Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000

[godlikegamer]

What's the point of a comment like that. I paid top dollar for something that sounds divine but with bugged software. Is it too much to ask for no major bugs when launching a premium product?

Yep, I knew this exact comment is coming, same thing said in LP post... No offense...

 

[Dionysus]

This will be resolved with firmware. And unlike previous DAP this is a brand new platform. No excuse, but AK have always been a company that listen are extremely proud of the brand. Give them a little time. All modern products rely on software, they get it right have patience.

 

[subguy812]

What's the point of a comment like that. I paid top dollar for something that sounds divine but with bugged software. Is it too much to ask for no major bugs when launching a premium product?

The point is, re-read your post. Sarcastic, over-dramatic and non-specific. I am curious what bugs you are having that I am not? What features are lacking from previous A&K releases?

 

[Eoin]

I'm genuinely sorry to read of peoples hardware problems, I have no such issues with mine.
As for software UI and functionality, I've never had a DAP before so I've nothing to compare it to.
But like everything, there is some adjustment required, improvements will be driven by end user feedback hopefully.
But generally, I'm delighted and really enjoying mine.

 

[cheznous]

I am not sure why you still have the DAP. It obviously hasn't met your expectations, sell it and move on

Guys a customer and perfectly entitled to his opinion. Personally I think he makes some good points. The SP3000 sounds exceptional but the software less so (to date). Forums are pointless if they become hagiographic.

 

[Nomax]

As mentioned multiple times, and from the experience of several people here, they just launched a product with a beta software:

1- too many bugs
2- a set of features that doesn’t match previous products
3- close to zero user testing, as it doesn’t include a ton of feature that seem vital to many users.

This behaviour from a company which is supposed to manufacture the most premium DAPs on the market is, quite honestly, appalling.

All the excuses to avoid using a stock android experience and then with find ourselves with a (great sounding) half baked experience which could have been mitigated by the use of a third party music plate (did anyone say HiBy?)

Where’s the new software? After months since launch??

Congratulations!

My opinion......We are talking about a 4300 euro Dap️.....not about a FiiO for 1800 Euros

Even if I appreciate the sonic qualities of the SP3000 in connection with the Utopia/Nutopia , I would have waited with the release
at Astell & Kern until the High End Munich show next year and tested this player with the software for months.
But as it looks just had to be generated sales in the old year
Slowly it becomes scarce for Astell&Kern compared to the competition...the one is certain...the customer does not forget...which in turn will probably benefit other manufacturers in the future

NOMAX

PS.lol

 

[damascato]

The point is, re-read your post. Sarcastic, over-dramatic and non-specific. I am curious what bugs you are having that I am not? What features are lacking from previous A&K releases?

1. Multiple users with problems with SD cards: when they work, they read much slower than on SP2000.
2. Multiple people with players randomly rebooting.
3. The collapsed album list (by author) is not available (available on SP2000 - I don'r get why they realise NOW that needs to be implemented).
4. Over sensitivity of the double tap when screen is off (can't put it in my pocket without activating the player unless facing outwards - doen't happen with iphone, neither it doess with my HiBy RS6, only with an old Huawei phone - and was fixed quickly).
5. The music player is not even close in terms of functionality and speed to those of much less premium competitors (HiBy and iBasso): being able to scroll alphabetically by letter to start with.
   
   This is just what comes up to my mind without thinking too hard about other glitches.

Is that not enough for one of the most expensive and (theoretically) advanced DAPs on the market?


Then mate, if you're an AK fanboy and you're happy to spend that kind of money on a toy with that level of bugs, that's fine. I'm not. But I purchased it, fascinated by its superb sound, and now I'm pretty much stuck with it: those are not things easy to evaluate reading a review or demoing a player in a store for a few hours.

 

[damascato]

My opinion......We are talking about a 4300 euro Dap️.....not about a FiiO for 1800 Euros

Even if I appreciate the sonic qualities of the SP3000 in connection with the Utopia/Nutopia , I would have waited with the release at Astell & Kern until the High End next year and tested this player with the software for months.
But as it looks just had to be generated sales in the old year
Slowly it becomes scarce for Astell&Kern compared to the competition...the one is certain...the customer does not forget...which in turn will probably benefit other manufacturers in the future

NOMAX

PS.lol

Exactly: if you buy a Ferrari, you don't expect to have issues worse than a FIAT. Even if the Ferrari looks and feels more premium and goes way faster.

But it seems like here we are touching someone's sensitivity for just expecting what we paid for....

 

[Nomax]

@damascato

As I said...the competition which also has its problems is catching up

NOMAX

PS.With a Fiio for 1800 euros I would not be so strict ... however with a 4300 euros there one should not look away in the year 2022 any more
If something like that were to happen to Apple, the share price would probably plummet from 142 to 110 usd
In any case, the most beautiful housing and the latest Dac will not be enough in the future to satisfy the customer if you want to bring a player for over 4000 Euros successfully to the man.
There will be more to it, the future will show in how far which manufacturer does its job here

 

[CharlyBrown]

I just got warm falling in love with the SP3000. But then the constant crashes / reboots occurred and I tried everything with/withoud sd-card, different chargers/adapters, full reset of the device etc - problem stays. I'm not sure if this is just a software glitch so I went the safe way and returned it today within the eligible 14-days period for a full refund.

No time to wait here - been there, done that. With my SE200 the wifi stack died soon after arrival. It was sent in for service and after too many weeks, I recieved it back. Guess what - with the exact same problem! WiFi died literally after 30 minutes. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I'm 100% with Nomax. For that amount of money the basics must work. Little software glitches in exotic combinations of functions are imo acceptable. Software is never completely bug-free.

