Astell&Kern PD20 – The High-End Digital Audio Player for Personalized Music Enjoyment

Shape Your Sound – A New Generation of Audiophile Music Playback

The Astell&Kern PD20 marks the beginning of a new era in portable high-end audio players. Developed according to the philosophy of "Design Your Sound," the PD20 combines state-of-the-art audio technology with intelligent personalization, offering music lovers the ability to adapt the sound precisely to their own hearing.

Equipped with an innovative Quad-DAC architecture, personalized hearing analysis, flexible Triple-AMP technology, and comprehensive streaming functions, the PD20 delivers an exceptionally natural, detailed, and emotional listening experience.

Personalized Sound Reproduction via Integrated Hearing Analysis

The Astell&Kern PD20 is the first digital audio player with a fully integrated Personal Sound System. In collaboration with Audiodo, the player analyzes the user's individual hearing ability and creates a personal sound profile.

Using the included measurement earphones, a guided hearing test is performed directly on the device. The PD20 then optimizes music playback individually for the left and right ear. The result is a significantly more balanced, natural, and precise sound – perfectly tailored to the individual listener.

Sound Master Wheel – Real-Time Sound Control

With the exclusive Sound Master Wheel, the PD20 offers a particularly intuitive way to directly adjust the sound.

The high-quality rotary control allows for precise adjustment of bass, mids, and treble during playback – without ever interrupting the music.

• 160-step equalizer adjustment

• Adjustment range from -8 dB to +8 dB

• Separate control of bass, mids, and treble

• Instant sound changes in real time

This makes individual sound tuning a direct and comfortable experience.

Triple-AMP Technology – Three Amplifier Characters in One Device

The Astell&Kern PD20 features a completely newly developed Triple-AMP architecture with three different amplifier modes.

Class A

For a particularly warm, natural, and finely resolved music playback with minimal distortion and an analog sound character.

Class AB

Offers maximum dynamics, excellent control, and maximum efficiency – ideal for a wide variety of music genres.

Hybrid Mode

Combines the musicality of the Class A circuit with the power and stability of Class AB technology.

Additionally, the amplifier power can be adjusted individually in Class A and Hybrid modes.

• High: Maximum power for high-impedance headphones

• Medium: Optimal balance of dynamics and naturalness

• Low: Ideal for sensitive in-ear monitors with exceptionally low background noise

Quad-DAC with ESS ES9027PRO

Inside, it operates with a true Quad-DAC configuration featuring four ESS ES9027PRO DACs.

This elaborate architecture reduces crosstalk between channels and ensures maximum signal separation, exceptional transparency, and impressively precise music playback.

ESA Technology for Perfect Signal Precision

The exclusive Enhanced Signal Alignment (ESA) technology synchronizes all frequency ranges and reduces time-of-flight differences within the audio signal.

This results in significantly more precise spatiality, more accurate localization of individual instruments, and an exceptionally natural soundstage.

Advanced DAR and Virtual Sound Extender

The PD20 adopts the latest generation of Digital Audio Remaster (DAR) technology from the flagship SP4000.

Together with the Virtual Sound Extender (VSE), lost overtones are reconstructed and the music signal is then recalculated with high precision. Even lower-quality recordings benefit from more naturalness, detail, and musicality.

Audiosphere – Virtual 3D Sound

With the integrated Audiosphere technology, the PD20 expands classic stereo recordings into an impressive three-dimensional soundstage.

Four sound profiles are available to choose from:

• Subtle

• Balanced

• Immersive

• Echoic

This allows both music and film audio to be optimally adapted to personal listening preferences.

Comprehensive Equipment for High-Resolution Audio

The PD20 impresses with state-of-the-art technology and extensive connectivity options.

Features include:

• 256 GB internal storage

• microSD support up to 2 TB

• 6-inch Full HD+ touch display

• Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 / 5 GHz)

• DLNA network function

• USB-C with Power Delivery 3.0

• USB-DAC for Windows and macOS

• USB digital audio output

High-resolution music formats are supported up to 32-bit / 768 kHz PCM as well as DSD512.

Modern Streaming and Network Functions

The Astell&Kern PD20 offers all the functions required for modern music enjoyment.

These include:

• Bluetooth with aptX™ HD and LDAC™

• Bluetooth Sink mode

• ReplayGain

• AK File Drop

• Individually adjustable crossfeed

• Roon Ready (certification pending)

This allows the player to be flexibly integrated into any modern Hi-Fi system.

Sound Lab Control – Studio Technology on the Go

The operating concept of the PD20 is based on professional studio technology.

