Picture Sunday – Astell&Kern SE100

AK SE100

Disclaimer: The star of this weeks’ picture Sunday is the SE100 portable player from Astell & Kern. This post is a part of our Picture Sunday series.

 

The Astell&Kern SE100 ‘s actual name really is the A&Futura SE100 and you can find the product page right here: https://www.astellnkern.com/SE100.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the Astell&Kern design and tuning and my personal favorite DAPs are the AK70II and the SP1000. The SE100 now is positioned above the AK70II, which is now replaced by the SR15, and the TOTL SP1000.

The A&Futura looks great (if you ask me) and it’s like a piece of jewelry to me. I have to admit it’s a rather dangerous piece of jewelry as the SE100 has sharp edges like never before. In general I don’t mind sharp edges, and it’s certainly not the first time AK does this, but this time, no leather case comes included. That means you’ll feel the sharpness all day long when you’re using the new DAP. For the price I in all honesty feel they should have included one of their nice cases. They are for sale as an accessory though.

Sound-wise the SE100 still is quite far away from the SP1000 and it technically just can’t compete with the flag ship player. The SE100 is softer, warmer, smoother and doesn’t have the precision, accuracy, separation and sound stage from the SP1000. It’s character is more similar to that of the AK70II but mostly to the new SR15, that means you get a musical and more intimate sound combined with a good level of detail and dynamics. The A&Futura keeps things musical but it’s more than just a musical DAP, it’s like a cousin of the flagship player and if that SP1000 is out of reach for you, the SE100 just might be the next best option.

 

Review, soon on Headfonia.com. Where else? 😉

4.5/5 - (65 votes)
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Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

1 Comment

  • Reply July 29, 2018

    Jerry

    Do you also has a SR15 for comparison with the SE100? I’m planning a DAP upgrade from a Fiio X7 (1st ver.) and thinking of trying an AK platform. Floundering between whether to go for the SR15 or splurge on the SE100 and is curious on whether the sound quality justify doubling the budget to go for the latter.

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