Astell&Kern A&Ultima SP3000 Portable Audio Player

ASTELL & KERN – A & ULTIMA SP3000 Gold Edition

A masterpiece of exclusivity and sound perfection

The ASTELL & KERN A & ULTIMA SP3000 Gold Edition represents the essence of exclusive audio technology in an extraordinary form. This incomparable edition consists of just a few SP3000 models, of which only two dozen will find their way to Europe. A truly exclusive experience for audiophile enthusiasts.

The SP3000 Gold Edition stands out not only for its technological sophistication, but also for its unique aesthetic design. Made from 904L Stainless Steel, also known as 'Rolex Oyster Steel', the case goes through a complex process in which it is first nickel-plated. It is then covered with pure 24 carat gold, which is carefully sealed to make it scratch-resistant.

This masterpiece combines exquisite craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology to deliver a sound experience of unrivaled quality. The SP3000 Gold is not just an audiophile reference, but a standalone device that offers its few hand-picked owners an unparalleled listening experience.

The limitation to just a few hundred units worldwide gives this audiophile gem a sought-after exclusivity. The happy owners can look forward to a product that not only meets the highest sonic standards, but also brings a touch of luxury and uniqueness into their audiophile world.

With the ASTELL & KERN A & ULTIMA SP3000 Gold Edition you not only experience exceptional sound, but also the combination of technical precision and artistic elegance in a limited edition that is second to none.

Luxury meets innovation, A & ultima SP3000

With the A&ultima series, Astell&Kern has set the standard for perfect sound using the latest innovative technology. The A&ultima SP3000 is the latest flagship that represents the essence of everything that has been learned and developed in digital music processing over the last 10+ years.

The A&ultima SP3000 is the world's first DAP with independent Dual Audio Circuitry and the latest DAC with HEXA - Audio Circuitry structure, using all audio technologies and the best materials that let you feel the overwhelming effect of sound and music. Experience perfection first hand with the A&ultima SP3000, the pinnacle of audio players.

SUMMARY OF FEATURES

• World's first use of 904L stainless steel as housing material for DAPs
• World's first DAP with complete separation of digital and analog signal processing (using Asahi Kasei's latest flagship DAC chip AKM4499EX)
• Stunning audio performance with independent dual audio circuitry
• Equipped with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 6125 octa-core CPU
• New graphical user interface
• Support for aptX-HD and LDAC
• Material innovations - world's first use of 904L stainless steel as DAP housing material

Innovative & uncompromising

In order to achieve the aim of the A&ultima series, namely “to offer the best value for money that no one can imitate, using the most innovative and uncompromising design and craftsmanship”, the SP3000 uses the material 904L stainless steel, which has never been used in a portable audio player before. The use of this material has expanded the value of the device from a purely digital device into the sphere of a luxury item.

904L stainless steel is harder and more difficult to work with than general stainless steel and requires significantly more time and effort. However, it has unparalleled properties due to its excellent durability and corrosion resistance. That is why it is used in expensive luxury watches, where the perfection of all materials and parts with a wonderful shine is sought.

Experience the uncompromising beauty and luxury of the SP3000, made with the expert craftsmanship of Astell&Kern.

TERATON ALPHA – THE ESSENCE OF A&K AUDIO TECHNOLOGIES UNITED IN THE SP3000

To create the ultimate audio player like never before experienced, AK uses not only the latest DAC, but also the innovative audio technology TERATON ALPHA, AK's ultimate sound solution, refined for the SP3000.

Developed through endless research, TERATON ALPHA is Astell&Kern's unique technology to produce audio reproduction that is very close to the original sound through effective noise reduction, efficient power management and lossless amplification, as well as a fully converted audio output interface.

The HEXA audio circuit structure and independent dual audio circuit implemented in the SP3000 for the first time are combined with the TERATON ALPHA sound solution to produce the purest original sound.

