I just stumbled across a wireless speaker deal on Amazon that made me refresh the product page on the assumption there had been an error.
You see, '78% off' deals aren't exactly rare on Amazon... but they are on audio products by reputable, not to mention premium, brands such as Astell & Kern. So you can imagine my surprise upon seeing that an Astell & Kern wireless speaker that started life at £449 is now only £99 in the Black Friday sale. It seems too good to be true, doesn't it?
What's the catch? Well, the ridiculously low price is only on the white finish – I imagine most would prefer the black one. It also doesn't have wi-fi streaming, settling purely for Bluetooth connectivity (which is at least LDAC and aptX HD supporting) and an aux input – which may rule some people out and would be a shame if it were full price, but at £99 may not be the end of the world.
My biggest reservation would be that I've not heard it before. Now, I have used many Astell & Kern portable audio products in my twelve years as a hi-fi journalist, and I own a couple of its excellent-sounding premium players for which they are so renowned and celebrated. That's why I'm flagging this deal as one that could well be worth a punt. But be warned: I cannot vouch for its performance and a few of the Amazon customer user reviews state a disappointment over the sound quality (although who knows what price they bought it at and therefore how high their expectations were).
What I can do is leave this deal here... and present you with a similar-priced, better-featured alternative that I know is great value for money, particularly this Black Friday. The deal in question is the Audio Pro Addon C3 for £119 at Amazon courtesy of a £41 (or 26 per cent) discount.
I've personally used this wireless speaker and was part of the reviews team that awarded it five stars back in 2022, the year it won a What Hi-Fi? Award for its combination of open, musical sound quality, wi-fi and multi-room streaming smarts, and handy portability courtesy of its built-in rechargeable battery. At £119 for the black version, it remains a great buy today.
Alongside wi-fi streaming, which gives you access to all the main streaming services, including Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz and Apple Music, the speaker features Bluetooth as well as a 3.5mm auxiliary input for wired connections. There's also an Ethernet socket for hardwiring the speaker to your home network for a more stable connection alternative to wi-fi.
It offers roughly 15 hours of battery life at half volume or around 9 hours at full – or, you can plug it into the mains. And its sound quality, which was described as dynamic and punchy, weight and refined in our Addon C3 review, is still competitive today.
The Astell & Kern speaker certainly looks like crazy value with such a big discount – and maybe it is! – but if you want to be sure you're investing in good-quality kit, go with the Audio Pro for £119 at Amazon. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
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