The Latest Firmware Update Supports 1TB cards and more Open APP Services
Astell&Kern dropped a new firmware update on August 1, enabling support for new 1TB microSD cards that are hitting the market lately. "A thousand songs in your pocket" sounds trifle by today's standards. Try x 200 that, and fitting on something no larger than the tip of your finger. The future is now folks.
There are some other major updates to come to the Astell&Kern lineup. We'll group them by models below:
- New Open APP Services added: 7Digital, Apple Music, Audiobooks from Audible, BBC iPlayer Radio, Foobar2000, IDAGIO, Last.FM, Nugs.net, Onkyo Music, Player FM, and Yandex Music.
- 1TB microSD card support
- Other operational stability improvements
- New Open APP Services added: 7Digital, Apple Music, Audiobooks from Audible, BBC iPlayer Radio, Foobar2000, IDAGIO, Last.FM, Onkyo Music, Player FM, and Yandex Music.
- *Nugs.net will not be supported on this device
- 1TB microSD card support
- Other operational stability improvements
- New Open APP Services added: 7Digital, Apple Music, Audiobooks from Audible, BBC iPlayer Radio, Foobar2000, IDAGIO, Last.FM, Onkyo Music, Player FM, and Yandex Music.
- *Nugs.net will not be supported on this device
- 1TB microSD card support
- Car Mode function added
- EQ Sharing Sync function added
- Other operational stability improvements
About Streaming Services
The latest models* are equipped with embedded hi-res streaming options of Tidal and Deezer as well as the option to add Open APP Services. Open APP Services available for download include:
7Digital, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Audiobooks from Audible, BBC iPlayer Radio, Foobar2000, IDAGIO, Last.FM, myRadio, Nugs.net, Onkyo Music, Pandora, Player FM, Qobuz, Sirius XM, Sound Cloud, Spotify, Tidal and Tune-In Radio.
Select apps offer offline mode such as Tidal, Spotify and Amazon Music allowing you to conveniently stream while on the go.
(Services are subject to change and/or more options may be added in the future. App availability varies by country.)
*Note: OpenAPP Service and APK apps will work on the following A&K Devices: (SA700 / SP2000 / KANN CUBE / SP1000 / SP1000M / SE100 / SR15)
Applications such as Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. will not be available on older models, only on the current/new models via Open App Service (sideloading). Open App Service is available on SR15, KANN Cube, SE100, SP1000M, SP1000, SP2000 and all future models unless specified that it will not be available.
For the embedded apps on the older players, Tidal is the only streaming service that can be used in the US (online mode only due to restrictions from the record labels since it is built into A&K's system). Although Qobuz was built into some of the players, at the time it was not available in the US therefore when it is selected it will say that it is not available in the territory and unfortunately this will continue to be the case. Tidal is available on AK70, AK100 II, AK120II, AK240, AK300 series (AK300, AK320, AK380) and all models after).
Streaming Services FAQ
What are Streaming Services?
Check out our earlier blog on APK streaming apps:
Astell&Kern Players Support Android Based (APK) Streaming
How Do I Update the Firmware on my DAP?
See more info on how to update to the latest firmware version in our blog below:
Astell & Kern Firmware Update For DAPs
How Do I Install Open APPs to my DAP?
Here's our blog showing you how to install applications to your Astell&Kern player. We used Tidal as an example:
Astell&Kern Support For OpenApp Services - Tidal
If you have any additional questions regarding updating your Astell&Kern player or installing apps, please leave a comment below. Happy Listening!
