Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/astellkern-aultima-sp4000-digital-audio-player

Some flighty piano runs and the more emphasised dramatic solos of Dayes’ band members were equally engaging, showing excellent control over The Composer’s drivers. Even if the SP4000 doesn’t aim for a completely neutral performance in terms of tonal colour, the nifty drumming and synths during the finale of ‘Turquoise Days’ felt authentic, making the whole piece gel brilliantly.

Also, the player’s DSD upsampling is easily engaged by swiping down during playback and pressing the DAR icon – it’s well worth trying out. Turning it on and off during Dayes’ ‘Raisins Under The Sun’, and listening through these very revealing headphones, showed subtle differences between the two modes. The trombone and trumpets had more weight to them with DAR on, and the presentation seemed a little smoother overall.