Astell & Kern A&futura SE200
A&K’S latest portable music player is a compelling performer with a unique feature – a choice of DACS
Astell & Kern has set out to try something no brand has attempted before. The A&futura SE200 is the first portable music player to give the user a choice of DACS; there’s ESS’S latest chip (the ES9068AS) in a dual configuration, as well as one of AKM'S flagship chips (the AK4499EQ) as found in Astell & Kern’s flagship SP2000 (£3399). Why does a music player need multiple DACS? It’s down to letting the user pick the sonic signature they prefer. Each DAC type feeds its own set of outputs – 2.5mm balanced and the standard 3.5mm. Having several filters for each of the DACS allows for further fine-tuning. Suddenly, Astell & Kern players have gained another dimension.
Double the development
Astell & Kern claims it has spent twice the usual time on development and on tuning the player. It has implemented different amplifier circuit designs, optimised to the characteristics of each DAC. More typically for an A&K player design, it also separates the signals for balanced and unbalanced channels to minimise distortion and maximise performance. The AKM DAC draws more power than the ESS chip, with Astell & Kern claiming 10 hours of continuous play versus 14 hours respectively.
But while Astell & Kern treads much new ground with the SE200, it is on familiar turf elsewhere. Like many A&K players, including the entry-level A&norma SR25, file support goes all the way up to 32-bit/384khz and includes native DSD256 and MQA playback.
There is plenty of onboard storage to load up your CD and hi-res download collection, too – 256GB of it, which should accommodate more than 5000 songs of Cd-quality WAVS. That matches the company’s similarly priced A&ultima SP1000, although it is below the 512GB capacity of the flagship SP2000.
Wi-fi (2.4GHZ) is onboard to facilitate playback over DLNA and from music streaming apps (Tidal and Deezer come preloaded); aptx HD Bluetooth is also here for wireless headphone listening.
Astell & Kern has retained its typical aesthetics – the 5in touchscreen is framed by an elegant aluminium chassis, with the side-mounted volume dial the standout feature. It’s all familiar, although at 13cm tall and 7.7cm wide, it’s on the large side by A&K standards.
That volume control has an LED ring that reveals the type and bit-rate of the track playing – red for 16-bit, green for 24-bit, blue for 32-bit and purple for DSD.
A more premium feel
Astell & Kern has also moved from a glass rear cover on the SE100 – the first player in the A&futura line – to a ceramic one in the SE200. This gives the player a more premium feel and is also claimed to improve wireless network performance.
It’s not often we are faced with four headphone jacks, but the AKM Dac-fed output turns out to be the best option, serving up a sound that trumps every Astell & Kern player before it, bar the A&ultima SP2000 – including the similarly priced SP1000M.
Comparing the two, we find the SE200 prevails over the SP1000M in almost all sonic aspects – rhythmic fluidity, clarity, dynamics, and insight. It’s boldersounding and more tonally neutral than some of its siblings, with Astell & Kern trading some of its typical richness for a faster, more articulate listen.
The ESS Dac-fed output offers a fuller, warmer listen – preferable for orchestral music perhaps – but it sacrifices the spaciousness, clarity and a couple of layers of subtlety. In fact, it’s closer to the SP1000M in character and calibre – it’s good, but just not as good as the AKM.
Encouraging experimentation
The inclusion of audio filters – six for the AKM, three for the ESS – encourages experimentation and an opportunity to subtly alter the sonics for stored files. However, they don’t work with streaming services or MQA tracks, and don’t make enough of a difference to switch from the default options.
Astell & Kern’s decision to offer two separate DAC configurations is an odd one. Some will no doubt relish the option of different sonic signatures but, ultimately, we don’t see the need for the inferior-sounding ESS when the AKM output performs so much better.
Part of us wishes the company had put more resources into making the SE200 sound even better through one set of outputs, or simply lowered its asking price. That said, A&K has managed to set a new performance benchmark for the price with the SE200.