KEY FEATURES
32-bit
32-bit/384kHz and DSD256
Tidal Masters
128GB
128GB built-in storage
When is a portable music player not a portable music player? When it’s the size of a block of cheese and weighs around half a kilo. Despite being listed under ‘portables’ on the company’s website, the Astell & Kern Kann Cube is unlikely to find its way into many pockets. But before you write it off completely, the Kann Cube isn’t designed to be portable, and the only deception here is that it isn’t actually a cube.
Like the Award-winning Kann, the Kann Cube is a music player with built-in storage, a DAC and a headphone amplifier. But the inclusion of some new features make it better suited for integration into a desktop or hi-fi system.
The clearest indication that the Kann Cube isn’t intended to be a portable player is its five-pin mini XLR connection, designed to connect the player to an amplifier’s traditional 3-pin XLR stereo input with a compatible cable (not included). It’s a first for an A&K player, and also the first time we’ve seen the connection on such a device. The Kann Cube also features 2.5mm balanced and 3.5mm headphone outputs.
No hint of bias
This story is from the September 2020 edition of What Hi-Fi.
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This story is from the September 2020 edition of What Hi-Fi.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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