[IndieGradoFan]

Any (additional) comparisons with the SP1000M, especially for Tidal and Roon usage? I have an SP1000M and a Fiio M11S. Former sounds better but latter is faster & has less wifi issues with streaming services & Roon. SE300 looks like a nice upgrade from the now dated SP1000M.

 

[Kobe4ever]

Any (additional) comparisons with the SP1000M, especially for Tidal and Roon usage? I have an SP1000M and a Fiio M11S. Former sounds better but latter is faster & has less wifi issues with streaming services & Roon. SE300 looks like a nice upgrade from the now dated SP1000M.

I also had an SP1000M, before replacing it with the SE300.
The only negative thing about the SE300 is the CPU which is only 4 core, and creates a slight lag when scrolling the streaming app interface (I use Qobuz but I think it's the same with Tidal and others).
On everything else it's a clear upgrade. Fantastic audio quality and various setting options, new UI.
I don't use Roon

 

[S Bean]

At the end of the day, sound is the most important, if you use streaming apps just download the songs and off wifi and just enjoy the music. In terms of r2r sound, this is almost as good as it gets, and for me it competes with the rs8 and rs6.

From my experience I find tidal offline faster than Apple Music on the se300 too. It’s not that bad…

 

[Kiats]

At the end of the day, sound is the most important, if you use streaming apps just download the songs and off wifi and just enjoy the music. In terms of r2r sound, this is almost as good as it gets, and for me it competes with the rs8 and rs6.

From my experience I find tidal offline faster than Apple Music on the se300 too. It’s not that bad…

One thing which seems to have been missing in the discussion about the SE300 thus far, it is half the price iirc of the flagship SP3000. Something has to give. Considering the features that have been packed into the small package. Expectations should fit into the context.

Of course, there are DAPs which are faster, which sound better, which are cheaper etc etc. There is choice. If this does not suit your use case, then best to just move on.

For myself, I do enjoy AK’s first foray into R2R territory. It is not perfect nor is it meant to be. The SE series has always been the arena of experimentation for AK. Hence, it is priced accordingly.

 

[agrosash]

Hey guys is it possible to use the SE300 via Bluetooth on Apple devices? (they need AAC and the support is not listed on different retailer pages).
If yes, could someone test if there is any lipsync delay on YouTube Videos or movies using a Mac?
I bought the Shanling H7 and I experienced this issue and now searching for an alternativ.

To put your mind at ease, you can select between AAC/SBC/AptX/AptXHD and LDAC in the Bluetooth settings. The connection with Apple devices using AAC is stable and there's no perceptible lag (I'm pretty picky with anything that has to do with lag).

 

[Huckle]

Hi @JasonNYC

Like others have mentioned here and there, I believe that with the SE300, Astell & Kern has delivered their best-sounding DAP ever. And I’ve owned or listened to over 50% of your DAPs since the AK100 mk1, including the SP3000...

I'm thrilled to own the SE300 Titanium edition! It's the audio source I've been hunting for months, if not years. A huge shoutout for that.

However, this superb sound quality is crippled by the OS performance. Honestly, it's probably the worst experience I've ever had with an Astell & Kern device. We could take comfort in the fact that it's a new release, but it's been over six months now, and six OS versions already.

I've wrapped up my review of the product, but I'll only edit the final words after getting answers to the following points:

1. From powering on to accessing the content on my SD card (1TB, but currently only about 300GB full), it takes over a minute. I've never wasted so much time with any of my previous AK devices, even the older generations like the SE180. Have you identified this as an issue, and if so, when can we expect a firmware update to shorten this endless wait?

2. When the content finally shows up, and I select a track from an album, not only does it not start playing until I hit the Play button, but it also starts randomly somewhere in the middle of the song... Have you identified this issue, and if so, is a patch in the works? When?

3. It's unacceptable that Roon Arc isn't implemented, while it is on the Kann Ultra, a lower-tier device. I guess the SE300's weaker processor is to blame, but honestly, it can't be worse than with Qobuz or Apple Music. So, please ask your devs to allow us to install the Roon Arc apk, and let us decide whether it's functional or not.

4. And please, try to make the AK engineers understand that if we're willing to spend so much on a DAP, we're not going to quibble over an extra 50 dollars for a faster processor, or more RAM… What's the point of this unwise choice?

Additionally, I want to clarify that I've listened to two different SE300 units. My very own unit isn't defective. And don't get me wrong: I'll keep and enjoy my SE300 for many moons to come, despite everything I wrote. Soundwise, I maintain it's an outstanding device.

Thanks in advance for your answers mate!

 

[Huckle]

It is not perfect nor is it meant to be

But why? Even when I cook pastas I try each and every time to do my best.

 

[Zmey69]

The most important thing is that the sound of the se300 and se300Ti is just radically different. AK has greatly changed the sound and improved it. The SE300 has huge potential in sound. This means that the sound in the se300 was deliberately worsened. This is a confirmed fact. If you have the opportunity to buy the se300Ti right away, take the titanium version. It has dramatically improved the sound and it is done by software. Although we were told that there are no differences. They are also very serious. a completely different sound. A deaf person won't hear the difference there...

