Hello, between this and kann alpha which is better in terms of sound quality and amplification power? Im going to use it with tidal online/offline, thanks
Have finally reached the point where i can't sync my iPhone with iTunes...Started looking into other options. From what i can tell this device can only playback audio through dedicated jacks, there is no built in speaker, correct? Do you have any recommendations for music players with built in speaker + Headphone jack? Any recommendations for software to replace iTunes? Also, what's up with the tilted display? How does that not get annoying? Maybe i'm not hip enough to get it, but if i'm spending money on a portable music player i want it to be straight to the point, with no annoying gimmicks that actually interfere with the ease of use. Any recommendations ?
Glad i didn’t bought the original model. Yeah it’s like you mentioned in the review,best entry level AK DAP for newbies that come late in the game. Own this model several months ago and i love every second with it. Beautiful gorgeous well made dap. Seriously beautiful. The weight also nice to hold and the leather case compliment it so good. Portable enough for my daily commute. Sound quality is good enough for my ears. I didn’t have the original model so can’t compared with it. Maybe micro upgrade from the old model. The current owner of sr25 maybe can stick with it until next model. Maybe they will used new chip for norma line
@MoonAudio Thank you so much for the great review! I'm actually the owner of an SR15 from a few years back. Got it at a reduced price as an entry level dap and my only wish is that the battery lasted longer, especially with playback of DSD files... other than that excellent little player, it really is night and day compared to my phone or pc speakers. :) I was thinking lately that perhaps it's time to make the jump to a higher level portable DAP.... In your experience, should I go for the AK Kann Alpha, or would you recommend a second hand older model from AK? Thank you very much for your time & consideration. All the best!
I've just snaffled an original SR25 at a massively reduced price, thanks to it being discontinued, and the file drop, and AK Connect features are both there for the original SR25 with the latest firmware update. It also allows direct download of the correct versions of Qobuz and Apple Music. So the original is still a great deal, especially at a fraction of the original price, if you're lucky enough to find one.
Absolutely! It’s just not the sound quality,the entire smoothness of the system OS also different. Well, the price also different so yeah. If you ask me, jumping from sr15 to sr25 mk2 is absolutely worth it. Or maybe you can go for slightly cheap SR25
Hi Fede Bo - yes, it's a nicer experience all around with a much-needed update on the internals. We recommend it! You can read more here: www.moon-audio.com/astell-kern-sr25-mkii-dap-music-player-review
We recommend the Empire Ears Bravado MKII as our best IEMs for EDM under $1000. The AK ZERO1 and the Shure SE846 are also great options for a similar price. The absolute best of the best we carry is the Empire Ears Legend EVO! 🙂
Is there a big difference between listening from a phone or a music player like Sony or fiio And is it worth spending $700 or $600 on a music player And Thank you
Hi! What firmware should I download cause I just bought yesterday SR35and couldn’t download the Spotify and others?. I don’t have laptop but can I download in iPhone ? Thanks
The SR35's firmware it ships with has Spotify and other apps available directly in the the services menu under the "Downloads" tab. If you are having any technical issues with a product bought from us you should reach out to us via our Contact Us form: www.moon-audio.com/contact-us
Hello Steve, there should be an option to download streaming apps onto your SR25 MKII. If you're still having trouble, please reach out to us here: www.moon-audio.com/contact-us
This better than Sony Walkman nw-zx507 ? Can't decide which one to buy. Thinking giving up my smartphone for features dumb phone with wifi hotspot. And use the DAP
This unit is better in a variety of ways: newer, better OS, longer battery life, and many find the sound to be better out of the two devices. The NW-ZX507 is the lighter of the two devices and it is easier to fit in a pocket for walking/running. Both are great DAPs to choose from! For a more in-depth comparison, send us an email via our contact page: www.moon-audio.com/contact-us 🙂
I'm new to having a dap. Recently i picked up an older A&K AK120 and am blown away with the difference from my phone. Just wondering how much of an improvement in overall experience i would get from getting a SR25 MKII?
