Astell&Kern A&Norma SR25 Mk2 64GB High Resolution Audio Player Dark Silver

I was looking to replace my old Sony Hi-Res Walkman, and deciding between a Fiio and this was a tough choice. The looks of this won me over (as both DAPS do essentially the same things, I felt it was down to preference more than anything).Upon opening the box, I was initially worried, it’s tiny and weighs next to nothing. My less capable Sony player was bigger and heavier. Did I make a mistake? Was this immediate buyers remorse?My fears were instantly washed away when I started using it. It looks gorgeous, the volume pot has a satisfying click when turned, the buttons aren’t labelled but are instantly intuitive when you learn them, the OS, while not the most recent version of Android, is perfectly fine for what it does, although it can feel a little sluggish at times, and the sheer range of options available to you in the options menus are staggering.Do you want to use this as a USB DAC for a PC, Laptop or Switch? You can do that.Do you want to sync it to a Bluetooth device and play your media from your phone/tablet via the DAP at better quality? You can do that.Do you want to use the headphone jacks as line outs and hook it up to your stereo system and play your music through your speakers? You can do that.Do you want to set up multiple EQ profiles for different sets of headphones/IEMS, and be able to switch between them at will quickly and easily? You can do that.Do you want to connect the DAP to your car stereo system and make the screen an easy to use landscape interface? You can do that.Do you want to be able rip CD’s directly to the DAP (with the use of A&K’s CD ripper that costs extra but y’know, convenience)? You can do that.Do you want access to your Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify and Deezer libraries and playlists? You can do that (but the tiny screen makes this a chore to set this up with its minuscule on screen keyboard).It’s an incredibly versatile player, with a wealth of things to tweak and adjust to your liking. It supports plenty of Bluetooth codecs (LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and standard SBC) so if you prefer wireless audio, you should be adequately catered for. It has gapless playback capability (which should be a no brainer inclusion, but for some people, the option to disable is there and therefore welcome), you can adjust your L/R balance (if you have hearing issues or if your headphones have issues), and you can filter your library by MQS/DSD tracks if you have any you want to quickly get to (and it even comes with a few sample tracks of each so you can test drive them). The three different headphone jacks will also be great for a wealth of headphone connectivity (although obviously it doesn’t support 6.35mm unbalanced or XLR, but you can buy adapters easily enough if you need this support)My only complaints would be the aforementioned small screen making use of a keyboard a hassle, the (very rarely) slightly sluggish UI, the inadequate wi-fi connectivity (but I don’t use it so that doesn’t bother me), and the uncomfortable ergonomics. Those corners are pointy. Perhaps get a case if you plan on holding it for prolonged periods, or don’t want it ripping up your pockets.But with all that said, this is as close to portable music heaven as you’re gonna get for less than a grand. If you’re unsure of what to go for, this or a Fiio, maybe seek out a test drive at a Hi-Fi shop, but personally, I can’t recommend this thing enough.

The Bluetooth is so poor it keeps cutting out. If you by this make sure you have wired headphones.Sound quality is brilliant though.

Superb build quality. Superb sound quality. Great usability. Even better than the mark 1.

Sound quality through attached headphones is great when playing back music stored on the player. That's where the good news ends though as WIFI is limited to the 2.4GHz band only, and the range is abysmal. Streaming is only possible when standing right next to the router. Same goes for Bluetooth, very short range, unacceptable for my purposes. If your use case is simply to listen to music stored on the player (on an SDCard, as the internal 64GB is insufficient for a reasonably sized music collection, especially in any Hi-Res format), then this may work for you. I also found that the battery life was poor (5 hours ish into unbalanced headphones). Another note is that this player is advertised as being able to be downloaded with music wirelessly using A&K File Drop. This is rather limited though as you can't access the SDCard through this interface, so internal storage only. WIFI limitations also apply here obviously! All up, not fit for purpose, so returned. Very disappointing.

Screen very unresponsive, barely picks up my WiFi signal, unusable

None

Hi fidelity music player, very good sound, a little tricky transferring music from laptop to the player

My first foray into high-res audioNew to high-res audio, I picked up the SR25 MKII from my local Richer Sounds store after reading the 5* review on it on What Hi-Fi. When it first arrived and I unboxed it, it was instantly clear I had bought a product that was designed and manufactured to last. It’s made from a solid block of aluminium so feels rock solid in the hand. I moved some of my ripped CDs straight to the player and as soon as I hit play, I was blown away by the sound quality. Powerful, clear and very well balanced.I managed to find some free high-res test tracks online to see if I could hear a difference between this and normal CD quality and although not a massive difference, there was a clear improvement.I’ve only tested the player using my Shure Earphones, but I’ve got a pair of Audeze headphones arriving any day now so really look forward to further testing.Make sure to connect the player straight to Wi-Fi and check for firmware updates, as I did this and I was about 3 revisions out of date.Amazing little player and highly recommended, your ears will thank you for it!