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Activo P1 music player review: Astell & Kern audio quality for considerably less cash

1:30 pm | July 23, 2024

Activo P1: One-minute review

The outside says Activo but at heart this is an Astell & Kern hi-res audio player with all that implies: superb sound, impressive specifications and excellent performance. It doesn't look quite as expensive or as eye-catching as its parent brand's players but it's what's inside that counts, and what's inside here is very good: the same amplification as more expensive players and an ESS ES9219Q SABRE Dual-DAC. There are multiple connections including aptX HD and LDAC on supported hardware, and while the built-in storage isn't enough for much hi-res audio you can add SD cards with capacities up to 1.5TB.

The most important thing is how this player sounds, and in that department it deserves the full five stars: as a music player it sounds superb, and in DAC mode it's a useful audio upgrade for your computer – so yes, it'll easily advance to our roundup of the best MP3 players in the entry-level space. There's a built-in equalizer that you can use to craft complex EQ curves but during our testing we tended to leave that feature off because the P1 sounded so good across multiple genres. In addition to its local playback, the P1 also works with all the key streaming services and includes full Play Store support.

If you're looking for a player to drive Apple headphones, this isn't the device for you: its high quality wireless streaming is in formats that Apple doesn't support and as a result you're missing out on some of the fun, even with AirPods Max. But with compatible headphones or a wired connection to your headphones or hi-fi this is a wonderful audio player and music streamer that delivers a performance you'd normally expect to pay a lot more to experience.

Activo P1 using Apple Music — Third party apps retain their own interfaces and don't integrate with the play history feature. If you're a subscriber you can get the same lossless audio as you'd get on your smartphone app. (Image credit: Future)

Activo P1 review: Price and release date

Priced at $430 / £399 / AU$ tbc

The Activo P1 launched on 22 July 2024. It is much cheaper than its parent brand's siblings. In the UK, for example, Astell & Kern's entry level digital audio player, the SR35, currently retails for £599 (or $649) owing to its 2023 release date, but has a recommended retail price of £799 (or $799). The Activo P1 has a similar specification for $440 / £399. It's not a budget player by any means, because of course that figure is still a lot of money to most of us. But it's a lot less than you'd typically pay for this specification.

Activo P1 interface — The interface is very Android, and that's no bad thing as there's zero learning curve. The Play Store app is included. (Image credit: Future)

Activo P1 review: Features

Bluetooth 5.3; SBC, AAC, aptX HD and LDAC codec compatibility
32bit/384kHz and DSD256
Wired and wireless DAC

The P1 has an ES9219Q SABRE Dual-DAC. Its built-in amplifier is based on the Astell & Kern Teraton Alpha system, which promises exceptional clarity and detail and which you'll also find in the Astell & Kern SR35. It's powered by an octa-core processor and delivers up to 20 hours of battery life; there's dual-band Wi-Fi, 64GB of internal memory and an SD card slot supporting capacities up to 1.5TB. You'll fill the internal storage in no time if you're listening to hi-res audio files but it's fine for more compressed formats and SD cards are cheap to add.

The USB-C connection isn't just for fast charging; this device can also be connected to a Mac or a Windows PC and used as a wired DAC. There's also a Bluetooth DAC option.

The P1 has native DSD256, 32bit/384kHz support and plays almost every audio file format going, including WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF and MQA.

You can listen to music in several ways. In addition to its own music playing app, the Activo also comes with a collection of third party options including Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music. It also has the Play Store so you can add additional apps.

You can listen to your own tracks via the internal or SD card storage; you can stream from third party apps on the device; or you can use the device as a DAC for your computer with built-in upsampling. That latter option is likely to be a big improvement over many computers' built-in audio, and listening to tracks we know particularly well – such as tracks I'd recorded myself and played directly from Logic Pro X – there was a noticeable expansion of the sound stage, more air in the top end and a tightening of the lower frequencies. The detail was impressive: I could hear my own plectrum on the bass guitar in tracks normally too busy for such details to stand out. If you're a musician, the P1 in its wired DAC mode would be a worthwhile addition to your mixing toolkit.

Features score: 5 / 5

Activo P1 review: Sound quality

Engaging and spacious sound
Extensive EQ options
Audio upsampling with multiple modes

Listening in lossless CD quality over wired headphones Charli XCX's close-miked vocal in 360 feels so close it's almost indecent, while Simple Minds' anthemic New Gold Dream is wonderful. It's so clear that you can easily hear details such as the slightly discordant note sliding in at the beginning of each synth loop before the drums come clattering in and the bass begins its glorious grind. Taylor Swift's Willow is bright, lively and feels like it's happening in the room around you, as does Talk Talk's gossamer Desire, its spaciousness and minimalism feeling incredibly compelling.

The P1 really sings with well separated recordings, whether that's the rainy songs of The Blue Nile, Pet Shop Boys' sad bangers, The Cult's knowing AC/DC homage or Peter Gabriel's live work. Classic remasters such as The Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want are grin-inducingly good, and Peter Buck's Rickenbacker really chimes on early REM tracks.

Activo P1 equalizer — You can fine-tune the audio with the included 20-band equalizer but we found that we only really needed to tweak poorly recorded tracks. (Image credit: Future)

There are lots of options here for controlling the Digital Audio Remaster (DAR) upsampling and shaping 20-band EQs, but with very few exceptions – older, less well recorded tracks mostly – we didn't feel that the standard sound needed tweaking.

The presence of third-party apps means it's easy to do an A/B comparison between streaming and local hi-res music, so for example Broken Chanter's chiming telecaster guitar, Luminous's kitchen-sink production and HiFi Sean's euphoric house are noticeably more detailed and more vivid in high quality FLAC than from streaming services when listening on wired headphones.

The sound quality you get will depend on what you're listening with, so for example if you connect a set of Apple AirPods Max via Bluetooth rather than with a cable a message will pop up to let you know you're listening in AAC: the sound is still very good but that protocol isn't the best quality the P1 can deliver. For non-Apple headphones the P1 supports aptX HD and LDAC for high quality streaming. When we listened to identical songs with wired rather than AAC wireless the difference was evident, with songs feeling less boxy and more spacious.

Sound quality score: 5 / 5

Activo P1 side view — By Astell & Kern standards the design of the P1 is rather muted, but it's straightforward with sensibly located controls. (Image credit: Future)

Activo P1 review: Design

A little 'beige' by A&K standards
Straightforward button controls
Mostly operated by touchscreen

Astell & Kern players are typically made with a brutalist eye – all angles, rotary dials and shiny surfaces. This player is slightly less attention-grabbing. Its casing is a mix of aluminium and white plastic, it's a little smaller than its siblings and its interface is light grey rather than the darker tones of the Astell & Kern software.

On top you'll find two connectors, one 3.5mm output and one 4.4mm balanced, and the microSD card slot and USB-C connector are on the bottom edge. Holding the device with its 4.1-inch touchscreen facing you its volume controls are on the top left and the power/wake and menu buttons are on the right.

Third party apps don't integrate with the device's interface, so for example the songs you play through those apps won't be added to the recently played carousel and the apps' interfaces vary from service to service – but they work well and deliver the same features as their smartphone counterparts. Apple Music, for instance, looks like, works like and delivers the same lossless audio as its iPhone version.

The interface is snappy enough in everyday operation but it's a little slow to boot up, taking between 30 and 51 seconds to launch from a cold start. And the P1 gets warm during sustained use; not frighteningly so, but it heats up enough that you could use it as a hand-warmer in winter.

Design score: 4 / 5

Activo P1 review: Value

When you consider the pedigree here, $440 / £399 is good value for money: the Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 has an RRP of $799 / £799 and a street price of $649 / £599 for the same battery life and Bluetooth codec support. The A&K player is more advanced and customizable, but unless you're listening on truly exceptional headphones, I'm not sure paying nearly double the price (at full RRP) would give you nearly double the delight. If you want to upgrade your computer's audio or get a good quality hi-res audio experience, the P1 is very good value.

Value score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Activo P1?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Activo P1 review: Also consider

How I tested the Activo P1

Tested for over a week
Tested with streamed and hi-res downloaded content
Tested with wired and wireless headphones

I tested the Activo P1 over a period of several weeks in multiple modes: as a DAC and headphone amp for my M2 Mac, which I use for music production; and for listening to music with a mix of wired and wireless headphones including Philips Fidelio X2HR, Apple AirPods Max and Bose QuietComfort earbuds. I listened to a mix of compressed and lossless streaming audio and a selection of FLAC, WAV and AIFF files across multiple genres.

First reviewed in July 2024

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FiiO M23 portable music player review: delicate yet muscular, assertive yet subtle, lavishly detailed and vaultingly dynamic

5:00 pm | July 22, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Portable Media Players | Tags: LDAC | Comments: Off

FiiO M23: One-minute review

Yes, your smartphone is a very convenient way of enjoying music while on the go – but anyone who takes sound quality seriously knows that ultimate portable performance doesn’t come from a device that’s more about its camera than its audio quality. That comes from a dedicated digital audio player. And as luck would have it, we have tested some of the best MP3 players currently on the market.

The FiiO M23 arrives as a fairly large, lavishly specified and beautifully constructed digital audio player with a number of technological highlights. It’s ready to power wired or wireless headphones, or to act as a USB DAC in a desktop audio system. And it’s ready to handle anything you care to throw at it – any file type, any file size, any genre of music – with confidence, poise and positivity.

So it’s capable of extracting a huge amount of detail from a digital audio file, and contextualising it on a large, well-defined soundstage. It can punch hard if your music demands it, but never in an uncontrolled manner, and it can give the emotion and attitude in an unaccompanied voice absolutely explicit expression. Aside from some extremely rare operation glitches, it’s hard to lay a glove on the FiiO M23. Know this: it’s the real deal.

FiiO M23 review: Price and release date

FiiO M23 on a wooden table — (Image credit: Future)

Released March 2024
Priced at $699 / £649 / AU$1,249

The FiiO M23 digital audio player is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it goes for £649. American customers will have to hand over $699, while in Australia you’re looking at something like AU$1,249 if my understanding of exchanges rates is correct.

The M23 has some competition at this price, of course – not least from FiiO itself. But it’s Astell & Kern that is its most obvious rival: the May 2023-release A&K A&norma SR35 goes for $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 while the company's June 2022-issue A&K A&norma SR25 MKII still sells for $749 / £699 / AU$1,099. And frankly, either option has plenty to recommend it. So it’s game on…

FiiO M23 review: Features

Twin AKM DACs
THX AAA 78+ amplification architecture
5500mAh battery

Space on the internet is, to all intents and purposes, limitless. But I reckon I could make quite a big dent in its capacity if I discussed every one of the FiiO M23’s many, many features at length. So it’s probably best to just get an overview – I promise it will let you know just how serious FiiO in general, and the M23 in particular, is…

The M23 is powered by a big 5500mAh battery that’s good for over 10 hours of playback from a single charge. A dual-mode fast-charging system means extreme fast-charging speeds (up to 30W) are available if the battery level is very low – and once the battery approaches its fully charged state, the M23 switches to a more sedate fast-charging state. The result of this arrangement, says FiiO, is much-improved charging times with no impact on the long-term health of the battery.

