The company has launched a new and limited edition of the player – in stainless steel. It claims to offer a luxurious feel and increased durability, but most importantly it promises an improved sound.
How? Well, the AK240 Stainless Steel Edition offers more grounding points for eliminating electrical noise, which in theory means a “purer audio experience”.
The original AK240, launched last year, already has laser-etched ground points on its anodized duralumin body. With the 'Stainless Steel Edition', the entire casing acts as grounding.
In terms of functionality, the player remains unchanged. It still uses a dual 24-bit/192kHz DAC design and there's extensive file support, including native DSD playback.
You'll find 256GB of memory on board, and you can add more with a microSD card (up to 128GB). You do get a fancy new leather case from Tanniere Rémy Carriat, however.
The Astell & Kern AK240 Stainless Steel Edition is available now, for £2500.