For the best audio performance when listening to digital music through headphones, you will need a separate DAC and/or a dedicated headphone amplifier. Astell & Kern’s latest product combines both of these elements with a customizable screen display to create a unique desktop system for headphone listening. And it is also portable.
Not only is Astell & Kern’s ACRO CA1000T the world’s first portable device to feature ESS’ latest flagship Dual DAC and Dual Tube Triple Amp System technologies, but it also has plenty of connections giving you lots of options in how you listen.
The ACRO CA1000T is “designed for audio connoisseurs”, and it has the ports to prove it. XLR and RCA outputs are present and correct, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technologies, so you can connect all kinds of speakers and external audio devices.
The ESS DAC in the system is the ES9039MPRO, which claims to deliver clear, three-dimensional sound with enhanced modulation to improve power efficiency and reduce noise. It also features a new circuit design that promises full, detailed sound across the entire frequency range.
Dual Twin Triode KORG Nutube tubes are also on board, as well as a fully balanced circuit that separates the left and right channels with two vacuum tubes to create more natural, softer sounds. The Triple Amp system lets you choose between Tube Amp or OP Amp mode, or both at the same time.
Like the Astell & Kern ACRO CA1000 before it – which launched almost a year ago today – the CA1000T features the South Korean company’s Teraton Alpha technology, which aims to eliminate distortion even at the highest volumes. And it supports a four-stage Gain Level setting up to 15Vrms for more advanced headphones and in-ear monitors.
In terms of looks, it really is a piece of Astell & Kern, with the company’s usual industrial design language and screen inspired by its portable music players. The screen also tilts up to 60 degrees.
File playback compatibility is extensive – it supports up to native DSD512 and 32bit/768kHz PCM, MQA full decoding and aptX HD and LDAC codecs for premium sound quality when streaming. It is also Roon Ready.
What’s more, the ACRO CA1000T is also portable, with over 10 hours of playback time. Battery protection mode keeps the battery pack in pristine health when connected to mains, charging it to a maximum of 85 percent and returning it to that level when it drops to 80 percent. This should negate any negative effects of staying connected to the mains for long periods of time.
The ACRO CA1000T is available now for £2299 / $2300 / AUD$3699.
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