Internal memory is a just-about-adequate 64GB, and a microSD slot on the bottom of the player will accept cards of up to 2TB – which means you should be able to load a lot of big hi-res files as long as you invest in a microSD card. Obviously, the M23 will support your favourite music streaming service(s) as well as storing content on its local memory. Like all FiiO digital audio players, the M23 uses an amended version of Android as an operating system; Android 12 in this instance. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor makes the FiiO is fast and responsive in its operations, and some careful reskinning means the OS doesn’t eat into that internal memory too much.

Digital-to-analogue conversion is handled by a pair of AKM DAC chipsets – the AK4191EQ and AK4499EX operate in tandem, keeping the digital and analogue stages entirely separate and utilising ‘DWA routing’ technology to keep the signal-to-noise ratio to a bare minimum. And they allow the M23 to deal with digital audio files of almost every type (including MQA) up to a resolution of 24bit/384kHz and DSD256.

Amplification comes courtesy of FiiO’s latest refinement of the popular THX amplification design. Taking the THX AAA 78 (which it uses in its very competitive M11 Plus and M11 Pro models) as a starting point, FiiO has finessed the architecture to the point that it’s now called THX AAA 78+ – and can, in theory, offer more power with minimal distortion and even greater precision.

These are the headlines and hi-res music chops where the M23’s features are concerned. FiiO is understandably pleased with and proud of its unified hi-fi audio architecture, its bespoke Digital Audio Purification System, its four-stage 20-rail power supply, its 28 high-capacity polymer tantalum capacitors, and lots more… but surely you get the point by now: FiiO has never been anything other than painstaking and extraordinarily thorough where its digital audio players are concerned, and the M23 has enjoyed the same sort of engineering effort.

Features score: 5 / 5

FiiO M23 review: Sound quality

Direct, deft and engaging sound
Dynamism and insight to burn
Mildly and very occasionally glitchy

There’s an awful lot of positives associated with the way the FiiO M23 goes about resolving and delivering digital audio files. So for no other reason than contrariness, I’ll start with its very occasional operational foibles.

The M23 will sometimes pause, at random and without any user input. It happens very, very rarely, but not so rarely that you wouldn’t notice. And even less often it feels the need to chop into the first half-a-second of a digital audio file, starting playback just fractionally further forward than 0:00 – this seems to happen, on the odd occasions that it happens, when listening to some newly cued-up content, never when a playlist or an album is in progress. It’s hardly a dealbreaker, but equally it’s unlikely to be what you’re expecting from your shiny new digital audio player.

And with that out of the way, I can talk about all the many, many ways the M23 is an impressive-sounding machine.

In every circumstance, and with every type and size of digital audio file, the M23 sounds delicate yet muscular, assertive yet subtle, lavishly detailed and vaultingly dynamic. It seems perfectly willing to engage with any type of music you care to listen to, and is even prepared to tolerate downmarket sub-16bit/44.1kHz content if you absolutely must. It seems basically impossible to throw it out of its positive, confident stride.

A 24bit/96kHz FLAC file of Big Swimmer by King Hannah makes the point in fairly unequivocal style. The M23 sound is open and organised, with a carefully neutral tonal balance and a deft way where integration of the frequency range is concerned. There’s tremendous dynamic and harmonic variation to the strum of the unaccompanied guitar during the intro, an absolute stack of detail both broad and fine to the idiosyncratic, close-mic’d vocal, and appropriate crunch and bite to the second guitar when it joins in with the deep, textured bass. The recording sounds absolutely unified, the obvious result of performers responding and reacting to each other, rather than of individuals doing their own thing. It sounds like a performance, a demonstration of sonic togetherness.

Switching to a DSD64 file of Les McCann’s profoundly swinging I Can Dig It allows the M23 to show what it’s got where rhythmic expression, low-end fidelity and midrange expression are concerned. And it’s safe to say the FiiO has got more than enough – it communicates in the most articulate way, punching through the low-frequency information while keeping momentum high and keeps a close eye on the brilliance of the percussion that can easily get out of control in less capable hands. And again, the sense of engagement, of performance and of unity, is absolutely tangible.

And it’s worth noting that while FiiO offers a good amount of end-user adjustment – using the touch-screen you’re able to adjust the EQ frequency point, gain and bandwidth, and fine-tune the response curve to suit your preferences – the changes to the overall sound it’s possible to make are modest. At its heart, the M23 knows what it wants to sound like – which is, it turns out, not a bad thing at all.

Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

FiiO M23 review: Design

Stainless steel or blue titanium finishes
137 x 76 x 18mm (HxWxD); 299g
5.5in 720 x 1440 display

At 137 x 76 x 18mm (HxWxD) and 299g the FiiO M23 cannot be described as ‘portable’ in the same way your smartphone is ‘portable’. It’s properly well made, of course, from tactile and overtly upmarket materials, and is finished to an extremely high standard - and those pointed edges that might otherwise damage your pocket-linings or the inside of your bag are smoothed off by a protective silicone case that comes with the ‘blue titanium’ finish. If you prefer the ‘stainless steel’ finish that’s available as an alternative, it’s supplied with a leather case that does a very similar job. But either way, there’s plenty of the M23.

The front of the player is taken up almost entirely by a 5.5in display. It’s bright and crisp, as its 720 x 1440 (18:9) resolution suggests it should be, and there are plenty of options regarding font size, brightness and so on to be investigated in the player’s ‘settings’ menu.

Design score: 5 / 5

FiiO M23 review: Usability and setup

3.5mm and 4.4mm analogue outputs; 3.5mm digital coaxial output
Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD and LDAC codec compatibility
‘D-Mode’ battery bypass

Every side of the M23 features a control, an input or an output that contributes to its overall usability. But just because it has a lot of facilities in this respect, it’s never less than logical and quite friendly – and consequently very easy to operate.

On one edge of the chassis there’s a strip of three buttons taking care of ‘play/pause’, ‘skip forwards’ and ‘skip backwards’ On the other there’s a power button - it’s edge-lit to indicate the size of digital audio file the player is dealing with. There’s also a ‘multifunction’ button, the specific function of which is straightforward to define. And in between there’s that volume control arrangement FiiO has become so fond of lately: it’s a carbon-fibre strip/rocker, and you can either slide a finger up or down, or press on either end to make your adjustments.

There’s also a ‘hold’ switch to prevent any unwanted actions being carried out, and a switch to put the M23 into ‘D-mode’. ‘D-mode’ means desktop mode – when it’s switched on, the player is completely powered by an external power source plugged into one of the two USB-C sockets on the bottom, and the battery is bypassed altogether. Which means you can use your M23 as desktop equipment without worrying about the effect you’re having on the battery. The other USB-C socket is for data transfer, and allows the FiiO to act as a USB DAC.

On the top edge of the M23 there are 3.5mm unbalanced or 4.4mm balanced outputs - these sockets can also be used to hard-wire the M23 to an amplifier or what-have-you, of course. The 3.5mm socket is hybrid, in fact, and can also act as a digital coaxial output in case you want to bypass the M23’s DAC circuitry altogether. And there are wireless possibilities too: dual-band wi-fi is on board, and the FiiO can both transmit and receive using Bluetooth 5.0 that’s compatible with SBC, AAC, aptX HD and LDAC codecs in both directions.

As well as the physical controls, of course, there’s that big touch-screen. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor ensures it’s quick and responsive, and the FiiO-ised version of Android 12 allows easy access to as many streaming services or what-have-you as you may require.

Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

FiiO M23 review: Value

Always a tricksy question, isn't it? On the one hand, you can grab an inexpensive MP3-specific portable audio player for a fraction of the price of this hi-res model, if you just want something not your phone. On the other, Astell & Kern's top-tier Ultima models sell for somewhere in the region of $2,399 / £1,999 / AU$3,599.

If you've read (particularly the Features section of) this review, you will have deduced that the sound-per-pound value of FiiO's proposition is high. It isn't the most pocket-friendly player around in terms of its dimensions, but where your wallet's concerned, it's a talented thing for this money.

Value score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the FiiO M23?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

FiiO M23 review: Also consider

Astell & Kern SR35
It's a little more expensive than the FiiO M23, but it isn’t difficult to imagine being able to justify the extra expense. This is, as is established Astell & Kern practice, a thrillingly direct and informative listen – and it follows the eccentric A&K design template too.
See our full Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 review

How I tested the FiiO M23

Tested for two weeks
Listened to both streamed and downloaded content
Tested with both wired and wireless headphones

I loaded up my Tidal and Qobuz accounts and I filled the player with plenty of high-res content, from 24bit/96kHz files and up to DSD128. I used elite over-ear and in-ear headphones (see also IEMs) via the 4.4mm and 3.5mm outputs, as well as considerably less expensive true wireless earbuds connected via Bluetooth.

I used it, reader. However serious a product's spec sheet is, if the player is too fiddly to use on my commute it won't be getting good scores for 'usability' now, will it? I investigated its myriad features and listened to a variety of music, for several hours every day for a fortnight. And then, as tends to happen with these things, I had to return the FiiO M23 to its rightful owners and move on…

First reviewed in July 2024

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JBL Live Beam 3 review: a strong case for stellar earbuds that easily outlast the rest

7:30 pm | June 29, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: LDAC, London, Sony Xperia | Comments: Off

JBL Live Beam 3: Two-minute review

There are lots of great options on our guide to the best noise-cancelling earbuds, but there's one feature that none of those excellent buds offer: a screen on the case. And the screen on the JBL Live Beam 3 is so much more fun than the display of its predecessor, because now you can select a lock-screen wallpaper from any of the photos stored on your paired smartphone, and the image will even flip so it stays the right way up (so all your friends can see it) when you snap open the case.

I still wouldn't describe it as a must-have – it still feels as if JBL could deliver greater more through this touchscreen, since it still doesn't present functionality that your smartwatch can, for example – but given the fact that to tweak the volume by tapping the buds results in the loss of either playback control or ANC profile-scrolling (you don't have to sacrifice anything using the box), it's certainly useful. In addition, the lock-screen wallpaper personalization feature is a nice touch.

However, the real improvements here aren't to do with the screen. No, the real star here is the improved audio quality. It's typically Harman curve-esque and meaty – but in the best way. There's an expansive soundstage; there's dynamic agility; there's cohesion across the frequencies this time around.

