Astell&Kern has announced the arrival of the AK Jr portable music player.
The AK Jr is being hailed by the firm as its cheapest high-resolution portable player yet.
AK Jr Features
As its name suggests, it’s essentially a slimmed down version of Astell&Kerns other audio players, such as the AK240 and AK120 II. The company hopes consumers will find it easier to carry around than its previous efforts.
“The AK Jr project gives everyone the opportunity to comfortably listen to high resolution audio, anytime and anywhere,” said Astell&Kern.
“Although the Astell&Kern was a portable device, its relatively large size made it less convenient for some. The AK Jr’s compact design delivers the highest sound quality while fitting comfortably in your pocket.”
Clad in aluminium, the AK Jr is just 6.9mm thick and weighs a paltry 93g – that’s less than the 42mm Apple Watch (with strap).
It comes with 64GB of internal storage, as well as a microSD card slot you can use to boost total capacity to 128GB. There’s a 3.1-inch touchscreen too, which Astell&Kern describes as being “smartphone-like”.
Related: Best portable speakers 2015
Audio playback stands at 24bit/192hkz, while it also Bluetooth 4.0 and a range of audio formats, including DSD. The output level of 1.95 VRMS represents a 14% increase over the AK100’s 1.5 VRMS.
AK Jr Release Date and Price
Astell&Kern says the AK Jr will hit the shelves in mid-to-late May, retailing for £399.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
