Perhaps, it's time to start reviewing the most expensive gadget of the past, and possibly this year too. The first rapturous sensations of buying have subsided ... Although I'm trying to deceive anyone, nothing has settled down yet, just a little bit of settled thoughts, and I'm ready to tell you about the A & ultima SP1000, the same player for $ 3,500.
Perhaps, at once I will begin this review with the necessary reservation. Yes, this player is expensive, very, very, expensive, it's obvious to everyone and does not require an additional repetition. Therefore, if you are tempted to share this opinion with others, you will not say anything new. Astell & Kern has long and unsuccessfully positioned itself as the main (and only) player in the luxury segment of the portable audio market, so the prohibitive price tag for the flagship model is just as necessary for them as an evening dress in an elite restaurant. In addition, A & K has a good line of players offering a normal quality for 20-30% of the "ultima" price tag (for example, AK70 Mk II, which I recently wrote about).
But today we are talking about the flagship model, which absorbed all the achievements of the company's engineers. The previous "top" in the face of the AK380, costing the same 3500, fell to 2500, automatically assuming the role of "pretop", and the "pre -top" AK320 (which I enjoyed for a long time and enjoyed) dropped to 1400. Given that there is still KANN and AK70 Mk II - the current line of the company becomes quite obvious.
The updated flagship has changed both internally and externally. "Outside" it became noticeably larger, which allowed to increase the diagonal of the screen to 5 ", the volume wheel became incidentally and a switch, a fashionable USB-C connector appeared. Inside, two AK4497EQ DACs are used at once, the amplifier underwent processing, besides the traditional growth of characteristics like THD + N and SNR, the power of the balanced output also increased. The increased body also allowed the battery to be put in a larger capacity, which affected the running time, and to charge this battery was more fun, the support for Quick Charge appeared. Improved and non-sound part, for the player is now responsible for some kind of 8-core processor, and in honor of this A & K has been reworked familiar by previous versions of UI, refreshing it and making it significantly modern.
Specifications
- DAC: 2 × AK4497EQ
- Output level: 2.2 Vrms common output, 3.9 Vrms balanced
- Output impedance: 1Ω balanced output, 2Ω normal
- Frequency range (normal output): 20 Hz - 20 kHz (± 0.062 dB), 10 Hz - 70 kHz (± 0.68 dB)
- Frequency range (balanced output): 20 Hz - 20 kHz (± 0.061 dB), 10 Hz - 70 kHz (± 0.67 dB)
- Signal to noise ratio: 120 dB typical output, 122 dB balanced
- Channel separation: 138 dB typical output, 143 dB balanced
- Total harmonic distortion + noise: 0.0005% conventional output, 0.0008% balanced
- Supported formats: WAV, FLAC, MP3, WMA, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF
- Maximum resolution: 384 kHz / 32 bit, DSD to DSD256
- Screen: 5 ", 730 × 1280
- WiFi: 802.11 b / g / n
- Bluetooth: V4.1 with aptX HD support
- Input: USB 3.0 Type-C
- Outputs: 3.5 mm TRS (with digital optics output support) and 2.5 mm TRRS
- Battery: 3400 mAh
- Operating time from one charge: up to 12 hours
- Charging time (with Quick Charge): ~ 2 hours
- Built-in Memory: 256 GB
- Memory Cards: MicroSD
- Dimensions: 76 mm × 132 mm × 16 mm
- Weight: 388 g
Packing and delivery kit
Naturally, without pathos in this case was in no way necessary, so inside the outer black box of cardboard is a wooden box containing the player and other accessories. In addition to the different warranty cards and instructions, the set was put: USB-C wire, a pin for removing the memory card tray (made in the form of a company logo, among other things), two sets of protective films and a leather cover.
The cover itself is quite good, but, for my taste, the chosen brown color does not really match with the copper case of the player. In addition, the cover does not fit snugly the upper part, but these are the features of the player's own design (a thin frame on top of the screen), which is unlikely to work around.
The main thing that I do not understand, is why A & K did not paste protective films in the factory. Whether they believe that the process of sticking with futile attempts to avoid getting dust on the glass is an exciting quest, or they think that the SP1000 customers have a separate lackey for sticking the protectors ... I tried to stick the film on the screen, but, as usual, do it without dust under it failed (neither the compressed air cylinder nor the "pear" for cleaning the optics helped), so I decided to use the player without treads for myself, still I will not carry it in my pocket with the keys, but in case of a fall of 400 -gram bar down screen no pr Tector not help.
