Astell&Kern A&Ultima SP3000 Premium DAP
Astell&Kern A&Ultima SP3000 Premium DAP
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FREE Uncompromising Audio Design and Craftsmanship
Luxury meets innovation in the A&ultima SP3000: the new flagship portable music player from South Korean class leader, Astell&Kern. As you’d expect from a brand with multiple awards for both design and performance, the SP3000 is an exquisite combination of form and function that redefines what’s possible from a portable player. Crafted from the same premium grade stainless steel beloved of luxury watchmakers, it’s an object of beauty that’s made to last.
A&ultima SP3000 features the latest audio technologies to deliver a sublime musical performance. It’s the world’s first digital audio player with independent Dual Audio Circuitry – this complete separation of balanced and unbalanced output allows for the purest possible sonic reproduction. 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.
A joy to use and listen to
The SP3000 is a delight to use, with its watch-style crown control joining a new 5.46in full high-definition display and a new-generation on-screen interface - making it easier than ever to find and enjoy your favourites, including on streaming services. And enjoy them you will: Astell&Kern is the master at taking the very best audio components and making them work in a handheld device.
You’ll hear details and emotion in music you didn’t know existed – and that incredible performance is available anywhere you travel, rather than limited to your living room (though the SP3000 makes a marvellous streaming hub for a main hi-fi system, too.)
The SP3000 is a delight to use, with its watch-style crown control joining a new 5.46in full high-definition display and a new-generation on-screen interface - making it easier than ever to find and enjoy your favourites, including on streaming services. And enjoy them you will: Astell&Kern is the master at taking the very best audio components and making them work in a handheld device.
You’ll hear details and emotion in music you didn’t know existed – and that incredible performance is available anywhere you travel, rather than limited to your living room (though the SP3000 makes a marvellous streaming hub for a main hi-fi system, too.)
Luxury-watch grade stainless steel
The SP3000 comes in the choice of black and silver finishes, with its body made from 904L stainless steel: the first time this premium-grade, expertly made metal has been used on a portable player. Extremely durable and resistant to corrosion, lustrous 904L stainless steel is the metal of choice for luxury Swiss watch brands.
The SP3000 comes in the choice of black and silver finishes, with its body made from 904L stainless steel: the first time this premium-grade, expertly made metal has been used on a portable player. Extremely durable and resistant to corrosion, lustrous 904L stainless steel is the metal of choice for luxury Swiss watch brands.
Unique technology for more authentic sound
Astell&Kern’s unique 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 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 together with TERATON ALPHA's sound solution to create incredibly authentic sound.
Authentic sound
Astell&Kern’s unique 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 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 together with TERATON ALPHA's sound solution to create incredibly authentic sound.
Artisan leather case
The SP3000 comes with a premium leather case to protect and highlight the beauty of the 904L stainless steel body. The case is made by ALRAN, who have 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.
General Specifications
| Model | SP3000 |
| Body Color | Black or Silver |
| Body Material | Stainless Steel 904L |
| Display | Full HD 5.46-inch 1080 x 1920 Touch display |
| Supported Audio Formats | WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA |
| Sample Rate | PCM: 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32-bits per Sample)
DSD Native: DSD64 (1-bit, 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128 (1-bit, 5.6MHz), Stereo / DSD256 (1-bit, 11.2MHz), Stereo / DSD512 (1-bit, 22.4MHz), Stereo |
| Output Level | Unbalanced 3.3Vrms / Balanced 6.3Vrms (Condition No Load) |
| CPU | Octa-Core |
| DAC | AKM AK4191 x2 (Dual Modulator) &AK4499EX x4 (Dual + Dual DAC) |
| Decoding | Support up to 32-bit / 768kHz Bit-to-Bit Playback |
| Input | USB Type-C input (for charging, PC & MAC) |
| Outputs | Unbalanced Out (3.5mm) / Optical Out (3.5mm) / Balanced Out (2.5mm, only 4-pole supported / 4.4mm, only 5-pole supported) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz) |
| Bluetooth | V5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, LDAC) |
| Dimensions | 3.24” (82.4mm) [W] x 5.48” (139.4mm) [H] x 0.72” (18.3mm) [D] |
| Weight | About 17.39oz (493g) |
| Feature Enhancements | Firmware upgrade supported (OTA: Over-The-Air) |
Audio Performance
| Frequency Response | Condition 20Hz~20kHz: ±0.017dB Unbalanced / ±0.021dB Balanced Condition 20Hz~70kHz: ±0.022dB Unbalanced / ±0.031dB Balanced |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | 126dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 130dB @ 1kHz, Balanced |
| Crosstalk | -136dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / -145dB @ 1kHz, Balanced |
| THD+N | 0.0006% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 0.0004% @ 1kHz, Balanced |
| IMD SMPTE | 0.0007%, 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Unbalanced / Balanced |
| Output Impedance | 3.5mm (0.7ohm), 2.5mm (1.7ohm), 4.4mm (1.6ohm) |
Clock Source
| Clock Jitter | 25ps (Typ) |
| Reference Clock Jitter | 200 Femto Seconds |
Battery
| Capacity | 5,050mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer Battery |
| Playback Time | About 10 hours (Standard: FLAC, 16-bit/44.1kHz, Vol. 80, LCD off) |
| Charge Time | About 3.5 hours (QC 3.0 Charging) |
Memory
| Built-In Memory | 256GB [NAND] |
| External Memory | microSD (Max. 1TB) x 1 |
Operating System
| Supported OS | Windows 10, 11 (32/64 bit), MAC OS X 10.7 and up |