Astell&Kern AK300 Portable High-Resolution Audio Player - 64GB, Black
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Product Specifications
- Metal Aluminum Body
- CD-Ripper Support
- Single DAC
- DSD-to-PCM
AK Connect App
Product Description
Astell & Kern AK300 portable audio system has been officially launched which is one of the youngest player in the AK3xx lineup. AK300 has own a same design as AK320, but slightly lower hardware with single DAC AKM AK4490 chip, 24-bit / 192 kHz bit amplifier decoding support and only 64GB of native storage. Especially, in addition to DSD128 high quality stereo support.
Product Reviews
* Great sound stage imaging
Pros.* Greeeeeat sound quality.* Too musical.* Great sound stage imaging.* Great separation between instruments.*Top notch build qulaity*Sexy unitif you didn’t try AK series before you didn’t listen to music before (except chord Hugo)
Brilliant dap
exquisite build quality, friendly UI and above all divine sound quality when paired with shure SE846. i tested it with mp3 320kbps files i’m yet to try playing Hi-res files
Analog sound
188 Posts. Joined 10/2013Here are some impressions of the AK300 with the Meze 99 Classics. The AK300 has done over 76 hrs of burn in and the 99’s around 50 hrs.I’m not a professional reviewer so please do understand these are my personal opinions based on my personal preferences.A short note on the build quality - Absolutely solid and well built. My only gripe would be the sharp edges. Without its leather cover one edge digs into the palm to levels of discomfort. Also I’d hate to drop it on my foot by mistake. Its my foot that’d suffer. That leather cover is mandatory. Lucky it comes with it.200 GB micro sd card works just fine.Quick fast scanning under a minute or so.Excellent UI. Responsive touch screen. Some amusing grammatical errors with notifications. (Korean english?)Simply put, these are the most analog sounding instruments I’ve heard. Yes, I say instruments ‘cause these deserve to be called musical instruments and not just another player and headphone combo.Analog,Analog, Analog. Period.Listening to Miles Davis’ “Sketches of Spain” (MFSL Sacd rip) was an emotional experience of the positive kind. Miles was in my head, doing his thing in a way that I’d never heard before. There is this cohesiveness to the music, this natural tonality. This recording has always been difficult, the files being too bright/harsh/metallic/digital no matter which remastered version I listen to. But here, there is the OMG factor.Jimmy Scott - “All The Way” (24⁄192). A Clean, relaxed and (that word again) musical delivery. Light some candles and pour the red wine!Eric Clapton - “Spiral” from “I Still Do” (24⁄192). Slowhand’s back with a superb album. There’s a lot going on in this track, guitars, drums, synths, vocals and its all presented cleanly. And it rocks as well.Vivaldi - “Recomposed by Max Richter” (24⁄96). The Violins are front and center, a bit forward for my tastes, making them sound just a bit ‘hot’. But in while I just forget about all that nit picking and let the music wash over me. Again this wholeness, organic quality to the music just removes all doubts.Wahnfried - “Drums ‘n Balls” (Mp3 320 kbps) This is mp3??? Could’ve fooled me. The electronic Drums reach down, down into the ground. Not a hint of Mp3 flabbiness in depths or harshness in the highs. Again its analog sounding. This is an electronica track with sampled drums and hi hats!!!!Soundstage: Yes, it presents an intimate soundstage, a bit like the zx2 but more open. (Again this is from memory, I Dont have the zx2 anymore for a direct comparison).Sound signature : Its warm and clean. Non Fatiguing, can listen for prolonged periods.If I were to compare with the likes of the sony zx2, the sony has this lush, hi-end sound but with prolonged listening there comes this feeling that the player is modulating the sound. Compared to the Fiio x5, well- No contest. Also its not a fair comparison as the fiio costs 300 bucks or so.The chinese Daps seem to deliver the detail but something is not holding it all together, some musicality is lacking. I cant speak about other Daps, my experience is limited to the x5 and zx2. The AK300 seems to neither add nor take away from the recording but present it in a musical fashion. I would definitely choose the AK300 over the Sony.The other great gadgety thing that the AK does well is the AK connect. It found my aries mini streamer over wifi and now I can listen to my 4TB collection from the AK. No hiccups so far!The Meze 99’s also edge out the NAD Viso hp50’s (my previous headset). Again there is this naturalness to the music (Wooden cups…?)Is it the AK doing the magic? The 99’s?In my humble opinion its them both. A marriage made in audio heaven. I can see my self enjoying this combo well into the future! I will be rediscovering my vast collection.I always resisted getting an AK branded product due to their high costs and the general snob factor associated with them. But having heard this AK300 I think they are on to something..My Verdict? You mean you still want a verdict???Now excuse me folks, while I get back to the music.
