Astell&Kern has set a new standard for perfect sound using the latest innovative technology with the A&ultima series. The A&ultima SP3000 is the newest flagship product that represents the essence of everything learned and designed over the last 10 years in our R&D laboratory in the field of digital music processing.
With the Última SP300, it is the first time in the world that a new type of stainless steel called 904L is used to construct its chassis. 904L stainless steel is harder and more difficult to process than regular stainless steel and requires much more time and effort. However, due to its excellent durability and resistance to corrosion, it has a characteristic that does not lose its beauty and that is why it is used in expensive luxury watches in which perfection must be sought in all materials and parts with a irreplaceable and wonderful shine.
The Ultima SP3000 is the world's first DAP with complete separation of digital and analog signal processing.
It uses Asahi Kasei's latest flagship AK4499EX ( Quad -DAC) DAC chip with impressive audio performance with dual independent audio circuits and is equipped with a high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 6125 Octa-Core CPU.
TERATON ALPHA's innovative audio technology is A&K's ultimate sound solution that has been perfected for the SP3000. TERATON ALPHA, designed through endless research, is Astell&Kern's unique technology that has been designed to produce audio reproduction close to the original sound through effective power noise elimination, efficient power management and amplification. uninterrupted, and a fully converted audio output interface.
The HEXA-Audio Circuitry structure and independent dual audio circuitry, implemented for the first time in the SP3000, combine with the TERATON ALPHA sound solution to create the purest original sound.
As a result of this collaboration, the world's first four AK4499EX DACs, AKM's latest flagship, and the innovative HEXA-Audio circuit structure design, in which two AK4191EQs processing the digital signals, complete the surprising sound that can only be found in Astell&Kern. Most digital players process the digital and analog signals together within the DAC. However, the SP3000's advanced HEXA-Audio circuitry reduces input noise from the digital signal through the AK4191EQ, a standalone delta-sigma digital modulator, and the AK4499EX DAC is designed to process analog signals separately.
By applying this unique design, physically separated digital and analog signal processing has been achieved for the first time in a digital audio player, maximizing the overwhelming SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), allowing you to experience an incredible level of sound that had never been experienced before.
To create a truly innovative DAP, not just a great DAP, we tried to overcome the limitations of sound by imagining a dual independent audio circuit that has never been attempted by anyone with a HEXA audio circuit structure with unbalanced and balanced outputs.
Almost all other DAPs, including Astell&Kern, use an internal DAC for the balanced and unbalanced outputs. Since the signal from the DAC is split into unbalanced and balanced and then delivered to the AMP, an audio switcher is essential. However, when using a switch, there is a limit to the range that the signal sent by the DAC can receive, so most DAPs reduce the signal size first and then when the signal is transmitted back to the amplifier, it is necessary to restore the original size of the signal. This causes a limitation in improving audio performance. To overcome the limitations, our engineers designed a HEXA audio circuit structure using two AK4191EQ and four AK4499EX, creating an innovative dual independent, balanced and unbalanced audio circuit design. As a result, the SP3000 achieves an SNR of 130dB, the best of any DAP available.
With the SP3000 you will be able to experience a clean, pure delicacy of sound that you cannot experience in any other DAP. Power your music, the latest Snapdragon Octa-Core CPU for the latest flagship device A&ultima SP3000 is equipped with a Snapdragon 6125 Octa-core processor, so you can enjoy overwhelming sound, faster system response and a user interface of new redesigned generation that moves with comfort and fluidity.
With a high-performance CPU and upgraded 8GB DDR4 memory, which is double the commonly used amount, the most powerful system is stable with fast and fluid movement. The CPU, memory and wireless communication parts are configured as a single module, with the digital circuit parts arranged in the same area creating a single system on a chip. This maximizes the efficiency of the overall circuit configuration by providing more space for the audio circuitry and reducing heat and noise from the digital circuitry.
Experience the Ultima SP3000 more smoothly and comfortably with a large 5.46-inch Full HD display.
The SP3000's new AK File Drop feature makes file transfers easier and more convenient. Using AK File Drop, you can freely transfer files wirelessly via a PC, smartphone, or FTP program located on the same network. Music file management is now possible with a wireless and cable-free solution.
QC 3.0 Quick Charge Support The SP3000 supports Qualcomm's QC 3.0 Quick Charge, so you can charge your DAP more quickly and efficiently than previous models, achieving a full charge in about 3.5 hours.
Wireless Hi-Fi Sound via BT Sink The BT Sink function connects the SP3000 to an external device via Bluetooth, similar to connecting a smartphone to a BT speaker.
Now, enjoy your own playlists seamlessly thanks to the SP3000's ReplayGain feature. *ReplayGain supports sound sources up to 24-bit/192kHz. Supports native DSD512, 32bit/768kHz The SP3000 supports native DSD512 and up to 32bit/768kHz with Astell&Kern's excellent audio technology, allowing you to fully enjoy your favorite music. MQA (Master Quality Authenticated).
The Ultima SP3000 is Roon Ready and features Roon's high-resolution streaming technology. They combine easy setup, everyday reliability and support for the highest level of digital audio performance in the industry. Every Roon Ready player is certified by Roon to ensure the same stellar experience, regardless of its manufacturer, price or features.
The Ultima SP3000 comes standard with a French goatskin sheath to protect and highlight the beauty of the 904L stainless steel body.
The sheath is made by ALRAN, located in Tarn in the south of France, a historic tannery that was established in 1903 and has been manufacturing leather for over 100 years. This genuine leather case is produced with a technology that processes the leather by rubbing it in various directions with wooden boards, so that the surface texture can be felt. This process is unique compared to how other goatskin covers are produced.
Characteristics:
- 5.46-inch 1080 x 1920p Full HD touchscreen
- Supported audio formats WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
- PCM Sampling Rate: 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32 bits per sample) Native DSD: DSD64 (1 bit, 2.8 MHz), Stereo/DSD128 (1 bit, 5.6 MHz), Stereo/DSD256 (1 bit, 11.2 MHz), stereo / DSD512 (1 bit, 22.4 MHz), stereo
- Output Level Unbalanced 3.3Vrms / Balanced 6.3Vrms (no-load condition) CPU Octa-Core DAC AKM AK4191 x2 (dual modulator) &AK4499EX x4 (dual + dual DAC)
- Supports bit-by-bit playback up to 32-bit/768kHz
- USB Type C input (for charging, PC and MAC) Outputs Unbalanced output (3.5mm) / Optical output (3.5mm) / Balanced output (2.5mm, only compatible with 4-pole / 4.4mm , only compatible with 5 poles) Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz) Bluetooth - V5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm ap-tX HD, LDAC)
- Dimensions: 82.4mm Width x 139.4mm Height x 18.3mm Depth
- Approximate weight: 493 grams
- Reference clock jitter: 200 Femtoseconds
- 5,050 mAh 3.8V lithium polymer battery with up to 10 hours of playback
- Memory Integrated memory 256 GB
- External microSD memory (Max. 1TB) x 1
- Operating System Supported operating system Windows 10, 11 (32/64 bits), MAC OS X 10.7 and higher
- Includes leather case.
