The SP2000 is the first Astell&Kern player to use separate, independent audio channels between the Unbalanced and Balanced outputs. This design offers much more power than ever before, with 6 Vrms for Balanced output and 3Vrms for Unbalanced output. With this design, the SP2000 offers the ultimate audio experience as Astell&Kern's newest flagship player.
The SP2000 is the first Astell&Kern player to use separate, independent audio channels between the Unbalanced and Balanced outputs. This design offers much more power than ever before, with 6 Vrms for Balanced output and 3Vrms for Unbalanced output. With this design, the SP2000 offers the ultimate audio experience as Astell&Kern's newest flagship player.
in 1 offers
last seen 29 Sept 2026
The lowest price we last saw for Astell&Kern A&ultima SP2000 Digital Audio Player, Stainless Steel by Addicted To Audio was $2,499.00 at Addicted To Audio (last seen 29 Sept 2026). Prices may have changed since.
The all-time low we recorded was $1,768.56 on 21 Feb 2024.
Prices last updated 29 Sept 2026.
Astell&Kern A&ultima SP2000 Digital Audio Player, Stainless Steel by Addicted To Audio
The SP2000 is the first Astell&Kern player to use separate, independent audio channels between the Unbalanced and Balanced outputs. This design offers much more power than ever before, with 6 Vrms for Balanced output and 3Vrms for Unbalanced output. With this design, the SP2000 offers the ultimate audio experience as Astell&Kern's newest flagship player.
The SP2000 is the first Astell&Kern player to use separate, independent audio channels between the Unbalanced and Balanced outputs. This design offers much more power than ever before, with 6 Vrms for Balanced output and 3Vrms for Unbalanced output. With this design, the SP2000 offers the ultimate audio experience as Astell&Kern's newest flagship player.
Last updated at 29/09/2026 19:40:42
Astell&Kern A&ultima SP2000 Digital Audio Player [DEMO UNIT], Stainless Steel by Addicted To Audio
Free delivery
originally posted on audio46.com
All I can say is wow! Being a geek and an avid audiophile, I always wanted to get this player since it is considered the best sounding DAP made yet and all I can say is all the hype is accurate. The presentation of opening the box was one of tbe best experiences I have had unwrapping and opening a tech device. The build quality of this player is nothing I have experienced elsewhere. As for the sounds quality, holy moly! Coming from a Cowon Plenue S and not even having the correct balanced cable for my Da. Clark Audio Ether C Flow headphones due to waiting for them to get re-terminated, the most shocking thing to me is how wide the Soundstage is. With the Plenue I felt like I had front row seats to the performances. Now I feel like I am in the middle of the room ... MoreAll I can say is wow! Being a geek and an avid audiophile, I always wanted to get this player since it is considered the best sounding DAP made yet and all I can say is all the hype is accurate. The presentation of opening the box was one of tbe best experiences I have had unwrapping and opening a tech device. The build quality of this player is nothing I have experienced elsewhere. As for the sounds quality, holy moly! Coming from a Cowon Plenue S and not even having the correct balanced cable for my Da. Clark Audio Ether C Flow headphones due to waiting for them to get re-terminated, the most shocking thing to me is how wide the Soundstage is. With the Plenue I felt like I had front row seats to the performances. Now I feel like I am in the middle of the room surrounded by the musicians. The clarity of everything is night and day. Being a multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer, all I can say is that with the right source material, this player makes the music come alive. I know I have yet to reach the full potential of this player not using the balanced output yet, but my jaw has been dropping with everything I've heard so far. Can't wait to see what the balanced output sounds like
originally posted on headamp.com
Say what you want about A&K, that they inflate prices, don't play well with third part software, put out too many revisions too fast... when you get one of these in your hands it all becomes moot. The SP2000 is a piece of audio art, and when you're not using it with the many many phones it can drive, you can just set it on your desk, slip it out of the case, and stare.........oh yeah, the listening to music part.. That's great, too.
originally posted on bhphotovideo.com
This dap is worth every penny. Sound on this dap is great, you can even tell the difference when using a music streaming service. I’ve tried the Sony wm1a, FiiO m11 pro and to me this sound the best. I’m also using the sp2000 as a dac for my THX 789 amp and a perfect pair, brings the music to life. Definitely recommend.
