[TRHH]

AK UW100MKII is BT Version 5.2 and Kann Ultra is 4.2 ..... I am out.

Torben

 

[123peter]

Confirming that KANN Ultra will ship next month with Bluetooth 4.2 and Android 12.

We know that you have been trying for a long time JasonNYJ, we appreciate it, we also know that not everything depends on you.thx

Astell&Kern - nothing more to add why ?
Just like that, BT v4.2 in DAP KANN Ultra in 2023.

I thought we were friends, enthusiasts and one family of A&K equipment owners and we analyze specifications and quality of sound together.
Well, we are just... naive customers, buy it or get lost - sad .

 

[Kordonrules]

And I have to say that I will be one of many who do care and will NOT be buying as a result of caring - I may not want Bluetooth for primary usage but I like to have options. Especially for £1600.

Likewise, hard no.

 

[JasonNYC]

@JasonNYC

Sorry if this have been ask before, Does the AK HB1 have Media Controls like Next Track etc...?

Yes, the HB1 has is a media button that performs multiple functions.

 

[stephenkostas]

Honestly, when we were building the product pages, we thought the Bluetooth 4.2 might be a typo, but alas it was not.

I'm about to ramble a bit here...

I think A&K could just as well have dropped Bluetooth altogether from the KANN Ultra. I know lots of folks are using DAPs from brands like Luxury & Precision that don't have WiFi or any form of app support. In general A&K is somewhere in between the barebones L&P and the full Android of iBasso or Fiio players, and personally, I'd like to see them release more players that lean more towards simplicity and barebones design. I'd rather go without Bluetooth than without WiFi anyway.

KANN Max is still one of my personal favorites. I typically grab it before the SP3000 for testing new IEMs, and you may have seen me wondering around CanJam demoing IEMs with one at NYC or SoCal. I like that it's just kind of a big dumb brick of a player (@JasonNYC - feel free to pass that on for a "back of the box" quote). I've never used the Bluetooth or BT Sync on it, except for testing the features and troubleshooting for customers.

It's beneficial for brands to have better differentiation across the product line. If you can make a better pure player at a better price by narrowing the focus, then narrow the focus. Identify who this player is for and tailor it to their needs.
Build a "Powerhouse" player with a focus on the amplification.
Build a player packed to the gills with connectivity features.
Build a player with an emphasis on peak sound quality...

So I guess my take is, I understand that putting Bluetooth 4.2 allows you to save some money (possibly reduce some level of EMF or background noise over 5.0/5.2??) while still supporting all the features of the platform, but I'd rather see a player with a greater sense of focus and clear purpose that does something specific and does it exceptionally well, than a full lineup of players that compromise just a little bit in 5 different directions, ultimately limiting what could have been with a clear specific vision.

Either way, I'm a bit of a fanboi, so I can't wait to get my demo unit of this one. I'll let you know when I've got it in, and y'all can let me know what kind of tests you'd like to see!

 

[123peter]

Honestly, when we were building the product pages, we thought the Bluetooth 4.2 might be a typo, but alas it was not.

I'm about to ramble a bit here...

I think A&K could just as well have dropped Bluetooth altogether from the KANN Ultra. I know lots of folks are using DAPs from brands like Luxury & Precision that don't have WiFi or any form of app support. In general A&K is somewhere in between the barebones L&P and the full Android of iBasso or Fiio players, and personally, I'd like to see them release more players that lean more towards simplicity and barebones design. I'd rather go without Bluetooth than without WiFi anyway.

KANN Max is still one of my personal favorites. I typically grab it before the SP3000 for testing new IEMs, and you may have seen me wondering around CanJam demoing IEMs with one at NYC or SoCal. I like that it's just kind of a big dumb brick of a player (@JasonNYC - feel free to pass that on for a "back of the box" quote). I've never used the Bluetooth or BT Sync on it, except for testing the features and troubleshooting for customers.

It's beneficial for brands to have better differentiation across the product line. If you can make a better pure player at a better price by narrowing the focus, then narrow the focus. Identify who this player is for and tailor it to their needs.
Build a "Powerhouse" player with a focus on the amplification.
Build a player packed to the gills with connectivity features.
Build a player with an emphasis on peak sound quality...

So I guess my take is, I understand that putting Bluetooth 4.2 allows you to save some money (possibly reduce some level of EMF or background noise over 5.0/5.2??) while still supporting all the features of the platform, but I'd rather see a player with a greater sense of focus and clear purpose that does something specific and does it exceptionally well, than a full lineup of players that compromise just a little bit in 5 different directions, ultimately limiting what could have been with a clear specific vision.

Either way, I'm a bit of a fanboi, so I can't wait to get my demo unit of this one. I'll let you know when I've got it in, and y'all can let me know what kind of tests you'd like to see!

