What To Know
- The SR25 is similar to the SR15 in that it uses two Cirrus Logic 43198 MasterClass DACs in a dual-mono arrangement, but it has a faster Quad-core CPU and custom-designed circuitry to increase sound quality.
- “The SR25 is a new premium product that brings the philosophy of Astell&Kern to provide music the way it was meant to be heard, without compromise to an affordable, high quality player, with a luxury design that has received international award recognition,” said Baek Chang-Hum, Director of Dreamus, parent company of Astell&Kern.
Editor’s Brief: One of the most coveted names in hi-fi audio players, Astell&Kern, unveils its new affordable portable high resolution audio player, A&norma SR25, which supercedes the previous much loved SR15. The SR25 embraces the adequately modern Android 9.0 that uses OpenApp for music apps installation. The SR25, despite being the entry-level Astell&Kern product, is certainly no slouch, and brings plenty of performance, sound quality, and a design of sheer class to the table. Read more below.
Astell&Kern, a market leader in high-resolution electronics, has introduced the A&norma SR25, the second player in its line of portable high-resolution audio players. The SR25 is an improvement on the already impressive A&norma SR15 player, and it can natively playback DSD256 and 32-bit/384KHz PCM high-resolution audio.
The SR25 is similar to the SR15 in that it uses two Cirrus Logic 43198 MasterClass DACs in a dual-mono arrangement, but it has a faster Quad-core CPU and custom-designed circuitry to increase sound quality.
Astell&Kern’s A&norma series of portable audio players aims to set the benchmark for inexpensive high-resolution audio playback and accurate reproduction of the sound that the artist and engineer intended when they made the original recording.
The SR25 is the first Astell&Kern player to have LDAC Bluetooth, allowing users to wirelessly stream 24-bit hi-res audio to compatible speakers, headphones, or IEMs. More than double the playing time of the SR15 and longer than any other Astell&Kern player, the SR25 can play music continuously for 20+ hours.
The SR25 is one of a kind because of its clever layout, which strikes a good mix between practicality and good looks. It has an aluminum case and a volume wheel machined with the same kind of precision and lack of vibration found in high-end wristwatches. The aluminum construction reduces outside noise and enhances audio quality, while the slim form factor makes the 3.6-inch touchscreen display simple to use with only one finger.
“The SR25 is a new premium product that brings the philosophy of Astell&Kern to provide music the way it was meant to be heard, without compromise to an affordable, high quality player, with a luxury design that has received international award recognition,” said Baek Chang-Hum, Director of Dreamus, parent company of Astell&Kern.
A&norma SR25 Specifications:
- Body material: Aluminium
- Body colour: Moon Silver
- Dimensions: 2.5″ (63.5mm) [W] x 4.26″ (108.3mm) [H] x 0.63″ (16.1mm) [D]
- Weight: 6.27 oz (178g)
- Display: 3.6 inch (720 x 1280) Touch Display
- 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
- Power output: Balance 4V, Unbalance 2V
- CPU: Quad-core
- DAC: Cirrus Logic CS43198 x2 (Dual DAC)
- Decoding: Support up to 32-bit/384kHz bit-to-bit playback
- Input: USB Type-C (PC and Mac)
- Outputs: Unbalanced Out (3.5mm) / Balanced Out (2.5mm, only 4-pole supported)
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)
- Bluetooth: V4.2 (A2DP, AVRCP, aptX HD, LDAC)
- Battery capacity: 3150 mAh 3.7V Li-Polymer Battery
- Internal memory: 64 GB
- External memory: microSD (max. 1 TB)
Pricing & Availability:
The Astell&Kern SR25 will be available in Singapore for S$1,099 (MSRP) from late May 2020, and retails at AV One, E1 Personal Audio, Stereo Electronics and Treoo.
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