Astell&Kern’s SP3000T is a DAP with tubes inside

Astell&Kern builds on its flagship SP3000 portable player platform this week with the introduction of the SP3000T. The new model runs the South Korean company’s custom operating system – one that permits the installation of white-listed streaming apps – on a Snapdragon 6125 Octa-core processor with 8GB of DDR4 memory.

D/A conversion inside the SP3000T is a two-step process where noise is reportedly removed from the incoming digital signal by an AK4191EQ chip before it is decoded to analogue by an AKM AK4499EX chip. Astell&Kern asserts that the separation of analogue and digital signals improves sound quality.

Talking of which, headphone outputs include 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended. However, this isn’t a headphone-only device: the SP3000T can be deployed as a Roon Ready endpoint in a home audio system.

From the front and sides, the SP3000T’s silver-plated stainless steel chassis makes it look very much like SP3000…but the back panel exposes the twist in this tale. The T in SP3000T refers to the inclusion of two Raytheon JAN6418 MIL-SPEC tubes in the amplification circuit. Your choice of ‘Tube Amp Mode’ (with 3-step current adjustment), ‘Op-Amp Mode’ and – combining the two – ‘Hybrid Amp Mode’.

From the press release: “First debuted in the SP2000T, Hybrid Amp Mode enhances the resolution and clarity of the existing tube amp mode to express more musical detail. This mode, which combines the advantages of retro analog sensibility and high-resolution output, gives you the pleasure of a new tonality, bringing together the best of vacuum tube and op-amp design and technology.”

The SP3000T will begin shipping in May for US$2999.

Further information: Astell&Kern