Astell&Kern AK T9iE £1,100

That A&K makes the best DAPs doesn’t guarantee mastery of IEMs, but it has Beyerdynamic on board!

DETAILS

PRODUCT Astell&Kern AK T9iE

ORIGIN Germany

TYPE In-ear monitor

FEATURES

● Driver type: single dynamic

● Shell: ceramic

● Cables: 2.5mm balanced/3.5mm adapter

DISTRIBUTOR Exertis Unlimited Ltd

Highly rated for its extensive and mostly expensive range of classy DAPs, Korea’s A&K has struck up a few fruitful collaborations over the years including, crucially for this in-ear outing, German headphone maestro Beyerdynamic.

Like the Sennheiser IE 900, the AK T9iE uses a single dynamic driver. An impedance rating of 16ohm suggests a benign drive load and, despite the natural tendency for single drivers to lose out at the highest and lowest frequencies, a range of 8Hz-48kHz is claimed. The ceramic housing features a new acoustic chamber design that seeks to counter the lower-end shortfall, Beyerdynamic incorporating a larger bore pressure vent which is said to improve control as well as bass weight and extension.