ЦАПы — Astell&Kern HC5

The AK HC5 is a pocket USB converter and headphone driver made by Astell&Kern, the company behind the SP4000 portable player, which presents it as its top dongle-style model. It was first shown on 13 and 14 December 2025 at Potafes in Akihabara and at the Guangzhou headphone show, and went on sale in January 2026 at USD 450, GBP 399 or EUR 499. Its brief is to lift the audio output of phones, laptops and game consoles well above what their built-in circuits provide.

Key specs that matter

Conversion is split between two AKM chips - an AK4191EQ digital processor handles filtering and modulation, and an AK4499EX DAC performs the analogue stage, which keeps digital and analogue signals apart. PCM playback runs from 8 kHz to 768 kHz at 8, 16, 24 or 32 bit, and native DSD reaches DSD512. The 3.5 mm output delivers 2.5 Vrms with 0.5 ohm output impedance, and the 5-pole 4.4 mm balanced jack provides 5 Vrms at 1.1 ohm. Astell&Kern lists a signal-to-noise ratio of 121 dB single-ended and 125 dB balanced, THD+N of 0.0005 and 0.0004 percent, and crosstalk of -139 and -141 dB, all measured at 1 kHz. Frequency response stays within 0.006 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The aluminium body in Satin Silver measures 32 x 64.3 x 16 mm and weighs about 46 g.

Engineering and use context

The output circuit borrows High Driving Mode from the SP4000 player, with op-amps laid out horizontally and tuned for high PSRR and CMRR to reject supply and common-mode noise. A 1.62-inch OLED screen shows status, and volume is set by a 150-step wheel using the same encoder as the brand's players. Six selectable DAC filters are offered, and DAR (Digital Audio Remaster) upsampling converts incoming material to PCM 384 kHz or DSD256. The attached cable has a dual noise-shielded construction with tin-plated copper conductors, TPE insulation, aluminium film and a braided shield. A protective polyurethane case made in Italy by Synt3 is part of the package. Roon Tested certification was listed as in progress at launch.

Pairing

The HC5 plugs into a USB Type-C port and works as a UAC 2.0 or UAC 1.0 device, so Astell&Kern names phones, desktop computers, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch consoles as hosts. It was announced together with STELLA, an in-ear monitor developed with VOLK Audio, and the balanced output suits cables of that type.

Alternatives

The Astell&Kern AK HC4 is a smaller USB DAC cable built on an AK4493S chip, with DSD256 support and a lower output level from its balanced jack.