Astell & Kern SR25: The next A&norma player

[abitdeef]

Greetings to all ! I am only interested in one question regarding players and it is as follows - Will I get an increase in sound quality by buying a more expensive player Astell&Kern A&norma SR25 multiple of the difference in price relative to player Shanling M3X ??? I don't consider other player models, only these two models. Thanks!

I had shanling m3x, it's a nice dap and it's full Android. But as 51 days said it's hard to put a value on sound improvements. I can definitely tell you ak 25 sounds better to me and the build and quality of the ak is just in another league.

Plus I'd spend the 50 bucks extra for the mkii model if you decide to go the AK route. BT dac is nice along with 4.4 balanced and it does sound better than the vanilla sr25. I couldn't go back to m3x soudwise.

BTW I know burn in is a touchy subject but I let my ak run all day yesterday and all night - probably have 20 hours in it and I swear it seems fuller soubdibg and a little blacker background. Could be just a mental process of getting used to the sound sig but it sounds closer to the dx240 in width and better in depth.

I like it. I didn't spend too much time with my first one because of dead pixels and the wifi was horrible. So I sent ot right back. But I liked the sound, that I remember.

 

[51days]

Short update about the SR25 MK2/Timeless combo, which actually sounds very good. Played different genres out of this setup over the the weekend. Difficult not to be satisfied from a slight warmish sound lover point of view. On top of that, the level of details and the layering really are something.

Yes, you need to pump up the volume to ca. 95 (out of 150) to get the right dynamics or, better said, this is how I see/hear things. Still, if you are into rock, pop, electronics, jazz and ambient, the USD 1000.- spent for both (DAP and IEMs) might be gameover for some, but quite ok for others. If 1K is not a number you are afraid of and provided you are looking for a real portable device with an inviting/lively sound signature, I have no problem recommending this setup.

 

[abitdeef]

Short update about the SR25 MK2/Timeless combo, which actually sounds very good. Played different genres out of this setup over the the weekend. Difficult not to be satisfied from a slight warmish sound lover point of view. On top of that, the level of details and the layering really are something.

Yes, you need to pump up the volume to ca. 95 (out of 150) to get the right dynamics or, better said, this is how I see/hear things. Still, if you are into rock, pop, electronics, jazz and ambient, the USD 1000.- spent for both (DAP and IEMs) might be gameover for some, but quite ok for others. If 1K is not a number you are afraid of and provided you are looking for a real portable device with an inviting/lively sound signature, I have no problem recommending this setup.

I'd like to try those Timeless, but I'm afraid the fit might not be for me. I'm still waiting for my sr25ii to smooth out a bit. It's still a bit harsh compared to dx240. The treble and upper mids sounds a bit peaky.

Still nice, it's just the dx 240 is so smooth, the mids are back in the mix compared to the SR25mkii so maybe that's something I've got to get used to again. Stage seems comparable though and as I said the depth is nice.

 

[51days]

The Timeless are no brainer given their price. If they would cost USD 500 or even 1K, I would understand. You can get them for less than USD 200.- on AE. PM me and I could give you the boutique I have been dealing with for my purchase (I have 2 pairs). I have a pretty open and wide ear canal and the Timeless suit me well with appropriate tips (Symbio W in size L).

The SR25 MK2 is my office DAP. At home, I have a Calyx M. It's another league soundwise, but the SR25 MK2 is giving ca. 80% what the Calyx does and it's already a lot.

More than the DAP itself, the IEMs or headphones make the difference, based on my experience.

Not having tested the DX240 myself, it might be that you are experiencing the same thing as I am with the Calyx. The SR25 MK2 is not the final answer in the DAP world, but its format, battery life, output selection and pleasing tone (not that bright to me tbh) speak for it.

Out of curiosity, what is your MK2 mileage?

 

[abitdeef]

The Timeless are no brainer given their price. If they would cost USD 500 or even 1K, I would understand. You can get them for less than USD 200.- on AE. PM me and I could give you the boutique I have been dealing with for my purchase (I have 2 pairs). I have a pretty open and wide ear canal and the Timeless suit me well with appropriate tips (Symbio W in size L).

The SR25 MK2 is my office DAP. At home, I have a Calyx M. It's another league soundwise, but the SR25 MK2 is giving ca. 80% what the Calyx does and it's already a lot.

More than the DAP, the IEMs or headphones make the difference, based on my experience.

Not having tested the DX240 myself, it might be that you are experiencing the same thing as I am with the Calyx. The SR25 MK2 is not the final answer in the DAP world, but its format, battery life, output selection and pleasing tone (not that bright to me tbh) speak for it.

Out of curiosity, what is your MK2 mileage?

