Astell&Kern A&futura SE300 Digital Audio Player

£1,899.00
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Equipped with trailblazing audio technology developed in-house and uncompromising craftsmanship, the fourth model in the A&futura range reproduces an entirely new, natural yet dynamic sound. 

Immerse yourself into the true analog sound that the SE300 produces with Class-A AMP and R-2R DAC technologies, for the first time in an Astell&Kern player.

A&futura SE300 is equipped with an ultra-refined R-2R DAC, Class A/AB dual amps born with our proprietary TERATON ALPHA technology, and for the first time a self-developed FPGA optimized technology. With these unrivaled components, it offers the true sound philosophy and technology of Astell&Kern.

Key Features

  • Fully Discrete 24 bit R-2R DAC for an entirely new, natural yet dynamic analogue sound
  • Equipped with 96 ultra-precision 0.01% & TCR10 resistors, the key to Hi-Fi sound in an ultra-precision resistor design
  • New Dual AMP (Class A/AB) mode for crisp, dynamic sounds with high efficiency
  • Option for OS (Over Sampling) / NOS (Non-Oversampling) modes, choose between a digital processed signal or pure original untouched sound
  • Implemented self-developed and optimized FPGA technology relaying digital signals to the R-2R DAC through Astell&Kern's proprietary algorithm

Flowing, ergonomic design

Crafted from a blend of aluminum and stainless steel, the A&futura SE300 has streamlined surfaces to create a firm yet flexible image to reflect the flow of music.

Reimagined user interface

The SE300 also comes with a redesigned Crimson-theme UI/UX so listeners can deeply connect with their music listening experience.

Fully Discrete 24bit R-2R DAC

To ensure the A&futura SE300 audio player better reproduces analog sounds, we set out to combine the DAC and AMP sections for the first time during the initial design phase.

The SE300 comes supplied with an R-2R DAC, instead of a Delta-Sigma DAC that is most commonly used in other audio players. R-2R DAC, also known as Ladder DAC, as it arranges resistors in a ladder form, offers natural yet dynamic Hi-Fi sounds, but it is extremely technical and difficult to execute as it requires complex refined resistor units and hard to manage current controls.
However, despite these technical challenges, after several years for development and a lot of trial and error we have managed to overcome this and create a new analog sound. In the process, we have meticulously selected each and every one of the 96 ultra-precision resistors and finalized our R-2R DAC technology.

SE300 takes us one step closer to realizing analog sound from a digital source and is the result of a long journey taken by Astell&Kern with uncompromising craftsmanship to find the ultimate sound solution.

Supporting Class A/AB Dual AMP Mode

The SE300 comes with a Dual AMP mode. Class A amplification that creates low distortions and natural sounds and a Class AB amplification that plays dynamic sounds with high efficiency so users can pick and choose from the two amps according to their listening preferences and genre of music that they are playing.

Experience the true sounds that only Astell&Kern can deliver with the SE300 that comes with an R-2R DAC and Class A/AB Dual AMPs born from Astell&Kern’s unique proprietary designs that reduces power consumption whilst enhancing output and removing noise.

Class A AMP mode

Class A AMP is an analog amp that offers the best linear output, amplifying signals without distortion or loss of signal and providing soft, warm, and natural sounds. The refined analog signal created directly by the R-2R DAC, reproduces a sound closest to the original analog audio through the organic and powerful Class A AMP.

Class AB AMP Mode

Class AB AMP is an analog amp that offers a powerful output with the added benefit of high efficiency.
This presents dynamic and crisp sounds with less harmonic distortion.

2-Step Gain Mode for the Perfect Hi-Fi Experience

For seamless use of sensitive IEMs and hard to drive headphones, a device must provide suitable output, respective of the connected device’s specification.

The SE300 supports a 2-step Gain Level mode to create the prefect match for a wide range of headphones and IEMs, maintaining an optimal sound output.
The two-step gain setting with "Normal" and "High Gain" modes can generate a high current output to create a powerful sound and excellent driver control.
With up to 6 Vrms from the balanced connections, driving high-impedance headphones has never been easier.

Wireless Hi-Fi Sound Through BT Sink

BT Sink function connects the SE300 to an external device via Bluetooth, similar to connecting a smartphone with a BT speaker. Music from an external device, such as a smartphone can now be played back in high-quality on the SE300 using the BT Sink function.

New Experience, New User Interface

The SE300 comes with a redesigned Crimson-themed UI/UX transforming into a "true music player" for users to deeply connect with their music listening experience.

The new UI/UX is designed so that users can quickly browse music categories and re-discover songs within their music library.
We also added an easy album art search function so that users can re-discover the joy of viewing and interacting with music album art whilst listening to their music.

