Audiophiles looking for a music system that can play higher quality sound on the go than a smartphone – or iPod – are in luck, as Astell&Kern has just announced a MkII version of its AK70 portable audio player.
The device features wi-fi connectivity, allowing users to stream audio through popular music services such as Tidal, as well as 64GB of internal storage and a microSD slot for expanding its memory.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Users can also play music from their computer through the device, says Digital Trends, which “circumvents the computer’s internal sound card and allows for hi-resolution, high quality audio playback”.
While it retains a similar look to its older sibling, What hi-fi? says the MkII is slightly taller and thicker than the outgoing model. It also ups the model’s weight by 18g to a total 150g, but the site says it can still easily fit into your jeans pocket.
At the top of the black aluminium-bodied music player sits a balanced and standard 3.5mm headphone port, the website adds. It also comes with Bluetooth connectivity so users can stream audio to wireless music players.
Orders for the AK70 MkII are set to open next month, with prices starting at £600.
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Autumn Budget: will Rachel Reeves raid the rich?Talking Point To fill Britain’s financial black hole, the Chancellor will have to consider everything – except an income tax rise
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listingsSpeed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequelSpeed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binarySpeed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
-
What’s on TV this Christmas? The best holiday televisionSpeed Read From films and documentaries to musicals for all the family
-
Coco vision: up close to Chanel opticalsSpeed Read Parisian luxury house adds opticals to digital offering
-
Abba returns: how the Swedish supergroup and their ‘Abba-tars’ are taking a chance on a reunionSpeed Read From next May, digital avatars of the foursome will be performing concerts in east London
-
‘Turning down her smut setting’: how Nigella Lawson is cleaning up her recipesSpeed Read Last week, the TV cook announced she was axing the word ‘slut’ from her recipe for Slut Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly
