So that you’ve bought a killer pair of headphones, however your weedy smartphone simply can’t present sufficient energy to drive ’em correctly? You want a devoted amplifier to offer your tunes a lift – and Korean audio consultants Astell&Kern are all to joyful to supply. The brand new Astell&Kern PA10 is a pocket-sized Class-A amp that’ll even outmuscle some top-tier moveable media gamers.
The PA10 makes use of A&Okay’s bespoke Teraton Alpha audio processing for what the agency says is “pure, spacious and distortion-free analogue sound” it doesn’t matter what pair of cans you plug into it. There’s a pair of three.5mm ports for enter and output, together with a pair of 4.4mm ports that may provide balanced sound for suitable headphones.
Crossfeed is dealt with purely by the onboard circuitry, as a substitute of software program trickery, so shouldn’t compromise the sound in any respect. The analog amplifier also can ship high and low achieve audio, with out including undesirable sign noise to the combo.
The participant retains A&Okay’s signature styling, with an aluminium building and angular physique that intently matches the agency’s vary of high-end moveable media gamers. OK, you’ll want sizeable trouser pockets to stash it, however at 325g it’s a complete lot extra transportable than a desktop amp, and the over-engineered present, achieve and crossfeed switches on the facet actually look the half. There’s additionally an outsized quantity dial on the high, and a grippy geometric sample on the rear.
The built-in battery ought to be good for round 12 hours of uninterrupted playback (much less in case you’re utilizing balanced outputs, or crank the quantity to eardrum-splitting ranges), and takes in regards to the hours to completely recharge its 4200mAh over USB-C.
Discerning music followers can head to the Astell&Kern web site and decide up a PA10 proper now. Costs begin from £549/$550.