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Astell & Kern XB10 Portable Bluetooth Amplifier with DAC

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
Brand Astell&Kern
Connectivity Technology Wireless
Item Weight 0.02 Kilograms
Wireless Communication Standard Bluetooth
Supports Bluetooth Technology Yes

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Visible screen diagonal

0" / 0 cm

Product Description

Astell & Kern AK XB10 Portable Bluetooth Amplifier with DAC in Black. The AK XB10 offers a distinctive sound difference over traditional Bluetooth products. The moment you use it, you ask yourself "Is this sound really transmitted through Bluetooth?". Astell & Kerns' outstanding aptX-HD technology together with DAC and AMP supports 24-bit/48kHz Bluetooth performance - the essential components of fine audio quality. The highest Bluetooth music enjoyment: AK XB10. While the AK XB10 is a device that wirelessly streams audio from smartphones via Bluetooth, it differs from traditional Bluetooth devices in that it supports the aptX-HD Bluetooth codec. Just as TV screen resolutions have evolved from standard to HD to 4K Ultra HD for sharper picture quality, we are now in the era where Bluetooth now supports 24-bit audio resolution. 24-bit HD audio was simply not possible with previous Bluetooth technologies and can now be fully enjoyed with aptX HD. The original aptX audio codec is typically widely used in professional broadcast for 16-bit close to CD quality. The advantages of the aptX codec include superior compression, low computational cost, and low transmission delay. Introduced in early 2016, the next-generation aptX HD codec can carry up to 24-bit/48kHz audio that is faithful to the original audio file. This is referred to as the 2.5mm sub-mini audio connector. It is also referred to as a balanced plug. The transmission modes of an analog signal can be divided into balanced and unbalanced. An unbalanced connection usually consists of a signal (L + R) and ground. The ground is designed to block outside noise, but noise can still be introduced into the signal and can affect transmitted signals, causing glitches and noise in the sound. The balanced connection is designed to reduce bulk when transmitting the signal.

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Astell & Kern XB10 Portable Bluetooth Amplifier with DAC

Astell & Kern XB10 Portable Bluetooth Amplifier with DAC

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Zlatan Sabic
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good sound
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
I am using this thing for almost a year. The sound and power it produces is really impressive. I always had the issue with the quality of sound on Bluetooth earbuds - never good, always issues with connectivity, low battery capacity. This thing was $100 (it's $70 now), but makes your $50 regular, cable earplugs to sound like $300 Bluetooth earbuds. I think that is good investment. For everyday's music listening, I am using it with Samsung Note 8 and Sony MDR-XB90EX (not very expensive, it was like $60 or so). Note 8 has pretty good output, but I can notice the difference - the sound on the same earbuds (Sony) is better with wireless connection through AK XB10 than through direct cable connection. Very simple test. Also, the sound is comparable to $250 Bose QuietComfort 20 (of course, Bose has the advantage of noise cancelling, so I am using it when I travel on the plane). Btw, if I connect Bose to AK, I hear no significant improvement. That is because Bose has it's own enhancer embedded.

Pros:

- Very good sound and power
- Supports aptX HD
- very good value for money - makes your $50 earbuds wireless and sound like $300 Bluetooth earbuds
- solid battery life

Cons:
- agree with some others that the ergonomics of commands could be better
- easy to lose - I keep it connected to the earbuds - so far so good, but I would not be surprised if I lose it somewhere

However, Cons do not justify reducing the score to 4 stars - being a kind of amateur audiophile, sounds is really what matters the most. I am very happy with this product.
One person found this helpful
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Greg M
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Build and Audio Quality Justify the Price
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017
Verified Purchase
Well worth the price--blows every other BT receiver I've tried out of the water (and I've tried quite a few).

Range is comparable with high end BT headphones (e.g., Bose QC35 and Sony MDR-1000X).

Unlike $20-$30 BT receivers that crackle and produce background static, the XB10 produces pretty close to flawless audio reproduction.

I was particularly impressed with the fact that I'm able to use the XB10 with my open-back HiFiMan HE350s.

