Octa-DAC Architecture
At its heart are eight Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs, giving the PD5 a wide dynamic range, exceptional channel separation and the fine detail Astell&Kern players are known for. Specs back it up: 129dB S/N and -147dB crosstalk from the balanced output, with THD+N of just 0.0006%.
Dual Drive Mode: Quad or Octa
Choose how the PD5 balances performance and battery life:
-
Quad-DAC: natural, smooth signature sound with efficient power use — up to 6Vrms balanced and around 28 hours of playback.
-
Octa-DAC: maximum performance and greater detail — up to 8Vrms balanced and around 15 hours of playback.
EnviroTune Adaptive Sound
A built-in microphone monitors ambient noise in real time and compensates for the frequency bands it masks, so you keep hearing the detail in your music on a train or in a busy street without simply turning the volume up. (Supported on PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz.)
TERATON ALPHA, ESA & DAR
Astell&Kern's TERATON ALPHA technology handles power noise removal and clean amplification, while the new ESA (Enhanced Signal Alignment) reduces group delay so frequencies arrive more uniformly for a clearer, more coherent presentation. Digital Audio Remaster (DAR) can optionally upsample PCM to 352.8/384kHz or convert it to DSD128 for a smoother, more analogue-like delivery.
Tailor Your Sound
-
Four DAC filters: Low Latency Fast/Slow and Phase Compensated Fast/Slow
-
Crossfeed: speaker-like soundstage on headphones, with adjustable shelf cutoff, shelf gain and mixer level
-
ReplayGain: consistent volume across your library (up to 24-bit/192kHz)
Streaming & Connectivity
Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz) supports smooth hi-res streaming, with Roon Ready certification and Qobuz Connect built in. Bluetooth 5.3 supports LDAC, aptX HD and LHDC, and BT Sink lets you stream from your phone into the PD5 and enjoy it through your wired headphones. It also works as a USB DAC for PC and Mac.
Designed for Grip
The PD5's "Grip Control" design pairs a curved 4.1-inch 720 x 1280 touchscreen with a compact aluminium body that sits naturally in the hand for long listening sessions. A clear TPU case, made in South Korea from Covestro material with a UV stabiliser to slow yellowing, is designed specifically for it.
Specifications
-
Body Colour: Silver
-
Body Material: Aluminium
-
Display: 4.1" 720 x 1280 touchscreen
-
CPU: Octa-Core
-
DAC: Cirrus Logic CS43198 x8 (Octa-DAC, switchable Quad/Octa)
-
Supported Formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF
-
Sample Rate: PCM 8kHz–384kHz (8/16/24/32-bit); DSD Native DSD64 / DSD128 / DSD256
-
Decoding: Up to 32-bit/384kHz bit-to-bit playback
-
Output Level (no load): Quad — 3Vrms unbalanced / 6Vrms balanced; Octa — 4Vrms unbalanced / 8Vrms balanced
-
Outputs: 3.5mm unbalanced, 4.4mm balanced (5-pole)
-
Output Impedance: 3.5mm 0.6Ω; 4.4mm 1.2Ω
-
Frequency Response: ±0.011dB (20Hz–20kHz); ±0.130dB unbalanced / ±0.143dB balanced (20Hz–70kHz)
-
S/N: 125dB unbalanced / 129dB balanced @ 1kHz
-
Crosstalk: -145dB unbalanced / -147dB balanced @ 1kHz
-
THD+N: 0.0006% @ 1kHz
-
IMD SMPTE: 0.0003% unbalanced / 0.0001% balanced
-
Clock Jitter: 25pS (typ); reference clock jitter 250 femtoseconds
-
Input: USB Type-C (charging, PC & Mac)
-
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)
-
Bluetooth: 5.3 (A2DP, AVRCP, aptX HD, LDAC, LHDC, SBC, AAC); BT Sink supported
-
Streaming: Roon Ready, Qobuz Connect
-
Storage: 64GB built-in; microSD slot (up to 1.5TB)
-
Battery: 4,000mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer
-
Charge Time: approx. 2.5 hours (PD 3.0)
-
Playback Time: approx. 28 hours (FLAC 16/44.1, Vol. 50, Quad-DAC, screen off)
-
Dimensions: 69.7mm (W) x 119.7mm (H) x 16.1mm (D)
-
Weight: approx. 198g
-
Operating Temperature: 0–40°C
-
Supported OS: Windows 8/10/11 (32/64-bit), macOS X 10.7+
-
Updates: OTA firmware updates
