and help the player actually make it through an entire day on a single charge. Another interesting feature is EnviroTune, which analyses ambient noise and then adjusts the listening experience accordingly.
Maximum supported PCM resolution is 32-bit/384 kHz, while native DSD playback is supported up to DSD256. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3 are included, with Bluetooth codec support including aptX HD, LDAC, and LHDC.
As mentioned, pricing and availability for the Astell & Kern PD5 have yet to be announced. Keep an eye on the manufacturer’s website for further details. The official unveiling will take place at the Hong Kong High End Audio Visual Show, which runs from August 7 through 9 this year—in Hong Kong, surprisingly enough.