The audiophile quality bluetooth speaker Astell&Kern ACRO BE100 is the world’s first to include support for both apt-X HD and LDAC 24-bit bluetooth codecs.
Astell&Kern, a global leader in high-resolution audio players and accessories, launches the brand’s first audiophile-grade Bluetooth speaker, the ACRO BE100. The ACRO BE100 is the latest edition to Astell&Kern’s ACRO line of home audio products and will be available March 7th in black or white at authorized Astell&Kern dealers in the US and Canada for $499.
The BE100 is the world’s first Bluetooth speaker to include support for both aptX HD and LDAC Bluetooth codecs. This alloows users to play back better than CD-quality audio wirelessly from a smartphone or other Bluetooth-enabled source. A 3.5mm AUX input allows source devices to be directly connected to the BE100 to experience the full resolution of the musical track being played.
Astell&Kern ACRO BE100 – Top-Notch DAC
Most Bluetooth speakers use inferior digital to analog converters (DAC) built into the Bluetooth chipset. The BE100, however, uses a dedicated 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC to play the best quality sound from your music source. The BE100 features a 4” Kevlar woofer for accurate, solid bass and two silk dome tweeters for crystal clear highs. Five Bass and Treble settings are available to fine-tune the sound for the genre of music you are listening to. A LED display on the front of the speaker provides information on speaker settings.
The ACRO BE100 features a 55W class-D amplifier, developed in-house by Astell&Kern, utilizing years of expertise in designing best-in-class amplifiers for their portable audio line. With the use of a digital crossover, dynamic range control and a 50ps reference clock to reduce jitter, the BE100 provides incredibly accurate, hi-fi sound without distortion.
Matching the design identity of other Astell&Kern products, the BE100 is made from machined aluminum with Astell&Kern’s distinctive angled patterns reflecting light and shadow. The top of the speaker houses basic controls. These include Bluetooth pairing mode, treble adjustment, bass adjustment, previous track, next track and play/pause. A large, multi-function wheel changes speaker modes, powers the speaker on/off and provides volume control. LED lighting around the wheel changes color/intensity to visually display a change to speaker settings. When adjusting the volume, the LED color changes from a lighter to darker intensity to indicate the raising and lowering of volume. Different LED colors are displayed to indicate a change in speaker input from Bluetooth mode to AUX mode.
Availability and Price
The Astell&Kern ACRO BE100 will be available in March 2022 online and at authorized Astell&Kern dealer in the US and Canada for $499. Pre-orders for the BE100 in black or white started February 25.