[linknet]

Have not read anything about SR25 & 64 Audio Nio. How does it sound? Can someone help please??? Thanks!

 

[kdl0123]

Hello all. I'm new too in the DAPs world and I'm looking for a real nice sounding DAP under 1200 € or so.
It will be my first DAP, but I'm decided to begin with a very good product.
I plan to use it at home and on the go as well, and I'm prioritizing sound quality overall but, of course, there're other needs involved like Tidal and MQA decoding (including offline content), 2.5 & 3.5 connectors at least, decent battery life, nice OS experience...

SR25 is the first option because it checks a lot of the boxes, but it would be great to have some input from users that have owned (or listened to for some days at least) 3+ DAPs at this level or higher to help me with my lack of experience with DAPs. I don't mind if at this price point there's another DAP that sounds a pinch better, but I'd hate to buy a DAP like SR25 for 850€ and find another one for 1100-1200 € that is a real jump regarding sound quality, presentation...

Sadly, as a lot of people these days, I cannot listen to the DAPs physically before purchasing them, so I've read/viewed all the reviews I was able to find, most of the replies in his thread (and the other one here in head-fi too) and finally made an idea to begin with (although I don't know most of reviewers and their sound preferences, so I find hard to get some information sometimes).

So if anyone can help, some useful info:

I listen to 90% Tidal (including MQA files) and some other music (10%) in wav 24/44.1 or flac 24/96.
Classical music only represents the 5-10% of the music I listen to nowadays. 80% is mainly jazz, rock, metal and progressive rock/metal, so I don't enjoy a lot the "cold" sound of some of the most analytical DACs.
In general lines I like full and impactful sound. The "big" one. And I know for sure which of my IEMs offer that, so that would not be a limitation. I'm not a bass head, but always enjoy a good rumble and like a lot impactful and not recessed mid/high bass but without adding.
I'm planning to pair the DAP basically with NCM Bella IEMs (very sensitive, a pinch below Andro's lvl, I think) and LZ A6 (harder to drive due to the piezo driver). Maybe some day I'll get some planar headphone (next year's Christmas?), but I plan to eventually get a desktop amp if this is the case.

The simple question would be: Would you purchase SR25 again with a 1200 € budget?
And a bonus, because I've read really different opinions: Sonically SR25 is better than M15?

SR25 is more about overall performance such as size, battery, sound. Sonically is not the best under 1200 €. Also, 850€ is a bit over priced, price in Hong Kong is much lower.

 

[Luis Mad]

Hello all. I'm new too in the DAPs world and I'm looking for a real nice sounding DAP under 1200 € or so.
It will be my first DAP, but I'm decided to begin with a very good product.
I plan to use it at home and on the go as well, and I'm prioritizing sound quality overall but, of course, there're other needs involved like Tidal and MQA decoding (including offline content), 2.5 & 3.5 connectors at least, decent battery life, nice OS experience...

SR25 is the first option because it checks a lot of the boxes, but it would be great to have some input from users that have owned (or listened to for some days at least) 3+ DAPs at this level or higher to help me with my lack of experience with DAPs. I don't mind if at this price point there's another DAP that sounds a pinch better, but I'd hate to buy a DAP like SR25 for 850€ and find another one for 1100-1200 € that is a real jump regarding sound quality, presentation...

Sadly, as a lot of people these days, I cannot listen to the DAPs physically before purchasing them, so I've read/viewed all the reviews I was able to find, most of the replies in his thread (and the other one here in head-fi too) and finally made an idea to begin with (although I don't know most of reviewers and their sound preferences, so I find hard to get some information sometimes).

So if anyone can help, some useful info:

I listen to 90% Tidal (including MQA files) and some other music (10%) in wav 24/44.1 or flac 24/96.
Classical music only represents the 5-10% of the music I listen to nowadays. 80% is mainly jazz, rock, metal and progressive rock/metal, so I don't enjoy a lot the "cold" sound of some of the most analytical DACs.
In general lines I like full and impactful sound. The "big" one. And I know for sure which of my IEMs offer that, so that would not be a limitation. I'm not a bass head, but always enjoy a good rumble and like a lot impactful and not recessed mid/high bass but without adding.
I'm planning to pair the DAP basically with NCM Bella IEMs (very sensitive, a pinch below Andro's lvl, I think) and LZ A6 (harder to drive due to the piezo driver). Maybe some day I'll get some planar headphone (next year's Christmas?), but I plan to eventually get a desktop amp if this is the case.

