Pickr
  • Latest News & Reviews
  • Recommendations
  • Phones
  • Earphones
  • Sound
  • The Wrap
No Result
View All Result
Pickr
  • Latest News & Reviews
  • Recommendations
  • Phones
  • Earphones
  • Sound
  • The Wrap
No Result
View All Result
Pickr
No Result
View All Result

Astell & Kern boosts headphone sound with near portable amp

Leigh :) StarkbyLeigh :) Stark
January 5, 2022
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare over email

Not quite a portable media player, but something near to one, A&K’s latest gear for audiophiles brings a screen to a headphone amp.

Even though you can get music over the cloud in lossless, there are some folks more keen on carrying the digital equivalent of vinyl, ie “the best” sound you can have.

We’re talking lossless sound when we talk the best, with FLAC, ALAC, DSD, and other acronyms and initialisms audiophiles have likely grown accustomed to knowing, shortly after learning how to find music files in their own country. In Australia, finding high-res audio isn’t that easy, so that is a whole thing as it is.

But once you do find the files — once you find the best source of music — you then need to look for the hardware to play it.

You can, of course, grab a phone and a Type C converter, or you can even use a dedicated media player, though these are often chunky devices that feel like they need to sit alongside something else you use, like the aforementioned phone. If you’re someone who listens at home, you might rely on a headphone amp, and that’s an area that is changing.

Astell & Kern is taking what it learned from its high-end SE180 media player, and applying it to a very modern headphone amp, bringing together a quad digital-to-analogue converter (Quad DAC), support for 32-bit at up to 384kHz, plus DSD512, and the Teraton Alpha distortion cancellation technology found on the SE180 media player.

And it’s coming in a staggering $3K headphone amp with a media player built into the design.

The Astell & Kern Acro CA1000 is a headphone amp made to mostly stay put, but can be carried thanks to a media player with wireless and wired headphone support, a 4.1 inch screen, Android, 256GB storage, support for a microSD slot, and a massive 8400mAh battery for listening to music nearly anywhere.

It’s not pocketable in the way an Astell & Kern media player can be — and they’re not always pocketable, at that — but the size more makes it useful for people who want to sit anywhere and listen to music the way they might next to a large headphone amp. This isn’t for your pocket, but can be taken to go, provided you have a pair of big headphones to take advantage.

The price of A&K’s Acro CA1000 is the one catch, because with a recommended retail price of $3099 in Australia, it won’t be on the buying list for everyone, possibly even throwing the most ardent of audiophile buyers. But you’ll find this gadget in select stockists across Australia later this month.

Leigh :) Stark

Leigh :) Stark

One of Australia's well regarded technology journalists working out of Sydney, Leigh Stark has been writing about technology for over 15 years, covering phones, computers, cameras, headphones, speakers, and more. Stylising his middle initial with an emoticon, he aims to present tech in a way that makes it easy for everyone. While he founded Pickr in 2016, Stark's work can be seen in other publications including The Australian Financial Review, Popular Science, and many more. His award-winning podcast "The Wrap" is syndicated on Southern Cross Austereo's LiSTNR network weekly, while he can be heard on radio via ABC Brisbane and ABC Canberra, and seen on TV's Nine. Check out Leigh Stark's most recent media appearances.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Bang & Olufsen brings a big screen to big budgets
Visual

Bang & Olufsen brings a big screen to big budgets

May 25, 2022
Sonos Ray offers up a $399 entry-level soundbar
The Wrap - Australia's fastest technology roundup

The Wrap – What’s new from Google, Sonos, and Sony

May 15, 2022
LG’s 2022 OLED range proves thin is still in
Visual

LG’s 2022 OLED range proves thin is still in

May 6, 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Recommendations
  • Best Picks
  • Methodology
  • About
  • Media Appearances
  • Contact
Change the way you choose.

© 2016 to 2022 Publishr Pty Ltd: ACN 624 227 256
All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest News & Reviews
  • Recommendations
  • Phones
  • Earphones
  • Sound
  • The Wrap

© 2016 to 2022 Publishr Pty Ltd: ACN 624 227 256
All rights reserved.