Design and management
As in the case of Lamborghini Diablo, we do not even want to discuss the design - it's a typical Astell and Kern product, brought to its absolute. Angular, asymmetrical shapes, chamfers, carbon rear panel - all this "as a whole" we saw, but in particular, with each next model it appears in a new, unusual light. Incidentally, I note that the angular design of A & K is much more attractive to me than the faceless roundness of the forms of Sony's flagships, but this is subjectivism in its pure form.
Continuing the car analogies, the "ultima", like Ferrari, is sold in two colors, although in our case it is not just colors, but also the material from which the body is made. If you decide to suddenly make yourself happy with such a purchase, you will have to choose what is closer to you - stylish silver of stainless steel or noble redness of copper. Complicated all the consideration that copper is easier to scratch and eventually can even become covered with patina. A piece of paper embedded in the box warns that Astell & Kern, of course, covered the player with a special coating, which protects against oxidation, but the copper material is soft, can be scratched, the spraying is damaged ... And in this case, you will not be replaced by a patina covered by the warranty. I decided for myself that patinas are afraid - do not buy copper, and chose this option anyway. First, copper - it's vintage (and therefore more beautiful), and secondly - patina, if suddenly appears, will give the player a personality. Some particularly impressionable audiophiles believe that the material of the case can somehow influence the sound of the device, but we, comrades, will now resign this remark with indignation. Of course, I did a blind test, but he confirmed the already obvious ...
The first thing you feel when you pick up the SP1000 is weight ("Weight is reliability, for me reliability is the most important thing"). Almost 400 grams show that the thickness of the body is not economized. No less respect for the size and size inspires, the player obviously designed not for pocket wearing (well, except that you wear army unloading). Just need to realize for yourself the fact that this player is portable, but it is stationary and portable. Of course, it is possible and necessary to wear it from place to place, but to walk along it along the street is an idea in a way (although handbags from Golla will completely solve this problem). SP1000 is bought explicitly for use at home or on trips (not "on the move"), if you need a portable version, you should think about buying the same AK70 Mk II, it has a brand name, and it fits in your pocket (no , I do not scoff, for myself, I'm just thinking about this idea). Automobile analogies are not bored yet? So, if you have a sports car, it is unlikely that it will be your only car, you will obviously need something for trips along non-ideal roads, so here.
The player does not have much control. On the left side there are three rewind and play buttons (so you can switch tracks without getting A & ultima from your bag on wheels), on the right there is a volume twist, it is also pressed, working on a half-time and power / lock switch. Here I, perhaps, refrain from holding parallels with the clock in general and Apple Watch in particular. Encoder, of course, high-quality, clicks are clear, their development by the software of the player is perfect. Due to the combination of the "twirl" with the "button" there is a slight play, but it does not interfere with the control. Also on the ends of the player are the terminal connectors (normal and balanced), a slot for memory cards (using the popular recent circuit with a tray) and a USB-C connector. The latter, as I wrote above, serves for charging and access to files, through it you can output a signal to USB-DACs. Judging by the presence of a connector, in the future A & K can also release an additional amplifier for a thousandth.
Most of the front panel is occupied by the screen, of course, up to modern flagship smartphones it does not hold, but for the player everything is very good: colors, viewing angles, resolution, touch response, brightness margin - none of this raises questions. Under the screen, traditionally for the company's players, the touch-sensitive return button is housed.
Battery life is approximately the same as stated, with Pinnacle P1 in the role of load (the usual output, FLAC 44.1 / 16 as a load), the player worked 11 hours and 40 minutes. Charging took 2 hours 10 minutes. For the modern player - the figures are quite decent.
Firmware
As I wrote above, the developers of the company revised their views on the interface, it became more "modern": various blur effects, transparency, animations - look very impressive. I think this UI will be ported over time to models that are younger, but this is clearly not the matter of the near future.
Immediately after the download, we get to the playback screen, everything is quite traditional: the center of the album cover, below - the buttons for adding to the playlist, viewing additional information and controlling the playback order. Still lower is the name of the track and the rewind / play button. Tap on the cover of the track will show it's largest, along with the lyrics of the song, if it is sewn into tags, the svaypas cover allows you to skip to the next / previous track. Svayp at the bottom of the cover near the position indicator serves to navigate the current track.
