Astell&Kern’s PD20 arrives as the clearest signal yet that the Korean manufacturer still sets the standard in the high end DAP category. For more than a decade, Astell&Kern has defined what a reference portable player should look like, feel like, and most importantly, sound like. With the PD20, the company is not chasing trends. It is extending its lead.

What makes the PD20 different is its integrated Personal Sound system developed with Audiodo, allowing the player to create a listening profile based on the user’s individual hearing characteristics. Personalized audio is not new. Wireless headphones have offered hearing compensation for years. But bringing true left and right ear analysis and correction to a dedicated digital audio player is new territory. Instead of delivering a fixed house sound, the PD20 reshapes the presentation around the listener, raising the bar for what a flagship DAP can do.

Personal Sound System Brings True Hearing Calibration

The PD20 features a Personal Sound system developed in collaboration with Audiodo. The player analyzes the listener’s hearing characteristics and applies independent compensation for the left and right ears, creating a personalized listening profile based on measurable data rather than preset EQ curves.

To enable accurate calibration, Astell&Kern includes dedicated earphones with the PD20 that work in tandem with an integrated hearing test. The process evaluates sensitivity across frequencies and builds a correction profile tailored to the individual user. The result is a sound signature optimized specifically for that listener’s hearing response.

For additional control, the PD20 incorporates a Sound Master Wheel that provides 160 step adjustment from -8.0 dB to +8.0 dB across Bass, Mid, and Treble bands. This allows for precise real time tonal refinement without interrupting playback, giving users both automated personalization and manual tuning flexibility.

Advanced Amplification Architecture 

The PD20 features a Triple AMP architecture with real time switching between three distinct amplification modes Class A, Class A/B, and Hybrid, allowing users to select the presentation that best matches their headphones and listening preferences. Each mode alters bias operation and output behavior to prioritize tonal richness, efficiency, or a balance of both, as outlined in the accompanying image.

• Class A Mode: Delivers a rich, high density presentation with minimal distortion, emphasizing tonal weight and a smooth, analog like character.
• Class A/B Mode: Prioritizes balance and efficiency, offering strong dynamic stability with clean, articulate detail across the frequency range.
• Hybrid Mode: Blends the tonal refinement of Class A with the efficiency and output capability of Class A/B, aiming for a balanced presentation that combines texture, control, and usable power.

Precision Bias Control for Class A and Hybrid Amplification Modes

A dedicated physical slide switch allows instant mode changes without diving into menus. In Class A and Hybrid modes, users can further adjust amplifier current across three selectable levels to better match headphone load and listening preference.

High: Maximizes output current for greater headroom and dynamic impact. This setting is designed to better control high impedance headphones, delivering a broader soundstage with strong drive and stability.

Mid: Strikes a balance between current output and efficiency, maintaining tonal density while preserving clarity and resolution. It is positioned as the most versatile setting for a wide range of full size headphones.

Low: Reduces output current to lower the noise floor and improve control with high sensitivity earphones. This setting is optimized for IEMs, helping reveal low level detail without introducing unwanted background noise.

Sound Lab Control

The PD20 is conceived as a true sound lab. Built around what Astell&Kern calls Sound Lab Control, the player draws inspiration from professional studio gear in both layout and operation. Dual top mounted wheels separate sound tuning from volume control, while dedicated slide switches manage amplifier mode and current selection. LED lighting provides real time indication of track bit depth and active operating modes, offering clear visual feedback during playback.

DAC: The PD20 is built around the ESS ES9027PRO in a Quad DAC configuration, with four DACs operating independently to reduce inter channel interference and improve signal separation. This architecture is designed to maximize channel balance, resolution, and overall dynamic performance. The PD20 can also function as a USB DAC when connected to a Mac or Windows based PC, extending its use beyond portable playback.

ESA Enhanced Signal Alignment: The PD20 incorporates Astell&Kern’s proprietary ESA technology, which focuses on minimizing group delay by precisely aligning frequency signals across the spectrum. The goal is lower distortion and improved clarity through more accurate time domain performance. 

