NEW FLAGSHIP DAP AND A HIGH-END IEM COLLABORATION FROM ASTELL&KERN

Featuring a new user interface, the flagship Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 Portable Music Player features a watch-grade 904L stainless steel body, the brand has also announced the Odyssey IEMs to complement it.

ASTELL&KERN A&ULTIMA SP3000 PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYER

The new flagship portable music player from South Korean portable audio brand is made from the same premium grade stainless steel used by luxury watchmakers.

A&ultima SP3000 features the latest audio technologies, Astell&Kern say it is the world’s first digital audio player with independent Dual Audio Circuitry with complete separation of balanced and unbalanced output.

ASAHI KASEI AK4499EX DAC CHIP

It’s also the first to use the new flagship AK4499EX DAC chip from Asahi Kasei, used in innovative HEXA Audio Circuitry structure that separates digital and analogue signal processing.

Other spec highlights including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6125 Octa-Core processor and support for high-resolution aptX-HD and LDAC wireless streaming. The SP3000 has support for all key formats (including MQA, Native DSD 512) and streaming-service connectivity; it’s Roon Ready, too. ReplayGain technology keeps your listening at the volume level of your choice, with no irritating jumps or dips in volume as you move through tracks.

WATCHMAKER DETAILS

The Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 Portable Music Player has a watch-style crown control joining a new 5.46in full high-definition display and a new generation on-screen interface. The SP3000 comes in a choice of black and silver finishes, with its body made from 904L stainless steel, which the brand says is the first time this premium-grade, metal has been used on a portable player. Extremely durable and resistant to corrosion, 904L stainless steel is the metal of choice for luxury Swiss watch brands.

Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 Portable Music Player crown

ASTELL&KERN A&ULTIMA SP3000 ARTISAN LEATHER CASE

The SP3000 comes with a premium leather case made by ALRAN, who has been hand-crafting leather since 1903 in Tarn, France, and supply many leading luxury brands. The SP3000’s case is developed with ALRAN’s unique Hand-Boarding technology, which processes the leather by rubbing it in various directions using wooden planks, so you can feel the texture of the surface.

Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 Portable Music Player in black or silver

STREAMING HUB

The Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 Portable Music Player can also be used as a streaming hub for your main HiFi system, too.

TERATON ALPHA

Astell&Kern’s TERATON ALPHA technology has been further refined for the SP3000. Designed to produce audio playback that is as close as possible to the original sound, the tech combines effective power noise removal, efficient power management and amplification, and a fully converted audio output interface. The HEXA DAC structure and independent dual audio circuit, implemented for the first time in the SP3000, are paired together with the TERATON ALPHA’s sound solution.

Front and back of the Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 Portable Music Player

ASTELL&KERN & EMPIRE EARS ODYSSEY

To complement the new flagship DAP, Astell&Kern has collaborated with Empire Ears, high-end in-ear monitor company, to produce the Odyssey.

The Odyssey IEMs

The Odyssey is a handcrafted, high-performance in-ear monitor that combines a shimmering, multi-lamination design with the latest audio technologies from both esteemed brands including a 10-driver Quadbrid system.

Dean Vang, Founder of Empire Ears, told us “The Odyssey has been an extraordinary adventure in engineering, and it’s forced me to focus on new technologies and unconventional processes. The idea was to build an IEM of extremes, one worthy of bearing both the Empire Ears and Astell&Kern name. No half measures. No compromises. We had to use everything in our arsenal to break new barriers.”

10-DRIVER QUADBRID SYSTEM

The Odyssey features a 10-driver Quadbrid system composed of twin W9+ Subwoofers, 5 Balanced Armatures, dual Electrostatics and a W10 Bone Conductor. With a 7-way synX cross over network and EIVEC MKII engine that harmonises all 10 drivers of the Quadbrid System, Odyssey also includes Empire’s own Dual Conduction Architecture, a method of audio reproduction through both air and bone conduction to maximize listener immersion with a sound that you cannot only hear but feel.

ASTELL&KERN & EMPIRE EARS ODYSSEY PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Odyssey will be available in Q4 2022 at a retail price of £3499.

ASTELL&KERN A&ULTIMA SP3000 PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYER PRICE

The Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 is available to pre-order, with a suggested retail price of £3799.

HiFi Pig Says: A very high-end pairing from A&K, I am sure they sound as good as they look.