DAP's (digitial audio players) are portable systems which are capable of playing high end audio through headphones. A&K do high quality DAP's which all sit in different price ranges.

The SR25 MKii is the entry level DAP from Astell&Kern but still gives the audio quality of the higher end products from them. Next down the line is the SE180 which is a high end digital audio player capable of driving some of the more demanding headphones. Then the KANN MAX, a very powerful DAP with a high end DAC on the inside to make MQA sound even better.

The flagship SP3000 - Using the latest flagship DAC the SP3000 can completely seperate digital and anologue signal processing meaning you get stunning audio quality. All of the Astell&Kern DAP's come with downloadable apps from a vast selection of music streaming services, like Tidal, Apple Music, Spotify, Qobuz and many more meaning you can use this device no matter what service you use.

In store we have many systems you can choose from in our headphone listening room with headphones from MEZE Audio, Focal and Grado. All of these headphones work beautifully with the A&K DAP's but we have a few systems which we think suit each other best such as the MEZE Audio 109 pro's with the KANN MAX. This combination sounds warm and detailed. We've also found that the 109 pro's are a very comfortable pair of headphones and that you can wear them for as long as you'd like without wanting to take a break.

What services are available? - On all of the DAPS from Astell&Kern a wide range of music services are avaliable, from Tidal, Apple music, Spotify and many more. these are avalable from the "Services" tab under the A&K logo in the top right on the main menu.

Balanced or unbalanced? What is the difference? - In essence balanced audio is a cleaner and stronger sound audio connection between the DAP and the Headphones whereas Unbalanced audio is a weaker connection and is suceptible to picking up noice and unwanted signals especially over longer cables.

Battery life and charging - All of the DAP's use a type-c usb cable to charge. the battery life on all the on DAP's from A&K is very long lasting and fast to charge meaning it will charge overnight and be ready for use in the morning.