Astell&Kern gives its flagship portable media player a material makeover

Is this the ultimate portable music player? Certainly, if you’re thinking in terms of price-per-megabyte of storage, the newest version of Astell&Kern’s SP3000 player, the Copper edition, is the top of the tree. The SP3000 has ‘only’ 256GB of onboard memory, as well as a microSD slot that’ll take cards of up to 1TB, numbers that seem big until you look at the galaxies of music we’re used to accessing via the myriad streaming services that are now bundled into every device. 

So why take your music with you? Astell&Kern’s products are all about the highest of high fidelity. The Korean audio brand offers a wide range of media players, speakers and headphones, all of which purport to offer your ears what the company calls ‘mastering quality sound’, or MQS.

There’s a never-ending debate amongst the most ardent audiophiles as to the best way of listening to digital music. Ever since the compact disc encoded audio as 0s and 1s, then used a digital-analogue converter (DAC) to transform the numbers back into sound, experts have argued that some data sources contain more information and some converters do a better job, both of which are broadly true. 

Astell&Kern’s own MQS system is completely lossless, presenting audio in a much higher quality (24-bit/192kHz) than a traditional CD (16-bit/44.1kHz). As a result, you’re getting more audio information, filling out the sound with greater detail and clarity. Only, of course, if the original source was recording to the same exacting standards. 

Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 Copper

That’s the theory. Most of the major streaming services supported by the player can also provide hi-res audio (such as Tidal, which comes pre-installed). However, it’s very data-heavy, meaning you’ll need a fast wi-fi connection to stream, and those chunky FLAC and WAV files also take up way more space than old-school mp3s, meaning that the SP3000’s storage doesn’t go quite as far as you think. 

Audiophiles always believe they have the upper hand, and in terms of physical quality, they’re probably right. The A&ultima SP3000 is a handsome device, especially in the newly released copper finish, with a feeling of substantial quality and heft thanks to its nearly half-kilogram weight. The Li-Polymer battery provides up to ten hours of listening time, while the goatskin leather case by ALRA of France, jewel-like detailing and watch-style ‘crown’ button give off a feeling of meticulous quality (even if the SP3000 dials down the slightly forced asymmetry of Astell&Kern’s other models). The corners are still devilishly sharp, though. 

The software is first rate, with a responsive touch screen and quick browsing through your library (although it’s a mystery as to why the skeuomorphic interface presents albums as if they’re CDs). As well as WAV and FLAC, the player supports WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, and MQA, and there are onboard tools to help rip CDs, as well as a car mode and many more audio-specific settings.

However, other big brands are moving away from the dedicated player. Apple’s iPod was discontinued last year, while Sony’s Walkman range is notably depleted. On the flipside, online stores are awash with cheaply assembled no-brand mp3 players; a 1GB touch screen device can be found for under £30. Is the Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000 worth over 100 times as much? 

Perhaps it’s more instructive to think of this sleek digital brick as a powerhouse of high-resolution audio, suitable for hooking up to the finest speakers to create a hand-held hi-fi system without equal. Although it’s too precious (and bulky) to be truly pocketable for everyday use, the SP3000 will certainly help focus your mind on the music.  

Astell&Kern, A&ultima SP3000 Copper, £3,799, available at Selfridges.com and via AstellnKern.co.uk