Astell & Kern SR25: The next A&norma player

[TheRH]

How is the Mk II as a portable player to stream Qobuz or Tidal? I have a pair of 64 Audio U6Ts.

Thanks,
RH

 

[Luis Mad]

 

[DavidYH328]

BT Sink is sooo convenient!!!

 

[Chaz1952]

Hi. I've just used AK File Drop on my SR25. Initial setup went smoothly and the test album transferred at a speed that seemed similar to a wired connection. (Windows 10) It appears that there is only access to internal storage with File Drop. MicroSD card did not appear in the network file folder list. Can anyone confirm that this is correct? Thank you!

 

[JasonNYC]

Hi. I've just used AK File Drop on my SR25. Initial setup went smoothly and the test album transferred at a speed that seemed similar to a wired connection. (Windows 10) It appears that there is only access to internal storage with File Drop. MicroSD card did not appear in the network file folder list. Can anyone confirm that this is correct? Thank you!

Correct. Can only access internal memory with AK File Drop. You cannot access microSD card.

 

[Chaz1952]

Correct. Can only access internal memory with AK File Drop. You cannot access microSD card.

Thank you, Jason NYC!

 

[Bookutus]

Are you working to fix this? Only accessing the internal memory is disapointing and makes this great feature half useless…

 

[Luis Mad]

Bluetooth Sink works without problem with Iphone or Ipad. Unfortunately I cannot make it work with the AppleTV4k that does not display the connecting code and then displays an error and no connection.

 

[dgjl]

Have had the SR25 for about 2 weeks. After the initial 'new toy' joy has worn off, I must confess to becoming a little disappointed. I come from medium to high-end USB DAC experience (W2, S1 and S2, S9, Pee51, etc.) and I wanted to try the SR25 as I loved the A&K Pee51 DAC, but wanted something with substantial battery life. I was also expecting at least a marginal gain in sound from the SR25 over the Pee51. After much A/B-ing between the two, if anything the Pee51 has the better sound (flac lossless/hi res through UAPP to W80s). The SR25 has a thinner top end which can sound rather too fragile; the Pee51 is both prettier, fuller and more analogue to my ears. Balanced output didn't help. Also, the only app that I could get to work properly on the SR25 - e.g., a swift UI experience, effectively downloads a massive library, and plays in hi res - was the Apple Music app, which exacerbated that thinner top end compared to the native player or Qobuz. So the SR25 is being returned, which is a shame.

Replying to myself here... I decided to give the SR25 another go. This time I let it burn in for over 200 hours. Made a huge difference. That edgy, thinner, digital top end was tamed and thickened and the sound filled out. This is using the 2.5 output. Cable choice also made a difference. I was using the ie900s with stock cable. Changed to a Fiio LC2.5D cable and that also helped. Very much enjoying the smooth, warm, hyper articulate sound of the SR25 now.

 

[luckexplorer]

SR25 MKII Update 1.12 : Wifi problems solved for me !

 

[tbrobison]

Bluetooth Sink works without problem with Iphone or Ipad. Unfortunately I cannot make it work with the AppleTV4k that does not display the connecting code and then displays an error and no connection.

Hi Luis, at the risk of sounding like I just fell out of a turnip truck, what is 'bluetooth sink'?

 

[JasonNYC]

Hi Luis, at the risk of sounding like I just fell out of a turnip truck, what is 'bluetooth sink'?

Bluetooth send/receive, Bluetooth DAC mode. Makes no sense to me why it is called Bluetooth Sink, but that is the official technical term for Bluetooth send/receive.

 

[JasonNYC]

Bluetooth send/receive, Bluetooth DAC mode. Makes no sense to me why it is called Bluetooth Sink, but that is the official technical term for Bluetooth send/receive.

more info:

In a two-way BT send/receive, the device transmitting via Bluetooth is the BT Source and the receiving device - headphones, TWS, or in this case, the SR25 is the BT Sink.

 

[tbrobison]

more info:

In a two-way BT send/receive, the device transmitting via Bluetooth is the BT Source and the receiving device - headphones, TWS, or in this case, the SR25 is the BT Sink.

Thanks for the clarification, Jason. ("What's our vector, Victor?"). Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

 

[Luis Mad]

more info:

In a two-way BT send/receive, the device transmitting via Bluetooth is the BT Source and the receiving device - headphones, TWS, or in this case, the SR25 is the BT Sink.

Thank you Jason, any clue how to make it work with AppleTV4k as BT source?
I can connect the AppleTV4k with my Sony nwa55L as Sink without problem but with the SR25, the AppleTV4k does not display the pairing code and the displays an error and does not connect.