The highly acclaimed brand, whose main claim to fame has been its digital audio players, has just revealed a slew of products for its 2023 timeline. There are no new traditional players announced here, but what you will find is more than intriguing.
Their biggest reveal here has to be the ACRO CA1000T, a follow-up to last year’s CA1000. These audio players/dedicated DAC/amps were a first for A&K, and now they look to continue this series further. Just like with the SP2000T, the CA1000T will feature a dual-tube applied Triple Amp System, with 4-levels of gain that can operate the most detailed IEMs and hard-to-drive headphones using ESS Technology’s flagship ES9039MPRO Dual-DAC.
The next product A&K has announced is the HC3 dual DAC/amp dongle cable. While similar to the last dongle they made, the HC3 will now feature the ES9219MQ Dual DAC from ESS. It is a dual-shielded cable that will connect to both Type C and lightning plugs, making it accessible with iPhone or Android. With the HC3, A&K wants to bring their standard for sound resolution to any smartphone, aiming to minimize noise and increase power to your wired headphones and IEMs.
Lastly, A&K has revealed its first-ever portable headphone amplifier. This won’t be your common DAC dongle like the HC3. Instead, A&K has developed a new class-A amplifier for analog purity on the go. With current, Gain, and Crossfeed options for digital audio players and source devices, the PA10 looks to drastically improve your audio for many situations. Other features include 4mm true balanced and 3.5mm unbalanced in/out support, and twelve hours of battery life.
The Astell & Kern ACRO CA1000T, HC3, and PA10 will be released on February 13th, 2022, and are available to pre-order now at Audio46.
