Astell&Kern HB1 Wireless and Wired Bluetooth DAC & Amplifier - Shadow Black

This is, honestly, no better than the £9 Apple dongle. The user interface is awful. The device is cheap and plasticky and the BT cuts out when there's a wooden door in the way.When I read about the 'upsampling' technology for a related AK product I realised the whole AK thing is a lot of rubbish. Lots of scientific words that mean nothing.What do I know? I run a small studio, I'm an ex-member of the Institute of Acoustics, an experienced semi-professional musician, technology manager and research scientist with a Ph.D., so I reckon I can spot Bull.AK is Bull.Save your money - they're having a massive laugh at your considerable expense.

Bought this product as an owner of A&K's SP3000 and PA10 amplifier. The cheap build, the lack of a case and, most importantly, the poor A&K Control app (horrible on both iOS and Android) really take away from what is, otherwise, an OK sounding device.The thing that made me return it is how loud notifications are when used via LDAC- an incoming call nearly led to hearing damage. Stay well away until A&K fix the software..

I got one when they first came out and have used it every day for the last few weeks. I usually use it wired with either my Mac, iPad or iPhone (using the supplied lightning cable for the latter). I have tried Bluetooth and it sounds impressive, but there is a slight improvement when wired. I haven’t tried the mic yet and that was one of the features that appealed (to be able to take a call without have to disconnect anything).I haven’t been a huge fan of Sabre DAC chips in other devices (mainly Audioquest dongles), but the HB1 sounds stunning. I mainly pair it with my ie600’s and it’s a perfect match. I also picked up some Philips X2HR’s on Black Friday and they sound awesome too. They require the volume dial cranked up a bit compared to the ie600’s, but there’s still loads of headroom and more than enough power to drive them.It doesn’t feel as premium as other A&K products and the price tag, it’s mainly plastic and I’ve already managed to scratch it. But it doesn’t really bother me because of the sound quality and it just works flawlessly with everything I’ve tried with it.