Advanced DAR: Astell&Kern’s second-generation Digital Audio Remaster technology, first introduced on the flagship SP4000, is engineered to produce a more natural and refined presentation. Instead of routing the signal directly to the DAR engine, audio first passes through VSE (Virtual Sound Extender), where missing harmonics are algorithmically reconstructed to enhance tonal completeness. After this stage, DAR processing applies up-sampling for more comprehensive signal refinement. The combined process is designed to improve depth and immersion while preserving the integrity of the original recording.

Atmosphere Technology: The PD20 incorporates Atmosphere processing that expands beyond traditional 2-channel stereo. It creates a virtual 3-dimensional sound field from standard stereo content and offers four selectable presets: Subtle, Balanced, Immersive, and Echoic. Depending on the material and listener preference, users can tailor spatial presentation for music, orchestral works, or audio/video content.

Memory and Networking: The PD20 includes 256GB of internal storage and supports microSD cards up to 2TB. Connectivity features include dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac), DLNA networking, USB digital-audio output, and USB-C for data transfer and charging.

PCM and DSD: The PD20 supports native playback of high-res PCM music up to 32-bit, 768kHz, and DSD512.

ReplayGain and AK File Drop: Replay Gain keeps playback levels consistent across tracks, while AK File Drop enables seamless, wireless file transfers from devices on the same network with no cables required.

Bluetooth Support: The PD20 incorporates Bluetooth with support for aptX HD, LDAC, and BT Sink mode. BT Sink allows the PD20 to receive audio from an external device over Bluetooth and operate as a Bluetooth DAC. This enables music streamed from a smartphone, tablet, or other source to benefit from the PD20’s internal DAC architecture and amplification stage.

Analog Outputs: The PD20 provides both 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of headphones, earphones, and in-ear monitors.

Fast Charging: USB PD 3.0 fast-charging support allows the PD20 to reach a full charge in approximately 3.5 hours when used with its included charging cradle and a compatible USB-C power adapter.

Crossfeed: In headphone listening, where left and right channels are fully isolated, long sessions can increase listening fatigue. The PD20’s Crossfeed function blends a controlled portion of each channel into the other with a slight time delay, helping to center the sound image and simulate a more speaker-like presentation. Adjustable parameters include Shelf Cutoff, Shelf Gain, and Mixer Level, allowing users to fine tune the degree of crossfeed to match their listening preferences.

Display: The PD20 features a 6-inch FHD+ display that presents playback status and operational controls with clear visibility and responsive touch interaction.

Pro Tip: The PD20 will be Roon Ready, pending Roon testing and certification.

The Bottom Line 

The Astell&Kern PD20 strengthens the brand’s position at the top of the DAP category by introducing something genuinely new for dedicated players: integrated hearing based personalization. While custom sound profiles have existed in wireless headphones, bringing left and right ear analysis into a Quad DAC, multi mode amplification platform is a first for a reference grade DAP.

Add selectable Class A, Class A/B, and Hybrid amplification, adjustable bias current, second generation DAR processing, and extensive manual tuning, and the PD20 becomes a highly configurable portable source built for serious listening.

Priced just under $2000, it undercuts the SP4000 while offering a feature the flagship does not. The PD20 is for experienced headphone users who want reference performance with flexibility and control, and who understand that hearing is not universal. If the idea of a DAP that adapts to you makes sense, the PD20 is one of the most forward thinking players currently available.

For those wondering about the fate of the PD10, the PD20 is not a replacement. The PD10 remains a current model and continues in production alongside the new player.

The key difference between the two centers on DAC architecture. The PD10 is built around dual AKM4191EQ modulators paired with four AKM4498EX DAC chips in a dual DAC configuration, reflecting AKM’s separated digital and analog design philosophy. The PD20, by contrast, adopts four ESS ES9027PRO DACs in a Quad DAC layout, representing a different technical approach within the lineup rather than a generational shift.

Price & Availability

The Astell&Kern PD20 DAP will be available in late March 2026 through Astell & Kern Authorized Dealers, with a suggested retail price of $1,970 (£1799). 

For more information: astellnkern.com

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For 2026, the comparison between baseline iPhone and Android flagships comes down to two phones that are closer than they’ve ever been — the Galaxy S26 at $899 and the iPhone 17 at $799. Same form factor, same screen size, very different philosophies.

We’ve broken down everything that actually moves the needle — design, display, performance, cameras, battery, and software — because the right phone isn’t the one with the longer spec sheet. It’s the one that fits how you actually use it.