The simple question would be: Would you purchase SR25 again with a 1200 € budget?
And a bonus, because I've read really different opinions: Sonically SR25 is better than M15?

SR25 is more about overall performance such as size, battery, sound. Sonically is not the best under 1200 €. Also, 850€ is a bit over priced, price in Hong Kong is much lower.

I completely agree with our friend from Hong Kong. For me the SR25 is mainly sound, soft, smooth, battery excellent and small portable size.
Downside wifi range is very weak with cuts if you move a bit far from the source (with 0 problems with my Iphone or Ipad). And then of course smaller things: the ui could be better coming from the Apple world, the almost useless physical buttons with the case...
I cannot compare with the Fiios but the other direct competitor is the Sony 507 that you should disregard since you are in Europe and you would get the capped volume Sony unless you are ready to import directly from outside the EU. Also the battery is apparently very weak.
would I buy the SR25 again? Yes. It is not perfect but it is very good. Specially sound! To take full advantage use the balanced outputs that give in my opinion a better sound, not just volume! I have just received the balanced meze cable that serves my Denon Ah-D7200 with excellent results. I cannot avoid posting a pic!

As to the price, there are regularly, a couple of times a year, days without VAT. I bought the Sr25 in the last for 700 euros. I bought it in Studio22 but it was also available for the same price in El Corte Ingles that you can easily find in Barcelona. Also just a couple of weeks ago it was available in Amazon for 750. Surely it will drop again if you keep track. Hope this helps!

 

[Broquen]

SR25 is more about overall performance such as size, battery, sound. Sonically is not the best under 1200 €. Also, 850€ is a bit over priced, price in Hong Kong is much lower.

I completely agree with our friend from Hong Kong. For me the SR25 is mainly sound, soft, smooth, battery excellent and small portable size.
Downside wifi range is very weak with cuts if you move a bit far from the source (with 0 problems with my Iphone or Ipad). And then of course smaller things: the ui could be better coming from the Apple world, the almost useless physical buttons with the case...
I cannot compare with the Fiios but the other direct competitor is the Sony 507 that you should disregard since you are in Europe and you would get the capped volume Sony unless you are ready to import directly from outside the EU. Also the battery is apparently very weak.
would I buy the SR25 again? Yes. It is not perfect but it is very good. Specially sound! To take full advantage use the balanced outputs that give in my opinion a better sound, not just volume! I have just received the balanced meze cable that serves my Denon Ah-D7200 with excellent results. I cannot avoid posting a pic!


As to the price, there are regularly, a couple of times a year, days without VAT. I bought the Sr25 in the last for 700 euros. I bought it in Studio22 but it was also available for the same price in El Corte Ingles that you can easily find in Barcelona. Also just a couple of weeks ago it was available in Amazon for 750. Surely it will drop again if you keep track. Hope this helps!

Many thanks both!

@Luis Mad gorgeous pict...
I was already thinking about waiting for some sale (e. g. Black Friday). Many thanks for the rest of the tips too! I din't think of El Corte Inglés and their service quality (warranties included)
Comments like yours are what drove me to the SR25 hehe. But the thing is, there's an important difference between 700-750 € and 1200 €, and that is what makes me think that there should be a better (real) portable player that maybe I'm missing. But it's true that the SR25 checks most of the boxes and it makes competition hard.

Anyway, the best thing here is in case I finally buy SR25, I know I'll be very happy with the purchase too

 

[Tstorey]

Well I bit the bullet and bought myself a little lockdown pressie. Will be here tomorrow so I look forward to having a play and loading up Amazon HD music to download from

 

[mwizenbe]

Still struggling with my Wi-Fi connection and the AK25. If I connect it to my home wi-fi (BT) it is stable for maximum 7 minutes then the player stops (I am trying with Qobuz). And the connection drops. I have to turn the screen on and press play, then it reconnects... for another 7 minutes

If I connect it to my mobile network (creating a Personal Hotspot with my phone) the connection is stable and no interruption!

In both connections the Wi-Fi is showing as strong...

Any suggestions or tips??? Any configuration settings on the BT Hub I should try.

 

[ddoyle777]

Still struggling with my Wi-Fi connection and the AK25. If I connect it to my home wi-fi (BT) it is stable for maximum 7 minutes then the player stops (I am trying with Qobuz). And the connection drops. I have to turn the screen on and press play, then it reconnects... for another 7 minutes

If I connect it to my mobile network (creating a Personal Hotspot with my phone) the connection is stable and no interruption!

