It’s not unusual these days to see plenty of retro-themed designs and products, all trying to capitalize on the strong emotions that nostalgia can bring. Most of these simply slap on a facade that mimics the aesthetic from decades past, but some do try to also recreate the experience by using what would be considered vintage technology or components. Of course, it’s not enough to just use old-school technologies, they also need to be properly integrated into today’s features. That’s the kind of balance that Astell&Kern’s latest portable music player tries to deliver, bringing a modern device that not only looks retro on the outside but partly on the inside as well, blending the present and the past in perfect harmony.
Designer: Astell&Kern
It might come as a surprise in the age of smartphones, but there are still companies producing music-playing devices that do only that. It allows the brand to focus solely on perfecting the listening experience without having to worry about cameras, cellular networks, and apps. As far as those portable music players go, Astell&Kern’s existing SP3000 is already quite distinctive with its hard, faceted, and angular design, giving it an almost industrial aesthetic, especially with its stainless steel body and 99.9% pure silver plating.
The SP3000T, however, gives that design a retro twist by adding dual vacuum tube amplifiers on the back of the device. These aren’t just for show, though, as they actually function the way the tube amps did in the past, using modern techniques and materials, of course. The tubes bring not just an analog appearance but also an analog sound, delivering a unique audio quality that can be best described as warm and soothing, qualities that are difficult to achieve simply using digital sound.
What’s even more interesting is that listeners won’t have to choose between one or the other. Yes, the SP3000T lets you switch between these analog tube amplifiers and the digital op-amp mode, but there is also a third hybrid option that mixes the two together. What you get is a combination of the precision and high-resolution output of the digital amp mixed with the warm tonal qualities of the analog vacuum tubes.
The Astell&Kern SP3000T also carries the brand’s latest audio technologies, including a digital-to-analog converter that promises a complete separation of digital and analog signals for the cleanest sounds. It also has 8GB of memory, boasted to be the highest in digital audio players, for smoother operations. And, yes, it also has a touch display, almost like a smartphone, that lets you enjoy not only album art but also themes, adding a bit of joy to this retro-modern listening experience.
