Astell&Kern Launches Flagship AK HC5 Dongle DAC & STELLA IEMs with VOLK Audio
By HiFi Editorial18 January 2026
Key Highlights
Astell&Kern introduces the AK HC5 USB DAC, featuring the flagship AK4499EX DAC chip and AK4191EQ processor for high-fidelity audio performance.
The AK HC5 is compact, includes a 150-step volume wheel, OLED display, and supports PCM 384 kHz and DSD256 formats for versatile compatibility.
Astell&Kern collaborates with VOLK Audio and Michael Graves to produce the STELLA IEMs, a 12-driver quadbrid system for reference-level accuracy.