| Finish | Stainless Steel |
Astell&Kern A&ultima SP2000 Digital Audio Player [DEMO UNIT], Stainless Steel by Addicted To Audio
Free delivery
All I can say is wow! Being a geek and an avid audiophile, I always wanted to get this player since it is considered the best sounding DAP made yet and all I can say is all the hype is accurate. The presentation of opening the box was one of tbe best experiences I have had unwrapping and opening a tech device. The build quality of this player is nothing I have experienced elsewhere. As for the sounds quality, holy moly! Coming from a Cowon Plenue S and not even having the correct balanced cable for my Da. Clark Audio Ether C Flow headphones due to waiting for them to get re-terminated, the most shocking thing to me is how wide the Soundstage is. With the Plenue I felt like I had front row seats to the performances. Now I feel like I am in the middle of the room ... MoreAll I can say is wow! Being a geek and an avid audiophile, I always wanted to get this player since it is considered the best sounding DAP made yet and all I can say is all the hype is accurate. The presentation of opening the box was one of tbe best experiences I have had unwrapping and opening a tech device. The build quality of this player is nothing I have experienced elsewhere. As for the sounds quality, holy moly! Coming from a Cowon Plenue S and not even having the correct balanced cable for my Da. Clark Audio Ether C Flow headphones due to waiting for them to get re-terminated, the most shocking thing to me is how wide the Soundstage is. With the Plenue I felt like I had front row seats to the performances. Now I feel like I am in the middle of the room surrounded by the musicians. The clarity of everything is night and day. Being a multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer, all I can say is that with the right source material, this player makes the music come alive. I know I have yet to reach the full potential of this player not using the balanced output yet, but my jaw has been dropping with everything I've heard so far. Can't wait to see what the balanced output sounds like
Say what you want about A&K, that they inflate prices, don't play well with third part software, put out too many revisions too fast... when you get one of these in your hands it all becomes moot. The SP2000 is a piece of audio art, and when you're not using it with the many many phones it can drive, you can just set it on your desk, slip it out of the case, and stare.........oh yeah, the listening to music part.. That's great, too.
This dap is worth every penny. Sound on this dap is great, you can even tell the difference when using a music streaming service. I’ve tried the Sony wm1a, FiiO m11 pro and to me this sound the best. I’m also using the sp2000 as a dac for my THX 789 amp and a perfect pair, brings the music to life. Definitely recommend.
I've upgraded from A&K SE200 to SP2000 within about 10 days of the initial purchase. Why? Because SP2000 simply has no equal. The DAP is so refined, it can only be measured by how perfect a desire is. The SP2000 I purchase is the copper version, which I had a pleasure of testing through a friend of mine before I splurged on it. The player is simply phenomenal - with its dual AK4499EQ DAC configuration, the fit and finish, the internal storage, the sound processing most importantly - it is breath-taking. Just make sure to pair it with equally high end IEMs / headphones, to show how strong this unit can shine. The sound stage, the delivery, the sound characteristic, the deep holographic sound with impeccable execution and delivery of all details makes this player push ... MoreI've upgraded from A&K SE200 to SP2000 within about 10 days of the initial purchase. Why? Because SP2000 simply has no equal. The DAP is so refined, it can only be measured by how perfect a desire is. The SP2000 I purchase is the copper version, which I had a pleasure of testing through a friend of mine before I splurged on it. The player is simply phenomenal - with its dual AK4499EQ DAC configuration, the fit and finish, the internal storage, the sound processing most importantly - it is breath-taking. Just make sure to pair it with equally high end IEMs / headphones, to show how strong this unit can shine. The sound stage, the delivery, the sound characteristic, the deep holographic sound with impeccable execution and delivery of all details makes this player push the sound files to another level. With this unit, you will know a bad record from a good one. You will notice details you haven't before and you will be taken on another adventure where you are exposed to all the intricate details of the music you're playing through it. The SP2000 takes no prisoners, it doesn't change the sound to make it better. It simply extracts the very best out of each track, just the way the musician intended the recording to be heard. There are no artificial aspects or tuning of tracks. There is no unnatural colouring to make it sound better. It it as raw and good as it gets. Is this the perfect DAP? Yes. It is the end-game. For me at least.Pair it with the JH Audio Roxanne AION IEMs and you will never want to hear your music differently.