Bloom, as always, is very professional in describing the topic and exuding peace - that's the way it should be.
It's a pity that you have to defend A&K's honor and spend your time, not A&K's engineer.
A&K could have made a short statement about the purpose of the application BT4.2 and it would have dispelled any doubts.-simple

 

[PhenixS1970]

As an iphone user an AK DAP was my means to enjoy TWS with LDAC. Used to have an sr25 (first gen, BT4.2). Forget it to have a stable LDAC connection. The sr35 (BT 5.0) flawless LDAC. So for me such things matter. Just saying….

 

[nioh]

[

As an iphone user an AK DAP was my means to enjoy TWS with LDAC. Used to have an sr25 (first gen, BT4.2). Forget it to have a stable LDAC connection. The sr35 (BT 5.0) flawless LDAC. So for me such things matter. Just saying….

Just my personal opinion.
Having a $300 TWS and using a $1600 hi-res DAP seems kinda pointless.
Might as well buy a $200 DAP with Bluetooth and LDAC.

 

[nioh]

Honestly, when we were building the product pages, we thought the Bluetooth 4.2 might be a typo, but alas it was not.

I'm about to ramble a bit here...

I think A&K could just as well have dropped Bluetooth altogether from the KANN Ultra. I know lots of folks are using DAPs from brands like Luxury & Precision that don't have WiFi or any form of app support. In general A&K is somewhere in between the barebones L&P and the full Android of iBasso or Fiio players, and personally, I'd like to see them release more players that lean more towards simplicity and barebones design. I'd rather go without Bluetooth than without WiFi anyway.

KANN Max is still one of my personal favorites. I typically grab it before the SP3000 for testing new IEMs, and you may have seen me wondering around CanJam demoing IEMs with one at NYC or SoCal. I like that it's just kind of a big dumb brick of a player (@JasonNYC - feel free to pass that on for a "back of the box" quote). I've never used the Bluetooth or BT Sync on it, except for testing the features and troubleshooting for customers.

It's beneficial for brands to have better differentiation across the product line. If you can make a better pure player at a better price by narrowing the focus, then narrow the focus. Identify who this player is for and tailor it to their needs.
Build a "Powerhouse" player with a focus on the amplification.
Build a player packed to the gills with connectivity features.
Build a player with an emphasis on peak sound quality...

So I guess my take is, I understand that putting Bluetooth 4.2 allows you to save some money (possibly reduce some level of EMF or background noise over 5.0/5.2??) while still supporting all the features of the platform, but I'd rather see a player with a greater sense of focus and clear purpose that does something specific and does it exceptionally well, than a full lineup of players that compromise just a little bit in 5 different directions, ultimately limiting what could have been with a clear specific vision.

Either way, I'm a bit of a fanboi, so I can't wait to get my demo unit of this one. I'll let you know when I've got it in, and y'all can let me know what kind of tests you'd like to see!

Not to dig this any further but it seems that Jason left out the reason A&K went for Bluetooth 4.2 intentionally.
You say rather have WiFi than Bluetooth and I fully agree.

However correct me if I’m wrong, aren’t WiFi and Bluetooth the same chip in these devices ? If it comes with Bluetooth 4.2 then the WiFi chip must be cheap. I hope it’s not part of the SoC, then it’s even worse because then the SoC would be cheap too. SoC is always undisclosed by A&K obviously because they have nothing to showcase there. I’m assuming a standard Snapdragon 660. As long as the device does not have performance issues, I guess that’s okay.

At the end of the day, a lot of people who buy these stuff are not just audiophiles but also techies and expect the latest and greatest. So yea even if one might not use Bluetooth at all on this device, 4.2 still looks bad on paper when spending $1600 when it’s close to the year of our Lord 2024 !

 

[PhenixS1970]

[
Just my personal opinion.
Having a $300 TWS and using a $1600 hi-res DAP seems kinda pointless.
Might as well buy a $200 DAP with Bluetooth and LDAC.

That is true and I fully agree. But if AK can do BT 5. on their current gen entry DAP why not on this this one. It’s would be nice to have it on a 1600$ DAP (the more you spend the less you want to compromise, imo).

 

[ipaddy]

We know that you have been trying for a long time JasonNYJ, we appreciate it, we also know that not everything depends on you.thx

Astell&Kern - nothing more to add why ?
Just like that, BT v4.2 in DAP KANN Ultra in 2023.

I thought we were friends, enthusiasts and one family of A&K equipment owners and we analyze specifications and quality of sound together.
Well, we are just... naive customers, buy it or get lost - sad .

I may be getting old, but I could swear that besides confirming what the BT version was, Jason also promised that he would get an explanation.

Do I need to go back to ancient posts from 4 days ago?

 

[ipaddy]

Honestly, when we were building the product pages, we thought the Bluetooth 4.2 might be a typo, but alas it was not.

I'm about to ramble a bit here...

