Astell&Kern / A&ultima SP3000T

The A&ultima SP3000T was developed with the goal of creating an audio player that truly captures the emotion and resonance of music, while following the outstanding design and high-resolution sound of the SP3000 that has been loved by many users, based on the philosophy of producing immersive sound from high-resolution original sound.

■[Analog Warmth, Digital Precision] True analog sound from real vacuum tubes
- The original vacuum tube is known for its warm sound with its unique rich overtones, and has firmly established its position as an important component of Hi-Fi audio.However, problems with power control and footprint meant that miniaturization was impractical and unsuitable for portable audio players. In Astell&Kern's relentless quest for innovation, we sought to bridge the gap between stationary and portable audio by injecting the essence of analog sound into the device, rather than resting on traditional sound and design. This was borne out by the combination of the SP3000T and the mini vacuum tube RAYTHEON JAN6418.The RAYTHEON JAN6418 is a mini vacuum tube popular among audiophiles, designed to military specifications and traditionally used in military communication equipment. It quickly gained a reputation for its unique warm and soft sound, and is now installed in general audio equipment. Astell&Kern has adopted a meticulous selection process to adhere to the philosophy of responding to even the subtlest differences in sound quality, since original vacuum tubes have inherent differences in noise and amplification rate.Each JAN6418 tube is carefully measured and paired. This thorough selection minimizes the output deviation between the left and right channels, resulting in a more natural sound reproduction. In addition, the vacuum tubes are all carefully shielded by hand to minimize noise interference. This thorough attention to sound creation has succeeded in bringing the unique sense of space and balance of existing audio players into the analog realm of vacuum tube sound.

■Minimizing vacuum tube microphonic noise
- Incorporating vacuum tubes into compact, portable equipment poses the challenging technical hurdle of maintaining low noise levels while delivering unparalleled resolution and robust output. With the SP3000T, we tackled this challenge head-on with a custom-made, proprietary solution designed to minimize microphonic noise. We spent countless hours improving the structural integrity of the vacuum tubes, ensuring minimal noise even when subjected to minor shocks and vibrations.

■Vacuum tube current options and vacuum tube LED for premium analog sound
-After testing the operating range of vacuum tubes, Astell&Kern developed a new internal plate voltage control system. This system can be adjusted in three stages and directly affects the amplification rate of the vacuum tube amplifier, resulting in a rich and nuanced change in the texture of the sound.The SP3000T also features a vacuum tube LED for visual enjoyment. In TUBE mode or HYBRID mode, the vacuum tube on the back of the SP3000T lights up, creating a delicate and stylish analog feel. By fine-tuning the current of the vacuum tube amplifier, you can experience subtle changes in the density of the sound and the realism of the space, as well as the warmth that only vacuum tubes can provide.
*The vacuum tube does not light up in OP amp mode.

■Housing made of 99.9% pure silver plated stainless steel 316L

The housing of the SP3000T is made of 99.9% pure silver plated stainless steel 316L, which has excellent corrosion resistance. Silver has superior conductivity compared to copper and gold, and is used in high-end semiconductors and high-end audio components. Since silver has the tendency to discolor when exposed to air, we have taken measures to increase its durability and prevent it from coming into direct contact with air, such as applying a special multi-layer coating that prevents sulfuration.

■ "TERATON ALPHA" sound solution
- Equipped with "TERATON ALPHA", the ultimate sound solution that integrates the main circuits developed by Astell&Kern. TERATON ALPHA is Astell&Kern's ultimate sound solution that realizes audio playback close to the original sound through the audio output interface by effectively eliminating power supply noise, efficient power management, and amplification with low distortion. It is equipped with Astell&Kern's patented technology born from tens of thousands of hours of continuous research and development to reproduce sounds close to the original sound intended by artists and producers.

＜Specifications＞
■Model name: A&ultima SP3000T
■Color: Silver / Copper
■Body material: Stainless Steel 316L + Pure silver plating (Silver) / Copper (Copper)
■Display: 5.5-inch full HD (1080 x 1920) touch screen
■Size: (W x H x D): 84.7mm x 141.5mm x 18mm
■Weight: Approx. 493g (Silver) / Approx. 505g (Copper)
■Firmware update: OTA
■Operating temperature: 0℃ ~ +40℃
■Supported OS: Windows 10 (32/64bit) 11 (64bit) / MAC OS X 10.7
■Built-in memory: 256GB [NAND] *Including system area
■External memory support: microSD slot x 1 (maximum 2TB)
■Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz) ■Bluetooth: V5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP / SBC, AAC, Qualcomm? aptX? HD, LDAC, LHDC)
■Supported file formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
■CPU: Octa-core
■DAC: AKM AK4191EQ×2 (Dual-Modulator) + AK4499EX×2 (Dual-DAC)
■Supported sampling rates
・PCM maximum: 768KHz (16/24/32bit)
・DSD maximum: DSD512 (22.4MHz/1bit) stereo
■Input: USB Type-C (charging & data transfer)
■Output: 3.5mm 3-pole unbalanced output (also used for optical digital output), 2.5mm 4-pole balanced output / 4.4mm 5-pole balanced output (5-pole GND wiring)
■Output level: Unbalanced 3.3Vrms / Balanced 6.3Vrms (no load)
■Output impedance: Unbalanced 3.5mm (1.5Ω) / Balanced 2.5mm (1.5Ω), 4.4mm (1.4Ω)
■Frequency response
・±0.005dB (20Hz~20kHz) unbalanced / ±0.003dB (20Hz~20kHz) balanced
・±0.006dB (20Hz~70kHz) unbalanced / ±0.024dB (20Hz~70kHz) balanced
■S/N ratio: 120dB @ 1kHz, unbalanced / 124dB @ 1kHz, balanced
■Crosstalk: -136dB @ 1kHz, unbalanced / -145dB @ 1kHz, balanced
■THD+N: 0.0005% @ 1kHz, unbalanced / 0.0004% @ 1kHz, balanced
■IMD: 0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) unbalanced / 0.0007% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) balanced
■Clock jitter: 25ps (Typ)
■Reference clock jitter: 200 fs
■Battery: 5,050mAh 3.8V lithium polymer
■Charging time: Approximately 3.5 hours (when charging with QC 3.0)
■Playback time: Approximately 10 hours (FLAC, 44.1KHz/16bit, Vol.50, LCD off, unbalanced output, LED on, OP amp)
■Accessories: Shrink skin calf leather case, USB Type-C to Type-C cable, screen protector, microSD card slot cover
■Country of manufacture: Korea
■Manufacturer's warranty: 1 year for main unit / 90 days for accessories

Supports PCM384KHz/DSD256 conversion playback, converts to the appropriate sampling rate for each sound source and plays it. You can choose either PCM or DSD for DAR conversion.