AK PA10 offers a three-stage control of Class-A AMP current, emphasizing the characteristic of Class-A AMP relative to the current value and creating a more intense sound. Also, we addressed the concern of battery drain due to power consumption, the major reason why Class-A AMPs are not sued used for portable devices, by controlling the current value.

As headphones isolate the left/right channels this can cause increased fatigue to a users ears during extended listening periods, and it offers limited spatial sound by comparison when listening to the same music from speakers. Crossfeed mixes some of the signals from one channel and sends them to the opposite channel with a slight delay, creating a more central and natural sound, recreating sounds similar to that of listening via a speaker system, subsequently reducing listening fatigue. AK PA10’s Crossfeed function is implemented exclusively by hardware circuit design, not by digital software, offering a more seamless and sophisticated crossfeed effect without degrading the original sound. Turn on Crossfeed to experience the vivid, authentic and effortless sound this feature has to offer.

Amplifying small signals to get greater outputs inevitably drives the noise level up. However, AK PA10 introduces a high output design for the perfect operation of hard to drive headphones, using delicate current control, and a perfect circuit design that is the embodiment of the philosophy of Astell&Kern which continuously aims to deliver pure and refined audio without any noise. AK PA10 incorporates our signature analog volume control that seamlessly delivers the sounds of the Class-A AMP. It also has a separate power supply IC per audio block that is divided into crossfeed, volume, AMP, etc., so that it can comfortably supply the optimal power required for each audio IC. This design eliminates the interfering ripple noise (rippling noise that occurs when power is turned on) of DC-DC power, thereby minimizing audio noises that may be amplified along with the audio.