Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000

[rocketron]

Does DAR work on music being streamed or is it only on music you have on SD or internal memory? When I’ve tried it I don’t really hear much difference to the music.

Yes DAR works on streaming along with the EQ.
Both also work using line out but you can’t adjust the EQ.

 

[strayears]

Does DAR also work for usb out (to an external dac)?

 

[rocketron]

I’m sure it does.
Will try that later.

 

[pseudomagick]

Yes DAR works on streaming along with the EQ.
Both also work using line out but you can’t adjust the EQ.

I tried DAR and I don´t recognize no difference.

 

[cantara256]

I tried DAR and I don´t recognize no difference.

It's subtle, if you don't notice it don't worry about it, it sounds amazing without it too!

 

[Samuel777]

PGGB Tracks which can be downloaded for free, here :
https://audiowise-canada.myshopify.com/collections/pggb

 

[RandomHuman]

New here so go easy if I'm posting to the wrong place.

Could use a bit of help with an SP3000 I've just bought. At least nine time out of ten the screen on boot-up is completely blank but dark blue, eventually changing back to black once the thing seems to have booted. I then have to press the volume button twice again to get the display to appear correctly. Very occasionally on boot it will actually display the Astell & Kern graphic followed by the scrolling marquee of the graphic as I assume it's actually supposed to.

Anyone else had, or know anything about, this 'problem' as otherwise everything seems to be working fine. On v1.42 (latest) firmware. Factory reset makes no difference. Same thing happens with or without SD card.

 

[Deferenz]

New here so go easy if I'm posting to the wrong place.

Could use a bit of help with an SP3000 I've just bought. At least nine time out of ten the screen on boot-up is completely blank but dark blue, eventually changing back to black once the thing seems to have booted. I then have to press the volume button twice again to get the display to appear correctly. Very occasionally on boot it will actually display the Astell & Kern graphic followed by the scrolling marquee of the graphic as I assume it's actually supposed to.

Anyone else had, or know anything about, this 'problem' as otherwise everything seems to be working fine. On v1.42 (latest) firmware. Factory reset makes no difference. Same thing happens with or without SD card.

Welcome to Head-fi.

Seems like something’s not working right with your SP3000. I wonder in the first instance if @JasonNYC from A&K can suggest something like a hard reset or similar magic to help.

 

[nfandi]

New here so go easy if I'm posting to the wrong place.

Could use a bit of help with an SP3000 I've just bought. At least nine time out of ten the screen on boot-up is completely blank but dark blue, eventually changing back to black once the thing seems to have booted. I then have to press the volume button twice again to get the display to appear correctly. Very occasionally on boot it will actually display the Astell & Kern graphic followed by the scrolling marquee of the graphic as I assume it's actually supposed to.

Anyone else had, or know anything about, this 'problem' as otherwise everything seems to be working fine. On v1.42 (latest) firmware. Factory reset makes no difference. Same thing happens with or without SD card.

Are you powering it up while it’s on charge. I’ve had this happen a couple of times but it’s always been after it’s fully charged and the cable is still connected. Doesn’t happen for me when it’s not on charge.

 

[RandomHuman]

Are you powering it up while it’s on charge. I’ve had this happen a couple of times but it’s always been after it’s fully charged and the cable is still connected. Doesn’t happen for me when it’s not on charge.

Many thanks for your reply.

It seems to be almost all the time, whether it's on charge with the cable connected or not. I'm charging it via the USB port on a PC and it seems to charge just fine. I've tried fully charging it and it still happens. I'm now trying to fully discharge it to see what happens. A & K support have suggested that 'it is possible that there may be a fault with the memory IC or CPU' but as it's now outside their 30 day warranty want to charge me to 'repair' it. I'm a software engineer and it sounds far more like a software issue to me.

 

[JasonNYC]

Many thanks for your reply.

It seems to be almost all the time, whether it's on charge with the cable connected or not. I'm charging it via the USB port on a PC and it seems to charge just fine. I've tried fully charging it and it still happens. I'm now trying to fully discharge it to see what happens. A & K support have suggested that 'it is possible that there may be a fault with the memory IC or CPU' but as it's now outside their 30 day warranty want to charge me to 'repair' it. I'm a software engineer and it sounds far more like a software issue to me.

I'm not sure what the issue may be and havent seen this issue reported with the SP3000. I will follow up with the software team when they are in the office.

There is a one year warranty on all of our products, so if it is an issue covered under warranty, there would be no charge. I assume the 30 days you are referring to is a return/exchange from the place of purchase.

 

[JasonNYC]

Many thanks for your reply.

It seems to be almost all the time, whether it's on charge with the cable connected or not. I'm charging it via the USB port on a PC and it seems to charge just fine. I've tried fully charging it and it still happens. I'm now trying to fully discharge it to see what happens. A & K support have suggested that 'it is possible that there may be a fault with the memory IC or CPU' but as it's now outside their 30 day warranty want to charge me to 'repair' it. I'm a software engineer and it sounds far more like a software issue to me.

Also once it starts, any issue with playback or is the issue only on the boot up screen? Any other issues once the player starts?

 

[RandomHuman]

Also once it starts, any issue with playback or is the issue only on the boot up screen? Any other issues once the player starts?

Thank you for your input and the warranty info. The confusion over the 30 days was this sentence in a message from your CS:

'If you recently purchased the device, you may be eligible for a refund or exchange through the retailer within 30 days of purchase ' but re-reading it now this may relate to any retailer warranty. However, at no point did CS indicate that there was actually a 1 year warranty on the device. Does this warranty go with the device, or is it only available to the original purchaser?

As far as I can tell, the issue is only with the boot-up screen. Almost everything else seems absolutely fine. The only other issue I've noticed is that on shutdown, sometimes the battery level indicator is displayed but at other times it isn't.

 

[JasonNYC]

Thank you for your input and the warranty info. The confusion over the 30 days was this sentence in a message from your CS:

'If you recently purchased the device, you may be eligible for a refund or exchange through the retailer within 30 days of purchase ' but re-reading it now this may relate to any retailer warranty. However, at no point did CS indicate that there was actually a 1 year warranty on the device. Does this warranty go with the device, or is it only available to the original purchaser?

As far as I can tell, the issue is only with the boot-up screen. Almost everything else seems absolutely fine. The only other issue I've noticed is that on shutdown, sometimes the battery level indicator is displayed but at other times it isn't.

I apologize for any confusion from customer service. The warranty period is one year from date of purchase and is valid for the original owner and only when purchased from an authorized Astell&Kern dealer. For those located in the EU, warranty period is two years due to EU regulations. Unfortunately, since the UK is no longer part of the EU, warranty period for devices purchased in the UK is only one year.

There is a warranty card in the box which also has this information.

I have the software team looking into the issue and hopefully should receive a response in the next day or two. They acknowledged receipt of the issue and told me they are checking it out.

 

[babarrun]

hi, I am looking to upgrade from a dx320 using a 2tb card.
i value streaming apps and their download for offline is my only source + streaming.
are the tidal, qobuz, apple music apps as snappy on the sp3000 & sp3000m just as snappy as on the dx320?
i can’t find any direct comparison reviews between the sp3000 & sp3000m.
i am using a12t’s. i am open to either of the sp3000 or sp3000m. which is better?