Price and availability

The iPhone 17 kicks off at $799 with 256GB baked in from the start — no arguing with that. The Galaxy S26 lands at $899 for 256GB. Last year’s S25 was $859, so Samsung snuck in a $40 increase, and the ongoing memory shortage got the blame.

So there’s a $100 gap sitting between these two phones right out the gate. Whether the S26 justifies it over the iPhone 17 — or whether Apple’s just quietly winning on value before the comparison even starts — is what the rest of this piece is for.

Design

Pick up the S26 and the iPhone 17 back-to-back and the first thing you think is: did these two companies share a blueprint? Heights are dead-even at 149.6mm. Width differs by 0.2mm — which doesn’t make a different in real life.

Apple’s phone is thicker at 7.95 mm versus Samsung’s 7.2 mm, and heavier too, tipping the scales at 177 grams against the S26’s 167 grams. What gives away Samsung’s entry-level flagship is its boxy corners, which are immediately recognizable against the rounded corners on the iPhone 17.

Both phones use aluminum frames, so nobody’s winning a materials fight there. The glass is where they split — Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back on the S26, and Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17’s front, which Apple says scratches three times less easily than regular glass.

Dunking either one is fine either way; IP68 on both. The S26 comes in Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, and White — pick one and people will notice. The iPhone 17 gives you Black, White (my personal favorite), Mist Blue, Sage, and Lavender — tones quiet enough that your phone practically whispers.

Display

Both screens measure 6.3 inches, so that argument ends before it starts. Where things get interesting is everything underneath that number.

The iPhone 17 sports a 2622 x 1206 pixel OLED panel at 460 ppi, sharper than the Galaxy S26’s panel, which maxes out at FHD+ with 2340 x 1080 pixels (411 ppi). The S26’s display is fine, looks good, and frankly most people won’t lose sleep over it. Side-by-side though, the difference shows (I hope Samsung sees it as well).

The S26 peaks at 2,600 nits outdoors, which handles most sunny days well enough. The iPhone 17 pushes to 3,000 nits — and upon using it side by side with the Galaxy S25 (which shares its peak brightness with the S26), I found the iPhone to be noticeably brighter, especially under direct sunlight.

Both do 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rates, so scrolling feels equally fluid on either one. Then there’s always-on display — both phones keep your notifications visible without fully waking the screen, which sounds minor until you’ve used it for a week and then picked up a phone without it.

While I’ve grown accustomed to the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17, you might not like it in the first glance, especially if you’re upgrading from an Android phone with a punch-hole camera — that’s something to keep in mind as well.

Performance

Specs-wise, Samsung shows up with more — Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 3nm, 12GB RAM. Apple brings the A19 and 8GB. On a spec sheet that reads as a clean Samsung win, but phones aren’t spec sheets.

Benchmarks tell a messier story. The S26 pulls ahead when multiple cores are working together, which is relevant for heavy multitasking. The scores are almost similar in the single-core test, which is what your phone actually leans on for most things — launching apps, typing, switching between tasks. All-in-all, both phones offer similar (read excellent) day-to-day performance.

The RAM gap is where it gets more practical. Twelve gigabytes means more apps stay open in the background without reloading. If your phone use involves juggling a lot at once, the S26 has more headroom. And yes, both are perfectly capable of handing the most demanding games at high frame rates, it’s just the matter of whether the developer has included support for it or not.

I’ve been using the iPhone 17 for about six months now, and I haven’t, for once, felt that the phone doesn’t offer enough CPU or GPU performance, especially when needed. That’s the thing with top-tier mobile chipsets; they’ve got more horsepower than most people can use upfront, but it helps maintaining the performance in the long-term.

Operating System

The S26 runs One UI 8.5 on Android 16 — the most put-together version of Samsung’s skin yet. Rounder, cleaner, and stuffed with settings you’ll spend a Sunday afternoon exploring.

Galaxy AI actually pulls weight now: Now Nudge suggests replies by reading your screen context, Call Screening stops unknown callers before your phone buzzes, and Audio Eraser finally works inside YouTube and Instagram, not just Samsung’s own apps. Bixby gets Perplexity as backup for the questions it used to fumble.

iOS 26 got a full face-lift with Liquid Glass — translucent menus and icons that split opinion pretty cleanly between “stunning” and “bit much.” Apple Intelligence handles real-time translation across calls, Messages, and FaceTime, though it’s not as useful as Galaxy AI. The ecosystem perks, however, are still superior.

