Great comparison!! Personal opinion, I love how the A&K DAP's look, quite elegant and premium with edgy designs, and not to mention their user experience is pretty smooth.

Great review! thanks, very helpful

This is the review I'm looking for. Well done

I like your review. Clear. Simple. Cut to the Chase.

Awesome comparison @Resolve, time for a showdown! The DAP Battles.

Very neat and well structured comparison. I wonder how the fiio m11pro would fare against these two. It is around the same price point if not a little lower and the functionality in my opinions rivals these two pound for pound. Any chance in the future you may get some fiio products in house for review or as reference

The angled face is such an essential feature, where is the left handed model?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the A8000 iem? How would they compare to the u12t? Would you still prefer the u12t at that price point?

Thank You For An Honest Unbiased Review and You Explained It Very Well !!!

Hi Andrew, Thank you for a great comparison and review. Love it =)

great comparison! subscribed!

Will this power the Audeze LCD-2C without an amp?

Hey Andrew, again a top Review. Thank you. Did you have a chance to use the Bluetooth remote Feature on the SR-25? Where you connect your mobile via the App and use the SR 25 remotely over your mobile phones or tablet's bigger display. Similar to Fiio/Hiby link. Wonder if it works only with your own files or the remote function also works with Qobuz, Tidal, Amazon HD Music and Spotify Premium. We use all of the services and I have big fingers :) This little DAP is on my list. Wonder how it compares to my ifi xDSD, the DX160, M11(Pro) and Cayin N6ii soundwise. I had the Hiby R5, which was at 500 Euro, as xmas present by my wife and it was sonically underwhelming vs my ifi xDSD. So we send it back. Have to check out if the SR-25 does ful mqa roll out. Think it would be the first by this company. Not that it would be super important, but nice to have. Hope Anthony get's out also a review and adds this DAP to his comparison list on the forum ;)

Thx for the vid. I will buy the SR25.

I’d like to know if SR25 can support Hifiman Arya and Audeze LCD-3 ? Does it have enough power to drive it ?

Do you think the sr25 will power the zmf verite closed or better off stepping up to the kann alpha for its higher power? Right now I’m using the mojo for portable use but would like to use tidal with mqa like I do at home.

Hi, I have fiio x5lll, will upgrading to sr25 be a huge upgrade, in terms of speed, sound quality etc. Also I have a ifi hip DAC, will it be of any use with the sr25. Thanks

For me, size is important, I don't care about the battery life. 8.9 hours is enough for me,. I have the fiio m9 maybe this ak 15 is fine for me for upgrade

Great review

Great review, thanks for sharing. I use SR15 with Andromeda with balanced cables. I agree that battery life is on the shorter side (though it satisfies a few hours of flight or a medium back and forth commute to work etc). I think I will stick with SR15 since there would be no difference in SQ.

MQA support on both?

You finally got the Arya hope to see some comparison against Ananda and LCD-X. I am surprised you said SR15 was able to drive Arya fine which majority of Arya owner will disagree. I am not buying Arya only for the reason I can't afford a reasonable amp to drive these.

Whats your opinion on the HD700, and how would you compare it to the Sundara?

I want something that sounds like my btr5 when plugged into my laptop. I imagine it shouldn't be hard I just don't know where to look... maybe this? But the btr5 sounds great when plugged into a pc.

So is the SR25 worth +$200 now that the SR15s are on sale...? Great review, it helps me make the decision!

For SR25 owners quick question, do you think the SR25 still worth considering? I know the MKII might seem to be an upgrade but I rarely saw them out on sale compared to the MKI

Why is that small partable device bigger and crlunckier ten my phone?

This might be an odd comparison, considering the price difference and release date; but how would the SR25 compare to Sony's NW-WM1A from a sound quality stand point?

SR25 it is - best in-ear headphones to buy to match with this fine unit? (gimme a top 5/10 list to choose from if you know your shitz!) thanking you kindly....

thanks for saying they sound the same. just bought a used sr15

Hi brother I just got mojo poly and I’m very happy with it.now I’m considering sr25 mkii,pair with mojo. Do you think I need to buy sr25 mkii to replace the phone?thanks for your reply

I'll be buying this as a significant upgrade to the horrendous battery life of the AK70 and because the AK70's BT can't work with my Sony XM3's.

