# ‘Digs respectably deep, but it doesn’t hit as hard as is ideal’: Astell & Kern’s bijou new smartphone DAC is as detailed as you could ever want, but it lacks a weighty bass snap

> TechRadar Verdict No, it’s not perfect. But by prevailing portable headphone amp/DAC standards, the Astell & Kern HC5 is very competitive in most respects — and it’s a lovely device to look at and to hold, too.

- **Source:** [TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/audio/dacs/astell-and-kern-ak-hc5-review?utm_source=gearopen.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=feed&utm_content=6a4bb0e3254f0da55deb5456)
- **Published:** 2026-07-06
- **Category:** Audio & Video
- **Tags:** #headphones
- **Canonical:** http://localhost:4321/a/6a4bb0e3254f0da55deb5456

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_GearOpen's distilled summary. The full original article is published at TechRadar (source link above); GearOpen does not republish the source's full text._