 

[ozz007]

Instead of fancy materials s why not release a model with the better cpu?
Open Android is not like they don't asked for premium prices

Its sad when my way cheaper Fiio M11 Ltd is so much faster than the SE300.

 

[Zmey69]

Its sad when my way cheaper Fiio M11 Ltd is so much faster than the SE300.

Yes, this is a feature of the se300. But! The sound they made on the se300ti titanium, and I emphasize at the software level, it plays in the top league. Got too close to lpp6pro... and these guys are the top level among all the players in the world. A weak processor can be forgiven for this.
It's funny that the differences between the sound of the titanium and the regular version are based on the firmware of these devices. On different android settings. There are no technical differences.The question arises how to make the sound of a titanium se300 on a regular se300. despite the same software versions they are completely different in sound. It's all about android settings that AK specialists change.

 

[ozz007]

Yes, this is a feature of the se300. But! The sound they made on the se300ti titanium, and I emphasize at the software level, it plays in the top league. Got too close to lpp6pro... and these guys are the top level among all the players in the world. A weak processor can be forgiven for this.
It's funny that the differences between the sound of the titanium and the regular version are based on the firmware of these devices. On different android settings. There are no technical differences.The question arises how to make the sound of a titanium se300 on a regular se300. despite the same software versions they are completely different in sound. It's all about android settings that AK specialists change.

No for the price the week processor is not an excuse.
Its shameful to be honest

 

[Huckle]

Yes, this is a feature of the se300. But! The sound they made on the se300ti titanium, and I emphasize at the software level, it plays in the top league. Got too close to lpp6pro... and these guys are the top level among all the players in the world. A weak processor can be forgiven for this.
It's funny that the differences between the sound of the titanium and the regular version are based on the firmware of these devices. On different android settings. There are no technical differences.The question arises how to make the sound of a titanium se300 on a regular se300. despite the same software versions they are completely different in sound. It's all about android settings that AK specialists change.

You had both regular and titanium in your hands and were able to A/B test them? Never heard or read anything about sonic differences between the two, but I got to say I'm so impressed with titanium I really don't understand the semi-enthusiastic regular se300 reviews... Your theory could explain it. Yet there's still no excuse for this outdated processor

 

[Zmey69]

Never heard or read anything about sonic differences between the two, but I got to say I'm so impressed with titanium I really don't understand the semi-enthusiastic regular se300 reviews... Your theory could explain it. Yet there's still no excuse for this outdated processor

Nobody excuses the processor. Of course, it was possible and necessary to put a more powerful one.

Yes, we have titanium and stock devices on hand. They sound very different from each other. The titanium version has been programmatically greatly improved in terms of sound... The titanium version sounds much cleaner, more detailed, and more airy. The sound is timbral richer there. There are very strong differences. High frequencies are much more detailed and transparent. Low frequencies generally sound different, without porridge, more clearly. Without oversaturation.

There is verified information from a team of private developers who modified the se300 firmware of the regular version, bringing it closer to the titanium version. Some android settings change the sound a lot. I can say that the sound of the se300 can be greatly changed. Make it transparent, detailed, even bright!

Unfortunately, I cannot disclose all the information here, because may be blocked. Most likely, the private development team will share the sound change, for example on YouTube. In the near future. I can write here as soon as this information is ready. These are custom designs by a private team of enthusiasts, but they managed to make several different sound profiles of the se300 stock version.

 

[ozz007]

Nobody excuses the processor. Of course, it was possible and necessary to put a more powerful one.

Yes, we have titanium and stock devices on hand. They sound very different from each other. The titanium version has been programmatically greatly improved in terms of sound... The titanium version sounds much cleaner, more detailed, and more airy. The sound is timbral richer there. There are very strong differences. High frequencies are much more detailed and transparent. Low frequencies generally sound different, without porridge, more clearly. Without oversaturation.

There is verified information from a team of private developers who modified the se300 firmware of the regular version, bringing it closer to the titanium version. Some android settings change the sound a lot. I can say that the sound of the se300 can be greatly changed. Make it transparent, detailed, even bright!

Unfortunately, I cannot disclose all the information here, because may be blocked. Most likely, the private development team will share the sound change, for example on YouTube. In the near future. I can write here as soon as this information is ready. These are custom designs by a private team of enthusiasts, but they managed to make several different sound profiles of the se300 stock version.

Is there any chance, the new firmware and new settings change, will make it to the regular SE300?

 

[Zmey69]

Is there any chance, the new firmware and new settings change, will make it to the regular SE300?

If you are talking about the AK team, then at any moment they can make a different sound with the new firmware version for the regular se300 and radically improve it. The whole awesome sound is buried under a lot of additional settings of the AK development team. And they can accept it right now. There are a huge number of additional settings that affect the sound of the se300. This also applies to the titanium version. It's just that they did a good job on the sound there and improved it. Maybe they will do the same in the regular se300, or maybe not. We don't know. of course, I would like to make the same sound settings as for the titanium version...

If we talk about custom versions. They are already there. You can already change the sound. But share it a little later with everyone and they will make a small instruction on customization. I'll let you know when it happens.