Hi dose the sr15 have enough power (volume) to power up an open headphones 250oms ?

can I streem from laptop? what doing LDAC?

I can understand comparing to the previous model, but how does the sound compare to a late model iPhone? I assume it would be better, but how much better?

This dap looks great 😉 is it much better than the m11 (dacs)

If you take the SR25 and SR15 with the Sennhaizer EI 80 S, will you hear a difference in sound?

which is better in terms of loudness n bass?sony zx500 walkman or this?

isn't this good to go for ipod nano instead of this???

whats the best DAP that supports usb audio, mqa and has in built amp around $1000 and below

Can one use Qobuz or Deezer? Don't want to change to Tidal.

Hi, I Have A Pair Of Campfire Audio ATLAS, Looking For A Good Portable Audio Player, The A&K SR25 is Works well with Atlas ? Or Do You Have Any Other Suggestion? please.

Hi .I want to know if I can make a playlist with this mp3 SR25. Thank you

Maybe consider reviewing astell&kern x beyerdynamic t9ie, qdc anole vx, tralucent audio ref gen 3, SoftEars RS10 in the future?

I think is also MQA enabled dap. No reference to that?

Have you reviewed the SR25 MK ll… and the kann alpha

Does it have any noise with final a8000? And how is the overall sound with a8000?

I have a FiiO M11 Pro. Want a warmer sound. Would this suit?

If you had to choose between the sound quality of the iBasso DX160 and the SR25, what do you go with?

Thanks for this video! Which is better for Tidal? SR25, SR15 or Fiio M11 Pro?

Can I use apple music on this dap ?

What is the android OS version ? Also does it come with google play store ?

where is the website link?

Is it good pair with ananda?

Hello , Great Vid , can i ask how to reinstate the Back button if removed from the now playing screen ( white Circle ) back button , Cheers

No more AK for me ( owner of sp1000 and sr25 ) because lack of 4.4mm

Astell and Kern complete shootout?

Especially since i am not so into it that I know what abbreviations / shortcuts of devices being said, but you are speaking so fast, dropping letters from words and spaces between words, it is a strain to listen.- from NY, and I can deal with accents (that is not the case here)._ thank you,.

If I always carry my phone, and can get a dragonfly, why would I still want a dap?

Between this and Fiio M11 which is better?

Is there Apple music support?

how would this compare to getting an lg v60 for 300 dollars and using it without a sim card as a dap

I have a Sony A55. Can anyone verify a significant sonic upgrade for the SR 25? $700 is a stretch and I need reasonable assurance of a benefit. Nice review.

I recently purchased this device. I have apple AirPod max headphones with apple lightning to 3.5 mm adapter and an audio 3.5mm cable. To my understanding is it accurate that the AirPods maxes do not have lossless sound option? Also, if I use this device with my AirPods maxes will I at least be able to tell a difference in sound quality between this device and my iPhone? Thanks for you time

Does the EQ actually work? On my AK70 mk2 the EQ is barely noticeable even on extreme ends.

Can this DAP drive an HD 800s?

That tilted screen would drive me nuts!

What is the difference between this and a regular MP3 player in term of sound quality? Is it really a day and night difference?

About how much better does it sound than an iPhone? 10% 20% 50%?

Astell&Kern is a subsidiary founded in 2013 of South Korean consumer electronics company Iriver masquerading as a boutique hifi company with a Western sounding name in order to charge a hefty premium for DAPs- a segment that is quickly going the way of the dodo bird. There is no Joe or Bob or Pierce Astell and neither is there a Kern. But hey, maybe others don't care but this kind of marketing ploy rubs me the wrong way. I get it, do as you wish with your money. But... ick...? Just to be clear, love the show, just a little peeved (not at Andrew) about this brand and its shady marketing.

The 25 ,Is much darker sounding than the 15. Confirmed by other sites including AK themselves on a interview

Thank you for the video....just question...Sr25 or M11 Pro?

Something like the Ibasso DX160 seems to be a much better deal compared to this...

I see that arya... but that is like using a civic to tow a dump truck.

I hate this! No tidal download makes it useless for me. Very disappointing, expensive. Dose not matter what it sounds like if you can't use it off line. A pissed of customer.

just a generic android device with a dragonfly red, thank you...

What's the difference, none, you can't read the screen!