Plus, battery life is excellent at up to 12 hours from the earbuds alone, minus noise cancellation, or 10 hours with it engaged (and nearer nine with adaptive ANC on –more on the efficacy of this later). The case, too, delivers three further charges, taking your total audio playback time up to a class-leading 48 hours. For clarity, Apple's priciest Pro-suffixed AirPods only deliver 5.5 hours with its top-tier Spatial Audio deployed, or a maximum of 30 hours including the case.

The JBL Live Beam 3 also boast a very well-rounded feature set, including auto-off when you remove one bud, a fit test, multipoint connectivity, plus a few novel bits and pieces – including "Personi-Fi", where a detailed hearing test of each ear enables you to better tailor the sound to your liking.

I wasn't convinced by the spatial audio profiles, which is a shame, since JBL has offered a total of three immersive soundscapes for music, movies and games. If you're expecting sonic articles in a three-dimensional space here, you'll be disappointed – and although the ANC is fine, it isn't about to challenge Sony or Bose in the supreme bubble-of-silence stakes. Yes, low-level constants are massaged (my microwave humming away didn't filter through, for example), but the sound of cars outside simply floating away wasn't quite there.

One truly valuable addition few competitors offer is something JBL is calling Smart Talk. It lowers the volume of your music and activates JBL's TalkThru mode as soon as you speak, then resumes to normal service either five, 15 or 20 seconds after you've stopped. It's a great little feature because you don't have to touch the buds to engage it – for example, when someone in the office wants to know where that report is. And, of course, if you don't like it, it's easy enough to toggle it off in the JBL Headphones app.

The fit is great, the battery is seemingly never-ending and, honestly, the JBL Beam 3 quickly became my go-to earbuds for confident, banging, thumping bass – and given my qualms over the audio in previous stablemates, it's a big leap forward for JBL, for which I commend the company.

For the price, JBL offers a very reasonable sound-per-pound proposition here. Having said that, the price in the UK is currently £179.99 – not the initially reported £149.99. Nevertheless, the JBL Beam 3 still represent value for money, particularly if stamina is a priority in noise-cancelling earbuds.

JBL LIve Beam 3 on starry blanket — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Price & release date

Unveiled January 2024 (but only available to buy from June 3, 2024)
Priced $199.95 / £179.99 / AU$249

The keen-eyed will note that the prices above mean the JBL Live Beam 3 (thus called because of the "beams", or stems attached) retail for $50, £50 or AU$100 cheaper than the screen-on-case-enhanced earbuds they effectively replace, the JBL Tour Pro 2.

The Live Beam 3 are actually one of three earbuds propositions with cases that JBL unveiled simultaneously in January 2024. The Live 3 range comprises the Buds, Flex and Beam, the latter of which we're reviewing here. The Buds 3 look most like standard earbuds; the Flex 3 are akin to the shape of regular Apple AirPods, with a stick design but no silicone tip that sits in the ear canal; and the Beam 3 are similar to Apple's AirPods Pro, with a stick design plus an in-ear fit and ear tips.

All three options boast JBL's smart screen case, True Adaptive Noise Cancelling, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio, JBL Spatial Sound, LDAC Hi-Res Audio for compatible phones, multi-point connectivity, wireless charging, and six external mics to facilitate noise cancellation and to help with calls. Also, all are similarly priced.

There are a few differences to quickly scoot through: Buds and Beam are certified IP55 for water-resistance, while the Flex are IP54; the Buds and Beam have 10mm dynamic drivers compared to 12mm for the Flex; and the quoted battery life is up to 40 hours on the Buds, 48 on the Beam, and 50 on the Flex (for the buds and case combined).

A picture of a seal on the JBL Live Beam 3's lock-screen — Want a photo of a judgemental seal on your case? Have it… (Image credit: Future)

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Specs

Becky Scarrott dancing, in a lock-screen on the JBL Live Beam 3 — Or how about a dramatic dance shot by Peter Mares? (Image credit: Peter Mares (Avid Images))

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Features

Excellent call quality features
Personal amplification and Personi-Fi add value
The case – you can't ignore it

JBL has thrown everything it has at these earbuds – and that's putting the charging case to one side for a moment, concentrating on the various audio augmentations and fixes instead.

Call-handling is ace, thanks in no small part to the numerous options you have available to enhance the experience, including Sound Level Optimiser, which balances the volume of the voice on the other end of the line; Sound Setting, with which you can increase the bass or treble of that voice, or keep things "natural"; Voice Setting, which is the same thing, but for your own voice; VoiceAware, which is a slider to control how much of your own voice you'd like to hear during calls; and Private Call Mode, which actually lets you remove one bud and use it as a mic, so you might lower your voice a little and keep the convo private. During tests, the majority of folk on the other end said that I sounded as if I was just talking on the phone – which certainly can't be said of every set of earphones I've ever tested.

This level of attention to detail continues across the board. You have six EQ presets or the option to create your own, plus Adaptive EQ for real-time adjustments, with the option of toggling on "Low Volume EQ" to boost highs and lows, even if you're listening at low volumes. There's even "Leakage Compensation", to sort the sonics if the tips you've fitted don't offer an optimal seal.

The ANC has similar scope. Deploy ANC (over Ambient Aware, TalkThru or off all together) and you can customize functionality by toggling Adaptive ANC – which adjusts the level of cancellation based on your surroundings – and Auto Compensation, which adjusts things based on your ear canal and wearing status once more.

But we're not done: if you switch Adaptive ANC off, you're presented with a slider that offers seven increments of noise-nixing, irrespective of your location. On paper, it sounds exceptional – and in reality it's good. The seventh level nixes most low-level thrums happily; it certainly doesn't color or negatively impact the presentation. Nevertheless, I think Adaptive is the way to go, because I felt it did a fair job of making adjustments when I was at the beach, on the street, and at home. Does it lower the noise floor in your noggin as deftly as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or the AirPods Pro 2 can? Not quite. And that goes for the JBL Beam 3's spatial audio profiles (movies, music or gaming have been supplied), too. Things feel a little warmer, more bass-centric and cosier for sure; but it isn't the eyebrow-raising, bullets-over-my-head performance I might have dreamt of.

That's the reason I knocked half a star off the score for this section, but I maintain that there's still so much here to love – and I haven't even spoken about Personi-Fi yet! This involves a lengthy hearing test of ever-quieter tones at various frequencies dealt to each ear (after an initial fit test). But it's worth it.

After the tests, you're presented with a written report, which offers a mini verdict on the compensation required for each ear and the option to "have a try" by toggling it on and off. Suffice to say, it's not just parlour tricks or fun graphics (although there is one); it does genuinely make the music ever-so-slightly more detailed, the leading edges of notes more impactful, and the overall presentation is layered with greater precision – to my ears, at any rate. I tended to deploy this, but leave spatial audio to one side when wearing the JBL Live Beam 3.

Lastly, to the case. I used it much more than I did when testing the JBL Tour Pro 2. It's responsive and far easier to navigate than the previous iteration, plus you can hide features you won't use in the app – the flashlight feature is fun, but it essentially just turns the screen a bright white; my iPhone's torch feature is better. I also really liked the lock-screen wallpaper. Yes, it might be the high-tech equivalent of a Polaroid sticker on your earbuds case; but so what? We're allowed to want that.

Features score: 4.5/5

JBL Live Beam 3's JBL Headphones app, three screen-grabs showing smart charging case settings — (Image credit: JBL )

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Sound quality

LDAC tracks are beautifully relayed
Bass is resolute; treble well handled
Greatly improved audio

No matter what you listen to, the JBL Live Beam 3 will sound rather good, but it seems a shame to listen to lowly compressed Spotify streams when Sony's LDAC (from a compatible device – a Sony Xperia smartphone, for instance) is on the menu with these JBLs. Apple Music tracks are handled with zeal and flair, as are my trusted Qobuz tracks.

Melissa Etheridge's' I'm the Only One is a bass-walking, axe-talking country romp. Etheridge's textured vocal is central and emotive in a mix that shines a light on each solo, riff or musical passage; it will have you dancing wherever you listen to it.

Baby Lasagna's Rim Tim Tagi Dim is a tough ask for the driver-snap, dynamic nuance and musical cohesion in any set of earbuds, but the JBL Live Beam 3 don't shy away from it. This is techno, and it can easily be muddied in lesser earbuds. Here, though, I felt every cymbal as it darted from my left to right ear, but never at the expense of the vocal.

The JBL Live Beam 3 are able to unearth an extra ounce of detail through the strummed guitars and vocal in Noah Kahan's acoustic Stick Season, too, and the fact that I was tapping my foot along is proof that the timing here and agility through the low end is greatly improved over the JBL Tour Pro 2, which I felt were a tad treble-centric, even tinny on occasion.

The sound is typically JBL at its best again, and you love to see it – sonically, they're a big hit. Want big, exuberant sound that knows when to deliver large, but also when to pull back just a little, allowing the detail to shine through? That's the sonic recipe the JBL Beam 3 present – and I like it for the money.

Sound quality score: 5/5

JBL Live Beam 3, showing an incoming call, case held in a hand with red fingernails — The multi-function button on the WF-C700N beats any capacitive touch option I've tried. (Image credit: Future)

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Design

Earpieces fit snugly and securely
On-ear functions require compromise
The case is very likeable

I found these earbuds easy to wear – despite my small ears. However, it's worth noting that the Live Beam 3's earpiece design does sit rather far into your ear canals. Those who find this type of fit claustrophobic – think AirPods Pro 2 – may want to look at JBL's other designs, although I can't vouch for those. Again, it won't be an issue for most, just worth noting.

The on-ear touch functions respond well and can be customised, but this does lead me to a minor negative: you need to ditch a set of functions. To explain, your command options are Playback Control, Ambient Sound Control, and Volume Control, but you have only two ears – and only two earbuds to assign jobs to. I often criticize earbuds that don't offer a way to tweak the volume of music without having to dig out a phone (or ask Siri); while the JBL Beam 3 do offer volume control, assigning that to the left earbud and Playback Control to the right meant I had to forego on-ear ANC. Yes, the touchscreen enabled me to quickly access the ANC, Ambient or TalkThru modes (although not the extra adaptive toggles), but at this level I don't think it's churlish to expect your earbuds to be able to handle all three – because other options, such as the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, do.

However, that's where the criticism ends; because the case is very fun. Where the JBL Tour Pro 2 felt like a prototype, the JBL Beam 3 feel every millimeter a second-gen upgrade. They've been refined, made more sleek – and more svelte, too. Yes, the case is still deeper than your average case at 3.25cm (or just over one-and-a-quarter inches) thick, but the little lanyard spot on the top right (as you look at the screen) is quite delightful – because you've now got lock-screen wallpaper to show off.

The build quality of this case feels resoundingly expensive – and I maintain that Apple is watching from afar, to implement in future AirPods designs. And while the screen isn't an essential yet for functionality, the resolution, responsiveness and brightness – which can be adjusted; you get three levels – is spot on.