Two high-quality adjustment wheels allow for the separate control of volume and sound. The system is complemented by hardware sliding switches for amplifier mode and current, as well as LED indicators for bit depth and operating status.

This gives the user direct access to all sound parameters at all times.

Elegant Premium Design

The PD20 is impressive not only technically but also visually.

Its modern housing combines high-quality materials with a clear design language and ergonomic usability. The minimalist design underscores Astell&Kern's premium standards and makes the player a real eye-catcher.

Highlights of the Astell&Kern PD20

• High-end digital audio player with personalized hearing analysis

• Integrated Personal Sound System by Audiodo

• Sound Master Wheel for real-time sound control

• Triple-AMP technology with Class A, Class AB, and Hybrid mode

• Adjustable amplifier power for different headphones

• Quad-DAC with four ESS ES9027PRO DACs

• ESA technology for precise signal processing

• Advanced DAR including Virtual Sound Extender

• Audiosphere for virtual 3D sound

• 6-inch Full HD+ touch display

• 256 GB storage, expandable up to 2 TB

• Playback up to 32-bit / 768 kHz PCM and DSD512

• Bluetooth with LDAC and aptX™ HD

• USB-DAC, DLNA, AK File Drop, and Roon Ready

• Up to 14 hours of battery life

• High-quality aluminum housing in premium design

The Astell&Kern PD20 redefines the portable high-end digital audio player. With its unique combination of personalized sound optimization, state-of-the-art Quad-DAC technology, flexible amplifier architecture, and intuitive operation, it offers a listening experience that adapts perfectly to individual musical tastes – for uncompromising Hi-Fi enjoyment at the highest level.

Technical Specifications:

· Model: PD20

· Body color: Silver

· Body material: Aluminum

· Display: 6-inch touchscreen (2160 × 1080 pixels)

· Processor: Octa-core

· DAC: 4 × ESS ES9027PRO (Quad-DAC)

· Supported audio formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF

· Supported resolutions:

· PCM: 8 kHz to 768 kHz (8/16/24/32-bit)
· DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, and DSD512 (native)

· Decoding: Bit-perfect playback up to 32-bit / 768 kHz

· Outputs:

· 3.5 mm headphone output (unbalanced)
· 3.5 mm optical digital output
· 4.4 mm balanced headphone output (5-pole)

· USB: USB Type-C (charging, PC, and Mac)

· Output voltage:

· 5 Vrms (unbalanced)
· 10 Vrms (balanced)

· Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 / 5 GHz)

· Bluetooth: Version 5.3

· Supported Bluetooth codecs: aptX™ HD, LDAC, LHDC, SBC, AAC

· Frequency response:

· ±0.005 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz, unbalanced)
· ±0.010 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz, balanced)
· ±0.020 dB (20 Hz – 70 kHz, unbalanced and balanced)

· Signal-to-noise ratio:

· 124 dB (unbalanced)
· 127 dB (balanced)

· Crosstalk:

· -133 dB (unbalanced)
· -140 dB (balanced)

· THD+N:

· 0.0003 % (unbalanced)
· 0.0004 % (balanced)

· IMD SMPTE: 0.0006 % (800 Hz / 10 kHz, 4:1)

· Output impedance:

· 0.7 Ω (3.5 mm)
· 1.7 Ω (4.4 mm)

· Clock jitter: 25 ps (typical)

· Reference clock jitter: 50 femtoseconds

· Internal storage: 256 GB NAND

· Storage expansion: microSD up to 2 TB

· Battery: 5,770 mAh lithium-polymer

· Battery life: Up to 14 hours of music playback

· Charging time: Approx. 4 hours (Power Delivery 3.0)

· Firmware updates: OTA (Over-the-Air)

· Dimensions: 77.5 × 155.7 × 17.3 mm

· Weight: Approx. 313 g

· Operating temperature: 0 °C to +40 °C

· Compatible operating systems:

· Windows 8, 10, and 11 (32-/64-bit)
· macOS X 10.7 or later

Measured at FLAC 16-bit / 44.1 kHz, volume 50, AMP class AB, display off.

Herstellerangaben:

Dreamus Company | Astell&Kern Unit
5, Bangbae-ro 18-gil, Seocho-gu
Seoul , Guangdong Province
South Korea
info@astellkernservice.de

Verantwortliche Person:

Hugo Park; Dreamus Company | Astell&Kern Unit
5, Bangbae-ro 18-gil, Seocho-gu
06664 , Seoul
South Korea
info@astellkernservice.de