Astell&Kern Launches New R-2R DAP and IEMs at High End Munich 2023

[kundica]

Has anyone tried to load Roon ARC?

I tried but it won't work. I suspect we'll be waiting on this one for a while(if it even happens) given the current firmware isn't even Roon Ready, and the only AK DAP I know with RoonARC support is the 3000.

 

[John Blackshear]

I tried but it won't work. I suspect we'll be waiting on this one for a while(if it even happens) given the current firmware isn't even Roon Ready, and the only AK DAP I know with RoonARC support is the 3000.

Weird since the website advertises SE300 is "roon ready." Whatever that means.

 

[kundica]

Weird since the website advertises SE300 is "roon ready." Whatever that means.

It says Roon Ready with a firmware update. Hopefully soon.

 

[vladzakhar]

Some cons I noticed lately:

It takes long time to delete the folder. But when no SD card in the player, it's much faster. Still slow compare to other DAPs.
Sometimes I hear the click between the tracks, when in folder mode playing even with gapless on.
Double tap to wake up the screen is very sensitive. It turns on by it self when the player is in the pocket.

Hope, it can be fixed by firmware upgrade.

 

[dakchi]

I just received my SE300 this morning. Out of the box, the sound is really really good. I recognize R2R sound signature: musical with this warmth that I like a lot. Compared to my Cayin RU6, SE300 is far superior sound wise. The notes hit much more, voices are more clear and separation is much better. I would assume that it will get better and better with burn-in.
What I don't like so far is the performance of the UI, in particular when using wifi. This DAP deserves a much faster processor. I also noticed that it gets hot a lot

 

[dakchi]

I'm speechless!! this is the best R2R implementation I have heard so far. It is true that there are a number of drawbacks, but sound wise I can only say WAAAW. Very addictive sound. If only the performance was good, this would have been an end game for me
Question to those who have it: do you prefer NOS or OS? amp class A or AB?

 

[searchingtom]

Question to those who have it: do you prefer NOS or OS? amp class A or AB?

For me it depends on the recording quality, the genre and the headphone. I am always tweaking including EQ.

 

[ctaxxxx]

NOS, Class AB.

Class A is good too but can sound too mid forward on my headphones depending on the song, but I've been experimenting with different tubes on the HA-3A mostly. With Fivre and Brimar tubes, it's the best I've heard with the ZMF Atrium Closed.

 

[Kiats]

I'm speechless!! this is the best R2R implementation I have heard so far. It is true that they are a number of drawbacks, but sound wise I can only say WAAAW. Very addictive sound. If only the performance was good, this would have been an end game for me
Question to those who have it: do you prefer NOS or OS? amp class A or AB?

Yes, for R2R coupled with streaming, this is the best I have heard. Kudos to AK for being able to do that.

Definitely NOS. As for whether Class A or AB, it really depends. I find that Class A works best for me with acoustic and vocals.

 

[dakchi]

Do you guys quick charge your SE300? it is not clear in A&K page whether SE300 supports quick charge, but it does quick charge. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong
Do you also notice that when playing a song in Qobuz or Tidal, we have to wait for a long time before it starts playing? I don't know if it has to have with Wifi or with the streaming app. In all cases, it seems tha A&K wifi performance is still not good. The signal is weak even if I am 1m far from the modem. This is not acceptable for a DAP at this price

 

[Tomz1313]

I'm listening mostly in NOS / Class A / normal gain to my jazz tunes (IEM U12t). Masterfully done by AK...really love this tuning. Best DAP from AK imo (price / performance)..sure I didn't heard the flagship SP3000 . To me all modes sounds equally good and it's a lot of fun to try out the different possibilities. I'm also pretty happy with the speed (AK GUI), no compliants here...and I have a lot of music stored. The Qobuz App is a bit slow...so improvements would be welcome. The firmware need some fine tuning in diff. areas, I wrote a few quircks down in this forum and I hope JasonNYC will forward this to AK. I'm sure AK will release an update soon so for the initial firmware not bad...as long I can listen to my music I'm happy .

 

[Kobe4ever]

Question to those who have it: do you prefer NOS or OS? amp class A or AB?

With my Aroma Thunder, so far I'm using High Gain, NOS and I alternate Amp A and AB, this depends on the album I'm listening to.
Sound quality that I hear is really of high level.

 

[vladzakhar]

Do you guys quick charge your SE300? it is not clear in A&K page whether SE300 supports quick charge, but it does quick charge. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong

I believe

it does support the quick charge. you will have the battery icon with 3 stripes and the lightning bolt like this:

 

[JasonNYC]

FYI, the SE300 finally cleared Roon Ready certification this week - https://blog.roonlabs.com/roon-partner-update-june-2023/

Waiting on confirmation of firmware update to add Roon Ready support and also fix a number of current issues. Expected sometime in the next week or two.

There was a minor firmware update to v. 1.01 overnight. This fixed a few minor issues and also updated a number of the app versions available for download. Once I have more info on the next firmware release, I will share here.

 

[Tomz1313]

FYI, the SE300 finally cleared Roon Ready certification this week - https://blog.roonlabs.com/roon-partner-update-june-2023/

Waiting on confirmation of firmware update to add Roon Ready support and also fix a number of current issues. Expected sometime in the next week or two.

There was a minor firmware update to v. 1.01 overnight. This fixed a few minor issues and also updated a number of the app versions available for download. Once I have more info on the next firmware release, I will share here.

My SE300 was shipped more than a week ago with version 1.01!??