Definitely recommend this product for anyone with high end earbuds or headphones in need of a portability upgrade.
12 people found this helpful
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Ralf
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for music - weird shut off when using as headset.
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
Excellent soundquality. However when using it as a headset (microphone) it weirdly shuts down after 20 minutes.For music it's great and the audio quality is damn good.
2 people found this helpful
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Krzysztof Becla
5.0 out of 5 stars Running se835 IEMs and after 6 months very satisfied with no itch to upgrade
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
I have tried 4 different BT transmitters and this one blows all of them out of the water. The others ranged from $15-100. Running se835 IEMs and after 6 months very satisfied with no itch to upgrade.
3 people found this helpful
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justin sowers
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
Not as easy to hook up as said in the directions
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Keal
4.0 out of 5 stars Not new
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
when I received the item, the box was opened and looking is not new.
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Robert Duff
3.0 out of 5 stars Product works as advertised with little drama, but be ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018
Product works as advertised with little drama, but be warned that the battery life is very low. Seems overpriced for what it is.
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Skorinov Sergey
4.0 out of 5 stars Best bluetooth sound with earphone that can provide it, but problems with userbility
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2017
The best in sound but not in userbility. I'm using this device for music and work (Skype, Iphone through Macbook) more then 1 month (Russia). XB10 has a problem when pairing two devices simultaneously: pairing is ok, but after several minutes using Skype at Mac You'll hear beep sound and after ending Skype conversation your phone is still connected BUT doesn't work and can't play any sound. Switching on/off wouldn't change the situation - only rebooting XB10.
Next/previous track doesn't work correctly with Shure 420. Previous is working but not next button. I had earphones from Klipsch model I7 - with thid device XB work correctly.
If Astell Kern would correct these problems - i would recommend XB10 everybody for sure. But if You wouldn't care about this - You'll get EXCELLENT sound. For example - when my Macbook (usually i'm hearing music during working time/answering phone/negotiating Skype) setting track with high quality sound (if earphone can provide good quality sound) you'll be impressed by the dymanic, punch, guitar, drums!!! XB10 can really do this!!!
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Tiago Fernandes
5.0 out of 5 stars Astell&Kern, you just gained a fan! Thanks!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Wow, what can I say...I have a great dedicated Laptop Sound card with a DAC that sounds great but this XB10 takes it to another level. Even when comparing with my £500 Sony STRDN1080 I cannot tell the difference. I'm using it with my Audio Technica ATH-M50X Headphones and it leaves me speechless, specially when listening to FLAC through Youtube! The battery it's not the ideal (around 3hours) but it's enough for the daily listening on the go. It's very light and small also so you can store it inside your earphones pouch. I'm not an Audiophile per se but I love my music and have countless hours either on my Monitor Audio at home or my Mercedes Burmester when commuting, but now I just want to listen with my AT and the XB10. Astell&Kern, you just gained a fan! Thanks!
2 people found this helpful
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snow_crash
3.0 out of 5 stars lots of hype over what seems to be quite lacklustre device
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Read a lot of reviews praising XB10 for sound quality over BT, however my own experience was rather uninspiring.

My setup:
+ iPhone X + Shure 535SE earphones with 16-core silverplated cable on a 2.5mm balanced connection + Qobuz and Tidal (FLAC lossless quality streaming).
+ Mac mini and MacBook Pro using Audirvana music app (streaming losses FLAC from Qobuz/Tidal)

Unit is mediocre build quality, it is rather well put together however has a tacky plastic feel to it.

Battery life is also rather disappointing at 5 hours of listening , esp. considering other similar units I tested, even though in smaller package, can hold double that.

I found sound quality rather disappointing, lacking in low frequencies with overexposed highs. Lack of space, music sounded very congested. I did check and tested using both AAC and aptX over BT with similar results. Defiantly felt like massive downgrade over connecting earplugs directly on the wire.

My unit had an issue, out of the box, with 2.5mm balance port contract - any pressure on cable connector was causing left channel to become intermittent. Quality of jack sockets does not seem to be top notch. Very annoing when on the move with device in a pocket.

Just my 5-cents
6 people found this helpful
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david r spezzia
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing bit of kit
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Worth every penny.

If you need a Bluetooth adapter for headphones look no further than this.
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Stephen Cross
5.0 out of 5 stars Connected the AKXB10 to an original Zeppelin speaker and the ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
Connected the AKXB10 to an original Zeppelin speaker and the improvement in sound quality was immense. 5 stars without any reservations.
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allan ledden
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
vg (but subsequently lost it and attached headphones!!!!!)
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