Astell&Kern SE300
Astell&Kern A&Futura SE300 audiophile portable player with passive R-2R DAC and Class A/AB amplification, designed for demanding headphone listening.
Description
The SE300 by Astell&Kern is a high-end digital audio player intended for listening via headphones or earphones, without the need for an external amplifier. It features an aluminium chassis, a 5.46-inch Full HD touchscreen and a quad-core processor to handle local playback as well as streaming services via WiFi and Bluetooth.
At the heart of the player is a fully passive R-2R DAC, built around 96 resistors with tolerances controlled to within 0.01% to limit distortion. TCR10 technology maintains the stability of these resistors against temperature variations, while a custom FPGA circuit handles the control and addressing of audio data. This architecture allows playback of PCM files up to 32-bit / 384 kHz and DSD 256. Amplification, handled by Class A and AB modules, powers the unbalanced and balanced headphone outputs with dynamic headroom suited to demanding transducers.
In terms of connectivity, the SE300 offers an unbalanced 3.5mm mini-jack output (switchable to optical output) as well as two balanced outputs, in 2.5mm and 4.4mm jack, to accommodate different headphone cabling. The 256GB internal memory can be supplemented with a microSD card of up to 1TB, and Bluetooth 5.0 supports SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC codecs for wireless listening.
This player is aimed at audiophiles who already own high-end headphones or earphones and are looking for a portable source capable of reproducing hi-res and DSD files with dedicated amplification, without any additional equipment.
Technical specifications
| MicroSD slot | compatible up to 1TB |
| Supported formats | WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, DSD |
| Supported codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC |
| Battery life | up to 12 hours (FLAC 16-bit / 44.1 kHz, Vol at 50%) |
| Charging time | 3h30 |
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | 76.4 x 139.4 x 17.6 mm |
| Weight | 317 g |
What to check before buying used
The 5.46-inch touchscreen should be visually checked from different angles to spot any dead spots or reduced responsiveness. The 5,050mAh lithium-ion battery, used during every listening session, should be tested over a full cycle to confirm it still holds a battery life close to the stated 12 hours. Each of the three headphone outputs (3.5mm mini-jack, 2.5mm jack and 4.4mm jack) should also be tested to rule out crackling or loose contacts, a sensitive point on players with multiple connections.
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