Samsung commits to seven years of operating system and security updates, while Apple usually provides around five to six years of software support.

Cameras

The S26 has a 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and a dedicated 10MP 3x telephoto. The iPhone 17 runs a 48MP main at f/1.6, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 2x “zoom” that’s just the main sensor being cropped — not a real telephoto lens.

Daylight shots on both look great, full stop. Where they differ is taste. Samsung cranks up the saturation and contrast — your photos come out looking like they’ve already been edited, ready to post. Apple mostly shows you what was there, i.e., the camera reproduces natural, neutral colors.

After dark, the iPhone quietly holds its own. Apple’s Night Mode has been one of the best in the business for years (along with the f/1.6 aperture). Zoom goes the other way. A real 3x optical lens on the S26 versus Apple’s cropped 2x is a clear hardware win for Samsung.

The most unique thing about the iPhone 17’s camera system is its selfie shooter — an 18MP (f/1.9) square-shaped camera sensor that can capture super wide selfies in multiple aspect ratios. Apple surely needs to bump up the resolution for the visual area the sensor covers, but even so, Samsung’s 12MP sensor is no match for it.

Video on both is strong at 4K/60fps with good stabilization. Apple’s color science gives it a slight edge in footage quality, plus the sensor-shift stabilization works like a charm, but the S26 shoots 8K if that’s something you need. Most people don’t, but the option exists.

Battery

The S26 has a bigger tank — 4,300mAh versus the iPhone 17’s 3,692mAh — and Samsung claims 31 hours of video playback to Apple’s 30. One hour in it, with a notably smaller cell on Apple’s side. That gap says more about the A19’s efficiency than it does about the S26’s battery.

Charging is where iPhone pulls ahead. With 40W wired charging, the handset reaches 50% in roughly 25 minutes. The S26 still sits at 25W — same as its last two predecessors. Wireless is where the gap reopens. The iPhone 17 does 25W via MagSafe; the S26 base model caps at 15W standard wireless.

Conclusion

The S26 makes a stronger case on paper. More RAM, a bigger battery, a real telephoto lens, 8K video, and One UI 8.5 giving you enough customization to keep a hobbyist busy for weeks. It’s the better phone for power users, Android loyalists, and anyone who shoots a lot of zoom photos or wants their phone to last the full day.

The iPhone 17 wins on the things that are harder to put in a spec sheet. Faster charging, better low-light photography, smoother sustained performance under load, the refreshing iOS 26 experience, and an ecosystem so tightly integrated it borders on a lifestyle choice. If you own a Mac, iPad, or AirPods, the iPhone 17 doesn’t just work well — it works together in a way the S26 can’t replicate.

Netflix’s mystery series Wednesday reinvigorated the Addams Family for the modern age, becoming one of the streaming giant’s most-watched shows. It’s only natural that Netflix keep the hype running with Wednesday‘s upcoming third season.

There’s a lot we can expect to see from Wednesday after season 2. It’s unclear what Wednesday and her peers will encounter in the next season, but what makes the show so fun is watching the mystery unfold. In all fairness, we don’t like waiting years for more episodes. Don’t fret. We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about Wednesday season 3.

What’s the story of Wednesday season 3?

Netflix Tudum wrote that in season 3, “a new wave of insidious interlopers will be darkening the doors of Nevermore Academy.” Wednesday showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar said to Tudum that the third season will also “excavate some long-rotting Addams Family secrets.”

“Our goal for Season 3 is the same as it is for every season: to make it the best season of Wednesday we possibly can,” said Gough. “We want to continue digging deeper into our characters while expanding the world of Nevermore and Wednesday.”

These statements fit with what we saw as Wednesday left Nevermore with Uncle Fester and Thing in search of her alpha werewolf bestie, Enid. In this ending to season 2, Wednesday had a vision of her Aunt Ophelia, imprisoned by Grandmama Frump and writing in blood, “Wednesday Must Die,” suggesting some of the Addams family’s skeletons will come out of the closet.

