Name: A&futura SE300 Music Player DAP
SKU: 233058

SE300: The Future of Analog Sound

The SE300 is a groundbreaking Astell&Kern music player, being the first to deliver true analog sound through its innovative R-2R DAC and dual Class A/AB amplification. This new addition to the A&futura line embodies Astell&Kern's commitment to continuous innovation, bringing cutting-edge technology and enhanced sonic capabilities to your music experience.

As the fourth model in the A&futura series, the SE300 pushes the boundaries of audio performance. It features an ultra-refined R-2R DAC, which provides a rich, analog-like sound quality. Additionally, it incorporates Class A/AB dual amplifiers, utilizing Astell&Kern's proprietary TERATON ALPHA technology, known for its superior audio fidelity and efficient power management.

Astell&Kern has also equipped the SE300 with a self-developed FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) optimized technology for the first time, further enhancing the player’s performance and precision. This advanced FPGA technology works in harmony with the R-2R DAC and dual amplifiers to deliver a pristine audio experience that stays true to the original sound. The A&futura SE300 represents the pinnacle of Astell&Kern's technological advancements, offering audiophiles an unparalleled music player that combines traditional analog warmth with modern digital precision.

Dragon Cable Recommendation: We recommend pairing the Astell&Kern SE300 DAP Music Player with our popular . The Silver Dragon USB cable is our best selling USB cable at Moon Audio, offering an extraordinary amount of detail and resolution to your hi-fi system. The Silver Dragon USB cable is designed to transfer digital audio from your source device (like a computer, phone, tablet, or digital audio player) to a USB-capable DAC. It is built to USB Audio specs. The Silver Dragon USB Cable is meant for audio data transfer only - meaning that this cable should not be used for high-speed data transmission (for external hard drives). Because of the high-quality materials and cable geometry, our USB cables will greatly reduce stock USB cable issues such as packet loss and jitter.

Features:

R-2R DAC: The SE300 features a high-precision R-2R DAC, which delivers an authentic analog sound, providing a rich and natural listening experience.
Class A/AB Dual Amplifiers: Equipped with both Class A and Class AB amplification modes, the SE300 offers flexibility in sound output, allowing users to choose between the warm, smooth sound of Class A and the more dynamic, powerful output of Class AB.
TERATON ALPHA Technology: Utilizes Astell&Kern's proprietary TERATON ALPHA technology, which optimizes power management, noise reduction, and signal amplification to ensure superior audio quality.
Self-Developed FPGA Technology: The SE300 incorporates a self-developed FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) optimized for high-fidelity audio processing, enhancing precision and performance.
High-Resolution Audio Support: Supports a wide range of high-resolution audio formats including DSD (up to DSD256), FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, and MQA, ensuring compatibility with various audio sources.
Dual-Band Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz): Offers enhanced network performance for streaming Hi-Fi music and utilizing Roon Ready services seamlessly.
Bluetooth Connectivity: Supports high-quality wireless audio via Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD and LDAC codecs, ensuring high-fidelity wireless playback.
Expandable Storage: Features internal storage capacity (built-in memory) with the option to expand via a microSD card slot, supporting cards up to 1TB.
Long Battery Life: Provides up to 14 hours of continuous playback time, allowing for extended listening sessions without frequent recharging.
Touchscreen Display: Comes with a high-resolution touchscreen display for intuitive navigation and control over music playback and settings. Quad-core CPU for smooth performance. Compatible with hi-res BT Sink and AK File Drop technologies.
ReplayGain: Integrates ReplayGain technology to automatically and uniformly adjust playback volume across tracks, ensuring a consistent listening experience.
Elegant Design: The SE300 showcases a sleek and modern design, embodying both aesthetic appeal and ergonomic functionality.

Fully Discrete 24bit R-2R DAC

To ensure that the A&futura SE300 audio player delivers superior analog sound, Astell&Kern innovatively integrated the DAC and AMP sections during the initial design phase. Unlike the more common Sigma Delta DACs found in other portable music players, the SE300 is equipped with an R-2R DAC. This type of DAC, also known as a ladder DAC, arranges resistors in a ladder formation, providing natural yet dynamic Hi-Fi sound. Implementing an R-2R DAC is highly technical and challenging due to the need for complex, refined resistor units and precise current control.

Despite these challenges, Astell&Kern dedicated several years to overcoming these obstacles through extensive development and trial and error. The result is a breakthrough in analog sound quality. Astell&Kern meticulously selected each of the 96 ultra-precision resistors to perfect the R-2R DAC technology. The SE300 brings us closer to achieving true analog sound from a digital source, showcasing Astell&Kern's uncompromising craftsmanship and relentless pursuit of the ultimate sound solution.

Realization of 24-bit Decoding with R-2R DAC:

The R-2R DAC within the SE300 utilizes an intricate arrangement of 96 ultra-precision resistors, divided into 48 pairs (23xR and 25x2R), to generate analog signals. This sophisticated configuration allows the SE300 to achieve true Hi-Fi 24-bit decoding, delivering an exceptionally accurate and dynamic sound reproduction. Each resistor pair is carefully calibrated to ensure precise current control and signal fidelity, which is essential for capturing the full depth and nuance of high-resolution audio. This meticulous design reflects Astell&Kern's commitment to providing an unparalleled listening experience by bridging the gap between digital and analog sound.

Ultra-precision resistor Design, the Key to Hi-Fi Sound

Achieving Hi-Fi sound with an R-2R DAC requires the precise summation of current values using resistors with minimal error margins. To accomplish this, Astell&Kern meticulously inspected and selected ultra-precision resistors with an error range of just 0.01%. This rigorous selection process was essential in finalizing the design of the SE300, ensuring the highest accuracy and fidelity in audio reproduction.

Ultra-precision TCR10 Specifications

To achieve distortion-free Hi-Fi sound within this highly precise design, Astell&Kern anticipated and analyzed potential impacts from temperature fluctuations. The SE300 incorporates special TCR10 specifications to minimize variations in the 0.01% resistor error range, ensuring consistent and accurate audio reproduction.

* TCR10: 10 ppm/℃ Low Temperature Coefficient of resistor

Supporting Class A/AB Dual AMP Mode

The SE300 features Dual AMP modes: Class A amplification for low distortion and natural sound, and Class AB amplification for dynamic, efficient sound. Users can select their preferred mode based on their listening preferences and the genre of music.

Experience the unparalleled sound quality that only Astell&Kern can deliver with the SE300, equipped with an R-2R DAC and Class A/AB Dual AMPs. These proprietary designs enhance output, reduce power consumption, and eliminate noise.

Class A AMP Mode: This analog amp provides the best linear output, amplifying signals without distortion or loss, resulting in soft, warm, and natural sounds. The refined analog signal, directly generated by the R-2R DAC, reproduces audio closest to the original analog source through the powerful Class A AMP.

Class AB AMP Mode: This analog amp delivers powerful output with high efficiency, producing dynamic and crisp sounds with minimal harmonic distortion.