Astell & Kern ACRO brings its high-res music expertise home
From pocket to desktop :
Astell & Kern ACRO brings its high-res music expertise home
Astell & Kern has introduced a new sub-brand of desktop audio products called ACRO , bringing all the high-resolution music expertise of its award-winning portable players into the home . The new line-up launches with the ACRO L1000 , a 32bit desktop headphone amplifier / DAC unit with excellent performance , connectivity and design – all for just £ 799 .
The ACRO L1000 provides multiple audio output options to fit your needs . It can be connected to a universal 3.5mm / 6.3mm jack , or to a headphone or earphone with a 2.5mm / 4-pole XLR balanced jack .
USB connectivity means the ACRO L1000 can be used as a desktop amp / DAC to significantly boost the audio performance of your PC or Mac . You can also use an Astell & Kern portable player as a source device , for an even more powerful audio experience with your L1000 .
Unlike most other headphone amplifiers , the ACRO L1000 also offers the option to easily connect to desktop speakers via dedicated , binding-post outputs . These offer a maximum audio output of up to 15W per channel at 4 ohms .
The ACRO L1000 features two AK4490 DAC chips – the same proven performance DACs found in the high-end Astell & Kern AK380 players .
The L1000 plays back bit-to-bit high-resolution PCM digital audio up to 32bits . A 32-bit CPU has also been added for the most accurate processing of digital audio playback , without compromising audio quality . As a result , the ACRO L1000 can reproduce up to 32bit / 384kHz PCM as originally recorded , with no down-sampling . The L1000 also supports native DSD playback up to 11.2MHz , without conversion .
The ACRO L1000 is beautifully crafted from aluminium , and designed at a 30-degree angle to aid desktop usability . The large volume wheel is designed to fit pleasingly in your hand , with the knurled edges giving the perfect feel of being in control of your music .
The volume wheel is haloed by LED lights , which clearly but subtly show the playback volume level . The colour of these lights also indicates which of the L1000 ’ s sound settings you ’ re using : Blue for the neutral , default setting ; Green when the Bass-Boost Filter is applied and Red LED for High-Gain mode .
Available in a Gunmetal finish , the Astell & Kern ACRO L1000 will be shown at CES next week and go on sale in the UK later this month , with a suggested retail price of £ 799 .
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