Astell & Kern Introduces Portable, Battery-Powered Headphone Amp

Astell & Kern bowed a portable, battery-powered headphone amplifier with four digital-to-analog converters offering playback up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and 22.4MHz DSD512. The Acro CA1000 ($2,199) has support for USB-PD 2.0, allowing it to charge to 50% in an hour, and a full charge in 2.5 hours, the company said. Battery life is about 10.5 hours of continuous playback in low-gain mode, less in high-gain mode, a spokesperson emailed. It’s the first Astell & Kern product to support crossfeed, which mixes part of the original signal from one channel and sends it to the opposite channel, with a time difference, to center the sound stage; the crossfeed level is adjustable. The Bluetooth 5.0-enabled Arco can be used as a hi-fi audio system by connecting devices using optical, coaxial, USB-C and analog RCA connections selectable via the integrated touch screen. Roon Ready support will be added in a future firmware update, the company said. Shipping is slated for Jan. 24.