Hi RES audio player
Although the output power of this player is not high AK320, but I bought a amplifier, got the desired effect, in short, is a cost-effective products
Five Stars
Obvious sound quality improvement comparing with L3 and my iphone.
Top of the Price/Performance heap
To start things off, these types of players are very expensive compared to simple $100 MP3 players and the like. There really has to be point of diminishing returns, and I think this player is it.If you are OK with mediocre ergonomics and very good sound quality (7⁄10), buy something like a HiFiMan Super-Mini player. If you want very good ergonomics and even better sound quality (8⁄10) buy the A&K AK70. Having said that, what does another $300 get you in the A&K line? Well, you get a bigger screen, a supplied case that actually fits the player, better battery performance, and excellent sound quality (9⁄10). The difference between the AK70 and the AK300 can be easily heard I think. It is like the AK300 lifts a light veil off of the soundstage, detail, and overall response from Treble to Bass.What the last month has taught me is that there IS a difference between cheap basic players and players like these. Whether a prospective buyer thinks $400 or $600 or $900 is worth the sound you get, I can’t say.However when I hear many songs that I’ve listened to for 40+ years on the AK300 that are a complete revelation, where I hear details that I’ve never noticed before, well it does not get better than that. Whether it is listening to the opening of Styx’s “Come Sail Away” where I can clearly hear Dennis deYoung’s right-hand melody that is just a tad louder than the left hand, or the second verse of “Hell’s Bells” where you can clearly hear Brian Johnson softly chuckle to himself as he sings “then I’m sticking to the right”, or finally during the instrumental end of “Hotel California” where there is a very soft rhythm guitar playing along side the dual solos, this player rocks. By the way. it’s not like you can’t actually hear some of these details on less expensive players, it’s just that I never NOTICED them before. I can’t wait to hear the other 1,500+ songs that I have yet to play on the AK300.
Great player with superb sound quality. My ears are loving this - never going back to iPod again.
Lovin this player. Top quality sound with Oppo PM-3 (plenty of power for these head phones). Purchased blue dragon cables from Moon Audio to complement both player and head phones which made sound even better. UI easy to navigate while navigating songs, albums, etc. Currently using 200GB card for DSD/FLAC and other formats.
Bad experience
Come with a dead battery. It won’t turn on even with usb cable connected. Bad experience
A nice player for my B&O A8 and ie80
This player has a smooth treble and a well-structured sound stage. Very suitable for listening piano and other instruments.
Great sound quality, with instruments sounding real.
Yes, it’s expensive. But, the sound quality will make you forget that.Some perspective to understand my review: I come from FiiO X1 and X3 2nd Gen (DAPs), Audioquest…
Four Stars
Great and fluid sound with weak battery life time and clumpsy Android UI.
Amazing sound and great features.
Excellent sounding HiFi digital player. After trying multiple devices, the Astell & Kern AK300 is buy far the best sounding unit.
They sound best with the t8ie’s
comments powered by DisqusSmooth sounding dap. I tried the player with my Shure 846, ety er4xr, and AK t8ie MKii’s. They sound best with the t8ie’s, but sounded muffled and dull with the shure 846.