Technology is improving by the hour. There have been significant changes since the AK120. It should be a decent upgrade. And now you can also Stream via Tidal or Qobuz etc..www.moon-audio.com/a-norma-sr25-mkii-music-player-dap.html
@@davewilton3101 You can, with the latest update Amazon Music is also supported via their open app store. It doesn't come on the device, but it is available via the download tab in the services section.
How would you say the sound of the original SR25 compares to the Kann Alpha? Power output aside, is that a reasonable next step for someone who has an SR25 and wants to take mobile to the next level?
The Alpha is certainly next level, and a highly recommended DAP. Check out our review to see if it'll be a good upgrade for you! moon-audio.com/videos/v/astell-kern-kann-alpha-music-player-review/226169022
The MkII is so good! But the Bluetooth is literally unusable if you're walking and it's in your pocket. How did this pass their standards? I mostly use wired cans, but sometimes my true wireless buds are more practical for walks.
Will the sr 25 run hifiman sundara headphones or HD650s. I have AKG 371 and are pleased with them but could you recommend any headphones for me to get the most out of the sr 25 please
Yes, the SR 25 MkII can drive the Hifiman Sundara and the HD650s very well. If you ware willing to spend a little bit more, the Hifiman Edition XS is an incredible headphone at it's price range and I feel it is a big set up over both the Sundara and the HD650s.
Please email us here so we can ask you a bunch of questions as it comes down to forn function and what options are important. www.moon-audio.com/contact-us
We don't feel that listening samples in a RUclips video do any headphones or audio gear justice. With RUclips's compression and whatever audio gear the viewer has on their end, there are just too many variables involved to give a clear, useful sample of what a headphone sounds like in person. Yes, you might be able to get an idea of a headphone's sound from a sample within a RUclips video, but it will never compare to listening in person. Hope this helps! 🙂
@moon-audio That's true, didn't think of it like that. But how would you say this dap compares to the Cowon Plenue D soundwise? Because Cowon's Plenue line have a lot of EQ settings and this don't seem to have that much? Like mach bass, 3d bass, mp enhance, etc. Because I've always had Cowon but their lines dead now, don't sell them anymore and my needs outweigh my Cowon Plenue D and Plenue M. So want to make sure soundwise how it sounds with its own EQ settings.
My experience with the product has been frustrating at best (can't handle multi-albums properly, doesn't consistently displays artwork...). Sadly, the support team from A&K US has first been rude and unhelpful and now disregarding my request for support entirely. For product at this price point, it's a huge issue. I cannot recommend to buy from this company.
CS4398 more than 30$ it's equal to quality sound than the first price laptop. Now use it with Flac on SD card and u have the garbage sound that everyone tell to appreciate. Try it , tell me...
The entry level A&K sucks, I have this DAP and the sound is the same of my PC or mobile. I music this 💩 of DAP with my > 2k IEMs. Please be smart and don’t waste your money in A&K entry level
iFi audio hip-dac2 is much better with my s23 ultra phone & Sennheiser IE 900 headphones, CABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN MOB & IFI DAC IS MORE DESIRABLE THAN BLUETOOTH, CHEERS,I wish,A&K will make good dac&player, just for iphones&samsung phones with usb-c cable for audiophile needs!!
Hello, between this and kann alpha which is better in terms of sound quality and amplification power? Im going to use it with tidal online/offline, thanks
Have finally reached the point where i can't sync my iPhone with iTunes...Started looking into other options. From what i can tell this device can only playback audio through dedicated jacks, there is no built in speaker, correct? Do you have any recommendations for music players with built in speaker + Headphone jack? Any recommendations for software to replace iTunes?
Also, what's up with the tilted display? How does that not get annoying? Maybe i'm not hip enough to get it, but if i'm spending money on a portable music player i want it to be straight to the point, with no annoying gimmicks that actually interfere with the ease of use. Any recommendations ?
Glad i didn’t bought the original model. Yeah it’s like you mentioned in the review,best entry level AK DAP for newbies that come late in the game.