Other than that, wifi reception was again underwhelming with the SP3000, 5Ghz in fact not useable when not in direct sight of an access point. Weak.

 

[Joebas]

I think I found a bug if the pauze button is pressed riverside playback. This happens if the screen is dark after 30seconds or after pressing the power/volume button. So if I press pauze and wait 5 seconds or more the playback will not resume anymore or not regular. Only if the screen is resumed then pauze button works.

 

[Nomax]

My last words for today....only a satisfied customer will also become a new one in the future
(️And this applies to all manufacturers️)



NOMAX

Ps.lol

 

[subguy812]

1. Multiple users with problems with SD cards: when they work, they read much slower than on SP2000.

Not my experience...I was asking for YOUR experience not for you to speak for the masses.

1. Multiple people with players randomly rebooting.
2. The collapsed album list (by author) is not available (available on SP2000 - I don'r get why they realise NOW that needs to be implemented).

I guess I don't realize that is an issue, I use folder view. Someone here gave me the pointer that worked for my specific usage. Reboots have plagued you?

1. Over sensitivity of the double tap when screen is off (can't put it in my pocket without activating the player unless facing outwards - doen't happen with iphone, neither it doess with my HiBy

You are the saying the double tap works too well? I would stick with my Hiby if it functioned as you want. My experience with Hiby over the past 15 years is not the same. That said, I don't feel the need to champion against them. Only to mention, without dramatics, they failed me.

1. RS6, only with an old Huawei phone - and was fixed quickly).
2. The music player is not even close in terms of functionality and speed to those of much less premium competitors (HiBy and iBasso): being able to scroll alphabetically by letter to start with.

This is not my experience. Ibasso also hasn't delivered the experience. I owned iBasso DX300 & iBasso DX300 Max, so I tried, I really did. But I did what you should do if you are not happy, sell them and move on.

1. 
   
   This is just what comes up to my mind without thinking too hard about other glitches.

Is that not enough for one of the most expensive and (theoretically) advanced DAPs on the market?


Then mate, if you're an AK fanboy and you're happy to spend that kind of money on a toy with that level of bugs, that's fine. I'm not. But I purchased it, fascinated by its superb sound, and now I'm pretty much stuck with it: those are not things easy to evaluate reading a review or demoing a player in a store for a few hours.

I do not consider these things bugs, merely a different function that you like or are accustomed to. If it is not for you, sell and move on as I have done with many a Hiby, Cayin and iBasso. I would never stay with something that didn't work as I wanted, it isn't an iPhone( thank God). Obviously, as @cheznous said, you have an opinion, great, so do I, voice it as I do, what is fair for the goose is fair for the gander. I have no skin in anyone's game and resent the fact you allude to me as a fanboy. I am one of the most unbiased reviewers out there.

If I spent whatever, $3600 USD I think(don't remember), I wouldn't stay with it, nor would I care enough to continue to bitch about it. Not happy, cool, move on. AK will get around to firmware updates as they see fit.

 

[maceto]

Not my experience...I was asking for YOUR experience not for you to speak for the masses.

I guess I don't realize that is an issue, I use folder view. Someone here gave me the pointer that worked for my specific usage. Reboots have plagued you?

You are the saying the double tap works too well? I would stick with my Hiby if it functioned as you want. My experience with Hiby over the past 15 years is not the same. That said, I don't feel the need to champion against them. Only to mention, without dramatics, they failed me.

This is not my experience. Ibasso also hasn't delivered the experience. I owned iBasso DX300 & iBasso DX300 Max, so I tried, I really did. But I did what you should do if you are not happy, sell them and move on.

I do not consider these things bugs, merely a different function that you like or are accustomed to. If it is not for you, sell and move on as I have done with many a Hiby, Cayin and iBasso. I would never stay with something that didn't work as I wanted, it isn't an iPhone( thank God). Obviously, as @cheznous said, you have an opinion, great, so do I, voice it as I do, what is fair for the goose is fair for the gander. I have no skin in anyone's game and resent the fact you allude to me as a fanboy. I am one of the most unbiased reviewers out there.

If I spent whatever, $3600 USD I think(don't remember), I wouldn't stay with it, nor would I care enough to continue to bitch about it. Not happy, cool, move on. AK will get around to firmware updates as they see fit.

You fail to realize one thing - how much someone paid relative to what they can afford impacts their expectations and also the frustration. I don’t have enough to buy a DAP right now, but I am jumping on an international private flight tomorrow paid by someone who would just buy another DAP and give the old one to his butler without even thinking about it. That’s a key difference many don’t consider in how people view a product and any frustrations they have with it.

 

[subguy812]

You fail to realize one thing - how much someone paid relative to what they can afford impacts their expectations and also the frustration. I don’t have enough to buy a DAP right now, but I am jumping on an international private flight tomorrow paid by someone who would just buy another DAP and give the old one to his butler without even thinking about it. That’s a key difference many don’t consider in how people view a product and any frustrations they have with it.

I can only think for myself, not others. If you go to a restaurant that doesn't have prices on the menu and bitch about the check when it comes because you can't afford it, shame on you. This purchase is even more transparent, folks know the price of admission before they buy it. Sell it, move on if it doesn't meet your expectations, no one cares.

I don't fail to realize anything, I can't possibly know , or care, about someone's finances but my own. You are chiming in without owning it, geesh.