In both connections the Wi-Fi is showing as strong...

Any suggestions or tips??? Any configuration settings on the BT Hub I should try.

This is a seemingly common SR25 problem. Mine does the same thing with Tidal and many others have reported similar issues. I guess the only one not having this problem is A&K who doesn’t acknowledge it exists.
Welcome to the world of the SR25 - the nonstreaming streaming player.

 

[mwizenbe]

This is a seemingly common SR25 problem. Mine does the same thing with Tidal and many others have reported similar issues. I guess the only one not having this problem is A&K who doesn’t acknowledge it exists.
Welcome to the world of the SR25 - the nonstreaming streaming player.

Thanks - I was getting crazy trying to sort it out, port forwarding, disabling firewalls, nothing worked, changing wi-fi modes
Hopefully they will sort it out in some firmware upgrade - hopefully...
There is someone from A&K in this forum - he/she is extremely silent on this...

 

[purplesun]

Still struggling with my Wi-Fi connection and the AK25. If I connect it to my home wi-fi (BT) it is stable for maximum 7 minutes then the player stops (I am trying with Qobuz). And the connection drops. I have to turn the screen on and press play, then it reconnects... for another 7 minutes

If I connect it to my mobile network (creating a Personal Hotspot with my phone) the connection is stable and no interruption!

Thanks - I was getting crazy trying to sort it out, port forwarding, disabling firewalls, nothing worked, changing wi-fi modes

Which router are you using? Am using Asus AC87U, and Netgear R7000 as access point. They are old routers with recent firmwares; the SR25 seems fine with them (built-in tidal app streaming). But I get disconnects when I wander too far away or when there's too many walls in-between.

 

[Neweymatt]

This is a seemingly common SR25 problem. Mine does the same thing with Tidal and many others have reported similar issues. I guess the only one not having this problem is A&K who doesn’t acknowledge it exists.
Welcome to the world of the SR25 - the nonstreaming streaming player.

While I am on record in this very thread complaining about WiFi and BT on the SR25, I can say that a router upgrade fixed all of my home WiFi problems, and now the SR25 works like a champ.

If I connect it to my mobile network (creating a Personal Hotspot with my phone) the connection is stable and no interruption!

If you have no issues with the SR25 tethered to your phone, then the problem is with your home WiFi. Granted, it's probably only the SR25 that highlights this in such annoying fashion, but you may have other devices at home that are not connecting optimally as well, they just hide it better.

 

[povidlo]

While I am on record in this very thread complaining about WiFi and BT on the SR25, I can say that a router upgrade fixed all of my home WiFi problems, and now the SR25 works like a champ.



If you have no issues with the SR25 tethered to your phone, then the problem is with your home WiFi. Granted, it's probably only the SR25 that highlights this in such annoying fashion, but you may have other devices at home that are not connecting optimally as well, they just hide it better.

What router did you get?

 

[Neweymatt]

These TP-Link Deco M5 are not expensive and work well. Easy to set up and forget about.

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop...5-whole-home-mesh-wifi-3-pack-system-tpdecom5

I've only used 2 of the 3pack so far. My house is 'average' size, I've got one upstairs, one downstairs. The SR25 can connect anywhere inside, and works up to about 10-15 meters outside.

I was a little annoyed at first that I had to get new WiFi to properly enjoy my fancy-new-DAP-music-toy, but the 8-year-old Apple AirPort Express had to go anyway, and my kids don't complain anymore about the internet.

 

[mwizenbe]

Thanks - I was getting crazy trying to sort it out, port forwarding, disabling firewalls, nothing worked, changing wi-fi modes
Hopefully they will sort it out in some firmware upgrade - hopefully...
There is someone from A&K in this forum - he/she is extremely silent on this...

1. I am using a BT Smart Hub 2, the most advanced by British Telecom - its specs are actually really good "The Smart Hub 2 provides 7 antennas uniquely positioned to maximise power, the latest Wi-Fi technology, smart channel selection, smart scan and clever app-based services to help them set up and manage their home Wi-Fi. BT Smart Hub 2 comes with 2 DECT antennas and integrated support for Ultrafast broadband"
2. Additionally I have 3 Mesh WiFi Discs through the house and an Airport Extreme.
3. I tried connecting to all of the different access points they provide @ 2.4GHz - no difference.
4. I have multiple devices connected to them - no issues whatsoever - video streamers, TV's, audio streamers, lights, heating, etc.. . I put the SR25 basically next to the router (about 3 meters) - connection is always showing between good and excellent.
5. It is lke the SR25 decides to put the connection to "sleep" after a certain period of time - once you press the power button to bring the screen back on and press play it reconnects with no problem and continues playing...

