Astell & Kern announce hi-fi grade ACRO BE100 wireless speaker

It seems we're writing about a new Astell & Kern product every week, and the latest to come from the Due south Korean firm is the ACRO BE100 wireless speaker (£449 / €529 / $380).

Positioned towards the mid-range/premium segment, Astell & Kern say its new wireless speaker "delivers superior room-filling, how-do-you-do-fi calibre stereo sound that belies information technology compact contour."

The ACRO BE100 features a defended 32-chip DAC capable of streaming 24-scrap high-res wireless streams, with its Class D amplifier producing 55W of power and said to guarantee consistent sound performance without distortion at high volumes.

These days, it wouldn't be an Astell & Kern product if the design wasn't angular in some way, and so the ACRO BE100 lives up to the make'south idiosyncratic approach with triangular shapes on the front metal-grille. The overall finish is i of faux leather, with the patterned volume knob on top of the speaker made from aluminium.

Below that is a status indicator that flashes different colours for each mode or book level to offer more than intuitive control over the speaker. Bass and treble settings tin be altered on the speaker as well.

Astell Kern ACRO BE100 white and black finish

The commuter set up-up features a custom-built mid/bass driver and two tweeters; the 4-inch mid-bass cone made from Kevlar fabric for improved responsiveness, timing and more authentic bass response.

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Around the back is a rear port to extend the reach of the speaker's bass farther, with the two silk dome tweeters claimed to produce crystal articulate loftier-frequencies. With sound-arresting material placed within the wooden cabinet, the interior is sealed in order to reduce any resonance that could impact the audio functioning.

And of course, y'all need practiced quality sources piped into the speaker if you want good quality audio coming out. The ACRO BE100 supports Bluetooth 5.0, but more importantly can accept a 24-bit aptX-HD (48kHz) and LDAC (96kHz) stream. A version of the speaker with FM radio compatibility is existence provided in selected countries. For those interested in plugging a digital sound player (say, an Astell & Kern one) there'due south a 3.5mm AUX input for that.

The Astell & Kern ACRO BE100 Bluetooth speaker goes on sale in December for £449 / €529 / $380. You tin purchase it direct through A&Chiliad, or via contained retailers. It comes in a pick of black or white colours.