I think A&K could just as well have dropped Bluetooth altogether from the KANN Ultra. I know lots of folks are using DAPs from brands like Luxury & Precision that don't have WiFi or any form of app support. In general A&K is somewhere in between the barebones L&P and the full Android of iBasso or Fiio players, and personally, I'd like to see them release more players that lean more towards simplicity and barebones design. I'd rather go without Bluetooth than without WiFi anyway.

KANN Max is still one of my personal favorites. I typically grab it before the SP3000 for testing new IEMs, and you may have seen me wondering around CanJam demoing IEMs with one at NYC or SoCal. I like that it's just kind of a big dumb brick of a player (@JasonNYC - feel free to pass that on for a "back of the box" quote). I've never used the Bluetooth or BT Sync on it, except for testing the features and troubleshooting for customers.

It's beneficial for brands to have better differentiation across the product line. If you can make a better pure player at a better price by narrowing the focus, then narrow the focus. Identify who this player is for and tailor it to their needs.
Build a "Powerhouse" player with a focus on the amplification.
Build a player packed to the gills with connectivity features.
Build a player with an emphasis on peak sound quality...

So I guess my take is, I understand that putting Bluetooth 4.2 allows you to save some money (possibly reduce some level of EMF or background noise over 5.0/5.2??) while still supporting all the features of the platform, but I'd rather see a player with a greater sense of focus and clear purpose that does something specific and does it exceptionally well, than a full lineup of players that compromise just a little bit in 5 different directions, ultimately limiting what could have been with a clear specific vision.

Either way, I'm a bit of a fanboi, so I can't wait to get my demo unit of this one. I'll let you know when I've got it in, and y'all can let me know what kind of tests you'd like to see!

Wow. That's a long way of saying that a premium DAP doesn't need bluetooth that is at least as good as the prior version.

I disagree.

 

[ipaddy]

[
Just my personal opinion.
Having a $300 TWS and using a $1600 hi-res DAP seems kinda pointless.
Might as well buy a $200 DAP with Bluetooth and LDAC.

Some people (many people) would prefer not to have two separate daps, one for listening at home, and one for travelling, where a wire is not appropriate. Precisely for the latter one wants a premium DAP to have, if not the latest and greatest bluetooth, at least not to go below the last version of the unit, but even half a decade or more into the past.

Heck, why not have it be an FM transmitter?

 

[123peter]

"ipaddy" you weren't supposed to reveal that.
The FM radio will be installed in the next version - Kann Supreme

But seriously, it's an interesting "nioh" suggestion and I hope it's not the case that we focused on BT 4.2 in Kann Ultra,
or BT and WiFi are not the same or cheap SoC ?
Kann Max also had only one 2.4Ghz range, but BT v5.0

 

[123peter]

Honestly, when we were building the product pages, we thought the Bluetooth 4.2 might be a typo, but alas it was not.

I'm about to ramble a bit here...

I think A&K could just as well have dropped Bluetooth altogether from the KANN Ultra. I know lots of folks are using DAPs from brands like Luxury & Precision that don't have WiFi or any form of app support. In general A&K is somewhere in between the barebones L&P and the full Android of iBasso or Fiio players, and personally, I'd like to see them release more players that lean more towards simplicity and barebones design. I'd rather go without Bluetooth than without WiFi anyway.

KANN Max is still one of my personal favorites. I typically grab it before the SP3000 for testing new IEMs, and you may have seen me wondering around CanJam demoing IEMs with one at NYC or SoCal. I like that it's just kind of a big dumb brick of a player (@JasonNYC - feel free to pass that on for a "back of the box" quote). I've never used the Bluetooth or BT Sync on it, except for testing the features and troubleshooting for customers.

It's beneficial for brands to have better differentiation across the product line. If you can make a better pure player at a better price by narrowing the focus, then narrow the focus. Identify who this player is for and tailor it to their needs.
Build a "Powerhouse" player with a focus on the amplification.
Build a player packed to the gills with connectivity features.
Build a player with an emphasis on peak sound quality...

So I guess my take is, I understand that putting Bluetooth 4.2 allows you to save some money (possibly reduce some level of EMF or background noise over 5.0/5.2??) while still supporting all the features of the platform, but I'd rather see a player with a greater sense of focus and clear purpose that does something specific and does it exceptionally well, than a full lineup of players that compromise just a little bit in 5 different directions, ultimately limiting what could have been with a clear specific vision.

Either way, I'm a bit of a fanboi, so I can't wait to get my demo unit of this one. I'll let you know when I've got it in, and y'all can let me know what kind of tests you'd like to see!

Bloom - I hope that you will review Kann Ultra as honestly as you can and dispel any doubts.
Extend this test by checking the speed of operation on 8 cores, the operation of the unfortunate BT V4.2, the BT-Sink function, the quality and stability of the connection on AptxHD and LDAC in both RX and TX modes (TWS, Smartphone) - and of course the quality of sound.
Is there a chance that you will do it this month before the premiere in November?