The worlds first LDAC and aptX HD Bluetooth speaker drops on March 7

Date:
Thu, 24 Feb 2022 01:46:31 +0000

Description:
Astell&Kerns new Acro BE100 has all the CD-quality codecs and it drops in
just a few weeks.

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While full-stream Hi-Res Audio over Bluetooth is still a ways off, audio
maven Astell&Kern claims that its making the worlds first Bluetooth speaker that supports both LDAC and aptX HD codecs for CD-quality wireless streaming.

It's called the Acro BE100 and its part of the companys ACRO line of
speakers. What makes the BE100 different compared to other Bluetooth speakers out there outside of its codec support, at least is that it uses a
dedicated 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC and a 55W class-D amplifier, developed in-house by Astell&Kern.

Admittedly, you still wont be able to hear lossless, uncompressed audio over Bluetooth as there currently isnt a way to do that but you will hear CD-quality audio, as long as youre pairing the speaker with a device that has supports either codec like a Google Pixel phone .

The other caveat? At $499 / 449 / AU$549, the Acro BE100 isnt cheap especially by Bluetooth speaker standards where its possible to pick up
models for well-under $200. Our current favorite, the Sonos Roam , is only $179 making it half the price of what the Acro BE100 will cost when it drops on March 7. Analysis: A Bluetooth speaker aimed at audiophiles

Weve been talking a lot about audiophile equipment recently with our reviews of the Drop + Sennheiser HD 8XX and MassDrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX , but its
not often that you hear the words audiophile and Bluetooth speaker in the
same sentence. Thats simply because wireless audio will always be compressed.

What Astell&Kern is offering here, however, is a buffet of options for audiophiles: theres a standard 3.5mm audio jack if you want to run your music uncompressed from a digital audio player or PC, but you can also stream it to the speaker using one of the two CD-quality codecs for a similar experience.

Inside the case, the Acro BE100 hosts a 4 Kevlar woofer for accurate and
solid bass reproduction and two silk dome tweeters. Compared to the single woofer or the woofer-tweeter combos you find in other Bluetooth speakers,
this should provide a noticeable difference in sound quality. It also helps justify the extravagant cost which, again, helps it play to its audiophile audience.

Only time will tell if it can live up to that high bar, but considering that its players have nearly single-handedly kept the digital audio player alive for the past few years, anything could be possible here. Looking for some cheaper options? Check out our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/the-worlds-first-ldac-and-aptx-hd-bluetooth-spe aker-drops-on-march-7/


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