Astell & Kern PS10 - High -end DAP & DockingStation

Available for pre-order. Available in early May

Astell&Kern PS10

Portable high-res player with docking station

The PS10 from Astell&Kern is a fully-fledged portable high-resolution player with up to 15 hours of battery life that meets all requirements. Each PS10 player comes with a high-quality docking station with XLR outputs. This allows the PS10 to be used not only as a standalone player but also as a stationary streaming device on a system. This combination makes it a versatile high-end solution for virtually any situation.

The operating system is based on Android and is specifically optimized for audio playback. It enables music streaming via Wi-Fi from all popular streaming services. The required apps from Tidal, Qobuz, and others are very easy to install. 256 GB of internal storage is available for your personal music collection, which can be expanded with a microSD card (up to 2 TB). Furthermore, the player is RoonReady and features a Bluetooth 5.3 transmitter.

For analog signal conversion, the PS10 uses a combination of four AK4498EX and two AK4191EQ chips from AKM. The digital signal is processed by Astell&Kern's proprietary HEXA structure to reduce digital noise as much as possible.

The docking station features a balanced XLR line output for connecting to a system or powered speakers. It also features a USB-C input on the rear panel. This connection is routed directly to the connected player, allowing for both connection to a computer and easy charging of the player.

The headphones are connected to the 3.5 mm or 4.4 mm jack. Once a pair of headphones is connected, the player checks the impedance of the connected device and automatically adjusts the gain accordingly. This feature, called Smart Gain, optimizes the amplifier performance and offers a comfortable and unique listening experience for audiophiles who own a variety of earbuds and headphones.

Connections

Player connections

• 3.5 mm unbalanced headphone output / optical output
• 4.4 mm balanced headphone output
  
• USB-C (charging the battery, data transfer, connection to the docking station)
• Bluetooth 5.3 (aptX HD, LDAC, AAC, LHDC, SBC)
• WLAN (2.4/5 GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)

Docking station connections

• USB-C socket for connecting the player to the docking station
• USB-C socket on the back for power/data transfer
• Symmetrical 3-pin NEUTRIK XLR line output (right/left) for connection to active speakers or hi-fi systems

Specifications

DAC

• 4x AKM AK4498EX
  
• 2x AK4191EQ
• DAC filter for tone control: Super Slow Roll-off, Short Delay Slow Roll-off, Slow Roll-off, Low Dispersion, Short Delay Sharp Roll-off, Sharp Roll-off

Battery (player)

• Capacity: 5,770 mAh
• Operating time: up to 15 hours
  
• Charging time: approx. 4 hours with Power Delivery 3.0

Audio

• PCM: 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32 bits per sample)
• Native DSD: DSD64 (1 bit 2.8 MHz), stereo / DSD128 (1 bit 5.6 MHz), stereo /
  
• DSD256 (1 bit 11.2 MHz), stereo / DSD512 (1 bit 22.4 MHz), stereo
• Audio formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA

memory

• Internal: 256 GB (partially used by the system)
  
• External: MicroSD slot (up to 2 TB)

System / Streaming

• Special Android system
• Installation of apps such as Tidal, Qobuz, etc. possible via "Services" (or manual installation of the APK file)
• AirPlay
• ROON Ready
• DLNA

Buttons / physical controls (player)

• On off
• Volume +
• Volume -
• Play / Pause
• Next title
  
• Song back

Technical details 3.5 mm headphone output, unbalanced

• Output power: Normal gain 2.6 Vrms / High gain 4 Vrms
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz (±0.066 dB) / 20 Hz - 70 kHz (±0.62 dB)
• Output impedance: 1 ohm
  
• SNR: 125 dB at 1 kHz
• THD+N: 0.0007% at 1 kHz

Technical details Headphone output 4.4 mm balanced

• Output power: Normal gain 5.6 Vrms / High gain 8.3 Vrms
  
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz (±0.066 dB) / 20 Hz - 70 kHz (±0.61 dB)
• Output impedance: 1.6 ohms
• SNR: 128 dB at 1 kHz
• THD+N: 0.0006% at 1 kHz

Technical details Balanced XLR line output

• Output power: 5.6 Vrms
• Fixed or variable level (volume via the player)

Further details

• Screen: 6-inch touchscreen (1080x2160)
• CPU: Octa-Core
• Sound settings: EQ, DAC filter and CrossFeed settings
• Crossfeed function: speaker effect when listening through headphones
  
• ReplayGain function: for a constant volume across all tracks
• AK File Drop: for wireless file transfer
• LED light around the volume control: shows the bitrate of the current song
• Case: stainless steel
• Player dimensions: 75.4 x 149.5 x 17.3 mm
• Weight of the player: 435 grams
  
• Docking station dimensions: 126 x 97.1 x 166.4 mm
  
• Weight of the docking station: 565 grams

Scope of delivery

• Astell&Kern PS10 Player
• Astell&Kern PS10 Docking Station (PEES11)
• USB cable
• Screen protector
• Quick start guide (German, French, English)
• User manual in PDF format stored on the player (German, French, English)