Irvine, CA — Astell&Kern announces the availability of the Astell&Kern AK240 in the United States beginning March 4, 2014. Customers can pre-order the new AK240 beginning February 25 at authorized Astell&Kern retailers and online.
The AK240 was announced at CES 2014 in January where it quickly became a “must-see” item at the show. The audio player was named a finalist for Engadget’s Best of CES 2014 Award in the Audio Category and it also won What-Hi*Fi? Sound & Vision Stars of CES 2014 Award.
The AK240 builds upon the success of the current Astell&Kern AK100 and AK120 players with the slick redesign and a slew of new features not offered in any other high resolution portable audio players.
Among the highlights of the new AK240:
· 256GB internal memory, 1 microSD card slot supporting up to 128GB microSD card for a total of 384GB of music storage
· Dual-Core processor, allows the AK240 to process requests and play back high resolution audio files with no lag time
· Wi-Fi enabled
· Ability to connect to high-resolution music download sites directly from the player to purchase and download music tracks
· MQS Streaming from PC/Mac to AK240
· 3.31” AMOLED Touch-Screen with 800×480 resolution
· Dual (2) Cirrus Logic 4398 DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) Chipsets, creating a true Dual-Mono setup that gives clear channel separation, broader dynamic range and wider soundstage
· Native DSD Support including DSD64 and DSD128 files
· Stereo and Balanced Analog Outputs
· Comprehensive search function
· Body made of Duralumin – an aircraft grade aluminum alloy
Henry Park, CEO of iriver, said, “We are proud of what the Astell&Kern brand has accomplished in one year since the launch of the AK100 player. The Astell&Kern name is recognized as a leader in the high resolution audio space, won numerous awards and has been one of the best-selling high resolution portable audio players in the world. With the launch of the AK240, Astell&Kern has once again raised the bar in the portable high resolution audio field.”
With the addition of Wi-Fi, a number of new features have been added to the AK240 that are not available on previous models. MQS Streaming allows users the ability to stream music stored on a PC or Mac on the same network directly to the AK240, without the need to download to the player first. Firmware updates are also easier than ever. Once connected to Wi-Fi, the AK240 will alert you when an update is available. You can download and install directly to the player, without the need for a computer. A future firmware update will offer the ability to connect, search, purchase and download new high-resolution tracks without the need for a computer.
The Astell&Kern portable player line support 24-bit, up to 192khz digital audio files, DSD and Apple lossless formats in addition to many other lossy music formats users may currently have.
Not only is the AK240 the best high-fidelity portable audio player on the market, it can also be used as an USB DAC, allowing the user to connect the AK240 to a computer to provide higher quality sound processing than most sound cards available today.
The Astell&Kern line of portable audio players are the first portable hi-fi audio devices from iriver, capable of Mastering Quality Sound (MQS) playback. MQS files are sound or music files saved as a lossless format, straight from the studio mastering source. Because less data is lost during the digital mastering process and the sound quality is distortion-free, a dramatic difference between the 24-bit source data of MQS files and CD (WAV)/MP3s can be heard and felt. MQS files are often in 24bit WAV or FLAC formats. With the encoding process in the Astell&Kern MQS Portable System, MQS music and sounds are more refined and pure.
The Astell&Kern AK240 will be available for pre-order beginning Tuesday, February 25 at Astell&Kern retailers and online for $2,500, with the official launch at The Luxury Show in New York City on Tuesday, March 4, 2014.
For a list of audio dealers that carry the Astell&Kern line, please visit http://www.iriverinc.com/support/wheretobuy.asp.
About Astell&Kern
Launched in October 2012, Astell&Kern is the high-end audiophile brand by iriver. The current Astell&Kern line includes the award-winning AK100, AK120 and AK240 high-resolution portable audio players, capable of playing 24-bit/192 kHz Mastering Quality Sound (MQS) files including DSD. Astell&Kern’s lineup has recently expanded to include accessories such as the AKR01 and AKR02 In-Ear Monitors, AKS01 Docking Station and line of home audio products.
For more information about Astell&Kern, please visit www.AstellnKern.com or the Astell&Kern Facebook page and Twitter feed.
About iriver
iriver Ltd. is a global IT device company. Since its founding in 1999, iriver has become renowned for its product innovation, style-driven technology, and track record of market dominance. After producing many award-winning portable media devices, the company diversified its categories to include Tablet PC, VoIP Phone, and more. For more information on iriver and its product lines, please visit: www.iriverinc.com.
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