Astell & Kern KANN - DAP with Massive Storage & Battery

[captain swing]

if you send it to astell & kern with 100 euros they will change your battery

Hi, everyone - first time poster, long time lurker.

My Kann, too, is needing a new battery. I have had a look inside, but I can confirm that it's flipping awkward to even get at the battery, and I can't find any help at all on the interwebs apart from the attached pic. This suggests that getting at the battery is a far more involved process than simply "taking the back off". Damn.

I asked for some help from "customer services", but predictably they were aghast that I would even dare to try a DIY fix. You have to go through the repair option, I think, (from the UK, since bloody brexit).

This is all very disappointing, after using the thing for 5 years and loving it. Prior to that. I ran an iRiver h340 and was able to change the battery and the hard drive and the operating system to Rockbox. I am offended that I am not "allowed" to do routine work like this myself - it's not a repair, the battery was always going to need replacement. After reading horror stories about the repair service, I am reluctant to send it off (to Korea?) just to get the battery changed and get ripped off in the process.

Has anyone managed to find a DIY solution? Can anyone confirm how a battery change is done a) officially, and b) unofficially - I have seen some businesses in the UK that claim to be able to replace a battery, but I am a bit skeptical.

Anyway, love to all on a great board and thanks for listening to me moaning.

 

[captain swing]

Hi guys, how would one go about replacing the battery on a Kann?

...with real difficulty. You cannot just take the back off and have look. First, the plastic infills at both ends need removing. Then the screen and the buttons need to be removed using some opaque method (or perhaps a spell) before the guts of the beast can be slid out. At this point, I am baffled at how to do it and fed up that they've made it so difficult. I have found nothing on the interwebs to help. Anyone...?

 

[dmkbox]

Stop! You need to detach screen. Otherwise (maybe already) you cut the ribbon cable.Screen can be detached with screen separator with vacuum. 10min with 75°C preheat then carefully detach.
Battery photo below. Here is two battery connected in parallel.

Can someone has a firmware 1.12?

 

[R7photo]

My kann working flawlessly but sitting collecting dust,
I primarily stream and stop using tidal when no longer supported

 

[Miniculthero]

Does anyone know where I can get a replacement data cable for kann, the generic ones charge the kann but do not read it when attached to a computer

 

[Newsee]

Does anyone know where I can get a replacement data cable for kann, the generic ones charge the kann but do not read it when attached to a computer

Any USB-C data and charging cable would do it. Any favorite online shop? Any cable at home for android mobile phone?

 

[Plutopants]

Thought I'd update on using my KANN as a local music server in my home network.

In short - wow!

Now I've inherited my wife's old iPad mini, with AKConnect I can now play my KANN remotely through my HiFi, iPad or even to my TV.

I never expected it to answer these needs and was looking at using an old Macbook as a server or buying something like a Brennan B2. But, I just happened to recall that the KANN could link to WiFi to send or receive music and gave it a go.

I only used it as a portable player before, playing mainly lossless from its 2 SDcards - but its ability as a music source on the network has really surprised me.

I avoided the firmware debacle, thank goodness, but find the device to have been very enjoyable. It shall now hopefully serve me by, essentially, replacing my old desktop computer feeding my HiFi.

I know it's a bit outdated now, but not being interested in streaming from the web, it answers my current requirements well.

I'll just have to keep it charging now as the battery is showing signs of tiredness.

 

[magiccabbage]

Hey guys I'm just wondering if its possible to use the Kahn as player with my audio rig... schiit yggdrasil and wa5. Could I use the yggdrasil to bypass the dac inside the Kahn and just use it as a player into the wa5

 

[Newsee]

Hey guys I'm just wondering if its possible to use the Kahn as player with my audio rig... schiit yggdrasil and wa5. Could I use the yggdrasil to bypass the dac inside the Kahn and just use it as a player into the wa5

The only digital audio out possibility on the Kann is the mini USB connector. I managed to use it to an external DAC (Lootoo PAW S2) with a miniUSB-USBC cable. (But who would want to use such a setup? The Kann has way better sound). With the same cable I can not drive the Burson Conductor 3XR usbC input. Probably that would require a proper miniUSB-to-UsbC OTG cable. My one is for the other direction.

 

[magiccabbage]

The only digital audio out possibility on the Kann is the mini USB connector. I managed to use it to an external DAC (Lootoo PAW S2) with a miniUSB-USBC cable. (But who would want to use such a setup? The Kann has way better sound). With the same cable I can not drive the Burson Conductor 3XR usbC input. Probably that would require a proper miniUSB-to-UsbC OTG cable. My one is for the other direction.

I want to run the kahn to a schiit yggy and then into a WA5. It does actually say that the 3.5m doubles as an optical out so maybe thats an option.

 

[Newsee]

I want to run the kahn to a schiit yggy and then into a WA5. It does actually say that the 3.5m doubles as an optical out so maybe thats an option.

Kann Cube and Kann Alpha - yes.
KANN - no.
What says that KANN can do it?

 

[magiccabbage]

Kann Cube and Kann Alpha - yes.
KANN - no.
What says that KANN can do it?

I apologize I was talking only about the Kahn cube. This is obv the wrong thread.

 

[londere]

Hi there! I'm looking for a dead Kann or screen smashed. If anyone had one, maybe could make some bussines.

Happy holidays.

 

[iamthewalrus]

Just in case... I've tried to read through/search through this and other threads elsewhere and I cannot for the life of me find an answer to my issue.

I have an original Kann (not Kann Cube or the like), and it was working pretty well for quite a while, but now it has developed an odd situation where anytime a new track starts playing, a good deal of the settings seem to get reset to defaults (EQ switches from none to ProEQ for instance) and the screen turns on if it was off (EVERY track). I have tried a soft reset, factory reset, with or without micro-sd cards, and no matter what I keep getting this.

I'm on firmware 1.12CM and my only other thought is to try to reload a firmware, but for the life of me, I cannot find any firmware revisions posted anywhere, though it looks like in theory I would just need to put it in the root folder of any given sd card to force the kann to load it (is that correct?).

Does anyone have any ideas and/or links to any firmware revisions?

Thank you in advance!

 

[DaYooper]

My original Kann is on 1.13 but I was one of the lucky ones and didn't get a bricked Kann after upgrading to that firmware. What you describe doesn't sound like firmware issue. have you looked on A&K site for firmware? And since your device acts so goofy I guess you don't have much to lose by upgrading. I've always found that the DAP can find the firmware update if you turn on it's wifi and go into the settings menu. Go to the bottom of the screen and there is a place marked update