FIRST-TIME USE OF AKMS’ NEWEST FLAGSHIP DAC – COMPLETE SEPARATION OF DIGITAL AND ANALOG SIGNALS
The SP3000 is a product with the latest technology and uncompromising design. Astell&Kern worked with AKM from the first development phase to develop the DAC and the optimal circuit structure.

As a result of this collaboration, the world's first four AK4499EX DACs, AKM's newest flagship, were deployed in the SP3000. The innovative HEXA - Audio Circuitry structure, in which two AK4191EQs that process digital signals are used separately, completes the amazing sound that is only available from Astell&Kern.

Most digital players process digital and analog signals together in the DAC. However, the SP3000's advanced HEXA - Audio Circuitry structure reduces the noise of the digital signal input through the AK4191EQ, a separate digital delta-sigma modulator, and the AK4499EX DAC is then designed to process the analog signals separately.

This unique design achieves physically separate processing of digital and analog signals for the first time in a digital audio player and maximizes the stunning SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), enabling an incredible, unprecedented audio experience.

SILVER PLATED SHIELD BOX

A shielding case is used to prevent external noise and electromagnetic interference from affecting the audio block.

AK goes one step further with the SP3000 to achieve excellent audio performance and perfect shielding by applying highly conductive, high purity silver to the existing shielding can.

BREATHTAKING AUDIO PERFORMANCE WITH INDEPENDENT DUAL AUDIO CIRCUITS
To create a truly innovative DAP, not just a great DAP, it was necessary. to expand the boundaries of sound. To do this, an independent dual audio circuit was developed, which has never been tried by anyone with a HEXA audio circuit with unbalanced and balanced outputs.

Almost all other DAPs, including Astell&Kern, use an internal DAC for both unbalanced and balanced outputs. Since the signal from the DAC is split into unbalanced and balanced and then passed to the AMP, an audio switch is essential. However, when using a switch, the range that can receive the signal sent by the DAC is limited, so most DAPs must first reduce the signal size and then, when the signal is transmitted back to the amplifier, restore the original signal size. This leads to a limitation in the possibilities for improving audio performance.

To overcome these limitations, AK's engineers developed a HEXA audio circuit structure with two AK4191EQs and four AK4499EXs, which represents an innovative single-ended and balanced independent dual audio circuit design. As a result, the SP3000 achieves an SNR of 130 dB, the best of any DAP available. With the SP3000 you can feel the clean, pure subtlety of sound that you can't experience with any other DAP.

THE LATEST SNAPDRAGON OCTA-CORE CPU FOR THE LATEST FLAGSHIP DEVICE
The A&ultima SP3000 is equipped with a Snapdragon 6125 octa-core processor so you can enjoy stunning sound, faster system response and a redesigned user interface.

With a high-performance CPU and improved DDR4 memory of 8GB, twice the usual size, the more powerful system is stable and moves quickly and smoothly.

The CPU, memory and wireless communication parts are configured as a module, with the digital circuit parts arranged in the same area, creating a single system on a chip (SoC). This maximizes the efficiency of the entire circuit configuration by providing more space for audio-only circuits and reducing heat and noise from digital circuits.

11nm process
Qualcomm® Adreno™ 610 graphics processor
Qualcomm® Kryo™ 260 CPU (Octa-Core)
8GB DDR4
NEW GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE EXPERIENCE
With the newly developed UX/UI, the SP3000 focuses on the process and experience of listening to music. The SP3000 was intended to be a “player for music”.

The new design focuses on rediscovering songs you've forgotten: you can quickly browse through music categories with simple gestures. A convenient search function has been added along with album covers so you can enjoy a digital display of the CD covers in your music collection. So you can not only listen to music, but also have fun using the device.

In addition, the main feature of the new generation of the user interface has been redesigned. The graphics are simple and unobtrusive, focusing on usability and intuitiveness. The key concepts of Edge, Simple and Dark Mode are used to improve usability and increase clarity with a unique style from AK. The black and red colors were chosen to reduce eye fatigue, minimize battery consumption and reduce heat generation.

