Skip to main content

Astell & Kern’s new SP1000 hi-res audio player upgrades everything but the kitchen sink

astellkern aultima sp1000 header
As the beautiful city of Munich, Germany prepares to host 2017’s High End audio show, Astell & Kern has unveiled its all-new line of hi-res portable audio players, the A&ultima line. And while the name may look strange on the page, the debut player, the SP1000, is kicking off the new series in style.

Like all of Astell & Kern’s hi-res players, the SP1000 touts impressive specs to go along with its stylish new design. The player has been outfitted with dual AK4497EQ DAC (digital-to-analog converter) chips, with an individual chip dedicated to the left and right channels for better stereo separation, a redesigned user interface aims to put music playback front and center, and an Octa-Core CPU. AK claims the powerful new CPU not only allows for swift boot-up speeds, but also near lag-free playback for massive hi-res tracks at up to 32bit/384kHz (if you can ever find anything at that resolution, that is). The player also offers native playback of DSD files up to 11.2MHz.

For connection, the SP1000 includes a USB 3.0 port for brisk data transfer to your computer (twice as fast as previous AK players, according to the company), and boasts 256GB of internal memory, as well as support for up to 512GB of expansion storage with a microSD card. The SP1000 also features fast charging (two hours from empty), and an impressive 12 hours of playback time.

As for physical design, the player features a bezel-less, five-inch LCD screen to maximize space, and a new multi-function wheel on the side to control both volume and power. The SP1000 will launch in both stainless steel (a cool $3,500) and luscious copper (pricing not yet disclosed). Even at the low end, that’s near the top of AK’s portable lineup, but the technology powering the new SP1000 should hopefully make it worth the investment for the most discerning listeners with deep pockets.

Pre-orders for the SP1000 open May 18, and the player is slated for full release in July. More A&ultimate players will be announced in the future.

Editors' Recommendations

Brendan Hesse
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brendan has written about a wide swath of topics, including music, fitness and nutrition, and pop culture, but tech was…
Astell&Kern warms things up with new AK320 and copper-clad AK380 hi-res music players
Astell & Kern AK320

Stepping out of the Las Vegas Convention Center to visit the high-end audio suites at the Venetian Hotel is one of our favorite parts of CES. There, we get to connect with luxury audio brands like Astell&Kern, which always has some sterling new products to show off that make your mouth water and your ears hum in reverent audio bliss.

This year, AK brought two gorgeous new additions to its expanding collection of Hi-Res portable audio players, including the new AK320 -- which at $1,800 is dubbed a "mid-level" device from the brand -- and a copper clad addition of its flagship player, the AK380.

Read more
Astell & Kern’s AKT1 is a T-shaped tower of hi-res audio power
astellkern akt1 high resolution home audio device ak t1 studio 18

Astell&Kern has taken the aura of its very best portable hi-res music players and moved the sound out of your ear canals and into the living room. Dubbed the AKT1, AK’s latest creation is an all-in-one sound system, complete with speakers, amplification, and top-shelf digital audio conversion, carved into a steely monolith that will pump out sound in just about any space like a sonic work of modern art.

While the AKT1 looks a shade like a podium from a game show filmed aboard the Starship Enterprise (or a giant "T"), this unique tower of sound is crafted to impress audiophiles with who hold space at a premium. Inside its metal frame, the AKT1 harbors a six pack of speakers, including dual .75-inch tweeters, dual two-inch midrange drivers, and dual 6.5-inch woofers. The speakers are powered by a hybrid amplifier in an active, three-way configuration that leverages an analog amp for the tweeters, and a digital amp for the larger driver set below. The frequency response for the system is a claimed 48Hz-22kHz.

Read more
Astell&Kern enter the affordable hi-res zone with the new AK Jr
Astell&Kern AK Jr

Astell&Kern makes some of the most gorgeous pieces of high resolution portable audio gear  -- inside and out -- that you’ll find on the market. But for many listeners, even the company’s entry level units have approached the point of being cost prohibitive. Not anymore. Today the company introduced the newest addition to its high-resolution brood, the AK Jr, priced at $499.

If $500 seems like a pretty penny for a portable player, it’s actually extremely competitive in the world of high resolution audio on the go. The Jr matches well with Neil Young’s $400 Pono Player (if you can find one) and it's practically a steal in comparison to the company’s flagship AK240, which comes in at around $2,500. And although you won’t find the AK240’s sprawling feature set, or glistening internal components like a double shot of Cirrus Logic 4398 DACs, the new upstart is no slouch.

Read more