Design score: 4/5

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Value

Exceptional battery life; great sound
The classy finish feels expensive
Spatial audio performance is the only issue

The JBL Live Beam 3's battery life, sound quality (with its smorgasbord of customisations), build and finish are more than worthy of the money here. And the noise cancellation will please all but the most picky of noise-nixers. Oh, and you also get a screen – which in no way affects the stellar stamina.

My only real gripes are the compromises relating to on-ear functionality, plus the somewhat disappointing spatial audio trio JBL offers here. If you're after buds that are great for movies, for example, I'd point you to the (much more expensive) Sonos Ace headphones, or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.

But given the competitive asking price of the JBL Live Beam 3 (the Bose alternative listed above cost $299 / £299 / AU$449, which is $100 / £120 or AU$200 more than the JBLs), there's so, so much still to enjoy for the money.

Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the JBL Live Beam 3?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Also consider

Cambridge Audio Melomania M100
Another pricier option (although not as pricy as the Bose), but the ANC here is very good indeed – as is the sound quality. And to top it all off, you also get the option of Matt Berry on voice prompts (his "Waiting to pair!" is the best you've ever heard). No screen on the case, mind, and the overall aesthetic is far more shy and retiring.
Make your choice by reading our Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 review

How I tested the JBL Live Beam 3

JBL Live Beam 3 held in a hand with red fingernails — (Image credit: Future)

Tested for two weeks; listened against the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Used at work (in the office, walking through London, on a train), at home and on the beach
Listened to Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless tracks and Spotify on an iPhone 13 Pro, a Sony Xperia 1 V and a MacBook Pro

The JBL Live Beam became my musical companions for two weeks – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period (during which I loaded many lock-screen wallpaper options to the case).

They accompanied me to work on weekdays (walking brusquely to the station; on the London Underground network; at the office), and throughout a week in Dorset, with regular trips along the promenade and to the beach at low tide – which is a great way to test any wind-interference from mics during calls.

To better test the comfort levels and security of the JBL Live Beam 3, I wore them to the gym – and they certainly did not budge during training.

To check the audio quality across the frequencies, I listened to various playlists (spanning everything from classical to crunk) on Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal, but also to podcasts and albums on Spotify – and YouTube tutorials (mostly about soldering sterling silver bezels to make jewelry from the sea glass collected at the beach, if you're curious) on my MacBook Pro.

I’ve been testing audio products for over five years now. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in another life, sound quality, fit and the user experience have always taken priority for me – but having heard how wonderful ANC can be when done well, I know what to look for.

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T: One-minute review

The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T is just the latest demonstration of the South Korean manufacturer's best-in-class philosophy in action. Astell & Kern makes no apologies where the pricing of its digital audio players is concerned and, more often than not, its products turn out to be well worth their considerable asking price.

Fortunately, the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T looks and feels like a premium product should and it’s specified to do the audio business in style, too. There are numerous technical highlights to its extremely thorough specification, but the real stand-out is Astell & Kern’s use of your actual, genuine vacuum tubes in the amplification stage. Thought valve amplification was just for massive, and massively expensive, old-school hi-fi separates? Think again.

On top of its technical credentials, the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T is a lovely item in a fairly substantial way. It’s made from silver-plated stainless steel, for instance. Its controls are beautifully implemented. And its operating system is as stable and logical as they come.

But the best thing about the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T is the sound it makes. Truly, it is one of the best MP3 players around and then some. Listening to hi-res audio through decent headphones and it just sings – it expertly handles every technical aspect of music reproduction, but without losing sight of the fact that it’s supposed to be entertaining. So it’s a delight in pretty much every respect.

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T review: Price and release date

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player on a white surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Priced at $2,999 / £3,199 / AU$5,299

The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it will set you back £3,199. In America it goes for a marginally more reasonable $2,999, while in Australia it will cost you AU$5,299.

That’s a lot, isn’t it, for something that (on the face of it) doesn’t do anything your smartphone can’t do?

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T review: Features

The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player displaying left input stage — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Bluetooth 5.0; SBC, AAC, aptX HD and LDAC codec compatibility
32bit/768kHz and DSD512
Vacuum tube amplifications

Well, it doesn’t take long to show that ‘it doesn’t do anything your smartphone can’t do’ nonsense for what it is, does it? Yes, this is a digital audio player and so is your smartphone – but by this rationale a rowing-boat is the same as a yacht.

Perhaps the obvious sign that this is a device specified without compromise to make your portable music experience as enjoyable as possible is the Astell & Kern's three-mode amplification. The A&ultima SP3000T uses a pair of Raytheon JAN6418 miniature vacuum tubes – actually military-valves – in its amplification stage. Each pair is carefully matched, and then equally carefully suspended in a full-on silicone PCB arrangement to guard against noise derived from vibration or minor shocks to the player's chassis. And then you can select ‘Tube Amp’ mode to enjoy what Astell & Kern calls ‘the natural warmth of a vacuum tube amplifier’. Of course, you could go with the more usual ‘OP Amp’ mode (for ‘expansive soundstage and crystal-clear resolution’) or a mix of the two with ‘Hybrid Amp’ mode (‘the richness of analogue blended with high-resolution clarity’).

Obviously, you’ll investigate the sonic characteristics of each of these options, but it’s worth pointing out here that if you select ‘Tube’ or ‘Hybrid’ mode, the vacuum tubes themselves glow redly through a little window on the rear of the player. Which is disproportionately satisfying.

The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player in hybrid mode, with red glowing vacuum tubes — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Elsewhere, Astell & Kern has been just as thorough. The audio circuit configuration, for example, calls for two AKM 4191EQ DACs to act as digital delta-sigma modulators to reduce noise from the input stage on the left and right channels independently before a couple of AKM AK4499EX DAC chipsets process the analogue signals. After all this complicated work has been done, the SP3000T offers a choice of six DAC filters to further finesse the eventual sound.

A Snapdragon 6125 octa-core processor with 8GB of DDR4 memory takes care of user interaction. It promises fast system operation and a stable, smooth user interface and the CPU, memory and wireless communication components are all grouped as a single system-on-chip for optimum efficiency as well as minimal heat and digital noise.

The SP3000T uses Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity and is compatible with SBC, AAC, aptX HD and LDAC codecs. Dual-band Wi-Fi means the player can be Roon Ready (and also means it’s simplicity itself to install your favourite music streaming service apps). It can support digital audio files of every type, and is compatible with file sizes of up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD512. By using Astell & Kern’s DAR (digital audio remaster) technology, sample rates can be increased in an effort to maximise sound quality – 44.1kHz content, for instance, can be upscaled to 352.8kHz and anything below 96kHz can be converted to DSD128.

The 5050mAh battery is good for around 10 hours of playback - although it’s worth bearing in mind that that figure applies to 16bit/44.1kHz content heard at moderate volume. The figure when listening to properly high-resolution stuff at bigger levels is considerably less. Charging the SP3000T from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes a leisurely 3.5 hours or thereabouts.

Internal memory is a useful-but-hardly-spectacular 256GB. Happily, there’s a microSD card slot on the bottom of the player that can accept cards of up to 1TB.

Features score: 5 / 5

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T review: Sound quality

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player playing Chick Corea's Return to Forever FLAC file — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Spacious and well-defined sound
Detailed and dynamic in equal measure
End-user options don’t impact performance all that radically

It almost goes without saying that the bigger the digital audio file you listen to the better, and the more accomplished the headphones you use the better, too. But unlike quite a few digital audio players at quite a few price-points, the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T doesn’t hold you to ransom. It just makes the best of the situation in which it finds itself.

And what’s equally noteworthy is just how consistent the SP3000T sounds, no matter how you might try to influence it with your amplification and/or DAC filter choices. There are differences to be heard, of course, but they’re far from fundamental. At its heart, and in pretty much every circumstance, the Astell & Kern is an eloquent, entertaining and absolutely wide-open performer.

A listen to a 24bit/96kHz file of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever using ‘Hybrid’ amplification and ‘short delay slow roll-off’ DAC filtering allows the SP3000T to really show what it’s made of. It’s a spacious, rigorously defined listen, with a huge amount of dynamic headroom available in order to track the numerous changes in volume and intensity the recording indulges in. It allows even the most complex recordings the space in which to operate and manages to tie every individual element of a recording together in order to present it as a whole.

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player displaying adjustable volume levels — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

The tonal balance – naturalistic and convincing, whether you’re listening to processed, electronic music or analogue recordings of analogue instruments – is beautifully judged, too. Low frequency information is deep and textured, straight-edged at the moment of attack and rhythmically positive as a result. The midrange is similarly detailed, which allows vocalists of all kinds the opportunity to describe their character and attitude as well as their technique. The top of the frequency range has shine and substance in more-or-less equal measure and, just as with every other area of the frequency range, is absolutely loaded with detail. It seems unlikely in the extreme that the Astell & Kern is overlooking any information in your favourite recordings, no matter how fleeting or minor – and it puts them into appropriate context with real positivity, too.

Some alternative players that get all this sort of technical stuff right can overlook the simple fact that music = entertainment, though, and indulge in the sort of analysis that makes them sound more like lab equipment. The SP3000T is having none of that. It’s an energetic, entertaining listen that prioritizes the enjoyment of music over the minutiae of how it’s been recorded. Which is why you’ll find yourself listening for longer than you expected, time after time.

Sound quality score: 5 / 5

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T review: Design

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player showing a knurled volume control with light behind the knob — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Silver-plated stainless steel
142 x 85 x 18mm (HxWxD)
483g

As is standard Astell & Kern operating practice, the A&ultima SP3000T is pointily angular, and is the sort of weight (483g) and size (142 x 85 x 18mm, HxWxD) that manages to feel expensive without ruining its portability. As long as you’ve a nice strong pocket to put it in, anyway.

The frame of the player is made from 316L stainless steel, plated with 99.9 per cent pure silver, which looks and feels about as luxe as you might imagine. The bottom edge features a USB-C socket alongside that microSD card slot, and the left side has four little playback control buttons. The right side, meanwhile, features the company’s trademark knurled volume control in a deep, interestingly shaped recess. There’s a light behind the control – its colour depends on the type and size of the digital audio file that’s playing.

On the player’s top edge there’s a power on/off button and all the outputs. There are 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced headphone sockets and a 3.5mm unbalanced alternative which also doubles as a digital optical output.

The front of the machine is almost entirely touchscreen. It’s a big (5.5in) number of 1080 x 1920 resolution, it’s bright and crisp, and it’s responsive, too. Navigating menus, investigation playback options, loading apps and what-have-you can all be done easily and quickly.

It's also worth nothing that – for reasons best left to Astell & Kern itself – the case is made from calfskin. Vegans, and anyone opposed to using animal products in general, should look away now.

