The new UW100 true wireless earbuds from Astell&Kern claim to offer audiophile sound quality and ... [+] have their own dedicated DAC.
Korean audio company Astell&Kern has announced its first set of true wireless earbuds. The AK UW100 keep with the company’s philosophy of delivering audiophile quality sound and they build on the brand’s audio technology to produce earbuds that have true wireless hi-fi sound.
The AK UW100 earbuds have a dedicated and high-performance 32-bit DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter) that supports the latest high-quality wireless connectivity options including Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive audio codec and the latest Bluetooth 5.2. The earphones are also fitted with ultra-detailed balanced armature drivers from Knowles Corp.
In many true wireless headphones, the DAC is integrated on the Bluetooth chip. Those chips are often optimized for lower power consumption rather than audiophile sound quality. However, the AK UW100 have their own separate and dedicated AK4332 DAC that works in tandem with proprietary AMP technology
The UW100 have the classic angular design that Astell&Kern is so well known for.
The balanced armature drivers used in the AK UW100 are often found in expensive IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) because they can reproduce analog audio signals with incredible precision and without distortion with all genres of music.
To deliver the highest-quality wireless sound, Astell&Kern chose to use Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec which can adjust the bit rate of the digital signal depending on the wireless conditions. The codec can drop the bitrate for better latency and then boost things up to a maximum of 24-bit at 420kHz for high-quality audio. The wireless transmission uses the latest Bluetooth Version 5.2 which provides greater range and a more stable connection when streaming from a compatible device.
The new earbuds have a lightweight design and what Astell&Kern claims is the best-in-class passive noise isolation. Unlike Active Noise Cancellation which electronically blocks out low-frequency sound, passive noise cancelation uses an acoustic seal formed by silicone ear tips to minimize unwanted sounds from entering the ear.
The UW100 have a battery life of six hours for the earbuds. The charging case has a further 18 hours ... [+] charge, adding up to a total of 24 hours before the case needs to be recharged.
If the person wearing these new earbuds wants to hear more clearly what is going on around them, a single tap of the left earbud activates ambient mode whereby the two built-in microphones in each earbud will pick up external sounds and relay them to the drivers.
For easy control on the move, the AK UW100 has touch controls for music commands like play, pause, skip track, volume adjustment, activating Ambient mode, answering calls and enabling voice assistant. There’s a free iOS and Android app available for download that offers the user custom touch controls, can set ambient levels and can be used to select EQ settings.
With a full battery charge, the earbuds can play for up to 6 hours, plus there’s a further 18-hours of charge available in the earbuds’ storage case. The case can be recharged with any Qi-compatible charging mat or a USB-C cable. A 10-minute charge provides up to one hour of playing time.
The Astell&Kern UW100 true wireless earbuds come with silicone ear tips in a range of sizes.
A dual mic set-up integrates a Voice Communication Package (VCP) from voice application specialist Alango that provides enhanced voice call quality. Based on an acoustic echo-canceller and noise-suppressor technologies, the earbuds can effectively reduce noise in a variety of settings and environments, ensuring clear phone calls.
Alongside the charging case, the AK UW100 earbuds are supplied with a selection of five different sized silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L, XL) and a USB-C charging cable.
Pricing & Availability: Astell&Kern AK UW100 will cost £249 / $260 / €299 and are available from April 2022.
More info: www.astellkern.co.uk