All the rest is hidden in three hidden panels that open on the svaypam from the edges of the screen. The gesture from right to left opens the current playlist, allowing you to quickly select the desired track. On the left you can push the panel of the library, here you can expect lists of music for albums, artists and genres, access to playlists, a list of all the songs in a row, viewing music by folder, separate lists for high-definition tracks and "ransacked" CDs. There are also traditional Tidal / Groovers +. The lower point of the list leads to the player settings, but about them a little later. Above the panel is a field for finding tracks (one of the main advantages of players with a touch screen - a full keyboard). When you turn on AK Connect in the same menu, the item for selecting the music source and output device is added.
Expected and familiar svayp from top to bottom opens the panel of quick settings and notifications, here switches Wi-Fi / Bluetooth, equalizer, USB mode and other frequently used options. Here is the slider for adjusting the brightness of the screen. Special thanks to the designers of the company for the fact that they finally signed the switching buttons, significantly simplifying their use (AK320 also needed some time to remember them).
Settings in the player is not so much as those of competitors, the credo of the company is simplicity, but everything is there. In the advanced settings screen, you can manage:
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- AK Connect - a proprietary protocol for access to devices based on DLNA, allows you to broadcast music over the network and read it from networked storage
- Equalizer, in SP1000 to the normal equalizer, allowing to change the number of certain frequencies added a bit from the parametric (on the Advanced tab), however, to use the equalizer on the top player all the same, the meaning is not very much
- Play without pauses
- Line Output Mode
- Channel balance
- Settings for adding tracks to the current playlist
- Managing a proprietary CD-Ripper
- USB mode (MTP or DAC)
- USB audio output mode (DoP or PCM conversion)
- Enable S / PDIF output
There are also system settings: language, clock, brightness, sleep, backlight and sleep timers. Also the player perfectly knows how to update the firmware via Wi-Fi, for which there is an item in the same settings menu.
I think it makes no sense to say that the firmware works steadily, smoothly and without any complaints, A & K has long since completed its code base to a stable state.
Sound
To listen to the device used the following headphones: iBasso IT03, Meze 99 Classics, Audio Zenith PMx2, Noble Kaiser Encore, Campfire Audio Andromeda, 64 Audio U12, HUM Pristine and others.
If we talk about the past players of the company, I personally think that the 380 model is a failure of developers. Having played in the company's sound, the company's engineers made the 380 sounding too soft and not corresponding to its price category for sound, so before the SP1000 came out, it was the AK320 that was the best sound solution of the Astelles. Judging by the fact that in the filing of A & ultima took a step toward a lesser decoration of the sound, A & K also realized that the situation needs to be corrected. Fortunately, they succeeded.
If we talk about giving "one thousandth" in whole, then it is neutral, very technical, without trying to emphasize anything, the main thing that allows us to determine that before us all the same, "Astell and Kern" is the very firm supply of SC ( and this time they did not go too far with her), and she completely changes the whole thing, saving the player from slipping into the area of boring monitors. The player is definitely not an option for those who want from the source of some kind of pumping, which is not present in the recording, but this is what a top-notch device should be, "flavoring" is the destiny of the middle segment, the closer to the "tops", the less the devices themselves add, although the main thing is not to overdo it with neutrality.
So when reading the next audio part of the review, you can mentally add to each paragraph a passage like "though, if you are accustomed to additional accentuation of this part of the range, this player will not work for you".
The SP1000's bass is very linear, fast, but with a pleasant massiveness. There are blows when necessary, and relief texture, and a wonderful balance of quantity, giving the effect of absolute realism to natural tools. The bass is very realistic, and it's this vivacity that gives the player an appreciable part of its charm (of course, it's a question of live instruments, which is realistic for samples from Fruity Loops - I do not know). "Ultima" simply immerses you in the track, if you hear the strings of a double bass - you will hear their movement and all the resonances of the deck, if the tube plays - you will hear the slightest resonances of copper (by the way, I recommend Vaughan-Williams, concerto for tuba and orchestra in F minor).
Medium frequencies are detailed, but they do not break up into separate components, notes (or sounds) perfectly replace each other, playing realistic attacks and damping. Emotions, embedded in the record, the player carefully transmits in an unchanged form, as, however, and the flaws of the tracks. The device perfectly copes with the construction of an imaginary scene, both in width and in depth, although here, of course, it will depend more on your headphones - almost certainly they will be the bottleneck. With A & ultima, you are almost guaranteed to switch to better-recorded music with live instruments (I recommend "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Franz Liszt in piano performance). Here you can lead an analogy with a good green tea (well, or quality whiskey) - the better the product, the less the desire to spoil it with sugar (or ice).
