Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII Review: DAC Wizardry On TWS Earbuds At Under Rs 5,000
Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII Review: Not every affordable earbuds come with a 32-bit DAC. This one's truly for the audiophiles (who want to avoid a pocket pinch).
Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII Review: It’s tough to be a true audiophile and love a good pair of TWS earbuds at the same time. For starters, most budget-friendly wireless earbuds lack the one thing all other wired headphones are compatible with - an impressive Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). Well, South Korea-based Astell&Kern has brought a nifty solution. It has managed to fit a 32-bit DAC in its shockingly affordable AK UW100MKII TWS earbuds.
Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII Review: Quick Pointers
What I Love:
- Crystal clear sound signature
- Solid battery life
- Support for wireless charging
- Great fast-charging speed
- aptX Adaptive codec support
- Bluetooth multipoint support
What I Don’t:
- Lacks punch in bass
- Unpredictable touch functionality
Magic Of DAC, Now Without Wires
There’s a reason why audiophiles swear by DACs. If we simplify it, the function of a DAC is to convert digital audio signals (from your phone, laptop, or any other device) into analogue signals that your headphones can then convert into sound. What this does is reduce distortion greatly and produce a more detailed, nearly lifelike sound.
If you use hi-res audio streamers, such as Apple Music which offers lossless music, you need to use DAC to get the most out of your tunes. Now, DAC is usually a mainstay for wired headphones and is usually absent in affordable earbuds.
Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII earbuds come with 32-bit DACs built in, which makes you feel like you are standing inside a recording studio as your favourite artist belts out one hit after another.
The clarity that you get out of these sub-Rs 5,000 earbuds just makes you take a step back in awe. Be it Paul McCartnet’s tap-tapping boots in “Blackbird” or the subtle scratches of the horse hair on the violin string in Nicola Benedetti’s “Andante”, the subtle notes, or rather background notes, that you can make out in certain songs can brighten up any audiophile’s gloomy mood.
Mind you, audiophiles don’t usually go for super punchy bass signatures. So, in a way, the overall lack of bass in the AK UW100MKII’s output might be appreciated by some. However, when I’m in the mood for some dirty, dirty N.W.A. beats, I do wish I could turn up the bass just enough to let Ice Cube bark into my ears.
Of course, you can play around on the AK Connect app and configure your own equalizer settings. Then again, I must clarify here that at the time of writing, AK Connect is yet to be available on the Google Play store for Android 15. The app is expected to be available for 15 users starting December 13. However, if you’re an iPhone user, you’re in luck as the app is right there for your perusal.
Great Design, Somewhat Good Noise Cancellation
The Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII earbuds feature Knowles Balanced Armature Driver, which means that the final output is truly crystal clear.
The neck of the earbuds is exceptionally long, which means they can sit snugly deep inside your ear, giving a good enough passive noise cancellation. However, while those work great in closed rooms or in your office, they don’t really work that well in noisy environments like the outdoors or a very busy working space.
I feel that the AK UW100MKII work best when you relax in your room and tune into your favourite playlists.
Of course, given that this is a sub-Rs 5,000 offering, you cannot expect active noise cancellation (ANC) anyway.
The so-called ambient mode doesn’t cancel out external noise to an exceptional level. If it’s good noise cancellation you want, you should probably stick to headphones with dedicated ANC.
Looks Great, But A Touch Disappointing
Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII look great, no doubt about it. From the slate-coloured charging case to the stone-y cuts on the earbuds, this one’s a proper head-turner in terms of looks.
However, the exceptionally pointy and metallic touch surface leaves a lot to be desired. I certainly could not figure out the sweet spot and had to switch to controls on my phones after repeated jabs on the earbuds failed to elicit any response.
Why not use a matte surface instead? Not only would that have been easier to use, but would also have sat pretty with the overall design aesthetic.
Dependable Battery, Snug Fit
The AK UW100MKII offer around 9.5 hours of playback on a single charge, and the case carries an additional power of over 19 hours for backup. So, these earbuds are great for charge-a-day (or even charge-once-every-two-days) type of usage.
You get a USB-C port for charging, which also means that you get support for fast charging. My 30W fast charger juiced up the earbuds from zero to 100 within 20 minutes. That was good enough for me.
The earbuds also support wireless charging, which means that I can always charge it up on the back of my Pixel when I need it.
The earbuds also offer IPX4-rated water and sweat resistance, which means that the AK UW100MKII are suitable workout buddies as well. Also, my wife put the earbuds to an extensive pressure test to see if they stayed on during her high-intensity workout session, and I can attest that the earbuds passed with flying colours and didn’t actually fly out of her ears.
Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII Review: Final Verdict
The AK UW100MKII earbuds are available to purchase via Headphone Zone at Rs 4,999.
At this price point, the AK UW100MKII goes up against the likes of OnePlus Buds 3 (Rs 4,599), Samsung Galaxy Buds FE (Rs 3,999), Sony WF-C510 (Rs 4,921), and Spigen SA-TW P10 (Rs 3,399), none of which can hold a candle to the Astell&Kern earbuds if we strictly talk about sound quality.
Of course, the moody touch functions and lack of bass or noise cancellation might put some people off. But then, not everyone is an audiophile. Not everyone will feel a certain joy when you hear guitarist Mick Ronson shout “F***** Bastard” at the end of David Bowie’s “Life On Mars” (original ending version) when a phone rings out of nowhere. With DAC wizardry, you almost feel like you are in the studio with these legends. Almost.
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