Astell & Kern SR25 MKII
The SR25 MKII delivers warm, full-bodied sound with revealing detail, lively timing and generous spaciousness—portable hi-fi that rewards ambitious headphones. What Hi-Fi? also highlights its rock-solid aluminium build, full MQA decoding, streaming integration and versatile 3.5mm, 2.5mm and 4.4mm outputs. It is a polished, deeply musical player built for serious listening anywhere.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
89/100
Build Quality
92/100
Features Usability
93/100
Value for Money
91/100
Pros
Warm, textured, full-bodied presentation combines musical engagement with revealing detail, dynamic insight and precise timing.
Extensive playback and connectivity options include streaming integration, full MQA decoding, wireless file transfer, BT Sink, and three headphone outputs.
Premium aluminium chassis, responsive display and tactile textured volume wheel deliver a rock-solid, refined physical experience.
Cons
Built-in 64GB storage is limited for a premium hi-res player, making a microSD card likely for larger libraries.
Pointed lower corners can dig into the palm during handheld use.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 89/100
What Hi-Fi finds the SR25 MKII revealing, precise and unusually complete-sounding for a compact player, combining substantial detail with a warm, full-bodied presentation. Its lively rhythmic character and spacious, forgiving nature make it engaging across both high-resolution and less-than-perfect recordings, though the review offers limited direct discussion of background noise or a wide range of difficult headphone loads.
Transparency Resolution
93/100
The review calls the SR25 MKII a revealing player with detail, precision and punctual timing all firmly in place. It is said to be transparent enough to expose the benefits of hi-res material, while still retaining enough spaciousness and fullness to avoid making poorer recordings unpleasant.
Tonal Balance Musicality
92/100
What Hi-Fi describes an immediately likeable sound that is warm, full-bodied and richly textured across the spectrum. The player is also lively and rhythmic, giving musical engagement equal importance to analysis rather than sounding merely clinical.
Dynamics
93/100
The reviewer specifically praises its dynamic insight alongside its precision and timing. Its lively, rhythmic presentation suggests convincing transient expression and a strong sense of musical momentum from this portable design.
Noise Floor
82/100
The supplied review does not directly report hiss, hum or performance with highly sensitive IEMs. Astell & Kern includes internal shielding intended to reduce electromagnetic interference, but the listening report does not establish how quiet the player is with the most sensitive earphones.
Headphone Compatibility
87/100
What Hi-Fi recommends pairing it with at least a Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X and says considerably more expensive wired headphones would not be excessive, indicating sound quality capable of rewarding strong partners. The 3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced and 4.4mm balanced outputs broaden connection options, although the review does not test demanding planar headphones or sensitive IEMs in detail.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
92/100
What Hi-Fi praises the rock-solid construction, geometrical design and classy metallic finish, while describing the aluminium chassis as attractive and comfortable in size. The textured volume wheel's satisfying click adds to the premium tactile impression, though the sharply pointed lower corners can dig into the hand.
Features Usability
93/100
This is a notably complete portable player, with dual DACs, 3.5mm single-ended plus 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced outputs, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with aptX HD and LDAC, expandable storage and a full MQA decoder. Useful ownership features include wireless AK File Drop transfer, BT Sink for receiving audio from a phone, Replay Gain and over-the-air firmware updates.
Value for Money
91/100
At £699 / $749 / AU$1099, What Hi-Fi acknowledges that the SR25 MKII is a significant purchase, but concludes that owners are getting their money's worth. The reviewer also calls it as good as they get at this level and gives it an unreserved recommendation, supporting its premium positioning against portable-player peers.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Model
- SR25 MKII
- Body Color
- Mercury D. Sliver
- Body Material
- Aluminum
- Display
- 3.6inch HD (720 x 1,280) TFT LCD
- Supported Audio Formats
- WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
- Sample rate
- PCM : 8kHz ~ 384kHz (8/16/24/32bits per Sample) / DSD Native: DSD64(1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128(1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo / DSD256(1bit 11.2MHz), Stereo
- Output Level
- Unbalanced 2Vrms / Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
- CPU
- Quad-Core
- DAC
- Cirrus Logic CS43198 x2 (Dual DAC)
- Decoding
- Support up to 32bit / 384kHz Bit-to-Bit Playback
- Input
- USB Type-C input (for charging PC & MAC)
- Outputs
- Unbalanced Out (3.5mm), Balanced Out (2.5mm, only 4-pole supported | 4.4mm, only 5-pole supported)
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)
- Bluetooth
- V4.2 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm®aptXTM HD, LDAC)
- Dimensions
- 2.5 ”(63.5 mm) [W] x 4.26 ”(108.3 mm) [H] x 0.63 ”(16.1 mm) [D]
- Weight
- about 6.27 oz (about 178 g)
- Feature Enhancements
- Firmware upgrades supported (OTA)
- Operating Temperature
- 0℃ ~ + 40℃ (32℉~ 104℉)
- Frequency Response
- ±0.014dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced / ±0.011dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced ±0.10dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced / ±0.12dB (Condition: 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced
- Signal to Noise Ratio
- 122dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 124dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
- Crosstalk
- -138dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / -144dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
- THD+N
- 0.0006% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced / 0.0005% @ 1kHz, Balanced
- IMD SMPTE
- 0.0004% 800Hz 10kHz(4:1) Unbalanced / 0.0003% 800Hz 10kHz(4:1) Balanced
- Output Impedance
- Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (1.2ohm) / Balanced out 2.5mm (1.8ohm), 4.4.mm (1.7ohm)
- Clock Jitter
- 25ps(Typ)
- Reference Clock Jitter
- 70ps
- Capacity
- 3,150mAh 3.7V Li-Polymer Battery
- Continuous Playback Time
- about 20hours (Standard : FLAC, 16bit, 44.1kHz, Unbalanced, Vol.50, EQ Off, LCD Off)
- Charge Time
- about 2.5hours (5V 2A General Charging)
- Built-in Memory
- 64GB [NAND]
- External Memory
- microSD (Max. 1TB) x1
- Supported OS
- Windows 8,10 (32/64bit), MAC OS X 10.7 and up
- Specification
- - Audio was NOT muted during the measurement. - The image/specification may be changed without notice to improve product performance and quality.