Well, finally, HF. It is the right "top" that gives the main magical effect of quality music. By themselves, almost no tools go high into the "top" area, but this range is saturated with overtones and reflections, without which our brain refuses to truly "believe" in the realism of the sounding. So it turns out that in case of problems on HF (do not confuse them with HCH), on the one hand, they are difficult to concretize, on the other - the music loses a lot. I will happily note that I have long waited for the moment when I can write this: the HF of this player is ideal, as far as possible in a portable device. They have an excellent separation of layers, spectacular attacks and correct damping, they are balanced quantitatively, and even about such a trifle as resolution, there is no sense and talk. Music performed by the hero of our review (I recommend "Fairy Fairy Dance", variants with a glass harp, it's just kryshesnosno) sounds airily and effectively. The same chamber recordings sometimes even allow you to determine the parameters of the room by ear.
Comparisons, perhaps, I will not conduct, because what's the point of painting, how much, in my opinion, this or that player from A & ultima lags behind? The question is, of course, rhetorical.
Compatibility
Complaints about the insufficient power of A & K players, sounded in the past, do not apply to this model. Of course, tight ultrasound "Ultima" will not shake, but almost any other headphones will be to his teeth, especially in case of a balanced output. The player, of course, does not make noise even with sensitive IEM and is quite able to squeeze the maximum out of any reasonable load, which makes it almost universal in terms of the choice of headphones. There are no hard recommendations, you just can choose everything that is congenial to your preferences, and get a bunch to your liking (well, of course, without very stupid skews). Obviously, it's best to use something closer to the tops with the player, like the same "Enkorov", but, for example, "Beryllia" is quite a good option.
Кстати, если говорить о разнице обычного и балансного выходов, то за исключением мощности, ощутимого на слух отличия обнаружить не удалось, поэтому если у вас не тугие наушники, требующие повышенной отдачи напряжения, то балансным рекаблингом можно не заморачиваться.
Стилистически плеер абсолютно универсален, но, разумеется, использовать его со стилями, не блещущими качеством записи, смысла мало, и дело тут не в суперкритичности, слушать плохие записи как раз вполне можно, просто покупать A&ultima и слушать с ним что-то заведомо плохо записанное — толку мало, поэтому если большая часть вашей фонотеки записана с компрессией эдак DR3-4, вам явно стоит смотреть гаджеты дешевле. Так что формально критичность плеера составляет где-то 7 из 10, но по здравому размышлению его следует считать набирающим 10 из 10.
Традиционные треки-примеры
David Bowie — China Girl . Сложно найти кудесника звука, более разнопланового, чем Девид Боуи. Этот трек является прекраснейшим примером его творчества: фоновая мелодия, ритм-секция, клавишные и вокал живут своей, отдельной жизнью, при этом органично объединяясь в композицию, которая на первый взгляд кажется чуть ли не простой поп-песенкой. Но это впечатление очень обманчиво, и «Ультима», прекрасно отыгрывая каждый мельчайший нюанс этого трека, показывает глубину, в которую можно погрузиться, начав вслушиваться в эту песню.
Johny Cash — Hurt . Наполненный болью и безнадёжностью гимн увяданию и смерти, безусловно, стал главной прощальной жемчужиной творчества известного исполнителя. Сама музыка тут достаточно проста, хотя и качественно записана, но стоит послушать эту запись с хорошим плеером (или с лучшим, ага), как становится понятно, что главное тут — тот ужас смерти, что проскальзывает в голосе Джонни Кэша, превращая простую меланхоличную песню в небольшой шедевр.
Chet Baker — If You Could See Me Now . Какая-то минорная в этот раз получилась подборка, поэтому не буду и пытаться её чем-то разбавлять. Порция прекрасной меланхолии от мастера джазовой трубы достойно увенчает этот обзор. Отличная, многоплановая композиция, в которой соло-партии трубы вторят контрабас и лёгкое фортепиано, замечательно ложится в манеру подачи топового Astell&Kern: выпукло, рельефно, очень живо — вот тот неполный набор эпитетов, что заслуживает герой сегодняшнего обзора.
conclusions
Обычно в выводах надо писать что-то о позиционировании плеера, его соотношении цены и качества, но это не про SP1000. В данном случае всё проще, цена — запредельна, но и получаемое качество — лучшее из того, что сейчас есть в мире портатива.
The article is based on materials .
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