The crimson theme focuses on edge, simplicity, and dark mode keywords. The color theme of black with red highlights lowers visual fatigue and offers intuitive user experiences, and many other improvements were made to the device’s user-friendliness of app service, artist view, album sorting, and the album art search function.

  • General Specifications
    • Model 

      SE300

    • Body Color 

      Platinum Silver

    • Body Material 

      Aluminum and Stainless Steel

    • Display 

      5.46inch HD 1080 x 1920 touch screen

    • Supported Audio Formats 

      WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF

    • Sample rate 

      PCM : 8kHz ~ 384kHz (8/16/24/32bits per Sample)
      DSD : DSD64(1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128(1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo / DSD256(1bit 11.2MHz), Stereo

    • Output Level 

      [Normal] Unbalanced 2Vrms │ Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
      [High] Unbalanced 3Vrms │ Balanced 6Vrms (Condition No Load)

    • CPU 

      Quad-core

    • DAC 

      Full Discrete R-2R

    • Decoding 

      Support up to 32bit / 384kHz playback

    • Input 

      USB Type-C input (for charging & PC & MAC)

    • Outputs 

      Unbalanced Out (3.5mm), Optical Out(3.5mm)
      Balanced Out (2.5mm, only 4-pole supported | 4.4m, only 5-pole supported)

    • Wi-Fi 

      802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)

    • Bluetooth 

      V5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, LDAC)

    • Dimensions 

      3.01” (76.45mm)[W] x 5.49” (139.45mm)[H] x 0.69” (17.6mm)[D]

    • Weight 

      About 11.18oz (317g)

    • Feature Enhancements 

      Firmware upgrade supported (OTA)

    • Operating Temperature 

      0℃ ~ + 40℃ (32℉~ 104℉)

 

  • Audio Performance
    • Frequency Response 

      ±0.038dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced │Balanced
      ±0.45dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced │Balanced

    • S/N 

      114dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 115dB @ 1kHz, Balanced (Normal Gain)
      115dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 115dB @ 1kHz, Balanced (High Gain)

    • Crosstalk 

      -135dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ -144dB @ 1kHz, Balanced

    • THD+N 

      0.006% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced │ 0.006% @ 1kHz, Balanced

    • IMD SMPTE 

      0.005% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Unbalanced │Balanced

    • Output Impedance 

      Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (1.3ohm) │ Balanced Out 2.5mm (1.3ohm), 4.4mm(1.3ohm)

  • Clock Source
    • Clock Jitter 

      25pS (Typ)

    • Reference Clock Jitter 

      500 Femto Seconds

  • Storage Capacity
    • Built-in Memory 

      256GB [NAND]

    • External Memory 

      microSD x1 (Max. 1TB)

  • Battery
    • Capacity 

      5,050mAh 3.8V Li-Polymer

    • Charge Time 

      about 3.5hours (9V 1.67A Charging)

    • Playback Time 

      about 12hours (Standard : FLAC, 16bit, 44.1kHz, Vol.50, LCD Off, Normal Gain)

 

 

 

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Testimonials

Bought some Rega Kyte speakers, stands and chords from DB online and they were incredibly helpful. They updated my delivery address very quickly and recommended a longer cut of cables which they did complimentary. They also noticed I didn’t order with banana plugs so called me back to double check, which I did mean to order. When i had some issues connecting my cables and speakers, I called for some advice which they happily gave. Excellent service and next day delivery to London. Thoroughly recommend.

James F.

Probably one of the best companies in the world. They had to special order in the speakers which took a fair bit of time, which is totally understandable, but they kept in touch with me throughout the entire time with updates (even on a Sunday!!!) and once the speakers were with them, they were dispatched and arrived next day.

The entire sound system that I purchased is insanely good, but still not as good as Doug Brady HiFi!

Guy H.

I have recently purchased a HiFi package with Doug Brady and I could not be more thrilled with my experience with them.
When I walked into the store, I was made to feel welcome and was introduced to some of the products. I produces a list of specific items I was interested in and John was really helpful in showing me these items. He set the system up so I could experience it, he made some suggestions which made the package even better. Nothing seemed too much trouble for him, he was very knowledgeable about the products and gave great advice. I didn't feel pressured to buy anything, or didn't feel that he was upselling at any point. I left with an amazing package and I'd like to thank John and the team for the fantastic experience.

Kaylay L.

It’s now two weeks since I bought home my new system and I wanted to say thanks again for all your help, advice and guidance, not to mention cups of tea. I now have a system that meets all my requirements and sounds fantastic. Special thanks to Jon, who I hope is on the road to recovery from his operation and to Roger, who helped me finalise my choice. The Rega Saturn, Hegel H190V and Dali Rubicon 2 is undoubtedly the best system I have ever owned.

Bryan M