Audio Video News

Hi-res audio specialist Astell&Kern has announced limited-edition headphones developed in partnership with Beyerdynamic and a set of universal-fit in-ear monitors (IEM) designed by IEM pioneer Jerry Harvey.

A&K plans to produce only 1,000 of the new AK T5p 2nd Generation ($1,199) over-ear headphones, hand-built in Heilbronn, Germany and tuned to provide “optimal audio performance” when used with Astell&Kern music players.

The headphones incorporate Beyerdynamic’s high-efficiency, low-impedance Tesla transducers — designed to reach full sound potential with low-output smartphones, tablets, and hi-res music players — and include a detachable cable comprising four pure silver and four OCC copper cables braided together. The cable’s 2.5mm connector is designed to match the balanced headphone output on A&K players and comes with 2.5-to-3.5mm and quarter-inch adapters.

Sheepskin covers the earpads and headband to ensure comfort during long listening sessions and a carry case is included. Decorative black-metal ear cups complete the headphones’ upscale look.

Designed by Jerry Harvey Audio, the new Diana universal fit in-ear monitors ($799) are manufactured in-house by Astell&Kern and feature Harvey’s patented Freqphase technology, which uses precisely cut tube lengths to ensure correct time alignment and phase for each of the headset’s three balanced-armature drivers.

The in-ear monitors boast all-new drivers, designed to reduce distortion and deliver a flat response from 10 Hz to 5 kHz with a “steeper low-pass effect with no distortion,” and housed in durable aluminum shells with an acoustic chamber “optimized for treble.” The same balanced cable developed for the AK T5p 2nd Gen headphones is included along with a 2.5-to-3.5mm adapter, silicon ear tips in three sizes, and a carrying case.

The Diana IEMs are slated for delivery in December.

For more information, visit us.astellnkern.com.