The light and the object are the main theme of the AK380 design. Any shadow of an object portraits the exact shape from the perspective of the light at that moment. The way of reproducing the true sound of music from digital formats is quite similar. Nothing more or nothing less.

The design motif of the AK380 reflects our philosophy of music and sound. Hence, the light and the shadows became the inspiration of the AK380. The AK380 design was inspired by light and shadow. While the design of the AK240 captured as a moment in time of light and shadow, the AK380 is designed to express the change of time with more angles on its body. You will notice the different angles of surface design as you view the AK380.

We believe that the beauty of the design shall reflect what the AK380 can do with music. As different angles of light casts different shadows, different music will give you a variety of emotions.

Evolved to Serve Pro-Audio Astell Kern has stayed on the course, offering the truest and most natural sound possible.

The new AK380 offers the most authentic sound from any digital music format with enhanced features that are sought-after by Pro-Audio. 32bit 384kHz Bit to Bit Playback, Native DSD (up to 5.6 MHz) Playback, Parametric EQ with 20-band 0.1dB, 200 Femto Second VCXO Reference Clock, Scalable Amp DNLA-based AK Connect App, Metal Touch Sensor Home Button. Every bit of the AK380 was designed for Pro-Audio in mind.

The sound that Pro-Audio people have been looking for starts with the AK380. 32-bit 384kHz bit-to-bit Playback
All of the AK380 circuit design including the digital-analog converter (DAC) are ready for 32-bit processing to handle 32-bit music natively. Other products have traditionally used sample rate converter (SRC) method down sampling for playback. However, the AK380 is capable of playing back 32-bit, 384 kHz original sound without any down sampling.

The result is the AK380 plays up to 32-bit, 384 kHz, any 24-bit music files, or double layer DSD 5.6MHz natively, without conversion or compression.