Astell & Kern's premium portable player is the first of its kind to personalise its sound to your ears

Astell & Kern has launched what it describes as the world's first digital audio player "to create a sound signature uniquely tailored to the user’s hearing".

The new A&K PD20 shapes its sound to fit your unique sonic preferences in pursuit of a far more individualised musical experience.

How, you ask? The PD20 features a 'Personal Sound' system, which analyses individual hearing characteristics and compensates independently for left and right ears to create a bespoke listening profile.

Dedicated earphones are included with the new player to give precise hearing measurements, with users completing a simple hearing test and then receiving a sound signature optimised exclusively for them.

To further customise the sound if necessary, the PD20 also features a 'Sound Master Wheel', offering a 160-step EQ control across bass, midrange and treble frequencies.

At its heart, the A&K PD20 houses an ESS ES9027PRO Quad DAC configuration, with four DACs operating independently to minimise interference and offer greater signal path separation for preserving sonic purity. The PD20 also supports native playback of hi-res PCM music up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512.

The new player is bolstered by Astell & Kern’s 'ESA' (Enhanced Signal Alignment) tech to reduce delay by precisely aligning frequency signals, all of which aims to minimise distortion and further improve audio clarity.

Astell & Kern’s 'Digital Audio Remaster' technology, meanwhile, which first appeared with the brand's five-star flagship SP4000 player, further strives for a more "natural and refined sound".

Astell & Kern's latest portable player grants 256GB of internal memory, expandable to up to 2TB via the provided microSD slot, as well as around 14 hours of battery life.

Bluetooth with hi-res aptX HD and LDAC codecs alongside wi-fi connectivity are supported, while physical outputs include USB-C for digital audio, charging your PD20 or using it as an outboard DAC for your laptop or computer.

The PD20 features a triple-amp architecture, allowing real-time switching between Class A, Class AB and Hybrid amplification modes, as well as a choice of spatial audio options.

Equipped with a 6-inch FHD+ display and housed in an aluminium chassis, the Astell & Kern PD20 will be available in late March, priced at £1799 / $1970.

MORE:

This budget brand's upcoming streaming products are directly aiming for WiiM's crown

12 of the most exciting products I saw at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026

These are the best portable MP3 players money can buy