[Giraku]

ACRO L1000 has been officially released:
https://us.astellnkern.com/collections/home-audio/products/acro-l1000

 

[obsidyen]

Interesting product. It's nice that it also drives speakers.

 

[sweetben]

it seems nuts, that nothing has really been written about this amp/dac. People go nuts for their portable players. I am tempted to pull the trigger on one, but I'll wait till I read review or two. Thinking about the L1000 or the Quesstyle CMA400i.

 

[obsidyen]

I agree... This seems like a really nice amp/dac for bedroom. You can drive small speakers and headphones with one device.

 

[TYATYA]

On pics we see sp1000 -usb- acro - hd800s. Hope the amp have same sq sp1000 line out.
Anyone can list some small PASSIVE spk desktop size would be use on acro?

 

[obsidyen]

This is quite good: https://www.dali-speakers.com/loudspeakers/zensor/zensor-1/

 

[haiku]

Just got the confirmation from a trustworthy source that the amp is only for beginners.

 

[Wyd4]

Just got the confirmation from a trustworthy source that the amp is only for beginners.

Why is that?
Is it easy to use with good instructions?

 

[Giraku]

OK. I got mine yesterday!!

Currently testing with various HPs and IEMs comparing against SP1000Cu and Hugo 2.
As for the HP driving power, I tested it with my friend's Beyerdynamic T1.2 and had to turn the volume up to ~90%.

Also it seems like the filters are not working (bass boost and high gain mode). Maybe it requires a firmware update.
@JasonNYC, do you have any info about the filters and firmware update?

 

[JasonNYC]

OK. I got mine yesterday!!

Currently testing with various HPs and IEMs comparing against SP1000Cu and Hugo 2.
As for the HP driving power, I tested it with my friend's Beyerdynamic T1.2 and had to turn the volume up to ~90%.

Also it seems like the filters are not working (bass boost and high gain mode). Maybe it requires a firmware update.
@JasonNYC, do you have any info about the filters and firmware update?

@Giraku not sure about the filters, I haven't actually played with a retail version yet. The pre production unit that I used had all of the filters working correctly. I am at CES with our team. Let me ask them for more info and get back to you.

 

[Giraku]

@Giraku not sure about the filters, I haven't actually played with a retail version yet. The pre production unit that I used had all of the filters working correctly. I am at CES with our team. Let me ask them for more info and get back to you.

Thank you, @JasonNYC.

 

[sweetben]

At minimum it really is a great looking amp.

Going off topic for a sec...I notice you have the new green Fostex 900's. Assuming you've heard the red ones, have you noticed any differences in the sound?

 

[Giraku]

At minimum it really is a great looking amp.

Going off topic for a sec...I notice you have the new green Fostex 900's. Assuming you've heard the red ones, have you noticed any differences in the sound?

Yes, I heard the red ones. Actually, I have been a fan of TH900 for a while but did not buy because of the color. The green one fits me very well.
Soundwise, they got exactly the same driver/cable except for the finish color. I don't hear any difference at all. So I think it is safe to assume that the limited emerald green edition is essentially the same as the good old red ones in the sound department.

 

[Giraku]

Ok. I have been playing with L1000 for 2 days now. It's still premature to review it, but I just want to share my initial impressions.

L1000 is a well built small amplifier that doesn't require much space to set up. I love the soft clicking feel of its epic sized volume knob.

My signal path is:
MacBook Pro (2016) -> Roon 1.4 -> L1000
It is nice to have a variety of connection options for headphones and IEMs. I'm using the following connections:
HE1kv2 -> XLR balanced
TH900 -> standard stereo unbalanced
Tribute 7 -> 3.5mm unbalanced
JH Layla 2 -> 2.5mm balanced
Andromeda -> 3.5mm unbalanced

Again it is a bit premature to conclude its sound characteristics at this moment. But compared to Hugo 2 and SP1000Cu, L1000 is smoother and fuller sounding with less resolution/separation/air. For its price, it is quite enjoyable with its slightly laid back presentation.
I will share more detailed review after a couple of weeks of listening.

 

[Giraku]

I forgot to mention one thing in my previous post.
L1000 does not have "Low" gain mode so that some audible hiss exist with Andromeda. "High" gain mode is doing nothing at this moment. Or at least the effect is not obvious to my ears.