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Home / Hot Stuff / Astell&Kern’s first Bluetooth speaker is a wireless delight for audiophiles and hi-fi fans

Astell&Kern’s first Bluetooth speaker is a wireless delight for audiophiles and hi-fi fans

Let it BE100

Calling Astell&Kern’s ACRO BE100 a Bluetooth speaker is like referring to the McLaren Artura as a plug-in hybrid: technically true but slightly missing the point. Sure, the BE100 is a noise-box which can fill your room with wireless tunes – but it’s the quality of those tunes which sets the ACRO apart.

Behind its arresting angular mesh, the monolithic block harbours a pair of 1.5in silk dome tweeters, plus a 4in Kevlar woofer for premium whump. The driving force is delivered by a Class D amp with 55W at its disposal, which should be plenty to get your hi-fi hootenanny hopping. But forget the faux leather shell and sizeable drivers: it’s the dedicated DAC that’ll turn heads at the audiophile AGM.

A DAC takes the data from a digital sound signal and translates it into good vibrations. Most mainstream wireless speakers rely on a DAC built into their Bluetooth chip – and it usually does the job just fine. But if your ears accept nothing less than 24-bit hi-res audio, not just any DAC will do. That’s why the BE100 features a dedicated 32-bit number. With support for aptX HD and LDAC codecs, it gives your Bluetooth tunes the best chance of sounding, well, their best.

So does digital crossover trickery – which splits the audio signal into separate frequencies and precisely times their playback for maximum clarity – plus dynamic range control that protects the BE100’s key components if you turn things up to 11.

Pipe in your playlist via Bluetooth 5.0 or a 3.5mm cable, tweak levels with the knurled aluminium volume knob, then sit back and enjoy superior stereo sound. The ACRO BE100 might be lined with sound-absorbing material, but its fidelity will surely resonate with your mates from hi-fi club. Which will surely be enough to justify the surprisingly mainstream £449 ($380) price tag when it becomes available in December.

Profile image of Chris Rowlands Chris Rowlands Freelance contributor

About

Formerly News Editor at this fine institution, Chris now writes about tech from his tropical office. Sidetracked by sustainable stuff, he’s also keen on coffee kit, classic cars and any gear that gets better with age.

Areas of expertise

Cameras, gear and travel tech