High-end Korean audio brand Astell&Kern has just announced the second iteration of its AK UW100 true wireless earbuds. With an updated ergonomic design and the claim of improved wireless playback, these true wireless earbuds are aimed at audiophiles who want hi-fi sound while on the move.
In a press release issued to mark the launch, Astell&Kern said that its philosophy is to deliver natural sound as close as possible to the original recording. To do this, the AK UW100MKII offers advanced true-wireless sound with an embedded 32-bit DAC and a full-range balanced armature driver.
With the addition of Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec, the earbuds aim to deliver exceptional audio quality. For this reason, the UW100MKII don’t have active noise cancelation (ANC), which can detract from optimal sound quality.
This second iteration of Astell&Kern’s wireless earbuds features a more advanced circuit design to provide a more stable wireless connection and significantly reduce distortion and excess noise. Astell&Kern claims the optimized internal arrangement, including an adjustment of the balanced armature driver and a redesigned acoustic chamber, not only elevates the earbuds’ overall sound quality but also improves the wireless playtime.
The power system in the AK UW100MKII has been redesigned to increase wireless playback time to more than nine hours of continuous playback; combined with the reserve charge in the earbud charging case, there is a potential playback time of 29 hours. The designers have dramatically reduced the size of the charging cradle and the earbuds can now achieve one hour of playback from a 10-minute burst charge.
The AK UW100MKII uses Qualcomm’s cVc Generation 8.0, a technology used in many wireless earbuds that keeps background noise to a minimum in loud environments. Clear Voice Technology enables the microphones to focus on the user’s voice to produce consistent and clear audio on phone calls or video conferences.
These new earbuds have touch controls on each earpiece offering seamless controls, so the user only has to tap the earbuds to switch between functions like play and pause, answer phone calls, switch on ambient mode, and adjust volume levels.
The new AK UW100MKII earbuds support Multi-Pairing and Multi-Point functions enabling pairing with multiple mobile devices simultaneously while also switching connections to another mobile device. Multi-Point also lets the user listen to songs played on a tablet or PC while actively enabling phone call notifications from a smartphone.
To make pairing with Android devices instant, the AKUW100MKII earbuds support Google’s Fast Pair function with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. By simply opening the cradle near an Android device, the earbuds instantly enter pairing mode and enable the user to connect without delay.
The UW100MKII can be used with Astell&Kern’s smartphone app, which offers customization controls, including an adjustable 10-band EQ that can tweak the sound of the UW100MKII to suit the listener’s preferences while also enabling touch controls on the earbuds to be changed. The app also offers the option to change the ‘Ambient Mode’ levels of the UW100MKII.
The unique shape of the UW100MKII is designed to fit snugly in the listener’s ears thanks to the shape seamless transformation of the earbud shape from a pentagon to a circle for greater comfort, especially during long listening sessions.
Pricing & Availability: The Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII will be available from early October 2023 and will be priced at $280 / £269 / €319.
More info: astellnkern.co.uk
Tech Specs:
- Bluetooth chipset: Qualcomm 5141.
- Drivers: Knowles balanced armature.
- DAC: AKM AK4332ECB.
- Bluetooth version: 5.2.
- Audio codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive.
- Bluetooth profiles: HFP, A2DP, AVRCP.
- Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 94dB (1m@1kHz).
- Controls: Capacitive touch.
- Microphones: 2 per earbud.
- Playback time: Up to 9.5 hours (max 29 hours)
- Charging port: USB-C.
- App: Android and iOS.
- Weight: Earbuds 7g / Charging case 65g.
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