Technology News, Reviews and Buying Guides review, monitor review, tablet review, laptop review, mobile review, smartphone review, buying guide,
South Korean hi-fi specialists Astell & Kern have introduced their first true wireless stereo earbuds, the AK UW100. The new Astell and Kern TWS earphones come with a 32-bit DAC, Bluetooth aptX Adaptive, and active noise cancellation, the manufacturer promises exciting equipment.
Astell & Kern is best known for high-quality music players, but the company is now also entering the market for true wireless stereo earphones with the AK UW100. The unusual, angular design has already won a Red Dot Design Award 2022. However, the focus is on the sound, because Astell Kern A K installs a Qualcomm QCC5141 Bluetooth audio SoC that supports Bluetooth 5.2 including aptX Adaptive.
That allows music to be transmitted in 24-bit at 96 kHz. The data should be compressed particularly efficiently to 420 kbit/s, which achieves a latency of 50 to 80 milliseconds. A dedicated AKM AK4332 32-bit digital-to-analog converter should enable significantly better sound than the DAC in the Qualcomm SoC could.
Astell & Kern installs two microphones in each earpiece, which are not only used for phone calls, but also for active noise cancellation, which can attenuate disruptive ambient noise by up to 41 dB. The battery provides six hours of uninterrupted playback, and the charging case stores enough energy for three full charges.
The case can be charged either via USB-C or wirelessly on a Qi charging pad. A touch-sensitive surface on the outside of the earbuds allows you to control playback and volume. A proprietary smartphone app allows configuring an equalizer and installing firmware updates.
Astell & Kern AK UW100 price and Availability
The Astell & Kern AK UW100 is now available to pre-order on Bhphotovideo.com for $299 and is expected to come onto the market in April 2022.
Earlier this year, Astell & Kern has expanded its best music player product range with the new Acro CA1000 (approx. $2,199 on Amazon and Bhphotovideo) headphone amp. The highlight of the audio system was not only the flagship stuffing but also the possibility of using it as a compact headphone amplifier.
