Astell&Kern PD5 Mobile Player

The Astell & Kern PD5 combines high-end signal processing with a highly portable form factor. Designed for discerning listeners, this Digital Audio Player (DAP) combines a flexible converter architecture with extremely low distortion and modern network connectivity – all packaged in an ergonomic aluminum housing weighing just 198 grams.

Switchable DAC architecture and maximum output power

The heart of the PD5 is a cluster of eight Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs . This multi-chip topology allows for seamless switching between two operating modes:

Quad-DAC mode: Offers balanced, high-resolution playback with optimized power consumption and enables a battery life of up to 28 hours.

Octa-DAC mode: Activates all eight converter channels for maximum dynamic range, improved channel separation (down to -147 dB balanced) and minimized distortion (THD+N 0.0006%).

The integrated amplifier section provides an output voltage of up to 8 Vrms at the balanced 4.4 mm output. This allows the PD5 to drive even demanding, high-impedance over-ear headphones with authority and dynamic stability.

Proprietary signal processing: TERATON ALPHA and ESA. In the PD5, Astell & Kern relies on the proven TERATON ALPHA technology , which efficiently decouples power supply, amplification, and conversion to eliminate disruptive mains noise. Additionally, ESA (Enhanced Signal Alignment) is employed: By precisely aligning the frequency signals, group delay is minimized, resulting in phase-pure and time-accurate music reproduction.

Adaptive sound adjustment with EnviroTune: For use on the go, EnviroTune technology continuously analyzes the frequency structure of ambient noise via an integrated microphone. Instead of simply increasing the overall volume, the PD5 selectively compensates for the frequency ranges that are masked by external noise. The sound remains detailed and dynamically intact, even in noisy environments.

Sound fine-tuning and connectivity

Digital Audio Remaster (DAR): Enables upsampling of PCM material or native output of high-resolution formats.

DAC filter & crossfeed: Four selectable filter characteristics and a configurable crossfeed function for simulating the natural crosstalk behavior of loudspeakers are available for individual customization.

Streaming & Wireless: As a Roon Ready device, the PD5 supports Qobuz Connect and dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4/5 GHz). Bluetooth 5.3 covers high-bitrate codecs with LDAC, LHDC, and aptX HD and supports use as a Bluetooth sink.

Technical data

General Specifications

Model: Astell & Kern PD5 (Color: Silver)

Housing material: Aluminum (“Grip Control” design)

Display: 4.1-inch touchscreen (720 × 1280 pixels)

Dimensions & Weight: 69.7 × 119.7 × 16.1 mm; approx. 198 g

SoC / CPU: Octa-Core

Audio & Conversion

D/A converters: 8 × Cirrus Logic CS43198 (switchable: Quad-DAC / Octa-DAC)

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

Sampling rates: PCM up to 32 bits / 384 kHz; DSD Native up to DSD256 (1 bit, 11.2 MHz)

Outputs: 3.5 mm unbalanced, 4.4 mm balanced (5-pin)

Output level (no load):

Quad-DAC: 3 Vrms (unbalanced) / 6 Vrms (balanced)

Octa-DAC: 4 Vrms (unbalanced) / 8 Vrms (balanced)

Output impedance: 3.5 mm: 0.6 Ω / 4.4 mm: 1.2 Ω

Measured values

Frequency response: ±0.011 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz, unbalanced/balanced)

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): 125 dB @ 1 kHz (unbalanced) / 129 dB @ 1 kHz (balanced)

Crosstalk: -145 dB @ 1 kHz (unbalanced) / -147 dB @ 1 kHz (balanced)

THD+N: 0.0006% @ 1 kHz (unbalanced & balanced)

Reference clock jitter: 250 femtoseconds (clock jitter: 25 ps typical)

Storage, Battery & Connectivity

Storage: 64 GB internal (NAND), expandable via microSD up to 1.5 TB

WLAN & Bluetooth: Dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 5.3 (LDAC, LHDC, aptX HD, AAC, SBC)

Battery: 4,000mAh / 3.8V Li-Polymer

Playback time: Up to 28 hours (FLAC 16-bit/44.1 kHz, Quad DAC, display off)

Charging time: Approx. 2.5 hours (via USB-C with PD 3.0)