REAL-TIME INFORMATION THROUGH ILUMINATION

There are LED lights inside the A&ultima's new volume control. You can check the bit depth of the currently playing song or the AMP mode set by the LED light that spreads inside the SP3000.

* The LED light can be turned on/off in user settings and changes depending on the sound source information and the selected AMP mode.

16bit – red / 24bit – green / 32bit – blue / DSD – purple

PREMIUM GOAT LEATHER CASE

The SP3000 comes with a French goatskin case that protects and enhances the beauty of the 904L stainless steel case.

The case is made by ALRAN in Tarn in southern France, a historic tannery founded in 1903 that has been producing leather for over 100 years. It is one of the world's leading tanneries, known for its natural leather production technology since the 1980s. ALRAN is recognized as the best goat leather manufacturer and supplies other leading luxury brands such as H and L.

The leather case that accompanies the SP3000 was developed using ALRAN Tannery's unique hand-boarding technology. In this technology, the leather is rubbed in different directions using wooden boards so that you can feel the structure of the surface. This process is unique compared to the production of other goat leather cases.

A&ULTIMA SP3000 DESIGN CONCEPT – “WRAPPED IN LIGHT”

The SP3000's interpretation of light and shadow is expressed as "wrapped in light", whereas the earlier SP1000 and SP2000 represented the light as scattering

This symbolizes that the SP3000 is the all-encompassing culmination of all the technologies and capabilities that Astell&Kern has accumulated over the years. The polished stainless steel body shines at every moment, and the beautifully shimmering LED light and the sharp-edged ceramic plate further underline the luxury.

Born through thoughtful design and craftsmanship, the SP3000 offers the ultimate beauty to match the ultimate sound.

ADDITION: SAVE AN INFINITE MUCH OF MUSIC!

A nice feature is the ability to connect separate hard drives/memory sticks to the USB socket for a virtually unlimited selection of music.

TECHNICAL DATA

General Specifications
Model SP3000 (PPF41)
Body Color Black, Silver
Body Material Stainless Steel 904L
Display Full HD 5.46” 1080×1920 touch display
Supported Audio Formats WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
Sample Rate PCM: 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32bits per sample)
DSD Native: DSD64(1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128(1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo
DSD256(1bit 11.2MHz), stereo / DSD512(1bit 22.4MHz), 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)
Decoding support up to 32bit/768kHz bit-to-bit playback
Input USB Type-C input (for charging & PC & MAC)
Outputs Unbalanced Out (3.5mm), Optical Out (3.5mm)
Balanced Out (2.5mm, only 4-pole supported | 4.4m, only 5-pole supported)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)
Bluetooth V5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™HD, LDAC)
Dimensions 3.24” (82.4mm)[W] x 5.48” (139.4mm)[H] x 0.72” (18.3mm)[D]
Weight About 17.39oz (493g)
Feature Enhancements Firmware upgrade supported (OTA: Over-The-Air)
A & ULTIMA SP3000 AUDIO SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency Response ±0.017dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced /
±0.021dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced
±0.022dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced /
±0.031dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced
S/N 126dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 130dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
Crosstalk -136dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / -145dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
THD+N 0.0006% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 0.0004% @ 1kHz, Balanced
IMD SMPTE 0.0007%, 800Hz 10kHz (4:1), Unbalanced / Balanced
Output Impedance 3.5mm(0.7ohm), 2.5mm(1.7ohm), 4.4mm(1.6ohm)
Clock Source
Clock Jitter 25ps (Type)
Reference Clock Jitter 200 Femto Seconds
Storage capacity
Built-in Memory 256GB [NAND]
External Memory microSD x1 (Max. 1TB)
Battery
Capacity 5,050mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer
Charge Time about 3.5hours (QC3.0 Charging)
Playback Time about 10 hours (Standard: FLAC, 16bit, 44.1kHz, Vol.80, LCD Off, Low Gain)
Supported OS
Supported OS Windows 10.11 (32/64bit) MAC OS X 10.7