You’ve likely seen a lot of noise about Astell & Kern lately, and for good reason as the company welcomes two new and exciting products.
The SP3000 is first on the agenda, the company’s new flagship DAC and the world’s first music player with a watch-grade stainless steel housing. Of course, it also features the latest audio circuitry promising to combine both luxury and innovation. The player offers dual independent audio circuits as seen on the other A&Ultima models with complete separation of balanced and unbalanced signal paths. The star of the show is Asahi Kasei’s AK4499EX DAC Chip and its HEXA audio structure that separates digital and analogue signal processing. The DAP features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6125 Octa-Core SOC offering a lot more horsepower for streaming and multi-tasking. Of course, Astell & Kern’s technologies also make a return making for a stylish, premium and versatile device.
In addition, the company welcomes a new IEM made in collaboration with world-renowned Empire Ears, the Odyssey! This is another TOTL design featuring a multi-laminar design and a highly advanced quadbrid 10-driver system per side. This comprises of two W9+ subwoofers, 5 balanced armatures, dual estat tweeters and a W10 bone conduction driver. All are united by a 7-way synX crossover and EIVEC MKII engine that promise phase coherence throughout its whopping 5 Hz – 100 kHz frequency response range. With a bone conduction driver, the IEM promises a bass experience that belies their compact dimensions. The Odyssey is a hand crafted, masterfully engineered IEM that represents a non-compromise approach from the two experienced brands.
Both will be available in Q4 2022 via Addicted to Audio. The Odyssey will launch at $4999 AUD and the SP3000 for $5499 AUD.