Manufacturer's Description — Astell & Kern
A Pocket Powerhouse
True to the core values of Astell&Kern, high fidelity sound lies at the heart of the SR25 MKII,
delivering
exceptional audio performance to a diverse range of music lovers. The most distinctive feature of the
Astell&Kern A&norma product line is its compact form factor. However, the SR25 MKII offers more
detailed
sound than its predecessor, allowing the clear expression of each and every instrument and vocal note.
The SR25 MKII offers more versatile connectivity options with the addition of a 4.4mm balanced output for
the first time in an A&norma player, LDAC, as well as Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, which support and deliver true
audiophile sound quality.
The SR25 MKII keeps everything we love about the SR25 and adds new design features. It will produce the best
sound quality anywhere, anytime.
- The SR25 MKII is a true mass premium product
- Improved audio quality compared to the SR25
- Versatile connectivity, with addition of 4.4mm balanced output support
- Energy-efficient design resulting in 20 hours of continuous playback
- Supports two-way Bluetooth and high-definition codecs (Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, LDAC)
- ReplayGain automatically maintains constant volume
Performance Mode for Ultra High Resolution Sound
Not all DACs sound the same.
The SR25 MKII delivers improved performance across the board compared to the SR25, including bass response, dynamic range, soundstage, imaging and more.
The SR25 MKII utilizes Astell&Kern's latest audio design technology for clear and natural high-resolution sound with more clearly defined upper and lower ranges providing listeners with a deeper, more rounded sound.
Bit-to-Bit playback is available in models up to the SR25 MKII 32 bit 384 kHz. Native DSD audio is available up to 11.2 MHz, for uncompressed sound quality, staying true to the artist’s original intention, in high-resolution and with minimal distortion.
With seamless playback performance supporting native DSD256 up to 32 bit/384 kHz, you will derive even more pleasure from your music.
32-bit bit-to-bit Playback by the SR25 MKII
32-bit Playback by Other Products
Multiple Output Options
The SR25 MKII supports 4.4mm balanced output.
With 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm output options, you can connect an even wider variety of devices.
The 4.4mm balanced output provides improved dynamic range and bass response, supports a wide soundstage,
offers clear imaging, and captures subtle details in the audio source.
Enjoy your music without worrying about adaptors.
Silver Plating Shield Can
Astell&Kern products apply shield cans so that noise and electromagnetic interference, which occur
when the countless parts are in operation, do not affect the audio block.
The SR25 MKII has taken it a step further by applying highly conductive, hyper-pure silver plating on
the existing shield cans for perfect shielding that provides excellent audio performance.
Excellent Continuous Playback Time
No need to worry about battery life.
The SR25 MKII can play continuously for 20 hours with just one full charge, thanks to its optimized,
energy-efficient circuitry.
Enjoy your own personal musical performance anytime, anywhere with the SR25 MKII’s extended playback
time and its portability.
* Music in FLAC format, 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, unbalanced, volume at 50,
EQ Off, LCD Off
* Playback time may vary depending on the user environment.
Wireless Hi-Fi Sound Through BT Sink
The newly introduced BT Sink function connects the SR25 MKII to an external device via Bluetooth,
similar to connecting a smartphone with a BT speaker.
Music from an external device, such as a smartphone can now be played back in high-quality on the SR25 MKII
using the BT Sink function.
ReplayGain Automatically and Uniformly Adjusts Playback Volume
ReplayGain, which adjusts sound sources with different volumes to an identical level, has been applied. Now, enjoy your own playlists seamlessly through the ReplayGain feature on SR25 MKII.
- ReplayGain supports up to 24bit/192 kHz sound sources.
AK File Drop to enjoy wireless transfers
The new AK File Drop function in the SR25 MKII makes files transfers easier and more convenient.
Using AK File Drop, you can freely transfer files wirelessly through a PC, smartphone, or FTP
program located on the same network.
Music file management is now possible with a cableless, wireless solution.
DESIGN
The A&norma SR25 MKII inherits the overall design identity of the A&norma SR25 model, highlighting
the rhythmic freedom of music through the harmonious combination of design elements.
The top and bottom edges of the bezel are angled, giving the impression of a smaller
rectangle floating freely inside the chassis. The pattern on the side is designed to draw
attention to the volume wheel whilst conveying an impression of sound.
Verified Dealers
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- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Advanced MP3 Players — online and in-store — Musselburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (website)
- ALAIN CHOUKROUN — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- American Sound — in-store — Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Anquan — online and in-store — Glika Nera, Greece (website)
- Area Hifi — online and in-store — L'Eixample, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Audio Advice — online and in-store — Raleigh, North Carolina, United States (website)
and 69 more verified dealers