Own this model several months ago and i love every second with it. Beautiful gorgeous well made dap. Seriously beautiful. The weight also nice to hold and the leather case compliment it so good. Portable enough for my daily commute.
Sound quality is good enough for my ears. I didn’t have the original model so can’t compared with it. Maybe micro upgrade from the old model. The current owner of sr25 maybe can stick with it until next model. Maybe they will used new chip for norma line
All great points. Thanks for watching!
Can SR25ii streaming Tidal or Apple Music?
@MoonAudio Thank you so much for the great review! I'm actually the owner of an SR15 from a few years back. Got it at a reduced price as an entry level dap and my only wish is that the battery lasted longer, especially with playback of DSD files... other than that excellent little player, it really is night and day compared to my phone or pc speakers. :)
I was thinking lately that perhaps it's time to make the jump to a higher level portable DAP.... In your experience, should I go for the AK Kann Alpha, or would you recommend a second hand older model from AK?
Thank you very much for your time & consideration. All the best!
Hello. What earphone is used? What brand and model? Thank you
Meze Advar were used: www.moon-audio.com/meze-advar-in-ear-monitors.html
I've just snaffled an original SR25 at a massively reduced price, thanks to it being discontinued, and the file drop, and AK Connect features are both there for the original SR25 with the latest firmware update. It also allows direct download of the correct versions of Qobuz and Apple Music. So the original is still a great deal, especially at a fraction of the original price, if you're lucky enough to find one.
Hi, are the differences in sound quality between sr15 and the sr25 ii relevant? Thanks
Absolutely! It’s just not the sound quality,the entire smoothness of the system OS also different. Well, the price also different so yeah. If you ask me, jumping from sr15 to sr25 mk2 is absolutely worth it. Or maybe you can go for slightly cheap SR25
Hi Fede Bo - yes, it's a nicer experience all around with a much-needed update on the internals. We recommend it! You can read more here: www.moon-audio.com/astell-kern-sr25-mkii-dap-music-player-review
im a newbie and will use this strictly for out and about whilst t using nothing but a decent pair of IEMs
what iems would you reccomend for edm music
We recommend the Empire Ears Bravado MKII as our best IEMs for EDM under $1000. The AK ZERO1 and the Shure SE846 are also great options for a similar price. The absolute best of the best we carry is the Empire Ears Legend EVO! 🙂
Is there a big difference between listening from a phone or a music player like Sony or fiio
And is it worth spending $700 or $600 on a music player
And Thank you
Digital audio players are much better for sound quality than your phone!
yes
just a little more complicated, than the cheaper fiio‘s
Hi! What firmware should I download cause I just bought yesterday SR35and couldn’t download the Spotify and others?. I don’t have laptop but can I download in iPhone ? Thanks
The SR35's firmware it ships with has Spotify and other apps available directly in the the services menu under the "Downloads" tab. If you are having any technical issues with a product bought from us you should reach out to us via our Contact Us form: www.moon-audio.com/contact-us
How do you add streaming services to player. Xlnt review and so helpful thanks
Hello Steve, there should be an option to download streaming apps onto your SR25 MKII. If you're still having trouble, please reach out to us here: www.moon-audio.com/contact-us
This better than Sony Walkman nw-zx507 ? Can't decide which one to buy. Thinking giving up my smartphone for features dumb phone with wifi hotspot. And use the DAP
This unit is better in a variety of ways: newer, better OS, longer battery life, and many find the sound to be better out of the two devices. The NW-ZX507 is the lighter of the two devices and it is easier to fit in a pocket for walking/running. Both are great DAPs to choose from! For a more in-depth comparison, send us an email via our contact page: www.moon-audio.com/contact-us 🙂
Hello, can you tell me how much watts this dap can give? Can this dap can drive the hifiman xs? Thanks a lot
I'm new to having a dap. Recently i picked up an older A&K AK120 and am blown away with the difference from my phone. Just wondering how much of an improvement in overall experience i would get from getting a SR25 MKII?