So my take on the AK SR25 so far:
- Sound/Interface - impressive - will not go technical, there are better and more experienced people in this forum!
- AK Connect - brilliant idea if it worked for more than minutes - since it depends on Wifi, it also disconnects after a certain period of time... I would love to use my IPAD to remote control it while it is playing its impressive sound through a line out to my audio equipment. Pity.
- Line Out - brilliant - although it took me sometime to understand you have first to fiddle with the volume control and actually press "Line Out" on the screen for it to activate and then you can not touch the volume control anymore or line out disconnects This is smart, but I did not find anywhere in the manual that describes this two-step process. Google saved me
- BT - seems to work really well, if you keep devices close. Identifies the codec to use, lets you know it when you connect, no issues.
- AK Customer Support - do they really exist? For weeks now I sent them messages via their website, via their Europe support at Iriver, and not even an automated acknowledgement that they received the query. I sent a private PM yesterday to the AK rep in this forum, who is extremely silent on this issue, who knows? Maybe he/she will respond.

As a DAP is brilliant. As everything else they try to sell it for - android based, access to apps (I have no problem they have to whitelist it - although I will lose BBC iPlayer until they decide to whitelist the replacement BBC Sounds), AK Connect, it is lousy - and their customer support, at least from my experience, inexistent.

If they at least acknowledge they may have a problem and commit to resolve it on an upcoming firmware upgrade - but since they do not acknowledge their existence, this may not be possible.

The question is then - do I keep it and forget about WiFi, Ak Connect and Apps? Or do I return it, get a refund and move on?

 

[JelStIy]

1. I am using a BT Smart Hub 2, the most advanced by British Telecom - its specs are actually really good "The Smart Hub 2 provides 7 antennas uniquely positioned to maximise power, the latest Wi-Fi technology, smart channel selection, smart scan and clever app-based services to help them set up and manage their home Wi-Fi. BT Smart Hub 2 comes with 2 DECT antennas and integrated support for Ultrafast broadband"
2. Additionally I have 3 Mesh WiFi Discs through the house and an Airport Extreme.
3. I tried connecting to all of the different access points they provide @ 2.4GHz - no difference.
4. I have multiple devices connected to them - no issues whatsoever - video streamers, TV's, audio streamers, lights, heating, etc.. . I put the SR25 basically next to the router (about 3 meters) - connection is always showing between good and excellent.
5. It is lke the SR25 decides to put the connection to "sleep" after a certain period of time - once you press the power button to bring the screen back on and press play it reconnects with no problem and continues playing...

So my take on the AK SR25 so far:
- Sound/Interface - impressive - will not go technical, there are better and more experienced people in this forum!
- AK Connect - brilliant idea if it worked for more than minutes - since it depends on Wifi, it also disconnects after a certain period of time... I would love to use my IPAD to remote control it while it is playing its impressive sound through a line out to my audio equipment. Pity.
- Line Out - brilliant - although it took me sometime to understand you have first to fiddle with the volume control and actually press "Line Out" on the screen for it to activate and then you can not touch the volume control anymore or line out disconnects This is smart, but I did not find anywhere in the manual that describes this two-step process. Google saved me
- BT - seems to work really well, if you keep devices close. Identifies the codec to use, lets you know it when you connect, no issues.
- AK Customer Support - do they really exist? For weeks now I sent them messages via their website, via their Europe support at Iriver, and not even an automated acknowledgement that they received the query. I sent a private PM yesterday to the AK rep in this forum, who is extremely silent on this issue, who knows? Maybe he/she will respond.

As a DAP is brilliant. As everything else they try to sell it for - android based, access to apps (I have no problem they have to whitelist it - although I will lose BBC iPlayer until they decide to whitelist the replacement BBC Sounds), AK Connect, it is lousy - and their customer support, at least from my experience, inexistent.

If they at least acknowledge they may have a problem and commit to resolve it on an upcoming firmware upgrade - but since they do not acknowledge their existence, this may not be possible.

The question is then - do I keep it and forget about WiFi, Ak Connect and Apps? Or do I return it, get a refund and move on?

Did you try to use a fixed channel on the WiFi?

 

[mwizenbe]

Did you try to use a fixed channel on the WiFi?

Yes, it was fixed at Channel 1, after it was selected as the optimal by the hub.