Astell & Kern SR25: The next A&norma player
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possible that I express myself wrong ..
some of the voices and instruments are precise, rich in detail, but the organic, warm transition is always missing.
too thin towards bass
of course that's subjective. I switch to the ibasso dx220, for example the ananda has bass, fast, deep and the sound is more natural.
some of the voices and instruments are precise, rich in detail, but the organic, warm transition is always missing.
too thin towards bass
of course that's subjective. I switch to the ibasso dx220, for example the ananda has bass, fast, deep and the sound is more natural.
iridium7777
100+ Head-Fier
@JasonNYC does sr25 have Dlna\upap streaming capabilities? I know the original kann and higher end sp1000m have that, but on the lower end what ak products have them?
Palpatine79
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@JasonNYC how about ucb dac?
Yes, every AK player ever released can be used as a USB DAC.
SR25 pre-orders start today on the Astell&Kern US website and at authorized Astell&Kern dealers in the US and Canada. The SR25 will be available in North America on May 18th.
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Can I ask why, if having such a massively tilted screen is so ergonomic, that the higher end models like SP1000M and SP1000 do not have tilted screens.
Why is the lower end player subject to this weird design.
Why is the lower end player subject to this weird design.
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Because in this case a tilted screen only makes sense when holding this small DAP in one hand. I thought it was weird in pictures as well, until I had it in my hand, just the way our hand/wrist aligns, I guess. With massive SPK/2k, it's a different story since you will be worried more about balancing it in your hand to make sure you don't drop it, rather than tilting your wrist
Plus, weird design is good for marketing, people want to see it and to handle it during shows or in the store
iridium7777
100+ Head-Fier
@JasonNYC -- thank you, but let me clarify specifically my question, i want to stream to the unit as a wireless DAC, can i use audirvana to do that? currently i can do that with my KANN and from SP1000M posts seems like people can do the same thing with that unit, will this one and other AK units do this?
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Oh boy, did I get flooded with questions about SR15 vs SR25 comparison 
So, I got a short term SR15 loaner just for this purpose because I was completely unfamiliar with the original one. And even by looking at dimensions on paper you can't really get a good feeling until you have them side-by-side. Here are a few comparison shots:
As you can see, it is a little bit bigger and overall design has a more premium look to align it better with futura and ultima series. Another thing that stands out is the display, bigger and with higher resolution. The difference is night'n'day, as you can see:
And the sound? Well, after spending the last half an hour listening to both, the same track, the same pair of IEMs (U18t), at the same volume level (output level is nearly identical) here is what I hear:
The tonality of these DAPs is nearly the same, both have a neutral balanced signature with a more natural fuller body tonality. And that is where all similarities end because SR25 technically is by far superior in comparison to SR15. SR25 soundstage is a little bit wider and has more depth, resulting in a better imaging and a more accurate positioning of instruments and vocals in space. Also, the sound of SR25 is more layered, more separated, and with a better vertical dynamics expansion, making SR15 sound flatter and more compressed in comparison. Relative to each other, SR15 does sound like a more entry level DAP while as I mentioned before, SR25 has a more solid mid-fi level performance.
So, I got a short term SR15 loaner just for this purpose because I was completely unfamiliar with the original one. And even by looking at dimensions on paper you can't really get a good feeling until you have them side-by-side. Here are a few comparison shots:
As you can see, it is a little bit bigger and overall design has a more premium look to align it better with futura and ultima series. Another thing that stands out is the display, bigger and with higher resolution. The difference is night'n'day, as you can see:
And the sound? Well, after spending the last half an hour listening to both, the same track, the same pair of IEMs (U18t), at the same volume level (output level is nearly identical) here is what I hear:
The tonality of these DAPs is nearly the same, both have a neutral balanced signature with a more natural fuller body tonality. And that is where all similarities end because SR25 technically is by far superior in comparison to SR15. SR25 soundstage is a little bit wider and has more depth, resulting in a better imaging and a more accurate positioning of instruments and vocals in space. Also, the sound of SR25 is more layered, more separated, and with a better vertical dynamics expansion, making SR15 sound flatter and more compressed in comparison. Relative to each other, SR15 does sound like a more entry level DAP while as I mentioned before, SR25 has a more solid mid-fi level performance.
who would these Canadian dealers be, I'm interested.
Hanesu
1000+ Head-Fier
Comparison to ZX507 would be interesting...
You can find a list of local dealers in Canada here - https://us.astellnkern.com/apps/store-locator/
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