Astell and Kern UW100 review

This is because they are AK Hi-first Fi’s set of true wireless earbuds. In actual use, however, the sound they produce will be impressive enough to convince anyone but the most dedicated box-tickers (or those for whom the elimination of external sound is even more important than the quality of their own sound that they are listening to) overlook these drawbacks.

These earbuds from Astell & Kern are, regardless of the cost, among the best true wireless designs now on the market, and they excel in sound quality in a straightforward sense.

The Astell & Kern AK UW100 headphones do not have an outrageously high price tag, and they are priced to go head-to-head with the headphones that are widely regarded as the best in their category. On paper, AK Hi-first Fi’s pair of true wireless earbuds, the AK Hi-Fi TWS UW100 (to give them their full name), are a mixture of ‘excellent specification’ and ‘noticeable specification omissions.’

Astell and Kern UW100 Review: Design and Comfort

The AK UW100 blocks your ears with a tight seal, like a plug in a sink. This makes it hard for outside sounds to bother your music sessions. Their shapes are chunky and pentagonal. We wouldn’t say they’re uncomfortable to wear, but as soon as you put them in your ear, you can feel them.

Still, I can’t say anything bad about how well the noise isolation works. We have used them on the subway and while walking in public places like the Southbank and Trafalgar Square, and they block out most sounds.

Their passive noise-isolating design focuses on high- to mid-frequency sounds, and ambient sounds are greatly reduced. The wind noise is also cut down very well. Even though you can still hear sounds, like a crowd of people moving around or musicians playing on the Southbank, they are not loud enough to be distracting, and when music is playing, these sounds get even quieter. There are five sizes of ear tips, from small to XXL, so you can find the best fit. You can buy this earbuds from its official website.

Astell and Kern UW100 Review: Sound Quality

The AK UW100’s Knowles Balanced Armature drivers and high-performance AK4332 32-bit DAC had me rubbing my hands together in anticipation of how they would sound. On the default EQ, the sound has weight and solidity, and voices and instruments are clear and have good detail. However, it’s not the most impressive performance. After playing around with the app’s EQ settings, We found that the High emphasis mode brings out better performance.

With High emphasis on, the stereo image has a better sense of depth, the vocals are brought forward, and other high- to mid-range instruments are brought forward and defined, giving the stereo image a better sense of difference and depth.

The tone of the high frequencies is clearer and crisper, and the soundstage is more spread out. This mode has punchy bass but doesn’t have as much depth as the others. Bass emphasis makes a warmer sound, while Default is the most balanced.

Astell and Kern UW100 Review: Connectivity

Knowles balanced armature drivers deliver sound from a 32-bit DAC on the inside. Balanced armatures are often used in pairs inside each ear, or a single armature is paired with a dynamic driver to add depth to the bass. This is because a single armature may not be able to cover the whole frequency range. Balanced armature drivers, on the other hand, usually have better overall clarity and transients.

Since Astell&Kern doesn’t say what its frequency response is, we don’t know its range. In any case, these headphones work with Bluetooth 5.2, support the AAC, AptX Adaptive, and SBC codecs, and can connect to more than one device simultaneously. You need the LDAC codec, which comes with the Sony WF-1000XM4 headphones, to get the best audio quality on Android devices.

Noise Cancelling

Astell&Kern could add this feature in the future with a firmware update, but we don’t expect that to happen right away. We can at least give the company credit for being honest, since this kind of information is usually kept secret. And because these headphones are all about high-quality sound, we don’t think the lack of noise cancellation is a big problem.

Still, alternatives from Apple, Bose, and Sony have great sound quality and active noise cancellation, which is what we’ve come to expect at this price point. The company’s claim that these earphones have the best passive noise isolation in their class is just marketing. They work just as well as any other models that seal off the ear canal. Look for earphones that come with Comply foam eartips if you want to block out noise well.

Astell and Kern UW100 Review: Controls

Voice assistants don’t work with these mics, though. Each earbud’s touch surface is the only way to control things. Oh, the control app is useful for checking the battery life, choosing between five EQ settings, rearranging the touch-control functions, and choosing how much ambient sound you want to hear (or turning it off altogether). However, the touch controls or your source player are the only ways actually to control playback.

Astell and Kern UW100 Review: Battery Life

A&K says that each charge of the UW100 earbuds will give you six hours of play time, for a total of 24 hours with the charging case. Those numbers seemed right during my tests, as long as I kept the volume at 50%. A quick charge of ten minutes will give you an extra hour of use.

That’s about the same as the AirPods Pro, but a lot less than the Master & Dynamic MW08, which can last up to 12 hours per charge without active noise cancellation and up to 42 hours in total.

Astell and Kern UW100 Review: Price and availability

The Astell&Kern AK UW100 earbuds cost $299, which is a lot, but keep in mind that this is only a small fraction of how much the company charges for its high-quality portable music players. Not only that, but the buds are cheaper than competitors like the $399 Bowers & Wilkins PI7 and the $380 Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EQ. If you want a less expensive option that still sounds good, the Sony WF-1000XM4 ($279) and the Beats Fit Pro ($199) are both good choices.

Astell&Kern is the only place to buy the AK UW100 in Black or Gunmetal Grey. The box has a wireless charging case, a USB-C charging cable, five pairs of different-sized ear tips, a quick start guide, and a warranty card.

Astell and Kern UW100 Review: Conclusion

The AK UW100 are expensive, but compared to Astell&Kern’s other products, which have an average MSRP of $1,000, they are a steal for audiophiles who want first-class sound in a truly wireless format. These headphones are also beautiful, respond well to commands, and block out noise well. A high price doesn’t mean that something is perfect.

The AK UW100 could have done better with its battery life and the quality of its calls. The fact that there is no ANC may also make you want to look for other options. If not, know that the AK UW100 are a tempting investment for music lovers with money to spend who want the best sound in their category.