{
  "id": 17131279,
  "title": "Astell & Kern PD5 review: the most 'sensible' player yet from A&K visually —but sonically it soars above the competition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/astell-kern-pd5-review-the-most-sensible-player-yet-from-a-k-visually",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T22:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/audio/portable-media-players/astell-and-kern-pd5-review"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Astell & Kern PD5 review: Introduced in August 2026, this digital audio player is priced at £899, $1,049, or AU$1,349. It features eight Cirrus Logic DACs, eight DAC listening modes, balanced and unbalanced headphone outputs, Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD support, and either a microSD card slot or an internal 64GB storage option. The PD5 also supports 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 resolutions, Roon Ready, Qobuz Connect, and a built-in mic for real-time noise analysis. Despite some minor glitches and uninspiring design, the PD5 offers excellent sound quality and is competitively priced for an A&K product.",
  "summary": "Astell & Kern’s latest affordable* digital audio player eases up on the aesthetic oddity and doubles down on technology and user input(*everything’s relative, obviously)",
  "key_points": [
    "Introduced in August 2026, priced at £899, $1,049, or AU$1,349",
    "Features eight Cirrus Logic DACs, balanced and unbalanced headphone outputs",
    "Supports 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 resolutions"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}