Design score: 5 / 5

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T review: Value

Top of an Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player, showing microSD port — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Obviously this is a madly expensive device by prevailing standards ($2,999 / £3,199 / AU$5,299). And obviously it’s not easy to make a product that is, by necessity, small enough to be realistically portable. But the SP3000T is beautifully made, from premium materials, is specified like there’s no tomorrow and is able to deal with each and every file type and size you might consider listening to.

And, most significantly of all, it’s an uncomplicatedly delightful listen. Does it represent ‘value’? To those who want the best around and are able to pay for it, the answer has to be ‘yes’.

Should I buy the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T?

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player aux out ports — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T review: Also consider

How I tested the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T portable music player side view controls — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Tested for over a week
Tested with streamed and downloaded content
Tested with wired and wireless headphones

I installed my Qobuz and TIDAL accounts and I loaded the player with a lot of high-resolution content, too, from 24bit/96kHz stuff up to DSD128. I used expensive over-ear and in-ear headphones via the 4.4mm and 2.5mm outputs, as well as considerably less expensive true wireless earbuds connected via Bluetooth.

I investigated amplification, DAC filter and EQ options. And then I listened to a variety of music, for several hours a day for well over a week. And then, rather tragically, I had to return the SP3000T to its owners…

First reviewed in June 2024

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Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: pleasantly warm sound but a weak battery

11:00 am | May 20, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: LDAC | Comments: Off

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7: Two-minute review

More so than for most tech products, your experience with the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 will depend on your taste. Want to listen to borderline warm-sounding higher-res files, after a lengthy time customizing the sound with an equalizer? Step right up. Don’t know what that sentence means? These earbuds aren’t for you.

These latest true wireless earbuds from Japanese audio brand Audio-Technica are called the ATH-TWX7 and they have dumped the gimmicky novelty of their predecessors (the TWX9 had a UV cleaner built into the case) to sell for a lower price as a result.

Don’t expect these to show up on our list of the best budget earbuds though; Audio-Technica has had its fair share of excellent low-cost audio options (see the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW as proof) but the TWX7 aren’t them. These sell for a mid-range price, which they justify in many ways.

Like many other A-T products, the TWX7 have a slightly mid-to-low-pitched warm sound (it makes sense when you consider that this is a firm famed for its turntable cartridges) that leans into the bass frequencies, and goes even further if you want it to. For hip-hop or grime fans, these earbuds will deliver all you want (or can expect for mid-rangers like these).

The buds are feature-rich too, with an app bursting at the seams with useful extra perks. These range from handy ways to make the most of your listening time (an equalizer, various noise cancellation modes, L/R balance adjustment) to some cool novel additions (soundscapes, call sound testing, an in-bud timer).

We’ve got to commend the build quality too, with attention to detail paid in (almost) every way. There are plenty of eartips included in the box so you’ll find a comfortable fit for you; the buds are lightweight and stick in your ear like they’ve dropped an anchor in them; the charging case has an unusual design that brings with it a functionality improvement too.

So why the ‘long face’ – or 3.5-star review? Well, that’s down to a few quality-of-life annoyances that hinder the experience of using the buds.

The first, and most important, is the battery life – I found that the ATH-TWX7 didn’t reliably scratch five hours of use before needing to be recharged in the carry case (when noise cancellation was turned on, as turning it off will give it some extra lasting power). Five hours isn’t all that much in the grand scheme of things, and many people take regular journeys that are longer than that.

I also found that the max volume didn’t cut it. I’m not asking for ‘head-banging’ levels of sonic force, just to be able to hear my music when I’m standing by a busy road.

And one feature that’ll be sure to divide fans is the touch controls on the bud, often a tricky area for earbuds. The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7s have two: one sensor and one physical button, allowing for a wide range of options. However, they’re fiddly to use and prone to accidental touches, and that’s if you can even remember all the combinations available to you in the first place.

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: Price and release date

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 on a bronze table. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced at the beginning of 2024
Priced at $199 / £190 / (around AU$299)

The RRP for the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 is $199 / £190 / (around AU$299), so these are roughly in the mid-range of the consumer wireless earbuds market.

At that price, these are some of the priciest wireless earbuds that Audio-Technica sells, with only the closely-related ATH-TWX9 costing more. Those mostly cost more because of a UV sterilization feature; in terms of specs they’re quite similar.

The ATH-TWX7 have a few similarly-priced competitors on our list of the best noise cancelling earbuds including the Bose QuietComfort 2 (which we call the ‘best overall’ and used to be pricier, but currently cost the same as the ATH-TWX7) and Apple’s AirPods Pro 2. Tough company to keep…

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: Specs

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: Features

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 case being held in a hand. — (Image credit: Future)

6.5-hour battery life
Plenty of features via phone app
Unreliable touch controls

I nearly ripped the ATH-TWX7 out of my ears on numerous occasions because of one infuriating feature: the touch controls.

The buds have multiple controls: there’s a touch sensor masked as Audio-Technica’s logo, which you can press once, twice, or hold down for different functions, and a physical button on the stem too. You can use the app to map the former, and even control their sensitivity, though I couldn’t find a way to alter what the physical buttons did.

The issue is that the touch sensor is more sensitive than a sleep-deprived toddler – and less reliable than one too. I’d often end up triggering it when trying to press the physical button, and the only time it wouldn’t trigger was when I actually wanted it to. This was at all the different sensitivity options selected in the app, and I ended up turning the feature off to save myself from an enraged breakdown.

When it comes to battery life, Audio-Technica states that the buds will last 6.5 hours of use, which will be bumped up to 20 by using the charging case. Judging by my testing, I’m going to guess that this figure refers to listening with ANC turned off, because I generally kept it on and didn’t come close to this figure.

From testing, I’m going to estimate a rough battery life of 5 hours if you use ANC which, while still a decent amount of time, doesn’t come close to the majority of the competitors on the market. I came close to running out of juice a few times without intending to, which is something I’ve never encountered during review testing before! If you need some lasting power, I’d recommend jumping into the app to turn off ANC.

I’ve mentioned the app now, so let’s metaphorically boot it up; it’s actually pretty handy as smartphone apps go, well worth installing, even if its simple on-phone title of ‘Connect’ instead of anything with the Audio-Technica name had me constantly losing it in my Android’s menu.

There are a bunch of features brought about by the app: control of noise cancellation, an equalizer (which features a few presets as well as a custom mode), the ability to set yourself an alarm, toggles for low-latency mode, the ability to test your mic quality to see how you sound, a way to balance audio between the left and right buds, toggles for LDAC, the aforementioned ability to map touch control buttons, and even a library of ‘Soundscapes’. The latter is a list of… well, soundscapes, in case you want the calming sounds of nature (Ocean, Stream, Forest), ambient music (Journey, Tranqulity, Serenity) or a brief sojourn into hell (Quiet Office). Just note, you have to download these tracks in the app before you can listen.

A tip: from the main app menu, make sure to press the top-right menu button, as many more tools are hidden in this menu.

Not all earbud control apps justify their place on your smartphone but Connect definitely does, because of how much customization it gives over your listening experience and the way you use your buds.

The earbuds connect using Bluetooth 5.1, which isn’t the top tier of Bluetooth standard available right now, but if I’m being honest, the functional difference between this and 5.2 or 5.3 is basically nil – although Auracast is one thing that'll be off-menu when it truly arrives (in our airport lounges and so on), since that requires Bluetooth 5.2 or later. You can connect to two devices at once, a feature offered in quite a few earbuds, but the Connect app makes managing them a bit easier than on other Bluetooth Multipoint devices, since you can see and edit the connections.

Features score: 3/5

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: Design

Clamshell charging case
Lightweight buds
Plenty of bud tips included in box

In a world of similar-looking earbud charging cases, Audio-Technica has managed to do something a bit different here; the ATH-TWX7’s case is a bit like an oyster, that opens to reveals the pearls inside.

The case is fairly light, weighing just shy of 50g, and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Its only feature of note is the USB-C port that you use to charge it. It took me a while to realize why I like this design so much; it’s because it reveals the entire earbud, not just the tip of it like on your standard charging case, making them much easier to remove from the case with little effort or slipping.

Just like the case, the buds themselves are nice and slight, not even tipping 5g on the scales individually. This is despite having not one but two different button types on each, which we’ll get into later.

You can pick up the buds in black, gray or ‘white’ – we put quote marks around the latter because it’s the version you can see in the pictures and ‘peach’ would be a much better name for it.

Audio-Technica includes eight different pairs of bud tips in the box with the ATH-TWX7; there are four different sizes in ‘soft’ and ‘standard’ materials, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend you opt for the soft ones over the standard ones first. That’s as long as you are able to change the tips, as the small size of the buds makes it a fiddly task – find someone with small, nimble fingers if you’re not up for the task.

The earbuds are IPX4 certified which signifies that they’re protected from splashes of liquid, but not streams or submersion; you can wear these in rain but not for a swim.

Design score: 4/5

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: Sound quality

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 in someone's ears. — (Image credit: Future)

Immersive lower-mids
Decent noise cancellation for size
LDAC allows for high-res music streaming

A simple way to summarise the sound quality of the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 is to recount how I kept going into the app to turn off the Bass Boost EQ mode, only to discover that it wasn’t even on. That is to say, the buds have a sonic profile that’s spent the last week basking on a Caribbean beach: it's rather warm.

If you like your music to be two parts ‘bass’ to one part ‘everything else’, you’ll love the ATH. Whatever genre I tested, from pop to disco to country to classical, instruments that sat in the lower registers were more prominent than I’m used to. Turns out, ABBA's Waterloo has a great bass line!

While this warm sound did extend to the mids to a degree, I often found that treble ended up being lost a little. Vocals were fighting for attention with the bass line, lead guitars could fall behind rhythm guitars in the mix, and AT would have you thinking that backing vocals are largely unimportant.

To a certain extent, you can the Connect app’s EQ to fix these problems, and I enjoyed music a lot more in the V-Shaped mode. None of the modes really escape the ATH-TWX7’s warm trappings, just offset it, so these are definitely buds for people who prefer that to earbuds that lean towards brightness.

Something that isn’t as much a matter of taste is volume; it just isn’t high enough on the ATH-TWX7. Even when turning the app and my phone’s volume to max, and turning on noise cancellation, I still sometimes struggled to hear music when I was walking besides busy roads. And I’m not even a fan of super-loud, ear-damaging music; these earbuds just weren’t loud enough.

On the topic of noise cancellation: it works. It’s nothing to write home about, but it works. The standard mode manages to strip out annoying background humdrum and noises (take that, loud upstairs neighbours!) but didn’t work as well for louder, constant low-level problems like the aforementioned thrum of traffic. Given that truly great noise cancellation is still the preserve of over-ear headphones, I was pleasantly surprised how well the TWX7 stood up.

There’s another mode called Hear-Through which is supposed to cancel noise but allow people’s voices (including your own) through, so you can maintain conversations without having to turn off the buds. If I didn’t read that on Audio-Technica’s website, though, I’d have no idea what it was supposed to do – it sounded to my ears as though the ambient noises this processing decided to mute (or allow through) were picked totally at random.

