Astell & Kern A&futura SE100
Portable music players rarely sound as good as the A&K A&futura SE100 – but very few of them cost as much either
Anyone looking for a high-end portable music player may be subliminally swayed by the name of the Astell & Kern A&futura SE100. But a considered assessment would also point you there, for the SE100 is a portable pleasure that deserves to be pocketed.
At a rather pricey £1499, it sits between the A&ultima SP1000 (£3299) and the What Hi-fi? Award-winning Kann (£899) in A&K’S hi-res player portfolio, and justifies its position above the latter with a far better performance.
Kick the Kann
Playing a range of music genres and file resolutions, the SE100 comes out on top at every turn. Thanks to its 32-bit, eight-channel ESS Sabre ES9038PRO DAC and its crystal oscillator clock’s jitterreducing efforts, it isn’t just a small improvement either – the SE100 sounds miles better than the Kann. That’s just as well, considering the £600 premium on its price. What’s most noticeable is its stark openness, which not only expands the presentation’s soundstage, but also invites more detail to be heard. We play Leonard Cohen’s Born In
Chains (16-bit/44.1khz) and the A&K does justice to the gospel-like production. The melodic organ opener fills the space with the timbre variation and breathy texture integral to the instrument, while Cohen’s vocal growl is startlingly clear and aptly hollow.
Choral backing singers are so clear, they can be individually counted, and subtler cymbal taps and piano-playing are not only distinct, but textured and precisely placed. David Bowie’s I’d
Rather Be High (24-bit/96khz) is an even more impressive listen. That exotic, psychedelic-tinged guitar riff has much power and drive behind it, while the track’s underpinning drums are rhythmically sound.
Of course, you will need a headphone partner of equally high calibre to make the most of the SE100’S transparency. We use the Grado SR325E (£269), Focal Elegia (£795) and Grado PS1000E (£1900) models, and even the last of these doesn’t feel overqualified for the job. In fact, open-backed headphones such as these Ps1000es play to the SE100’S glorious spaciousness.
Tidal turns up the compression
We play Tidal over wi-fi, and though a stream of Jessye’ Lisabeth by Mercury Rev ft Phoebe Bridgers sounds understandably compressed compared with the hi-res tracks, we can still put a mental ring around the onslaught of instruments in the elaborate folky collaboration.
Tidal comes pre-loaded in the ‘services’ section, as do Deezer and Groovers+. Others, such as Amazon Music, Spotify, Qobuz, Pandora and Tunein radio, can be downloaded, and dropped onto the SE100 in the same way music tracks are.
The SE100 supports native DSD playback up to 11.2MHZ and PCM files up to 32-bit/384khz, and has an impressive 128GB internal storage. As with other A&K players, that storage can be expanded by a microsd card.
Another potential accessory for the SE100 is a fast charger (9V/1.67A), which, when plugged into the player’s USB Type-c connection, allows the player to charge fully in two hours. Astell & Kern claims playback of 11 hours from a single charge, based on 16-bit/44khz FLAC file playback at mid volume. However, when we use the SE100 over the course of several days, playing largely hi-res files and Tidal streams at
higher volumes, and getting to grips with its interface navigation, the battery life proves closer to six hours. Astell & Kern’s updated 5in HD touchscreen interface prioritises album artwork, and is bright, crisp and colourful enough to do justice to Radiohead’s Hail To The Thief cover. Different angles
Framing that gorgeously glassy screen is the new architecturally inclined aluminium body that shares stylistic touches with all recent Astell & Kern players, apart from the older Kann. Those angular lines, the diamond-patterned glass back plate and small volume dial are now familiar parts of the company’s designs. The last of these is our favourite physical feature of an A&K player – even if swiping the touchscreen is a quicker method of changing volume.
The SE100 is slightly slanted, allowing it to satisfyingly lean into your hand when held. It should come with a ‘handle with care’ sign, though.
“The SE100 has evolved from A&K’S previous players, with the best parts retained – including an engaging sound, bold design and a feature-heavy experience”
While the cassette-sized, reassuringly hefty player is a work of art, its straight edges and particularly cutting corners can be pretty wince-inducing if they catch your skin. A large box of plasters might be cheaper, but we’d suggest investing in the dedicated leather case, costing £89 and available in black, navy and red, to save yourself the affliction.
The SE100 has evolved from Astell & Kern’s previous portable music player models, with the best parts retained – including an engaging sound, bold design and a feature-heavy music player experience. It even retains the A&K trademark DAC alter-ego, which allows it to be the sound-enhancing middleman between a computer and headphones.
But the A&futura SE100 is priced out of reach for most. Along with a few cases, such as the A&K A&ultima SP1000 and Sony’s NW-WM1Z (£2570), this really is top-tier pricing for a portable music player. But for those with grand portable ambitions, a decent pair of high-end headphones and, crucially, the budget to afford this outlay, this sonic-savvy source is both a luxury and a logical buy.