£599 / astellnkern.com LIFE ON THE ROAD
You can’t carry your vinyl collection around with you, but this kit will do the same job for hi-res audio obsessives
ASTELL & KERN AK70 MKII
The ipod might be dead and buried, but its memory lives on in Astell & Kern’s latest AK70 – a purist’s player that’s made for your music and not much else. What you miss out on in the ability to play Angry Birds 2 and fret over your bank balance while on the move is made up for by unrivalled sound quality.
Seriously, there’s a reason why this thing is quite so pricey: it was built for hi-res audio. Given the right raw materials, it elevates old classics and new favourites into a realm of superlatives with astounding detail and incredible precision. Such is its finesse, you can even hear the difference on budget headphones – not that you should be pairing the AK70 MKII with the buds that came bundled with your phone. It deserves swanky cans to match its beguiling design.
One for the road
You’ll love this player’s sleek but diminutive nature and tactile volume dial, which happily doubles as a fidget spinner for easily distracted sorts. At 150g in weight, this is a surprisingly lightweight device that has no problems tucking into a jacket pocket. And while you need an archive of hi-res files to get the most from this Astell & Kern, it’s not totally a one-trick pony thanks to the ability to stream from Tidal. Hell, it even doubles as a USB DAC for when you absolutely need to switch sources.
If you’re more concerned with flicking fuming fowls than listening to lossless audio, then it’s worth sticking to your smartphone. But if you really care about the way your music sounds then the Astell & Kern AK70 MKII was made for you.
Tech specs
Storage 64GB (w/microsd) Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-fi Screen size 3.3in Dimensions 968x628x152mm, 150g