Astell&Kern is a South Korean high-end portable audio brand established in 2012 in Seoul. It is owned by Dreamus Company, the successor to iriver, and was created to build portable players capable of reproducing studio-quality, high-resolution audio at a time when the market was dominated by compressed formats.
The brand's digital audio players are organized into lines including A&ultima, A&futura, and A&norma, topped by flagship models such as the A&ultima SP4000. The players are built around premium DAC chipsets, machined aluminum or stainless steel chassis, and the brand's angular design language, and support native playback of high-resolution formats including DSD and FLAC along with streaming services such as TIDAL and Qobuz.
Beyond players, Astell&Kern produces headphone amplifiers, DACs, wireless speakers, and in-ear monitors, many developed in collaboration with specialist earphone makers. Its flagship players are priced in the thousands of dollars, positioning the brand at the top of the portable audio market alongside boutique competitors.
Astell&Kern sells through its official sites, regional distributors, and specialty audio retailers worldwide. The brand maintains a consistent cadence of flagship releases and limited editions, and its players are widely used as reference sources by headphone enthusiasts and reviewers.