Name: A&ultima SP3000M Digital Audio Player
SKU: 254728

Product Details ＋

Astell&Kern's most portable DAP yet, the SP3000M delivers exceptional playback and performance in a lightweight, compact form factor. As the predecessor to the Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000, the SP3000M retains many of the premium features like the Snapdragon 6125 Octa-Core processor, Digital Audio Remaster Technology (DAR), and TERATON ALPHA Sound Solution. With 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs and support for many audio formats like LDAC, FLAC, and WAV the SP3000M is a highly versatile digital audio player capable of Native DSD512 and 32-bit/768kHz PCM.

The SP3000M features Astell&Kern’s flagship DAC chip AK4499EX from AKM, delivering a sound quality that’s detailed, dynamic, and balanced. Combined with the HEXA-Audio Circuitry Structure and DAR upsampling, the SP3000M flexes its hi-fi muscle producing incredible imaging, layering, and a soundstage fit for an audiophile’s discerning ears. From the craftsmanship to the high-quality included leather case and 10-hour battery life, the SP3000M is an incredibly versatile music player that integrates seamlessly into your daily life, complimenting your favorite IEMs and headphones of various impedances. Meet your perfect portable audio companion and start enjoying some higher fidelity with the Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000M DAP.

Dragon Cable Recommendation: We recommend pairing the Astell&Kern SP3000M DAP Music Player with our popular with USB-C connections. Our finest audio cable for audio data transfer, the Silver Dragon Premium USB Cable offers an extraordinary amount of detail and resolution to your high-end player. For times when performance matters the most, the Silver Dragon Premium USB Cable is made of 24k gold-platter copper alloy, ensuring good conductivity and durability. The connector body is simply screwed on, while the cable is soldered with Mundorf MSolder Supreme Silver/Gold solder.

Compact Size, Effortlessly Portable

The SP3000M stands in a league of its own among Astell&Kern’s most reputable digital audio players, offering flagship-level sound in a truly portable setup. At almost half the size of the SP3000 and DAPs, the SP3000M swaps the corrosion-resistant stainless steel 904L for a lightweight aluminum body material and ditches the 2.5mm output for a dedicated power button. It stays true to Astell&Kern’s design with edges that are sleek yet incredibly functional and the iconic volume wheel. The SP3000M features a MicroSD card slot, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth with aptX support.

In the pursuit of making a lightweight, portable DAP without compromising on performance, Astell&Kern made several changes to the circuit. The innovative HEXA Audio Structure separates digital and analog signal processing and independent dual audio circuit for unrivaled audio performance SP3000M offers all these features in its lighter, compact design allowing you to enjoy incredibly vivid sounds you will not experience anywhere else. A true Hi-Fi portable audio player with the best audio performance and equally sophisticated design, the SP3000M offers all of this in the palm of your hand.

The “M” in SP3000M represents the diverse features in the player.

Mini: Smaller in size than SP3000
Mobility: Even better portability
Maximum: The product with the best audio performance
Mania: A product for those with a passion for the vivid sounds that SP3000M provides
Mate: A companion with you anywhere and at any time
Moment: Adding sentiment to life's mundane moments

Complete Separation of Digital and Analog Signals in a HEXA

We equipped the SP3000M with the same innovative Hexa audio circuit design first found in the SP3000, that has four of AKM’s flagship AK4499EX DACs and two separate AK4191EQ chips that handle digital signals. Thanks to this technology, you can enjoy amazingly vivid sounds only Astell&Kern can create. Most digital players process digital and analog signals together inside the DAC. However, the SP3000’s advanced HEXA structure reduces the noise of the digital signal input through the AK4191EQ, a separate digital delta-sigma modulator, and the AK4499EX DAC is then designed to process the analog signals separately. With such an unparalleled design, SP3000M physically separates digital and analog signals, completely boasting the perfect A&ultima sounds through the unmatched 130 dB SNR, equal to the SP3000, despite its much smaller size.

Complete Separation of Digital and Analog Signals with Independent Dual Audio Circuits

The SP3000M features the innovative HEXA Audio Circuit design first found in the SP3000, that represents a breakthrough in digital audio player technology. At its core are four AKM flagship AK4499EX DACs and two separate AK4191EQ chips, creating an architecture that completely separates digital and analog signal processing. Unlike most DAPs that process both signal types together inside the DAC, the SP3000M's advanced HEXA structure uses separate AK4191EQ digital delta-sigma modulators to reduce digital signal noise before the AK4499EX DACs handle analog processing independently.

Traditionally, DAPs using an internal DAC for both unbalanced and balanced outputs use an audio switch to send the two signals to the Amp. This conventional approach forces a reduction in signal size during transmission and subsequent restoration to the amplifier, creating inherent limitations in audio performance. With such an unparalleled design, the SP3000M physically separates digital and analog signals, completely boasting the perfect A&ultima sounds through the unmatched 130 dB SNR, equal to the SP3000, despite its much smaller size. You can feel the clean, pure delicacy of sound with the SP3000M that you cannot not experience in any other DAP. The addition of a highly conductive, high-purity silver plated shield can prevents various noise and electromagnetic interference from affecting the audio block.

In order to create a truly innovative DAP, not just a great DAP, we tried to overcome the limitations of sound by envisioning an independent dual audio circuit that has never been attempted by anyone featuring a HEXA structure with unbalanced and balanced outputs. Almost all other DAPs, including Astell&Kern, use an internal DAC for both unbalanced and balanced outputs. Since the signal from the DAC is divided into unbalanced and balanced then delivered to the AMP, an Audio Switch is essential. However, when using a switch, there is a limit to the range that can receive the signal sent by the DAC, so most DAPs reduce the signal size first and then when the signal is transmitted back to the amplifier, it is necessary to restore the original signal size. This causes a limitation in improving the audio performance. To overcome the limitations, our engineers designed a HEXA structure using two AK4191EQs and four AK4499EXs, creating an innovative unbalanced and balanced independent dual audio circuit design. As a result, the SP3000M achieves a SNR of 130dB, the best of any DAP available. You can feel the clean, pure delicacy of sound with the SP3000M that you cannot not experience in any other DAP.

Silver Plated Shield Can

A shield can is applied to prevent various noise and electromagnetic interference from affecting the audio block. The SP3000M takes it a step further to achieve excellent audio performance and perfect shielding by applying highly conductive, high-purity silver on the existing shield can, and physically separating digital and analog signals.

TERATON ALPHA – The Essence of A&K Audio Technologies Merged Into the SP3000M

In order to develop the ultimate audio player that has never been experienced before, not only do we use the latest DAC and technology available, but we use the innovative audio technology of TERATON ALPHA, AK's Ultimate Sound Solution. TERATON ALPHA, engineered through endless research, is Astell&Kern's unique technology that has been designed to produce audio playback that is close to the original sound through effective power noise removal, efficient power management and unwavering amplification, and a fully converted audio output interface. HEXA-Audio Circuitry structure and independent dual audio circuit implemented to the SP3000 was completed with TERATON ALPHA's sound solution, to create the purest original sound, and was inherited to the SP3000M.