Yep agree, iems and cans make the most difference. My ears are sensitive to bigger heavier iems, I've got really light tiny iems in my arsenal. And a friend of mine has the Calyx and loves it he said its so warm and analog. I'll have to take a listen sometimes, but he's across state and I don't see him that much anymore.
Yeah the tone of the dap probably has alot to do with the iems you're using. It's a bit peaky and metallic sounding on rose mini 3pro. The Sony nwa 105 and dx240 are a bit smoother with the rose. I probably have about 25 hours on it. It's definitely a bit away from neutral with the extra mid energy, but that's ak's thing I'm sure it will smooth out a bit more.

I can always try the Timeless from Amazon and not be stuck with them if they hurt my ears.

 

[51days]

Yep agree, iems and cans make the most difference. My ears are sensitive to bigger heavier iems, I've got really light tiny iems in my arsenal. And a friend of mine has the Calyx and loves it he said its so warm and analog. I'll have to take a listen sometimes, but he's across state and I don't see him that much anymore.
Yeah the tone of the dap probably has alot to do with the iems you're using. It's a bit peaky and metallic sounding on rose mini 3pro. The Sony nwa 105 and dx240 are a bit smoother with the rose. I probably have about 25 hours on it. It's definitely a bit away from neutral with the extra mid energy, but that's ak's thing I'm sure it will smooth out a bit more.

I can always try the Timeless from Amazon and not be stuck with them if they hurt my ears.

Amazon is the way to go if you want to keep things simple, definitely makes sense.

Never heard about the rose mini 3pro. I will check that out, just to make myself an idea.

The Calyx is warm, but not extremely so. Analog sounding, yes, definitely, but a tad less detailed than the SR25 MK2. The overall tonality is something special, though.

 

[abitdeef]

Amazon is the way to go if you want to keep things simple, definitely makes sense.

Never heard about the rose mini 3pro. I will check that out, just to make myself an idea.

The Calyx is warm, but not extremely so. Analog sounding, yes, definitely, but a tad less detailed than the SR25 MK2. The overall tonality is something special, though.

Rose mini 3 is tiny! Has 3 BA.

 

[aurorasound]

Anyone able to get the last.fm app to work? It prompts me to enable notifications but when I do it doesn't take to the correct menu. Would like to scrobble on my sr-25

 

[JollyJ]

@51days I've also been really enjoying the combo of SR25+Timeless. They seem a perfect match. I like the Thieaudio Monarch MK2 as well because it sounds great on everything, but I find myself going back the the timeless frequently because they just have that "wow" factor.

 

[Bosk]

I had shanling m3x, it's a nice dap and it's full Android. But as 51 days said it's hard to put a value on sound improvements. I can definitely tell you ak 25 sounds better to me and the build and quality of the ak is just in another league.

Plus I'd spend the 50 bucks extra for the mkii model if you decide to go the AK route. BT dac is nice along with 4.4 balanced and it does sound better than the vanilla sr25. I couldn't go back to m3x soudwise.

BTW I know burn in is a touchy subject but I let my ak run all day yesterday and all night - probably have 20 hours in it and I swear it seems fuller soubdibg and a little blacker background. Could be just a mental process of getting used to the sound sig but it sounds closer to the dx240 in width and better in depth.

I like it. I didn't spend too much time with my first one because of dead pixels and the wifi was horrible. So I sent ot right back. But I liked the sound, that I remember.

I'm curious to hear how you find the vanilla SR25 (which I currently own) stacks up against the DX240, a player I'm considering?

 

[abitdeef]

I'm curious to hear how you find the vanilla SR25 (which I currently own) stacks up against the DX240, a player I'm considering?

Oh crap you said vanilla sr25- ok dx240 bests that in staging and imaging. And detail from what I remember, I'm sorry I only have sr25!!. My mind read that as 25mkii for some reason, I forget I'm in the vanilla thread. Yes dx240 would be better soundwise.

 

[51days]

The SR25 MK2 needs some more power. Cayin C9 is on its way to fine-tune the finesse coming from the AK player.

 

[opis]

Anyone able to get the last.fm app to work? It prompts me to enable notifications but when I do it doesn't take to the correct menu. Would like to scrobble on my sr-25

I second this. I recently got an SR-25 and I'm in the feeling out period, it's great for many reasons and I should write more about it somewhere else, but for now one of the most pressing things for me is that I can't find any way to actually scrobble what I listen to which is something I prioritise.

I prefer to use f2k as my player. Someone else also mentioned the last.fm app, I also tried it but it needs to get access to something (I forgot what now, probably as you say, the enable notifications thing) and you probably can't give it access due to how locked the android OS is, so it can't log you in.

I would very much appreciate a solution to this. Peace

 

[LE9000]

Hi all,
I’m using Tidal on the first gen SR25 and experience crazy load times all of a sudden.
I use the native app - and I get all the bugs. Skipping songs 30’sek before ending. Interface not loading album covers. Just slow as ….
Have tried system rebooting and soft reboot.

Am I the only one?

 

[Octavius]

Well, at least you can try sideload app, there are no problems at all and sideload app has more functionalities.