The only consistent unmuted sound was on my own voice, which in fairness was quite useful – if you’ve ever tried having a conversation while you’re wearing earbuds, only to remove them and realize you were talking way louder than you thought, you’ll understand why.

Let’s briefly touch on the tech that keeps the ATH-TWX7 sounding the way they do. They borrow the 5.8mm drivers from the pricier ATH-TWX9, so you’re getting some premium tech here, and support LDAC which lets you listen to 24-bit/96 kHz music (if your music is up to scratch). This isn’t really going to mean anything if you stick to Spotify streams, but if you use premium music streaming services or have a Sony Xperia phone, you’ll be able to hear the difference over rival earbuds.

Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: Value

You're getting what you pay for
Keep an eye out for sales

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 offer good sound quality and a range of handy extra features… but at their default price, you’re not exactly getting them for a song. Basically, you’re paying for what you get – but the competition at this level is tough.

That’s not to say that the ATH-TWX7 are overpriced; they’re worth exactly what you pay for them. You’re just not getting as much value for money as on some select rivals (see: Apple or Bose).

Saying that, if you find the earbuds on sale for a lower price (which is more likely here than with much of the competition), that’d sway the value proposition in a good direction.

Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: Also consider

How I tested the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7

Tested for 8 days
Tested at home, in the office and on walks

I tested the ATH-TWX7 for over a week to write this review. Testing was done with the earbuds paired to a Xiaomi Mi Note 10 smartphone, though I also paired it to an Apple iPad Pro a few times.

Testing was done in the office, in my home and on several walks, which is what brought me face-to-face with the various noisy roads that interrupted my listening. I tested using a range of musical genres across several music streaming platforms, as well as spoken word and TV shows streamed from BBC iPlayer.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar for over five years so bring lots of experience to this review. Plenty of that was testing audio products.

First reviewed in May 2024

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Nothing Ear (a) review: mellow yellow earbuds to herald Nothing’s purple patch

1:24 pm | April 18, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC, LDAC, Sony Xperia | Comments: Off

Nothing Ear (a): Two-minute review

When it comes to Nothing's earbuds output, it's hard to stop oneself from playing a game of Spot the Difference. That's quite a fun game here, though, since almost all of the differences are vast improvements over anything Nothing has achieved before. All these incremental gains become especially impressive when you consider that this entry-level option from Nothing comes in at $50 / £30 cheaper than the company's last effort.

For the money, these are some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds of the year thus far. Their closest rival? That would be Sony's class-leading WF-C700N. While there's no 360 Reality Audio support in the Ear (a) and a few Sony-specific features are, of course, off the menu, the Nothing earbuds look more premium and feel more foxy. Their noise cancellation is a touch more robust and the sound is every bit as energetic, detailed and zealous, and (dare we say it?) a tad more expansive to boot. Did I mention that the battery life is also impressive, although admittedly it's a lot better without the superb ANC processing deployed?

I have to admit that the Nothing Ear (a) performed far more admirably than I'd anticipated. I enjoyed them more and more as the listening tests cruised by. Gone is the fidget spinner case idea: my review sample might be a fun English mustard-yellow hue, but the Ear (a) is serious about bringing you music – proof that Carl Pei's 2020 startup finally hit its purple patch. The sound is incrementally better than the Nothing Ear (2), and it's backed up by a Nothing X app that's easier to navigate and offers plenty of scope for tweaking things to your liking, including via the newer pinch-control stems.

OK, let's get that moniker out of the way, shall we? I advise you to view Nothing's naming structure with a simple shrug and the raise of an eyebrow, but I'll try to explain it succinctly. Ear (a) is the model you're reading about now, Nothing's 2024 entry-level offering released in conjunction with the more expensive (by $50 / £30) Ear. Nothing tells me that the Ear (a) is effectively the upgrade for the Ear (Stick), while the Ear is the upgrade on the Ear (2). Good intel, but I'd say it does Nothing's newest entry-level earbuds a disservice because the Ear (a) are streets ahead of the Ear (Stick) in every regard.

Both the Ear (a) and Ear were unveiled simultaneously in April 2024. They supersede the inaugural July 2021 Nothing Ear (1), the October 2022 follow-up Nothing Ear (Stick), and the March 2023 Nothing Ear (2). So, aside from a few minor updates (including a Nothing Ear (1) Black Edition, which fared much better than the troublesome originals) the Ear (a) can also be considered the company's joint-fourth Nothing-branded release. That is, if we're not counting the super-cheap CMF by Nothing Buds, which arrived barely a month before the model we're reviewing here. Got it? Well done. (You're doing great, by the way.)

If you take nothing else away from this Nothing Ear (a) review, know that at $99 / £99 (or around AU$192) you'll not be disappointed with these lovely little yellow earbuds.

Nothing Ear (a) next to the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds — Nothing Ear (a) on the left, Ear (2) on the right. Yes, there are key differences (Image credit: Future)

Nothing Ear (a) review: Price & release date

Released on April 18, 2024 (hitting shelves on April 22, 2024)
Priced $99 / £99 / around AU$192

If the price above made you think 'Hang on, isn't that less than the older Ear (2)?' well done for paying attention. The Nothing Ear (a) are priced to sell – and sure as eggs is eggs, sell they will.

The Ear (a) earbuds come in three colorways – a warm yellow alongside the more ubiquitous shiny black or white finishes. Why go with yellow? It's a primary color, which Nothing says aligns with its stripped-back, transparent-wherever-possible design language (yes, the stems still feature see-through plastic too).

At this level, the Ear (a)'s closest competition aside from Sony's WF-C700N is perhaps the slightly more expensive Sony LinkBuds S, because remember, the class-leading Technics EAH-AZ80 come in at $299 / £259 / AU$499, and Apple's AirPods Pro 2 retail for $249 / £249 / AU$399.

Of course, that's hardly a fair comparison, since those two options offer premium perks, including triple device connectivity (Technics) and remarkably accurate head-tracked spatial audio from an iOS device (Apple).

That said, Nothing's relatively humble asking price is tempting, particularly when you consider the expressive sound quality and solid noise-nixing they can serve up.

Nothing Ear (a) held in a hand, with the case in the background — Hello, yellow! (Image credit: Future)

Nothing Ear (a) review: Specs

Three screenshots of the Nothing X App — The Nothing X App is a fuss-free, wholly positive experience (Image credit: Nothing)

Nothing Ear (a) review: Features

Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC support
Greatly improved ANC
Pinch-to-speak ChatGPT integration coming, with Nothing Phones

The nominal price of these earbuds is listed above, so I won't keep banging on about it. But if you want listening gear that does the basics – good sound, great noise cancellation, clear calls, easy comfort, a bit of EQ wizardry, and reliable on-ear controls – and does them very well indeed, these are that gear. Also, they're a bit of a conversation starter if you want that, miles away from the black and gray pebble-like options often seen at their level.

Want something better than the basics? Well, Nothing's got an ace up its sleeve here too. Although I was unable to test it in my not-yet-public version of the Nothing X app (rollout will be gradual across Phone (2) followed by Phone (1) and Phone (2a) for the Nothing Ear and Ear (a) in the weeks after April 18, 2024) Nothing tells me it has integrated both Nothing earbuds and Nothing OS with ChatGPT, to offer users instant access to the chatbot directly from its devices. What this means is that users with the latest Nothing OS and ChatGPT installed on their Nothing phones should soon be able to pinch-to-speak to the popular consumer AI tool, directly from these entry level Ear (a) earbuds. However comfortable you feel with AI, it certainly adds value at the level.

Nothing X app screens showing AI voice integration using Nothing earbuds — Voice AI using ChatGPT is coming using Nothing Ear (a) using your Nothing smartphone… (Image credit: Nothing )

Back to the Ear (a) specifically and call handling is far better this time around, with recipients telling me my voice was unusually clear, which checks out when you see that the Clear Voice Technology has been upped from v2.0 in the Ear (2) – or 1.0 with Bass Lock software in the Ear (Stick) – to 3.0 here.

You're getting Bluetooth v5.3 and LDAC support for hi-res audio (the Sony-developed codec that lets you stream high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/96kHz over Bluetooth at up to 990kbps, if your device supports it and the file is up to scratch), which is a valuable inclusion at this level.

There's no onboard spatial audio wizardry and you don't get the Ear (2)'s splendid personalized hearing tests. However, you do get in-ear detection (to pause music when they're out and resume it when they're in), a low lag toggle for gaming, issue-free multipoint to two devices, an ear tip fit test and a Find My Earbuds feature, which issues a rattlesnake-style sound from whichever bud you're trying to locate.

Now, the noise cancellation. After deploying ANC (rather than 'Transparency' or 'Off'), you can select from High, Mid, Low, and Adaptive profiles. High is very good: the hairdryer we use in our meticulous and methodical testing was largely nixed. I can see why it drops the battery life from 9.5 hours without ANC to 5.5 with it, but when the near bubble-of-silence outcome is this good, it's a hit I'm willing to take. The quoted improvement is 45dB over 40dB of ambient noise nixing and if that's hard to quantify, let me tell you that when I sat down to do some work at home wearing Ear (a) with ANC on High, I didn't realize the oven extractor fan was on (my other half was making breakfast), but as soon as I switched to Ear (2) it became perceptible.

Heading over to the Transparency option, this is signified by a woman exhaling, which is fun. Although there's no slider to tweak the level of ambient sound you're letting in, it's perfectly acceptable and means voices can be heard without removing the Ear (a).

The Nothing X app takes the reins and it too is much improved, never faltering and always serving me what I need, without going round the houses to get there. The EQ tab is essentially a three-band offering presented in what I like to call a splodge, rather than sliders for each – think Nura True Pro's visual depictions rather than a mixing desk, with four presets for more bass, more treble, voice focus or a balanced sound – but of course, you can create your own. It's not the most fully-featured offering Nothing has in its arsenal (for that you'd have to opt for the Nothing Ear) but it certainly works.

Anything missing where it should be? Nothing. No sir.

Features score: 5/5

Nothing Ear (a) next to the Nothing Ear (2), on a brown sofa — The new Ear (a) next to the Ear (2): a fun game of Spot the Difference (Image credit: Future)

Nothing Ear (a) review: Sound quality

LDAC handled very well indeed
Fun and zealous sound
Unusually expansive for this type of in-ear

If you've read the star rating at the top of this review and come this far (thank you for sticking with me), it will come as no surprise to learn that the Ear (a) doesn't lack in the sonic department.

Those with a Sony smartphone (I used the Sony Xperia 1 IV) will find LDAC codec files are delivered with expanse and pinpoint accuracy when it comes to the placement of each sonic article. In Aerosmith's Going Down / Love In an Elevator, a shaker sits comfortably in the well of my right ear as backing vocals come in through the left. When the heavily processed "Going down" vocal bridge sweeps across the soundstage like a freight train, it grazes the back of my brain en route.

