Portable music players are something of a rarity, with S. Korea's Astell & Kern being one of the few companies making such devices-- with the latest being the A&norma SR25, an upgrade on the SR15 launched back in 2018.
The SR25 promises a number of improvements in terms of both hardware and software. Described by the company as a "mass premium" product, it carries two Cirrus Logic 43198 MasterClass DAC in dual-mono configuration like the SR15, and includes 64GB of internal storage (expandable to 1TB via microSD card) with support for DSD256 and 32-bit/384kHz PCM high-resolution audio. Control comes through a 3.6-inch touchscreen, while battery life clocks up to 21 hours on a single charge. Construction is in aluminium, and Astell & Kern says the volume wheel was made using the same machines used for luxury Swiss watches.
A first for Astell & Kern music players is LDAC Bluetooth support, allowing users to wirelessly stream 24-bit high-res audio to compatible speakers, headphones or IEMs. The device also supports wifi and DLNA networking, and includes a USB digital audio output. MQA audio support allows for playback of both downloaded files in the format and the Tidal app for high-resolution audio streaming.
The user interface supports the Open App service, adding Android APK support. This means users can install additional music streaming services, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, SoundCloud, Qubuz, SiriusXM, Tune-In, myTuner, Bandcamp and Deezer, by copying and installing the corresponding APK app.
The A&norma SR25 ships on May 2020.
