Astell&Kern has launched the brand’s first audiophile-grade Bluetooth speaker, the ACRO BE100. The ACRO BE100 will be available March 7 in black or white at authorized Astell&Kern dealers in the U.S. and Canada for $499.
According to Astell&Kern, the BE100 is the world’s first Bluetooth speaker to include support for both aptX HD and LDAC Bluetooth codecs, allowing 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.
The BE100 uses a dedicated 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC to play the best quality sound from the music source. The BE100 features a 4-inch Kevlar woofer for accurate and solid bass reproduction and two silk dome tweeters for crystal clear highs. Five Bass and Treble settings are available to fine-tune the sound. The LED display on the front of the speaker provides information on speaker settings.
The ACRO BE100 features a 55-watt class-D amplifier that was developed in-house by Astell&Kern. With the use of a digital crossover, dynamic range control, and a 50ps reference clock to reduce jitter, the BE100 provides 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, including 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.
The Astell&Kern ACRO BE100 will be available in March 2022 online and at authorized Astell&Kern dealer in the U.S. and Canada for $499. Pre-orders for the BE100 in black or white will start on February 25.
For more information, visit https://us.astellnkern.com/products/acro-be100.