When will Wednesday season 3 come out?

Since Wednesday season 3 is so early into production, there is no release date set at this time. We can’t see into the future like Wednesday Addams, but it is likely she will return in 2027. Though the second season premiered three years after the first, the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strike stalled production for several months. Barring any future delays, the wait for season 3 should last a total of two years rather than three.

When and where is Wednesday season 3 filming?

Production for Wednesday season 3 started in February 2026, according to Netflix Tudum. Like with season 2, filming will take place near Dublin.

Who will return in Wednesday season 3?

As usual, Wednesday will feature a vast, quirky cast of characters in season 3, including members of the Addams Family and Wednesday’s classmates at Nevermore Academy.

• Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
• Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams
• Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams
• Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams
• Joana Lumley as Grandmama Hester Frump
• Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay
• Georgie Farmer as Ajax Tanaka
• Moosa Mostafa as Eugene Ottinger
• Evie Templeton as Agnes DeMille
• Victor Dorobantu as Thing
• Winona Ryder as Tabitha
• Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair
• Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galpin
• Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester
• Billie Piper as Isadora Capri
• Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo as Santiago
• Oscar Morgan as Atticus
• Kennedy Moyer as Daisy
• Noah Taylor as Cyrus
• Chris Sarandon as Balthazar
• Eva Green as Ophelia Frump

Who’s new to Wednesday season 3?

Just like season 2, Wednesday‘s third season will welcome plenty of new characters to Nevermore Academy. Actors joining the cast next season include Winona Ryder (Stranger Things), Chris Sarandon (Dog Day Afternoon, The Princess Bride), Noah Taylor (Peaky Blinders, Game of Thrones), Oscar Morgan (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), and Kennedy Moyer (Task, Roofman).

In an interview with Netflix Tudum, Gough and Millar shared a statement praising Eva Green and her performance as Wednesday’s Aunt Ophelia:

“Eva Green has always brought an exhilarating, singular presence to the screen — elegant, haunting, and beautifully unpredictable. Those qualities make her the perfect choice for Aunt Ophelia. We’re excited to see how she transforms the role and expands Wednesday’s world.”

Green also said to Tudum, “I’m thrilled to join the woefully twisted world of Wednesday as Aunt Ophelia. This show is such a deliciously dark and witty world, I can’t wait to bring my own touch of cuckoo-ness to the Addams family.”

Winona Ryder’s casting is also particularly noteworthy. The actor has frequently starred as a main player in producer Tim Burton’s films. Most recently, she starred alongside Jenna Ortega in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Whether or not Ryder’s new character will support Wednesday on her journey, it will be exciting to see the former reignite her on-screen chemistry with Ortega.

Are there any trailers for Wednesday season 3?

On February 23, Netflix shared a fiendishly flamboyant video announcing that production for Wednesday season 3, all while revealing the cast. The trailer also featured a “?” to label one of the season’s cast members, suggesting this mystery character plays an important role that would spoil the story.

Hundreds of employees at Google and OpenAI have urging their companies to in its standoff with the Pentagon over military applications for AI tools like Claude.

The letter, titled “We Will Not Be Divided,” calls on the leadership of both companies to “put aside their differences and stand together to continue to refuse the Department of War’s current demands for permission to use our models for domestic mass surveillance and autonomously killing people without human oversight.” These are two lines that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei should not be crossed by his or any other AI company.

As of publication, the letter has over 450 signatures, almost 400 of which come from Google employees and the rest from OpenAI. Currently, roughly 50 percent of all participants have chosen to attach their names to the cause, with the rest remaining anonymous. All are verified as current employees of these companies. The original organizers of the letter aren’t Google or OpenAI employees; they say are unaffiliated with any AI company, political party or advocacy group.

The open letter is the latest development in the saga between Anthropic and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who to label the company a “supply chain risk” if it did not agree to withdraw certain guardrails for classified work. The Pentagon has also been in talks with Google and OpenAI about using their models for classified work, with earlier this week. The letter argues the government is “trying to divide each company with fear that the other will give in.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told his employees on Friday that the ChatGPT maker will draw the same red lines as Anthropic, according to an internal memo seen by . He told on the same day that he doesn’t “personally think the Pentagon should be threatening DPA against these companies.”