Despite only having existed for roughly a decade, Astell&Kern has quickly emerged as a world-leader in the high-fidelity audio space, with an ever-growing catalog of advanced portable amps, cables, hifi audio players, and, as of late, headphones. And after debuting its first-ever pair of true wireless earbuds last Spring with the AK UW100, the South Korean company has now unveiled the followup second-gen version of its inaugural model with the new and improved Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII true wireless earbuds.

Still benefitting from the same separate embedded high-performance 32-bit DAC, the AK UW100MKII features a Balanced Armature driver, an aptX-Adaptive audio codec, a redesigned acoustic chamber structure, and Astell&Kern’s signature AMP and circuit tech that allows for  separation of the digital parts and analog circuits of the wireless earphone. The AK UW100MKII also boasts a new Knowles BA driver location that further optimizes sound and ultimately makes for an even more dynamic wireless high-fidelity listening experience. Additionally, Astell&Kern’s second-ever pair of wireless earbuds also deliver best-in-class Passive Noise Isolation — further enhancing an already world-class listening experience. 

This new model is also nearly identical to the Red Dot Design Award-winning first-gen version with the same unique Deco-inspired housing, albeit with slightly more compact dimensions — at 7.2cm x 3.2cm x 3.4cm versus the gen-one’s 7.7cm x 3.9cm x 3.8cm footprint. The earbuds themselves also afford 9.5 hours of listening time while the wireless charging case helps the new model to collectively offer 29 hours of playback time — a decent step up from the gen-one’s 6-hour earbud life and collective 24-hours of playback. What’s more, five included ear-tip sizes also practically guarantee a precise and comfortable fit. Rounding out these new hifi true wireless earbuds are a new and improved, even more state-of-the-art ambient listening mode, cutting-edge Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, button-less external touch controls, and connection to a dedicated app that allows the user to adjust an enormous host of listening parameters. 

Slated to become available for purchase starting next month in September of 2023, the Astell&Kern AK UW100MKII True Wireless Earbuds will carry an MSRP of $280.