The Astell&Kern USB-C DUAL DAC CABLE has been designed as an extension of existing Astell&Kern DAP lines.
Dedicated Dual DAC with Hi-Fi, Ultra-High Resolution Sound. The Astell&Kern USB-C DUAL DAC Cable features two Cirrus Logic CS43198 MasterHIFI™ DACs which supports native DSD256 and 32bit/384kHz playback.
Astell&Kern’s expertise in audio circuit design has allowed to create a complex and highly integrated circuit chip on a small, six-layer PCB the size of 14 x 41 mm. In order to create a small device, micro resistors and tantalum capacitors, exclusively created for Astell&Kern were used. These same capacitors, which are used by AK DAPs, optimize the audio circuit to suppress power fluctuations, creating a USB DAC that provides stable operation and superb audio performance.
The dual CS43198 DACs are paired with an independent analog amplifier, designed to provide true audio playback so you can feel the live, warm and clear sound as intended, without distortion. This is possible based on years of Astell&Kern’s expertise in AMP design. Although it is a small and simple cable type external DAC,
it is able to sufficiently drive high impedance headphones with a 2Vrms (Condition No Load) output level.
Custom-made, 4-core cable to express the sound you want to reveal through the cable and enhance durability against disconnection. The cable is reinforced to withstand up to 200N of tensile force using aramid fiber. This cable is made by wrapping silver-plated copper wire and the copper wire in a spiral form around a center core made of Technora Aramid fiber to block external noise. A separate shielding treatment is applied to the cable to block distortion and noise of digital and analog signals from the playback device. The silver-plated copper wire used in the USB-C DUAL DAC Cable is thicker than typical silver-plated copper wire (0.3μm, usually 0.1~0.15µm).
The addition of copper wire provides clear and rich spatial sound.
**iOS-based devices, such as iPhones and iPads are currently not supported.
The Astell & Kern USB-C Dual DAC Cable is priced at $149 and will be available from April in the UK and May in the US.
General Specifications
Audio Performance