Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000T - Steel

Analogue Warmth, Digital Precision

Astell&Kern's ethos of producing immersive sound from high-resolution original music stands as a testament to the spirit of innovation and excellence embodied in the A&ultima series. Our goal was to surpass the impeccable design and high-resolution sound of our previous product, the SP3000, by crafting an audio player that truly captures the emotion and resonance of music.

Developed with this vision in mind, the A&ultima SP3000T channels the profound emotion and lasting essence of analogue audio. The integration of a real vacuum tube creates an authentic analogue sound complemented by cutting-edge audio technology such as TERATON ALPHA for an immersive auditory experience.

Introducing the A&ultima SP3000T — a portable audio player that defies convention, offering a unique fusion of analogue and digital excellence.

Main Features:

• Dual RAYTHEON JAN6418 MIL-SPEC Vintage Vacuum Tubes
• TRIPLE AMP SYSTEM allows listeners to select the right tones for their music
• Three levels of voltage with Tube Current option
• Stainless steel with 99.9% pure silver plating
• Separate digital and analogue signal processing (AK4191EQ x2 / AK4499EX x2)
• VU Meter
• High-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU

True Analogue Sound with Real Vacuum Tube

Astell&Kern merges true analogue sound with the convenience of portable audio players by integrating the RAYTHEON JAN6418 Miniature Vacuum Tube. Known for its warm, rich harmonics, this tube was originally used in military communication equipment and is now celebrated in the audiophile community for its distinctive sound.

Sound Craftsmanship for the Ultimate Vacuum Tube Sound

Astell&Kern achieves ultimate vacuum tube sound through meticulous craftsmanship. Each JAN6418 tube undergoes precise measurement and pairing, reducing left-right channel output deviation for natural sound. Hand-executed shielding minimizes noise interference, ensuring a spatial sense and balance akin to our digital audio players in the analogue realm.

99.9% Pure Silver Plating

Astell&Kern chose 99.9% pure silver plating for the SP3000T to seamlessly blend high-resolution digital sound with the rich analogue warmth of a vacuum tube. Silver's superior electrical conductivity compared to copper and gold makes it ideal for premium semiconductors and audio components. The SP3000T's body features 99.9% pure silver plating on 316L stainless steel, renowned for its corrosion resistance. To increase longevity, a special multi-layer coating prevents sulfurization and exposure to air, ensuring durability. 

General Specifications:

• Model: SP3000T
• Body Material: Stainless Steel with Pure Silver Plating
• Display: 5.5 inch 1080 x 1920 Full HD touch screen
• Supported Audio Formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
• Sample rate:
  • PCM: 8kHz ~ 768kHz (8/16/24/32 bits per Sample)
  • DSD Native: DSD64 (1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128 (1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo / DSD256 (1bit 11.2MHz), DSD512 (1bit, 22.4MHz) Stereo
• Output Level:
  • Unbalanced 3.3Vrms │ Balanced 6.3Vrms (Condition No Load)
• CPU: Octa-Core
• DAC: AKM AK4191 x2 (Dual Modulator) & AKM AK4499EX x2 (Dual DAC)
• Vacuum Tube: RAYTHEON JAN6418 x2
• 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 | 4.4mm, 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, LHDC)
• Dimensions: 3.33" (84.7mm) [W] x 5.57" (141.5mm) [H] x 0.70" (18mm) [D]
• Weight: about 17oz (483g)
• Feature Enhancements: Firmware upgrade supported (OTA)
• Operating Temperature: 0℃ ~ +40℃ (32℉ ~ 104℉)

Audio Specifications:

• Frequency Response:
  • ±0.005dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced
  • ±0.003dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced
  • ±0.006dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced
  • ±0.024dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced
• S/N: 120dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 124dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
• Crosstalk: -136dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ -145dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
• THD+N: 0.0005% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 0.0004% @ 1kHz, Balanced
• IMD SMPTE: 0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Unbalanced │ 0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Balanced
• Output Impedance:
  • Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (1.5ohm)
  • Balanced Out 2.5mm (1.5ohm), 4.4mm (1.4ohm)
• Clock Source: Clock Jitter 25ps (Typ), 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 3.5 hours (QC3.0 Charging)
• Playback Time: about 10 hours (Standard: FLAC, 16bit, 44.1kHz, Unbalanced, Vol.50, LCD Off, LED On, OP AMP Mode)

Supported OS

• Supported OS: Windows 7, 8, 10 (32/64bit), macOS X 10.7