Everything I have listened to on the SP2000 has been better than my previous small desktop DAC and now it’s portable. This includes CD MQA DSD over a range of music types. I’m currently pairing it with Focal Elegia and a black dragon balanced cable. Very musical and great for just sitting back and getting lost in the music.
I have had both the Kann and the Cube before so I am familiar with this brand. This SP2000 takes the player to a whole new level. For so long I just focused on the headphone piece when upgrading. Listening to this showed what a diffence a fantastic player can have. The amp in the unit is more than enough to drive my Focal Clears and my Empire Ears IEM's. In fact, it allows my Clears to function on all cylinders, The spacing of the sound, the crystal clear notes make me want to hear all my music again "for the very 1st time!" Now that's a compliment. The build and the massive storage are the icing on the cake. Even with the price I highly recommend.
This high resolution portable audio player is simply amazing! The sound quality is full and the player is able to reproduce an expansive dynamic range. The operating system and interface is snappy and intuitive. And the build quality is Rolls Royce level! They say you get what you pay for. Well this is it! Endgame player! And a shout out to Carroll who helps me get the best audio gear for me!
Good Points: The hype (and price) is justified. Awesome sound quality, but make sure you invest in headphones / IEMs of equal quality, to get the most out of this device. Gives your music collection a new lease of life. Really like the streaming feature, enabling access to High Res quality using services like Qobuz. By the way, even has YouTube app!Improvement Points: Despite having Oct Core processor, interface slow and laggy, when scrolling screen. Too heavy to carry around to be used on the move. Battery life below average, especially if used on WiFi to stream music.
Good Points: The hype (and price) is justified. Awesome sound quality, but make sure you invest in headphones / IEMs of equal quality, to get the most out of this device. Gives your music collection a new lease of life. Really like the streaming feature, enabling access to High Res quality using services like Qobuz. By the way, even has YouTube app!Improvement Points: Despite having Oct Core processor, interface slow and laggy, when scrolling screen. Too heavy to carry around to be used on the move. Battery life below average, especially if used on WiFi to stream music.
Painful process so far.Obviously this thing has great specs. It sounds great. Industrial design is beautiful.Beyond that, frustration. Especially with the ergonomics and interface design. Consider that this thing will hold hundreds of thousands of songs, so efficient and intuitive navigation is critical. On this count, the SP2000 misses the mark.The touch screen is far less sensitive than a smart phone, yet you are forced to use the touchscreen for everything. You often find yourself jabbing at very small icons. I have many hundreds of artists on mine, and the list always starts at “A” (no memory of where you where). You have to swipe through a long, long list with no way to jump through the alphabet, and as you are swiping the screen often registers an ... MorePainful process so far.Obviously this thing has great specs. It sounds great. Industrial design is beautiful.Beyond that, frustration. Especially with the ergonomics and interface design. Consider that this thing will hold hundreds of thousands of songs, so efficient and intuitive navigation is critical. On this count, the SP2000 misses the mark.The touch screen is far less sensitive than a smart phone, yet you are forced to use the touchscreen for everything. You often find yourself jabbing at very small icons. I have many hundreds of artists on mine, and the list always starts at “A” (no memory of where you where). You have to swipe through a long, long list with no way to jump through the alphabet, and as you are swiping the screen often registers an accidental tap. Again, nowhere near as functional of a screen as a smartphone.The massive rotary knob on the side is great, but has only one function (volume) and is very sensitive.No way to lock the screen. Good luck carrying this in a pocket.Play a song and want to navigate to the album or artist? Sorry. Not an option. You have to “back” through screens and navigate to artist or album list,…which doesn’t anchor on what’s playing but rather starts at “A”. Good luck scrolling without an accidental tap!Am I being unfair? This thing costs $3,500!!! Expectations should be high. While the DAC is great and it is loaded with tech for tweakheads who really need to tune filters and parametric EQs on their portable player, it fails on some very basic interface and and ergonomic fronts.
| Finish | Stainless Steel |
