Astell&Kern is wrapping up its year in high-end audio with two new releases: the AK HC5 USB DAC and STELLA, a reference-level earphone created with VOLK Audio and GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer Michael Graves.
Both products land in early 2026 and mark some of the company’s most ambitious hardware yet.
The AK HC5 is the more compact of the two, but positioned as a major leap for portable listening. It features the AK4499EX DAC, a chip usually reserved for A&K’s flagship digital audio players, into a pocketable form factor, paired with the AK4191EQ processor to keep digital and analogue pathways clean. Astell&Kern says the setup dramatically reduces noise while preserving the fine detail you’d expect from its premium players.
It also inherits some engineering from the SP4000, including a High Driving Mode architecture and a horizontal OPAMP layout to give tracks more depth and punch than most portable DACs can manage. To help deal with less-than-ideal sources like phones or laptops, the HC5 uses an amplifier stage designed for cleaner power delivery and a dual-shielded cable to cut electromagnetic interference.
Usability is a clear priority, too. There’s a 150-step volume wheel, a 1.62-inch OLED display, DAR upsampling with PCM 384kHz/DSD256, six DAC filters, and support for both UAC 2.0 and 1.0, making it plug-and-play with devices like the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. A protective Italian-made Synt3 case rounds out the package. The AK HC5 launches at £399 / $450 / €499.
STELLA, meanwhile, is aimed squarely at the ultra-premium end of the market. Developed with VOLK Audio and tuned through sessions with Michael Graves at Osiris Studio in Los Angeles, the earphones use a newly created 12-driver quadbrid architecture.
Each driver type operates within its natural range with no software compensation, which A&K says results in a more accurate, uncoloured sound.
The hardware is equally bespoke: a machined 6061-T6 aluminium shell with resonance control, a stainless-steel faceplate frame with integrated vents, sapphire glass, and dual branding from Astell&Kern and VOLK.
Inside, the configuration includes a hybrid low-frequency system with a 9mm dynamic driver, a three-armature midrange, and a high-frequency array combining planar magnetic drivers with four electrostatic tweeters for extension up to 45 kHz. The included cable uses a mix of LCOFC copper, silver, and 24K gold in a 12-strand Litz geometry. STELLA is priced at £3,899 / $3,900 / €4,400.
Both products will be shown publicly in Japan and China from 13–14 December, with retail availability starting January 2026.
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