Astell&Kern to Take Preorders on $300 Hi-Res True Wireless Headphones

Astell&Kern will start taking preorders Monday for the AK UW100 true wireless headphones, the company emailed Friday. The earphones have amplifier and audio circuit technology developed for the company’s digital audio players, plus an Asahi Kasei AKM AK4332 32-bit digital-to-analog converter. They use a Qualcomm QCC5141 Bluetooth chipset with support for the aptX Adaptive codec for wireless 24-bit sound quality and Bluetooth 5.2. Four ambient modes are accessible via a tap on the left earbud. The buds use passive noise isolation to cancel unwanted ambient noise in the mid and high ranges. They can connect to two devices at a time via Bluetooth; battery life is given as six hours. The $299 earbuds are due in stores April 11.