The flagship line of A&Ultima digital audio players from Astell and Kern are almost always cutting edge tech. For their most recent “teaser” for the upcoming Astell and Kern SP2000T, the formidable DAP maker is dialing the tech back a few years. That is to say, they are introducing some old school cool tube sound into the mix.
Flexing with a new “triple amp system”, the Astell and Kern SP2000T will offer up either tube, op amp or a hybrid of both for amplification to any SE or balanced headphone setup. Backing up the digital side is also a Quad DAC design, a first for any AK player. More details in the presser below, teaser video in the embed.
The A&ultima SP2000T takes inspiration from Astell&Kern’s current flagship, the SP2000 by building upon many of the premium features of the SP2000 and adding new features never before seen in other Astell&Kern players. New features debuting for the first time in the portable player line include Astell&Kern’s first Quad-DAC player, a new triple amp system and replay gain.
The SP2000T is Astell&Kern’s first quad-DAC player, featuring four (4) ESS ES9068AS DAC chips, allowing the player to produce a more balanced, detailed sound signature. MQA hardware rendering is built into the ES9068AS DACs and support MQA 8x rendering.
Another first, the SP2000T introduces Astell&Kern’s next generation amp technology, the Triple Amp System. Users can select between tube amp mode, normal op-amp mode or the new hybrid amp mode that uses both the tube and op-amps to provide the best sound output for the type of music you are listening to. All three modes are available when using the 2.5mm, 3.5mm or 4.4mm outputs.
Rounding out the new features of the SP2000T is Replay Gain, which allows the player to automatically adjust the volume between tracks and maintain a consistent playback level. A full HD (1920×1080 resolution) touch screen provides a high-resolution display.
Expect the new Astell and Kern SP2000T to become available to the AK dealer network in October of this year. Pricing is still TBD.
