If you're looking for a high-res audio player but can't quite afford the high-end hardware, today could be your lucky day: Astell&Kern's gorgeous ACRO CA1000 is currently £1,000 off on Amazon – so instead of the usual £1,999 it's £999. That's still a lot of money, I know. But it's a lot less money than before.
I haven't reviewed this specific model but I have tested A&K products in the past and both loved their sound and wished I could afford them. So I think this is a great opportunity to get a multiple award-winning piece of high-end hi-fi for considerably less cash.
What's so great about the Astell&Kern ACRO CA1000?
The ACRO CA1000 blurs the lines between music player, DAC and headphone amp: it's all three. While it's designed primarily as a carryable – not portable; carriable. It's a seriously chunky bit of kit – product it's also a superb sound source for pretty much any hi-fi system. It looks like a digital audio player attached to a very high-end amp and that's pretty much what it is, with inputs for existing audio kit, Bluetooth streaming and a four-stage amplifier with four DACs to make the most of any audio.
I've been checking out the reviews on audiophile sites and they're all positive with one caveat, which is that the touchscreen isn't great for big fingers. So if you're looking to buy something for King Charles you might want to look elsewhere. But the reviewers have praised the CA1000's sound quality, its connectivity and its unusual design; if you're looking for an amp to drive your high-end headphones this is definitely one to consider.
You can find out more about the CA1000 on the Astell&Kern website.
