Astell&Kern Acro CA1000T Review

Specifications

 For the nitpickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the others, you can just get to the next page and see how the CA1000T performs.

ESS ES9039MPRO : TOTL DAC

For quite some time now, Astell&Kern favored ESS Tech in place of AKM or Cirrus-Logic, for better or worse – that said the new A&K SP3000 comes with an AK4499EX chipset though.

And so, at the heart of the Acro CA1000T we have a dual mono circuit, based on two ES9039MPRO, a DAC that I’ve never encountered before, advertised as ESS newest flagship with “vivid and voluminous sounds that surpass your imagination”. The only other device that I know with this chip being the SMSL SU-9 Pro, a DAC that we didn’t review yet, but Yagiz did put his hand on the SU-9 “regular” a while ago.

In a nutshell, this high-end DAC comes with all of the flagship features you’d expect from a chip like this one:

• 32 bit HyperStream IV Architecture with “ultra high dynamic range & ultra-low distortion
• MQA Hardware renderer, for MQA 16x Full decoding
• Multiple input formats available : i2S, LJ, RJ, TDM, DSD, DoP and S/PDIF
• 7 presets of digital optimal filters with custom filter programmability for each channel 

Numbers? The chip can deliver up to +132dB DNR per channel, +140dB DNR in mono mode and – 122dB THD, also in mono mode. Last but not least, the chip also supports native DSD512 and 768kHz track..

Triple AMP architecture

But where the Acro CA1000T really stands out from the previous generation is in its amplification circuitry. While the first CA1000 came with your traditional OPAMP design, the new model combines implements the same dual Twin Triode KORG Nutube tubes found in the SP2000T.

Thanks to that, the amp can gives you three different mode of amplification:

• OP AMP mode where the CA1000T only uses IC chips from beginning to the end, delivering “extreme clarity and dynamic sound”
• Tube AMP mode, where the device solely rely on KORG’s tubes to deliver an “uniquely warm and musical sound”
• and finally the Hybrid AMP mode, combining the two system for a “retro analog performance and high resolution output”, best of both worlds on paper

And, thanks to the dual Vacuum Tube Structure, each channel delivers “true” tube sounds – even if after the volume controller comes a classic amp, like your usual Tube amp.

One last note, if you use the CA1000T through its RCA/XLR outputs, you can’t access hybrid or Tube amps rendering: XLR comes is fed directly from the DAC, and the RCA outputs gets its own separated OPAMP so you can keep some volume control.

Teraton Alpha

A quick note about Astell’s Teraton Alpha “ultimate sound solution”. Basically, it’s a set of various patents, related to the DAC section, Amp section, and Software section that all proceed in symbiosis to ensure the perfect sound on your A&K device.

The patents act on:

• power noise reduction when the device is in use, regardless of the source (streaming or local)
• better audio wiring to improve the crosstalk, it mainly acts on the amp part
• the complete mute of the unused channel, so that noise levels always remain at the lowest level while the user listen to his music
• Silver platinum shield can, to prevent various noise and electromagnetic interference from affecting the audio block

Check the movie here : 

Bundle

Inside the box

The CA1000T bundle is scarce, very scarce. In the box you have:

• the Astell&Kern Acro CA1000T
• an USB-C cable
• a glass protection
• a quick-start manual
• and you’re done!

No adapter, no coaxial cable, nothing! For a sub $500 or even sub $1000 I was already complaining, but for a $2500 device… it’s downright infuriating.

Full specs

• Type: All-in-one desktop source
• OS: Astell&Kern UI
• CPU: Quad-core
• RAM: 4Gb
• ROM: 256Gb
• DAC: 2x ES9039MPRO 
• Sample rate: PCM : 8Hz – 768kHz (8/16/24/32bits) native – DSD64/128/256/512
• System clock: 800 femtoseconds (25ps)
• Headphones Outputs: 3.5mm headphone out / 6.35mm headphone out / 2.5mm balanced headphone output / 4.4mm balanced headphone output
• Line Outputs : mini-XLR / RCA
• Digital inputs : USB-C / Coaxial / Toslink
• Digital Outputs : USB-C
• Input: USB Type-C

• Screen: 4.1” 720×1280 touch-screen
• Micro SD: SDHC / SDXC (single slot)
• USB DAC: yes
• WiFi : 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz support
• Streaming app support
• Bluetooth support : SBC, aptX, LDAC, aptX-HD, AAC
• Duplex Bluetooth: player can emit and receive music
• Battery: 3.8V 10.1000mAh Li-Polymer
• Quick Charge: yes (9V/1.67A) 
• Battery life: 11h in single-ended, 9h in balanced
• Charging time: around 5h
• Size: 104,9mm x 45mm x 155,8mm
• Weight: 980g

 3.5 mm / 6.35mm Headphone out

• SNR: 108dB
• Crosstalk: -115dB
• Output impedance: 1 ohm
• THD: 0.004%

2.5 mm Headphone out / 4.4mm Headphone out

• SNR: 112dB
• Crosstalk: -112dB
• Output impedance: 2 ohm
• THD: 0.002%

The review continues on Page four, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.

Page 1: About the brand, design, layout

Page 2: UI & Usage

Page 3: Specifications

Page 4: Sound performances