Technology is improving by the hour. There have been significant changes since the AK120. It should be a decent upgrade. And now you can also Stream via Tidal or Qobuz etc..www.moon-audio.com/a-norma-sr25-mkii-music-player-dap.html
@@moon-audio Thanks for the reply. Add on question - Do you know if you can also stream/download from Amazon Music HD?
@@davewilton3101 You can, with the latest update Amazon Music is also supported via their open app store. It doesn't come on the device, but it is available via the download tab in the services section.
How would you say the sound of the original SR25 compares to the Kann Alpha? Power output aside, is that a reasonable next step for someone who has an SR25 and wants to take mobile to the next level?
The Alpha is certainly next level, and a highly recommended DAP. Check out our review to see if it'll be a good upgrade for you! moon-audio.com/videos/v/astell-kern-kann-alpha-music-player-review/226169022
The MkII is so good! But the Bluetooth is literally unusable if you're walking and it's in your pocket. How did this pass their standards? I mostly use wired cans, but sometimes my true wireless buds are more practical for walks.
Will the sr 25 run hifiman sundara headphones or HD650s. I have AKG 371 and are pleased with them but could you recommend any headphones for me to get the most out of the sr 25 please
Yes, the SR 25 MkII can drive the Hifiman Sundara and the HD650s very well. If you ware willing to spend a little bit more, the Hifiman Edition XS is an incredible headphone at it's price range and I feel it is a big set up over both the Sundara and the HD650s.
Thank you for your reply much appreciated
Hi brother if I have got mojo poly now should I go to sr25mkii?I mean is it downgrade?
@MoonAudio I'm considering an upgrade for my ancient AK300, which DAP do you recommend? I also use Shure SE846 as IEM. Thanks
Please email us here so we can ask you a bunch of questions as it comes down to forn function and what options are important. www.moon-audio.com/contact-us
buy this or sony zx507
Rather than talking about sound quality, can you show us a sample like some youtubers do??
We don't feel that listening samples in a RUclips video do any headphones or audio gear justice. With RUclips's compression and whatever audio gear the viewer has on their end, there are just too many variables involved to give a clear, useful sample of what a headphone sounds like in person. Yes, you might be able to get an idea of a headphone's sound from a sample within a RUclips video, but it will never compare to listening in person. Hope this helps! 🙂
@moon-audio That's true, didn't think of it like that. But how would you say this dap compares to the Cowon Plenue D soundwise? Because Cowon's Plenue line have a lot of EQ settings and this don't seem to have that much? Like mach bass, 3d bass, mp enhance, etc. Because I've always had Cowon but their lines dead now, don't sell them anymore and my needs outweigh my Cowon Plenue D and Plenue M. So want to make sure soundwise how it sounds with its own EQ settings.
Contacts to 10K subs! 🥳🥳🥳
Thank you so much!
The problem isn't with the sound it's with the small screen it's too difficult to read!
For reading I rather recommend the new Kobo Libra 2 or the Kindle Paperwhite 5!
My experience with the product has been frustrating at best (can't handle multi-albums properly, doesn't consistently displays artwork...). Sadly, the support team from A&K US has first been rude and unhelpful and now disregarding my request for support entirely. For product at this price point, it's a huge issue. I cannot recommend to buy from this company.
CS4398 more than 30$ it's equal to quality sound than the first price laptop.
Now use it with Flac on SD card and u have the garbage sound that everyone tell to appreciate.
Try it , tell me...
The entry level A&K sucks, I have this DAP and the sound is the same of my PC or mobile. I music this 💩 of DAP with my > 2k IEMs. Please be smart and don’t waste your money in A&K entry level
Yeah and it’s ten thousand dollars
No, only 750
Turkey brain
@@afistfulofpimples1745 why Turkey Brain ?
iFi audio hip-dac2 is much better with my s23 ultra phone & Sennheiser IE 900 headphones, CABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN MOB & IFI DAC IS MORE DESIRABLE THAN BLUETOOTH, CHEERS,I wish,A&K will make good dac&player, just for iphones&samsung phones with usb-c cable for audiophile needs!!