Introducing the Astell&Kern A&ultima SP2000T

[Whitigir]

Ah, the DAC is only available upto 384Khz. So, MQA is only upto 8X

 

[jwbrent]

Who says over I'm still holding on to my trusty AK120.. That form factor has never been matched again.. And I'm still lovin the long forgotten Wolfson dac sound. No streaming needed.. All my music stored on two 1TB mSD's

I was very happy with my original AK120, a much improved version of the original AK100 which I also owned. If you find yourself considering a new dap at some point, the SA700 is sonically splendid, and its casework harkens back to the AK120 with subtle design cues.

 

[jwbrent]

Ah, the DAC is only available upto 384Khz. So, MQA is only upto 8X

Frankly, that works fine for me. With IEMs, even the flagships I own, being able to hear the difference between 24/96 and 24/192 is hardly perceptible. When I had my nice speaker system, these differences were more readily noticeable.

 

[Whitigir]

Possibly that after the SP2KT, we will see SP3K !!! The real flagship ? And pricing may be 2X ?

 

[efftee]

Possibly that after the SP2KT, we will see SP3K !!! The real flagship ? And pricing may be 2X ?

I would definitely bet on a SP3K being the next true AK TOTL at some point in time.

 

[jwbrent]

I would definitely bet on a SP3K being the next true AK TOTL at some point in time.

Yes, when the AKM factory has been fully rebuilt and its new flagship DAC becomes available.

 

[Maxx134]

Yes, when the AKM factory has been fully rebuilt and its new flagship DAC becomes available.

But AKM won't be up and running until March 2022(!):
info.fusionww.com/blog/fire-at-akm-plant-disrupts-semiconductor-industry

 

[singingbee]

it’s $3k at audio 46

 

[efftee]

Yes, when the AKM factory has been fully rebuilt and its new flagship DAC becomes available.

You don't think AK could make a TOTL with a chip set aside from AKM?

 

[warrenpchi]

You don't think AK could make a TOTL with a chip set aside from AKM?

I don't think he wants a TOTL with a chip set aside from AKM.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I don't think he wants a TOTL with a chip set aside from AKM.

Personally I want R2R with with tubes, then it's the ToTL for me.

 

[Maxx134]

You don't think AK could make a TOTL with a chip set aside from AKM?

The choice of mobile dac chip is interesting. I think a wise choice to use four, because so far, mobile chips have not gained preference over the desktop chips in most manufacturers, a reason why fiio admitted the m17 is implementing desktop chips.

Heard it in SE200 it’s good

I absolutely wanted to like the SE200, but felt the implementation of a single dac chip was not optimal, as the sound was a bit laid back and recessed compared to the AKM side of the Dap.

Although it does give a clue that the chip has potential for soundstage, so I would expect a better implementation here.

Also, it would be interesting to know what the output power will be.

 

[jwbrent]

You don't think AK could make a TOTL with a chip set aside from AKM?

AK has used AKM chips since the release of the AK380, so my thinking is there is a tight bond between the companies. I could be wrong.

 

[jwbrent]

I don't think he wants a TOTL with a chip set aside from AKM.

Not necessarily. I’m not tied to any specific DAC design although an R2R would definitely be a welcome design.

Since I have graduated from using full size headphones to flagship IEMs exclusively, I’m still not convinced that IEMs benefit from total daps.

 

[jwbrent]

But AKM won't be up and running until March 2022(!):
info.fusionww.com/blog/fire-at-akm-plant-disrupts-semiconductor-industry

Hence the release of the 2000T to create some excitement in the line until next year.