Astell&Kern Announces Second Generation A&norma SR25 Player, the SR25 MK II
- The SR25 MK II adds support for 4.4mm, 2.5mm and 3.5mm headphones
- LDAC and aptX HD Bluetooth support, 20 hours of continuous playback, 32-bit/384KHz PCM and DSD256 Native playback
- New features in the second-generation player include ReplayGain, AK File Drop for wireless file transfers and Bluetooth send/receive
Astell&Kern, a global leader in high-resolution audio products, debuts the SR25 MK II portable high-resolution audio player, the third player in the standard A&norma line. The A&norma SR25 MK II will be available at authorized Astell&Kern dealers worldwide in November 2021 for $749.
The A&norma line of portable audio players from Astell&Kern are designed to be an industry standard to play back high-resolution audio for the masses. The A&norma line is a “Mass Premium” product that futures a stunning, high-end, luxurious design and reproduces sound as it was intended by the artist and engineer who originally recorded it, at an affordable price.
The SR25 MK II is a refresh of the widely popular SR25 player released in 2020. Like the SR25, the SR25 MK II features two Cirrus Logic 43198 MasterClass DACs in dual-mono configuration, but adds a number of new features. The SR25 supports native playback of DSD256 and 32-bit/384KHz PCM high-resolution audio.
New features to the A&norma line included in the SR25 MK II are:
- ReplayGain, which allows the player to automatically adjust the volume between tracks and maintain a consistent playback level.
- BT Sink allows the SR25 MK II to connect to an external device via Bluetooth, and function as a Bluetooth DAC. Music from an external device, such as a smartphone can now be played back in high-quality, taking full advantage of the hi-res audio decoding in the SR25 MK II.
- With AK File Drop, transferring your music files from a computer or NAS is even 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.
Users can wirelessly stream 24-bit hi-res audio to compatible speakers, headphones or IEMs with support for LDAC and aptX HD Bluetooth codecs.
Other features include a 3.6-inch HD touchscreen, 64GB of internal memory with support for microSD cards up to 1TB, Wi-Fi, DLNA networking, USB digital audio output, and the ability to use the SR25 as a USB DAC for your Mac or Windows-based PC.
The SR25 MK II supports MQA, and with a full decoder built in, can unfold all the way to the original resolution of the file. MQA playback is supported both via downloaded MQA audio files and through the Tidal app, allowing users to stream high resolution audio via Tidal Masters.
Astell&Kern’s latest user interface and support for Open App service is included in the SR25 MK II, which adds Android APK support, allowing users to install additional music streaming services to their player by simply copying and installing the corresponding APK file for the music service they wish to add. Services supported include Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, SoundCloud, Qobuz, SiriusXM, Tune-In, myTuner, Bandcamp and Deezer (supported streaming services varies by country). Offline content for supported apps can be stored in either internal or external player memory so you can listen to your favorite music streaming service tracks on the go.
The A&norma SR25 MK II retails for $749 and will be available in November 2021.