The new A&ultima SP3000 portable music player from Astell&Kern combines innovation and design with high-quality materials. The South Korean brand uses premium grade stainless steel, usually seen in luxury watchmaking, to encase digital technology to bring you premium sound. Jeremy Webb sounds out the beautifully simplistic device.
You may think the days of portable music players were already over, but South Korean brand Astell&Kern certainly don’t think so. In fact, they have developed a state-of-the-art system packed inside a luxurious watch-grade stainless steel body. With a redesigned User Interface, the A&ultima SP3000 is the world’s first portable player with a watch-grade 904L stainless steel body and the latest high-performance audio circuitry.
The A&ultima SP3000 is the world’s first digital audio player with independent Dual Audio Circuitry, which completely separates balanced and unbalanced output to produce the purest possible sonic reproduction. The brand’s flagship portable player uses the AK4499EX DAC chip from Asahi Kasei for the first time. The chip is used in the innovative HEXA system, an Audio Circuitry structure that separates digital and analogue signal processing.
The SP3000 can play almost anything, supporting all key formats (including MQA, Native DSD 512) and streaming-service connectivity. Roon Ready, too; other highlights include a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 6125 Octa-Core processor and support for high-resolution aptX-HD and LDAC wireless streaming. The volume you set is always kept thanks to ReplayGain technology which prevents dips in volume or annoying jumps when moving through tracks.
A breeze to use and listen to, the A&ultima SP3000 has a crown dial control, as you would see on a watch. It links to the 5.46in full high-definition display and a new-generation on-screen interface. You will find it easy to select streaming services and all your favourites.
The master at taking the best audio components, Astell&Kern makes them work in a portable device. Emotion in music you did not know was present can be heard anywhere you travel, but you can also use the A&ultima SP3000 to stream through your home hi-fi system.
Astell&Kern’s unique TERATON ALPHA technology has been further refined for the A&ultima SP3000, designed to produce audio playback as close as possible to the original sound; the technology combines effective power noise removal, efficient power management and unwavering 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 with TERATON ALPHA’s sound solution to create an incredibly authentic sound.
A premium leather case comes with the A&ultima SP3000 to protect and highlight the beauty of the 904L stainless steel body. Made by ALRAN, which has been hand-crafting leather since 1903 in Tarn, France, and supplies many leading luxury brands. The case is made with ALRAN’s Hand-Boarding technology, a unique process where the leather is rubbed in various directions using wooden planks so that you can feel the texture of the surface.
The A&ultima SP3000 has a Built-in Memory Storage Capacity of 256GB [NAND and External Memory microSD x1 (Max. 1TB). The Battery Capacity is 5,050mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer with a charge time of three and a half hours. You get ten hours of playback time from a full charge.
A good-looking, minimalistic styled portable sound system that is simple to use and produces superior audio output, the A&ultima SP3000 looks to be the perfect solution for your music playing requirements.
Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 – Where and how?
The Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 is now available to pre-order from specialist retailers, with a suggested retail price of £3799. If you would like to learn more about Astell&Kern, and see their full product range, visit www.astellnkern.co.uk.
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