Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review

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Since its founding in 2024, Astell & Kern has quickly established itself as our preferred brand for portable music players. The company’s success is demonstrated by the numerous Awards it has received over the years. Remarkably, A&K has never pursued the low-cost market, instead sticking to the “reassuringly expensive” route that has worked for them. By most standards, even its current entry-level model, the superb A&norma SR35, which retails for £799 / $799 / AU$1299, is considered premium.

We’ve often pondered what would happen if the company’s engineers were entrusted with creating a truly cost-no-object offering, despite how good this and its step-up players have been. That question is addressed by the release of the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000.

Build & Design

This player weights slightly under half a kilogram, despite being about the size of a huge box of matches. The SP3000 will not feel comfortable in a clothing pocket, despite the fact that it is undoubtedly small enough. That cause will also be hampered by the angular, sharp-edged casework. It is constructed from highly polished 904L stainless steel, which is renowned for being strong and corrosion-resistant—so much so that brands like Rolex utilize it to make their watches. Silver and black are the two available finishes. We believe both will turn out to be quite powerful fingerprint magnets. Naturally helpful, the included ALRAN leather case will shield the device from dings and scratches as well as accidental drops.

Naturally, the touchscreen serves as the primary control interface for the SP3000. With a resolution of 1080 x 1920, its 5.46-inch LCD display is comparatively sharp. Although the touchscreen is snappy, this player can occasionally be a bit difficult to use for those accustomed to the sleekness of contemporary phones.

Three buttons on the side handle standard play/pause/skip and scan functions, so there aren’t many physical controls. The volume dial, which resembles a crown, serves as an on/off switch. The player’s top has three outputs: a 3.5mm optical output, a 4.4mm balanced output, and a 2.5mm balanced output. A&K is obviously attempting to cover every possible scenario. A USB-C connector on the base charges the device and serves as an input for downloading files to the player.

Features

File compatibility is not a problem. High-resolution files up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM files and DSD512 can be handled by the SP3000. In addition to MQA, it will play all the common file kinds. The utilization of four of Asahi Kasei’s new flagship DAC chips, the AK4499EX, is responsible for all of this. Additionally, this player is Roon Ready.

In order to maximize performance, the engineers have also made a concerted effort to lower the SP3000’s internal noise levels. They have even gone so far as to design distinct analogue circuits for the balanced and unbalanced outputs.

Since this design doesn’t cut corners, it’s not surprising that aptX HD and LDAC codecs are included in the specs. Bluetooth is also available, allowing you to use wireless headphones with this player. The SP3000 includes 256GB of built-in storage and can stream files across your home network. A microSD card slot that can add up to 1TB of capacity would be appreciated by those who work with high-resolution files, especially if you have a sizable collection.

The A&K’s battery has a respectably large 5050mAh rating. With a CD-spec file, a reasonable volume level, and the display off, this is said to provide about ten hours of playback time. Expect around a third less than that under typical conditions. It takes about 3.5 hours to recharge.

The SP3000 is easy to load files onto; it’s just a straightforward drag-and-drop procedure from our MacBook Pro. We can test how the A&K player reacts to the various bit rates because our files are a combination of high-res and CD-spec. With CD-spec records by Kiasmos (Kiasmos) and Leonard Cohen (I’m Your Man) in between, the player transitions fluidly from a DSD file of Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions to a 24-bit/192kHz file of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.

With the SP3000, we test a variety of headphones, including the closed-back Sony MDR-Z1R and open-back models like Yamaha’s YH5000SE and Focal’s Utopia (2022). These are the high-end headphones that any prospective buyer should take into account, considering the player’s price.

Sound

No matter what music is played, some characteristics always stand out. The SP3000 is an incredibly intelligent and detailed performer. It can highlight even the smallest details without losing sight of the bigger picture. The player sounds as well-rounded and unified as they can be, and the information is superbly organized. There is a pleasing richness to the sound that prevents the A&K from being congested or hard-edged, even when the leading edges of the notes are as crisp as you wish.

The tone is well-balanced, and it’s a pleasant surprise to hear how powerful and commanding the SP3000 sounds. Despite their obvious weight and force, bass notes are able to fit in perfectly with the rest of the frequency spectrum without taking center stage. Few are able to pull off such clever trick.

The scale and drama of the orchestra in the Mahler Symphony are superbly conveyed by the SP3000. Conviction and force are used while rendering dynamic sweeps. Low-level instrumental threads are easily recorded, and this A&K always sounds controlled and composed, regardless of how dense the music gets.

When we broadcast from our Naim NAS via our dedicated network, the narrative is similarly encouraging. With the gritty appeal of the recording still present, the SP3000 is pleased to present A Grand Don’t Come For Free from the Streets. It highlights the shortcomings of the production and recording quality, but it also conveys the passion, fervor, and, in certain cases, the anguish of the song. When we listen to Coltrane’s 1960 album Giant Steps, we are also taken back in time. The SP3000 masterfully captures the rhythmic and dynamic changes in the song.

When we use the Mark Levinson No.5909 wireless headphones to connect via Bluetooth, the experience is similarly great. The connection is reliable and quick. By Bluetooth standards, the sound is excellent and noticeably better than what we receive with our iPhone 12 Pro Max for the same task, even though it isn’t as good as the expensive wired headphones in absolute terms. We will add, though, that you won’t be able to appreciate the SP3000’s true quality if you primarily listen to it using Bluetooth headphones.

The Sony NW-WM1ZM2, which is priced similarly, is the A&K’s clear competitor. Although both are exquisitely constructed, we believe Sony outperforms it in terms of build quality and precision. Although the SP3000 counters, the Sony is slightly superior in terms of outright analysis in terms of dynamic contrasts, bass muscularity, and rhythmic force. Our money would go to the A&K since they are the more musical performer overall and have a larger tonal pallet.

Verdict

We can appreciate the fact that some people will never be able to afford the SP3000. Spending this much money on something that will be used and placed in a bag is absurd. However, if you set aside that value judgment, it is simple to appreciate what Astell & Kern have accomplished. The SP3000 has a ton of practical functions and produces amazing sound. That pricing is slightly more acceptable because it is good enough to be the primary source in a high-end home system. In conclusion, the SP3000 is the greatest portable music player we have ever heard, and the best things are rarely inexpensive.