Astell & Kern AK Junior Review featuring Sennheiser HD650

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. Testing4. Conclusion5. View All Pages

Being an audio enthusiast can be a very expensive hobby but the Astell & Kern Junior packs in plenty of value for the money. Not only can it power a difficult to drive headphone like the Sennheiser HD 650 with ease on the move but it also doubles as a USB audio DAC, so if you haven't invested in a sound card for your PC, you can use this to process audio instead.

You can tell that the AK Junior is going to be a high-end device just by looking at the box. This is of course backed up by its sleek, clean aluminium design. It's a beautifully designed piece of tech but the edges are a bit sharp, this won't be an issue if you plan on putting it in a case.

The software is a bit sluggish and the touchscreen doesn't always feel as accurate or responsive as one would hope it would be. However, the UI itself is well designed and simple to get around, so if the sluggishness can be resolved in an update, then my only complaint would be put to rest.

Sound quality is fantastic, it is clear to me that the Wolfson WM8740 x1 DAC housed in the AK Junior lives up to its class-leading reputation. However, to get the most out of it you should really be listening to 24-bit audio. If you have a lot of that in your library, then you are good to go.

The Astell & Kern AK Junior can be found on Amazon UK for £399.99, which is actually good value compared to the rest of Astell & Kern's line of portable players. For the price, you get 64GB of storage and an additional SD Card slot to expand that further, along with around 10 hours of use on a single charge. If you need to scratch your high-end audio itch on the move, then the AK Junior delivers.

Buy from Amazon for £399 inc vat HERE.

Pros:

• Excellent sound quality.
• Doubles as a USB DAC.
• Plenty of storage.

Cons:

• Software is slow.

KitGuru Says: The Astell & Kern AK Junior is more than capable of satisfying audio purists who want to take their hobby on the move. 

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