Even when I stream lossy Spotify tracks (or much better Apple Music songs) the Nothing Ear (a) buds handle them admirably, with ample texture and space around Elton John's Rocket Man vocal, in a cohesive mix that brings forward the synths and bass plucks other earbuds at this price can't reach.

For dynamic build and nuance, the Nothing Ear (a) are best described as meaty and arresting. It's not that they lack refinement exactly, just that they prioritize fun and energy over that integrated hi-fi listen some might prefer. For me, there's so much here to celebrate sonically that I cannot pick fault. No, they're not better than something at nearly three times the price (such as the Technics EAH-AZ80, for example), but for the money, Nothing has tweaked its recipe to near perfection here.

Want to see what I mean? Play the intro of The Who's Substitute. Tell me those guitar strings and shaker aren't every bit as jangly and expressive as you could ever wish for at $99…

Sound quality score: 5/5

Nothing Ear (a) earbud on the left, Nothing Ear (2) on the right — See how Ear (a) is just slightly bigger than Ear (2), across the board? (Image credit: Future)

Nothing Ear (a) review: Design

Smaller and more pocketable case
Pinch stems work really well, even when wearing gloves
Nothing's design language is beautifully realized

Holding the Nothing Ear (a) earpiece next to the Nothing Ear (2) is a fresh surprise. Nothing has tried hard to keep its popular design language constant, but these two earpieces are actually very different beasts. I've placed the Ear (2) next to the new Ear (a) in the images below to prove that the earpiece is just slightly bigger across the board – 1.5mm taller, 0.2mm wider, and 0.8mm deeper, to be exact. The Ear (a) earbud is also 0.3g heavier than the Ear (2), although the case is 12.3g lighter and quite a bit shallower.

I mention these facts and figures only to highlight that it is emphatically not a case of 'same buds, different box' from Nothing. They're different. They're better. Perhaps the only potentially disappointing stat here is the size of the driver, which is now 11mm – down from 11.6mm in the Ear (2) and 12.6mm in the Ear (Stick) – and the 11mm driver in the flagship Ear is ceramic, while this one isn't. Not so fast, though, as Nothing tells me that through tweaks to the dual chamber design under the hood, which now includes two extra vents for improved airflow, it's extracted 10%-15% more from Ear (a)'s driver. However Nothing has achieved it, I certainly agree that the sound from said driver is greatly improved.

After switching out to the smaller ear tips (you get three in total), I find the Ear (a) a breeze to wear – although if you've particularly small ears you may need to try before you buy, and my guide to the best earbuds for small ears is worth consulting.

The new case makes a lot of sense. It flips open as easily as it slips into and out of my pocket, and the earbuds are some of the easiest to retrieve I've ever tested – Nothing's right-red, left-white dots also help you match the colors for charging. You don't get wireless charging support at this price, but the IPX2 rating of this charging nest (for mild water resistance) is more than you get with plenty of pricier options. The earbuds themselves boast an IP55 rating, which is the same as Nothing's new Ear earbuds, although the Ear's case has an IP55 rating – so it's essentially dust- and water-resistant.

Nothing's pinch stems also work really well. You can customize what the morse code short- and long-press combinations do for each stem – yes, including volume. These stem-squeeze controls also work with gloves on, unlike many touch-capacitive solutions.

Design score: 5/5

Nothing Ear (a) earbuds on a brown sofa, in their closed case – with transparent lid — Rarely have I had so many colleagues strike up a conversation with me over a set of earbuds (Image credit: Future)

Nothing Ear (a) review: Value

As good-looking as any earbuds can be for this money
Winning ANC at the level
LDAC for extra sound-per-pound value

I've sprinkled this liberally throughout the review, but I'll say it again, design-wise there's nothing better at the level. But don't be mistaken, these aren't style over substance: the sound quality is very good, and for noise-cancellation specifically, they're extremely hard to beat for the money.

As always, it's important to state that if you're prepared to spend $299 / £279 / AU$429 (aka three times the money) there's better noise-cancellation available in the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, but that's hardly fair.

Prior to testing the Nothing Ear (a), for this price point, I would nudge you towards the Sony WF-C700N, but in my honest opinion, these entry-level Nothings give those a solid run for their money, across the board. And for premium looks for budget money, there's really no contest…

Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the Nothing Ear (a)?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Nothing Ear (a) review: Also consider

How I tested the Nothing Ear (a)

Nothing Ear (a) held in a hand, on brown background — USB-C for juicing up, but there's no wireless charging (Image credit: Future)

Tested for two weeks, listened against the Sony WF-C700N, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 and Technics EAH-AZ80
Listened at work (in the office, walking through Dorset, on a train) and at home
Listened to Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless tracks and Spotify on an iPhone 12 Pro, MacBook Pro and Sony Xperia 1 IV

The Nothing Ear (a) became my primary musical companions for five days – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period.

They accompanied me to work (walking brusquely to a train into our Paddington office or on the London Underground to various events) and on a flight to Copenhagen (I know, get me).

To better test the comfort levels (and battery life claims), I followed TechRadar's meticulous methodology testing.

To check the audio quality across the frequencies, I listened to TechRadar's reference playlist (spanning everything from pop to classical) on Apple Music and Tidal, and also my own musical selections and podcasts. I also wore them to watch YouTube tutorials (mostly about silversmithing: finessing bezel settings and working with art clay silver, since you ask) from my MacBook Pro.

I’ve been testing audio products for well over five years. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in another life, sound quality, fit, and user experience have always taken priority for me personally, but having heard how wonderful ANC can be when done well, I know what I'm listening to here also.

First reviewed: April 2024

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review: a high-end hi-res digital audio player

6:00 pm | December 24, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Portable Media Players | Tags: LDAC | Comments: Off

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000: One-minute review

The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 is the most expensive digital audio player in a product portfolio full of expensive digital audio players. It’s specified without compromise (full independent balanced and unbalanced audio circuits? Half a dozen DACs taking care of business? These are just a couple of highlights) and it’s finished to the sort of standard that wouldn’t shame any of the world’s leading couture jewellery companies.

Best of all, though, is the way it sounds. It’s remarkably agnostic about the stuff you like to listen to, the sort of standard of digital file in which it’s contained, and the headphones you use too – and when you give it the best stuff to work with, the sound it’s capable of producing is almost humbling in its fidelity. Be in no doubt, this is the best digital audio player – aka best MP3 player – when it comes to sound quality you can currently buy. Which, when you look again at how much it costs, is about the least it needs to be.

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review: Price and release date

Priced at $3,699 / £3,799 / AU$5,499

The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 (which I think we should agree to call ‘SP3000’ from here on out) is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs a not-inconsiderable £3799. In the United States, it’s a barely-more-acceptable $3699, and in Australia you’ll have to part with AU$5499.

Need I say with undue emphasis that this is quite a lot of money for a digital audio player? I’ve reviewed very decent digital audio players (DAP) from the likes of Sony for TechRadar that cost about 10% of this asking price – so why on Earth would you spend ‘Holiday of a Lifetime’ money on something that doesn’t do anything your smartphone can’t do?

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review: Features

Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD and LDAC
Native 32bit/784kHz and DSD512 playback
Discrete balanced and unbalanced audio circuits

Admittedly, when Astell & Kern says the SP3000 is “the pinnacle of audio players”, that seems a rather subjective statement. When it says this is “the world’s first DAP with independent audio circuitry”, that’s simply a statement of fact.

That independent audio circuitry keeps the signal path for the balanced and unbalanced outputs entirely separated, and it also includes independent digital and analogue signal processing. Astell & Kern calls the overall arrangement ‘HEXA-Audio’ – and it includes four of the new, top-of-the-shop AKM AK4499EX DAC chipsets along with a couple of the very-nearly-top-of-the-shop AK4191EQ DACs from the same company. When you add in a single system-on-chip to take care of CPU, memory and wireless connectivity, it becomes apparent Astell & Kern has chosen not to compromise where technical specification is concerned. And that’s before we get to ‘Teraton X’... this is a bespoke A&K-designed processor that minimises noise derived from both the power supply and the numerous DACs, and provides amplification that’s as clean and efficient as any digital audio player has ever enjoyed.

The upshot is a player that supports every worthwhile digital audio format, can handle sample rates of up to 32bit/784kHz and DSD512 natively, and has Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity with SBC, AAC, aptX HD and LDAC codec compatibility. A player that features half-a-dozen DAC filters for you to investigate, and that can upsample the rate of any given digital audio file in an effort to deliver optimal sound quality. And if you want to enjoy the sound as if it originates from a pair of loudspeakers rather than headphones, the SP3000 has a ‘Crossfeed’ feature that mixes part of the signal from one channel into the other (with time-adjustment to centre the audio image) in an effort to do just that.

Features score: 5 / 5

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review: Sound quality

Insightful, engaging and convincing sound
Not too fussy about file sizes
Only slightly fussy about headphones

Some digital audio players are quite picky about what goes into them and how it comes out again - but happily, the SP3000 is not among them. Obviously it performs to its fullest when given big, information-rich digital audio files to work with and is connected to appropriately talented headphones – but it’s not about to have a hissy fit if that’s not the case.

So no matter if you listen to a big 24bit/192kHz FLAC file of Old Man by Neil Young or a bog-standard 320kbps MP3 file of Cool About It by boygenius, the SP3000 is unflappable. It doesn’t matter if you connect £50-worth of Final Audio E3000 via the 3.5mm socket or a pair of £1299 Sennheiser IE900 into the 4.4mm socket, the Astell & Kern will make the best of the situation.

In each and every circumstance, the SP3000 is an uncomplicated pleasure to listen to. Its overall presentation is almost instinctively correct, positive without being pushy, and utterly convincing. 10 hours of battery life looks perfectly adequate when written down, but in practice it’s nothing like long enough. I could listen to this Astell & Kern almost indefinitely.

Detail levels are high in the same way that The Shard is tall. No element of a recording is too minor, too peripheral or too transient to elude the SP3000 - it extracts every scrap of information from a digital audio file and organises it confidently. There’s nothing uptight or fussy about the way this player puts you in the picture, though – everything is contextualised and serves only to ensure you’re fully informed.

Control, from the top of the frequency range to the bottom, is unarguable. The attack and decay of bass sounds, in particular, is so well-managed that rhythmic expression is completely natural and momentum is maintained in all circumstances, despite the considerable weight and substance of the low end. There’s similarly well-supervised attack at the top of the frequency range, and in between the Astell & Kern communicates eloquently through the midrange.

