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Astell & Kern SP2000
Next Level, A&ultima SP2000
A&ultima SP2000 is the third player released in the A&ultima lineup.
A&ultima SP2000 features newly developed audio circuitry and amplifier design.
Introducing Astell&Kern's new flagship, A&ultima SP2000.
- Stainless Steel and Copper body finishes for the best acoustics
- Dual DAC of AK4499EQ from AKM
- Native playback of 32bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512 without compression or loss
- Dual Band Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz)
- Twice the Amount of Internal Storage of Previous Flagship Models
- Improved Audio Output Power and Greater Acoustic Details
Newly designed audio circuit
The SP2000 is the first Astell&Kern player to use separate, independent audio channels
between the Unbalanced and Balanced outputs.
This design offers much more power than ever before, with 6 Vrms for Balanced output and 3Vrms
for Unbalanced output.
With this design, the SP2000 offers the ultimate audio experience as Astell&Kern's newest
flagship player.
The Most Advanced Asahi Kasei DAC Chips, Dual AK4499EQ
The AK4499EQ DAC chip uses the most advanced 'Current Output Architecture' technology.
To take full advantage of this new architecture, Astell&Kern redesigned the Op Amp and analog amp block configuration completely.
The new circuit design optimizes the current consumption and brings out the most from these new DAC chips.
The combination of the SP2000 and AK4499EQ chips provide mind-blowing audio quality.
32bit/768kHz, Native DSD22.4MHz Support
SP2000 is the first Astell&Kern model to support 32 bit/768 kHz
and DSD512 (22.4MHz) playback natively without compression or loss.
32-bit bit-to-bit Playback by the SP2000
32-bit Playback by Other Products
Dual band Wi-Fi(2.4/5GHz)
With streaming music services becoming more popular, stronger and more reliable network reception becomes even more important for your audio experience. The SP2000 supports Dual Band Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz, a/b/g/n/ac) with an improved 3-dimensional antenna design. With a stronger Wi-Fi signal and faster speeds, music streaming from the most popular services is better than ever on the SP2000.
Twice the Internal Storage (512GB)
As CD-ripping and offline storage of streaming content gets more popular,
the SP2000 offers twice the amount of internal storage compared to SP1000.
512GB internal storage can hold up to 700+ CDs or 8,000+ tracks of FLAC files (60MB/track).
DESIGN
The design motif of the SP2000 resembles the dispersion of light around the player.
The main focus of the design is the volume wheel, which is the starting point of the usability design.
The exquisite details of the crown pattern crossed over the pattern of the body, reflect the craftmanship and quality of the player.
The back stainless steel panel encompasses Astell&Kern's philosophy of bringing
listeners the original performance, without compromise, by featuring a full back plate
without screws. This provides a more solid feel to the player and enhances the natural
beauty of the body materials used.
Introducing the new SP2000 Vegas Gold and Onyx Black. This sleek and premium black coated
stainless steel was made possible using PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating technology.
It is environmentally friendly and the results are finishes that provide long-lasting
protection and durability, are resistant to chemicals, easy to maintain and protect against
corrosion and wear. PVD coating has been used for products where higher endurance and
reliability is demanded, including medical instruments, luxury accessories and more.
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Professional Reviews 89/100
Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
93/100
Build Quality
92/100
Features Usability
88/100
Value for Money
78/100
With a refined, transparent presentation and a generous soundstage, the SP2000 is a flagship player that turns dense music into something spacious and easy to follow. What Hi-Fi? praises its openness, detail, and authoritative rhythm, while its luxurious build and streaming flexibility make it a standout for serious headphone listening.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Exceptional openness, clarity, and detail make complex recordings easy to follow.
Wide, well-organized soundstage with strong rhythmic drive and composure.
Premium build quality feels solid and lavish, with an intuitive physical layout.
Strong feature set includes streaming support, large internal storage, and balanced output.
&
Cons
Heavier and bulkier than a typical portable player, so it is not especially pocket-friendly.
Battery life is only average for the category.
Premium pricing makes it inaccessible for many buyers.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
Reviewers describe the SP2000 as big, transparent, refined, and exceptionally open, with a presentation that makes music easy and interesting to follow. What Hi-Fi also praises its clarity, detail, generous soundstage, and authoritative rhythmic drive, while noting its neutral balance favors sophistication over sheer liveliness.
Tonal Balance Musicality
93/100
The player is described as neutral, refined, and sophisticated rather than flashy or aggressively vivid. Reviewers say that balance makes it easy to listen to for long sessions and gives music an authoritative, coherent flow.
Resolution Detail
95/100
Reviewers strongly praise the SP2000’s openness, clarity, and detail, saying it reveals the subtlety and intricacies in dense recordings. Its ability to keep layers organized while still sounding easy and interesting stands out.
Digital Performance
92/100
The reviews point to a very clean, controlled presentation with a generous soundstage and strong rhythmic precision. What Hi-Fi also frames it as highly capable in the context of its price, though not quite at the level of a top dedicated streamer.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 88/100
The SP2000 offers a generous feature set for a portable digital player, including large internal storage, microSD expansion, Wi-Fi, OTA firmware updates, USB audio input, optical output, and balanced output. Reviewers also note its music streaming capabilities and say they would not hesitate to use them, but the software experience itself is not discussed in much depth.
Streaming Software
86/100
The review mentions the player’s music streaming capabilities positively, but gives little detail on app quality, browsing, stability, or day-to-day software feel. That leaves the software side sounding capable, but not especially well documented in the review material.
Features Connectivity
92/100
Connectivity is strong, with Wi-Fi, USB input, optical out, balanced output, microSD expansion, and substantial built-in memory. The feature list is broad and practical for a premium portable player.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
92/100
Reviewers describe the hefty chassis as reassuring and praise the sandblasted aluminium body as a lavish statement of Astell & Kern’s design creativity. The comments clearly support excellent build quality, though the evidence is more strongly positive than truly overwhelming.
Value for Money
78/100
What Hi-Fi explicitly calls it not accessibly priced, and at this level it faces obvious pressure from other premium digital players and dedicated streamers. The performance is admired, but the review still treats price as a real hurdle rather than an easy sell.
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- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
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- ALAIN CHOUKROUN — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
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- Area Hifi — online and in-store — L'Eixample, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Audio Advice — online and in-store — Raleigh, North Carolina, United States (website)
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