STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 8AM GMT, MONDAY 2nd FEBRUARY

Astell&Kern launches the ultimate music player – plus a new luxury home for your head-fi

SP4000 Copper and the Collector’s Atelier valet join AK HC5 DAC and STELLA earphone as new 2026 releases – all available now

 

Monday 2 February 2026 – 8am GMT release

Astell&Kern, a global leader in high-resolution audio products and accessories, has launched A&ultima SP4000 Copper – a range-topping addition to its flagship digital audio player family – and the Collector’s Atelier: a luxury leather valet case for high-end players, earphones and accessories. 

The A&ultima SP4000 Copper is Astell&Kern’s ultimate showcase of material mastery, precision engineering, and pure analogue sound expression. It shares the class-leading specification of the standard A&ultima SP4000, including a quad-DAC, octa-circuit architecture, and takes it to another level. Built from 99.98% pure copper, it leverages a metal renowned for ideal audio properties yet notoriously difficult to use, requiring a multi-layer stabilisation process and meticulous machining to achieve long-term durability and a flawless finish.

This uncompromising craftsmanship directly shapes its sonic character. Copper’s natural conductivity and shielding help preserve even the finest details, resulting in sound that is expressive and profoundly lifelike. The SP4000 Copper delivers deep, authoritative bass, a rich and articulate midrange, and treble that decays with natural ease, all presented as a seamless, emotionally engaging whole.

Created for listeners who value the truth of the original recording, the SP4000 Copper Limited Edition reflects Astell&Kern’s pursuit of perfection without compromise, setting a new benchmark for high-end portable audio.

The A&ultima SP4000 Copper will be a limited edition; it is available now with a suggested retail price of £3,999 / $4,499 / €4,699.

Collector’s Atelier – a luxury home for head-fi

The Collector’s Atelier is a dedicated premium case designed to store and protect your Astell&Kern player and accessories in style, using PERLINGER leather. Going beyond simple protection, it is designed to be a premium collectible that enhances the value of ownership.

Founded in 1864, German tannery PERLINGER has been producing the finest quality leather for over five generations. Collector’s Atelier is crafted from premium male calf leather sourced from Africa’s Togo region, processed using PERLINGER’s exclusive Shrunken leather technique. To preserve the natural softness of the leather, no heat is applied. Instead, the leather is shrunk through a special chemical treatment process. This allows the leather’s natural grain and texture to remain beautifully intact, resulting in a surface that is both exceptionally soft and highly elastic. The naturally formed texture created through the shrinking process provides excellent durability against minor scratches. With continued use, the leather becomes more supple in the hand, while over time it develops a deeper lustre and richer texture.

The Collector’s Atelier is available now with an SRP of £229/$260. 

AK HC5 & Stella also available now

Also available now are two Astell&Kern releases previewed in December: the small-but-mighty AK HC5 USB DAC (£399/$489/€499), and STELLA (£3899/$3,900/€4,400), an all-new reference earphone created in collaboration with VOLK Audio and GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer, Michael Graves. The full press pack for those releases is available in the Astell&Kern press office here on Brandlifi.