Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T & Novus In-ear Monitors Released
Astell&Kern's tube-amplified flagship SP3000T hi-res music player and Novus IEMs are now available.
Astell&Kern's A&ultima SP3000T hi-res portable music player and the new Novus high-end in-ear monitors debuted earlier this year and are ready to buy if you have the budget.
Claiming the top spot in Astell&Kern's impressive lineup of portable players, the SP3000T combines the best digital audio player (DAP) technology with the analogue warmth of tube amplification that you can see through a window on the back. This unique approach, powered by Astell&Kern's Triple Amp System, allows you to tailor the sound to your preferences. Whether you prefer the rich, warm tones of a tube amp, the precision and clarity of a digital op-amp, or a hybrid of both, the SP3000T promises to deliver.
In Tube Amp mode, the SP3000T uses dual Raytheon JAN6418 MIL-SPEC vintage vacuum tubes to create the popular valve amp warmth. The Op-Amp mode focuses on clarity and promises an extremely low noise floor. Meanwhile, Hybrid Amp Mode should give you the best of both worlds.
The heart of A&K's new flagship DAP is a Snapdragon 6125 Octa-core processor allied with 8GB of DDR4 memory. The company underlines that this is twice the amount of RAM commonly used in digital audio players. A pair of Asahi Kasei Microdevices' latest flagship DAC, the AKM AK4499EX, crunches the numbers and, so we're told, offers total separation of digital and analogue signals for the purest sound reproduction. This can be enjoyed via the player's 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports.
As expected at this level, high-res support is extensive, with playback up to 32-bit/784kHz PCM, DSD512, alongside MQA support. Wireless fans will also appreciate that aptX HD and LDAC Bluetooth codecs are baked in. However, Roon support has not been mentioned yet.
Lastly, the SP3000T is unmistakably Astell&Kern in aesthetics and eschews the SP3000's 904L stainless steel in favour of an equally luxurious stainless-steel body covered in 99.9% pure silver plating.
ASTELL & KERN NOVUS
Astell&Kern's second collaboration with Empire Ears, the limited-edition NOVUS IEMs, builds on the considerable success of A&K's previous partnership with Empire Ears, the Odyssey IEMs.
NOVUS is said to have been developed to extract the pinnacle of sound from the Astell&Kern SP3000T thanks to dual purpose-built W9+ dynamic drivers encased in 6061-T6 diamond-like carbon (DLC) aluminium shells with 24K Wet Gold-Plated faceplates and sapphire glass.
Accompanying the rigid design is a custom-made four-wire hybrid copper, gold and silver cable reinforced with black macro-molecular fibre and a 4.4mm balanced jack.
Astell&Kern X Empire Ears NOVUS will be available towards the end of May for the MSRP of $4,999 USD.
The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T is available to buy now for $2,999 USD.
Visit Astell&Kern for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in:Headphones
Tags: astell & kern astell kern
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