Astell & Kern’s newest transportable music participant is as high-tech as it’s extravagantly costly. The $2,399 A&ultima SP2000T releases in October, and it stands out from the model’s earlier fashions just like the Kann and Kann Cube with a brand new triple amp system. These issues are by no means reasonably priced, and the value might sound particularly on the market when you’re content material with listening to music from a streaming service in your telephone. But there’s some actual engineering swagger in impact right here.

Astell & Kern managed to suit a tiny tube amp inside this gadget. Specifically, it makes use of a Korg Nutube 6P1, which conceptually operates similar to bigger tube amps, solely it’s sufficiently small to slot in a tool that may go in your pocket. To keep away from any interference that the resonance of the tubes would possibly generate, Astell & Kern says it developed a modular construction on the PCB only for the tubes, fixing them with silicone to attenuate vibrations. The finest a part of the press launch is that it says its design “uses magnetic forces to float the amp in the air to reduce internal noise.”

Audiophiles studying this have each proper to be skeptical that Astell & Kern can reproduce the impact of a tube amp with such minuscule {hardware}, however it at the very least deserves some credit score for making an attempt. Check it out in motion beneath.

When you’re utilizing the A&ultima SP2000T, it’ll allow you to swap between its OP-AMP setting for “ultra-clarity and a dynamic playback,” the tube amp mode for a “uniquely warm” sound, and a hybrid mode that blends the most effective of each modes into one. Additionally, this mannequin has an ESS ES9068AS quad DAC for additional enhancing the best way your music sounds. This is seemingly Astell & Kern’s first participant to characteristic a quad DAC, in addition to the Replay Gain utility, which adjusts the quantity of your entire music (as much as 24-bit / 192kHz) to the identical stage, so one tune isn’t quieter than the opposite.

Image: Astell & Kern

Now, for some specs. The participant is suitable with 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 44.mm plugs. It has a five-inch 1080p touchscreen, which is perhaps the least spectacular factor about it. You can cost it and switch information through its USB-C port. It’s additionally Wi-Fi prepared, supporting the corporate’s AK File Drop utility that allows you to switch information wirelessly through PC, telephone, and even an FTP on the identical community. You’ll clearly get the most effective sound high quality with a set of high-end, wired headphones or earphones, however it additionally helps Bluetooth 5.0 with 24-bit aptX HD and LDAC codec help. Lastly, it has 256GB of flash storage in-built, however it helps as much as 1TB through microSD. It has a 4,200mAh battery, which the corporate says will get you about 9 hours of FLAC playback.

For individuals with the form of finances that permits this sort of buy, this looks like one thing it’s possible you’ll wish to strive before you purchase. It’s doable that Astell & Kern created one thing nice that defies its pocket-sized stature, however it’s simply as probably that this has some overly formidable first-gen quirks to iron out. You’ll be capable to discover out your self when it releases in October.