Dynamic headroom is extensive, so big shifts in intensity and/or volume are made plain. Lower-key dynamic variations in voices or harmonics are made absolutely plain, too. Tonality is never anything but balanced and naturalistic, and the SP3000 knits the whole frequency range together smoothly. The soundstage it’s capable of generating is well-defined and expansive – even dense or complex recordings have more than enough elbow-room to let every element express itself without hindrance. And the SP3000 achieves this without losing sight of the fact that it’s presenting a performance – the unity and togetherness of its presentation is direct and unequivocal.

You can fiddle around the edges of the way the Astell & Kern performs by investigating your DAC filter options, sure - but in broad terms, its methodology doesn’t really change. It’s precise and meticulous, but it's no dry tool of analysis. It hits very hard through the low frequencies, but it never gets bogged down under its own weight. It’s spacious and open, but it’s seamlessly unified.

Sound quality score: 5 / 5

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review: Design

904L stainless steel chassis
493g; 139 x 82 x 18mm (HxWxD)
1080 x 1920 touchscreen

‘Portable’, of course, is a relative term. The SP3000 is not the most portable product of its type around – it weighs very nearly half a kilo and is 139 x 82 x 18mm (HxWxD) – but if you can slip it into a bag then I guess it must count as ‘portable’. Its pointy corners count against it too, though – and while it comes with a protective case sourced from French tanners ALRA, the fact it’s made of goatskin is not going to appeal to everyone.

To be fair, the body of the SP3000 isn’t as aggressively angular as some A&K designs. And the fact that it’s built from 904L stainless steel goes a long way to establishing the SP3000’s credentials as a luxury ‘accessory’ (in the manner of a watch or some other jewellery) as well as a functional device. 904L stainless steel resists corrosion like nobody’s business, and it can also accept a very high polish - which is why the likes of Rolex make use of it. I’m confident you’ve never seen such a shiny digital audio player.

The front and rear faces of the SP3000 are glass - and on the front it makes up a 5.4in 1080 x 1920 touch-screen. The Snapdragon octa-core CPU that’s in charge means it’s an extremely responsive touch-screen, too.

On the top right edge of the chassis there’s the familiar ‘crown’ control wheel - which is another design feature that ups the SP3000’s desirability. It feels as good as it looks, and the circular light that sits behind it glows in one of a number of different colours to indicate the size of the digital audio file that’s playing. The opposite edge has three small, much less exciting, control buttons that work perfectly well but have none of the control wheel’s visual drama or tactile appeal.

The top of the SP3000 is home to three headphone sockets. There’s a 3.5mm unbalanced output, and two balanced alternatives – 2.5mm (which works with four-pole connections) and 4.4mm (which supports five-pole connections). On the bottom edge, meanwhile, there’s a USB-C socket for charging the internal battery - battery life is around 10 hours in normal circumstances, and a full charge from ‘flat’ takes around three hours. There’s also a micro-SD card slot down here, which can be used to boost the player’s 256GB of memory by up to 1TB.

Design score: 5 / 5

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review: Value

In absolute terms, of course, $3,699 / £3,799 / AU$5,499 for a digital audio player is nonsense. The law of diminishing returns is at work here as surely as it is anywhere else - and you can get a big serving of the SP3000’s talents by spending less than half of its asking price (mostly, but not exclusively, by spending it with Astell & Kern itself). But if you want absolutely, positively the best-sounding DAP around, and you are fortunate enough to be able to justify the cost to yourself, well, this player is currently number one in a field of one.

Should I buy the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review: Also consider

How I tested the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000

Tested for over a week
Tested indoors and out
Tested with wired and wireless headphones

I loaded the internal memory of the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 with quite a lot of high-resolution digital audio files, and I also installed the Tidal app – so ultimately I was able to lot of different types of music via a lot of different audio file types and sizes.

I listened to the player in my home and while out and about (listening outdoors made me quite anxious at first, I don’t mind admitting – it’s an expensive device, after all). And I listened to it using a selection of wired and wireless headphones – generally, headphones able to do some justice to the SP3000’s unarguable quality. I mostly used the Sennheiser IE900 via the 4.4mm balanced input and the Bowers & Wilkins’ Px8 via Bluetooth.

First reviewed in December 2023

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Technics EAH-AZ80 wireless earbuds review: feature-rich but up against tough rivals

4:27 pm | June 2, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: AAC, LDAC | Comments: Off

Technics EAH-AZ80: Two-minute review

The Technics EAH-AZ80 earbuds outside their case — The units look bulky, but they fit well (Image credit: Simon Lucas)

There are a lot choices when it comes to picking the best wireless earbuds. So in a move of either supreme corporate confidence or utter corporate hubris, Technics has decided to join the fray with the EAH-AZ80.

And in virtually every respect, the EAH-AZ80 make a strong case for themselves. The triple-point connectivity (a first in a product of this type) proves stable and useful, and thanks to ‘Just My Voice’ technology these earbuds are far less prone to wind-noise interference than any number of rivals. The sound they make is also accomplished – it's both swift and accurate, as well as balanced and detailed.

It’s not the most energetic sound you've ever heard though. And marginal shortcomings related to battery life and the effectiveness of the active noise-cancellation confirm that Technics has missed the bull’s-eye by a tiny margin with the EAH-AZ80. They will be absolutely perfect for some customers looking for the best noise-cancelling earbuds, mind you…

Technics EAH-AZ80: Price and release date

Release date: on sale now
Price: $299; £259; AU$499

The price of the Technics EAH-AZ80 is that of a premium product, for sure – but happily, so is the specification. They have Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC compatibility, triple-point connectivity, big and serious drivers doing the audio business, sound telephony functionality and noise-cancellation, a thoughtful and comfortable design. Honestly, it’s hard to know what more Technics could have done.

The issue is this: at that price, their closest competition is the Sony WF-1000XM4 (which launched at $279 / £250 / AU$449.95 but are slightly discounted these days owing to a 2021 release date) and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 ($299 / £279 / AU$429). Anyone familiar with either product will know that to call these earbuds stiff competition is an understatement.

Technics EAH-AZ80: Specs

Technics EAH-AZ80: Features

Technics EAH-AZ80 app triple screens on gray background — Technics' Audio Connect app is clean, stable and logical, with plenty of functionality and no flashy graphics to distract you (Image credit: Future)

Bluetooth 5.3 with triple-point connectivity
SBC, AAC and LDAC codec compatibility
10mm full-range dynamic drivers

When it comes to the business of a) getting audio information on board and b) making the best of it, Technics has gone to considerable lengths with the EAH-AZ80. Really, it’s hard to identify a gap in the specification here.

Wireless connectivity, for example, is handled by Bluetooth 5.3, and there’s high-resolution LDAC codec compatibility as well as the more prosaic SBC and AAC alternatives. And in what the company confidently claims is a world’s first, the AZ80 have triple-point connectivity, which means that for those of us who can’t possibly manage without our earbuds being simultaneously connected to our laptop, smartphone or tablet, can switch seamlessly between them.

No matter the source of your digital audio information though, Technics delivers the sound to your ears via a pair of 10mm full-range, free-edge aluminium dynamic drivers. These work in conjunction with an internal acoustic control chamber and harmoniser to serve up a frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz. And thanks to an IPX4 rating, you should be able to enjoy these full-range sounds in any realistic environment.

Each earbud is fitted with four mics: ‘talk’, ‘voice detection’ ‘feed back’ and ‘feed forward’. Technics wants the EAH-AZ80 to be your go-to earbud when it comes to communication. Its ‘Just My Voice’ technology is designed to enhance vocal clarity in unhelpful environments and suppress those external sounds that can impact on in-call intelligibility. The mic array also deals with the ‘dual hybrid’ active noise-cancellation, of course - and in addition to the ‘feed forward’ and ‘feed back’ noise-cancellation, the AZ80 have a software filter dealing with digital signal processing and a hardware filter for the analogue equivalent.

The charging case has a USB-C slot for connection to mains power, and the Technics are compatible with any Qi-certified charging pad too. From ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes around two hours, and 15 minutes in the juice should be good for more than an hour’s action. Battery life can be anything from a quite acceptable seven hours in the ‘buds and 25 in the charging case (if you’re listening to AAC files with the ANC switched off) to a rather less impressive four hours (earbuds) and 16 hours (charging case) if you switch the ANC on and stream hefty LDAC files.

Where control is concerned, you’ve a number of options. The capacitive touch surface on each earbud is large and responsive, and you can reliably control ‘play/pause’, ‘volume up/down’, ‘skip forwards/backwards’, ‘answer/end/reject call’ and ‘cycle through ANC options’ this way. The fact that the number of taps or presses each function requires can be user-defined is very welcome, too.

You can define the controls in the ‘Audio Connect’ app that’s free for iOS and Android. It’s a clean, stable and logical app, with plenty of functionality and no flashy graphics to distract you – altering the intensity of the active noise-cancellation (or dialling the amount of ambient noise you hear up or down), setting custom EQ levels, and checking for firmware updates are among the highlights.

That quite complex arrangement of mics comes into its own where voice-control is concerned. The EAH-AZ80 are compatible with all native voice-assistants except Bixby, and your interactions with the assistant are reliable and responsive.

Feature quality score: 5/5

Technics EAH-AZ80: Design

The Technics EAHAZ80 inside their case with the lid closed — The case is compact; the branding suitably understated – and we'd expect nothing less (Image credit: Simon Lucas)

7g per earbud
Careful ergonomic shape
Milled aluminium touch surface

Obviously Technics didn’t tear up the rulebook where the design of true wireless in-ear headphones is concerned when it finalised the EAH-AZ80. But as well as giving a necessarily small and discreet product a hint of ‘premium’, it’s also created an earbud that manages to be both more comfortable and more stable than the norm.

The basic look is good – the fairly large milled aluminium touch surface on each earbud looks and feels good. The same is true of the charging case in which they travel in. Each part of the product has a confidently understated ‘Technics’ logo stamped on it, which isn't too obstructive.

The plastics that constitute the majority of the product are sturdy and feel robust, despite the earbuds weighing a svelte-enough 7g each – the charging case is an equally trim 50g. Build quality hasn’t been compromised in order to keep the weight down though – the EAH-AZ80 feels like a product that will last for the long haul.

Technics has included a moulded extrusion into the otherwise-unremarkable drop-shaped body of each earbud. The company calls this shape ‘concha-fit’, and it’s designed to fit as naturally and unobtrusively as possible into the ear. It also distributes the weight of the earbuds as evenly as possible once they're in situ. And to further maximise the comfort of the AZ80, Technics provides seven different sizes of silicone earbud in the packaging – the accuracy of the fit is all-important when wearing in-ear headphones, of course, and Technics isn’t shy about pointing out your ears may not be identically sized. That’s why it’s given you as good a chance as possible to get the ideal fit for both your ears.

Design quality score: 5/5

Technics EAH-AZ80: Sound quality

The Technics EAHAZ80 earbuds one facing up and the other down — That 'concha-fit' shape might look a little big, but the weight distribution is bang on (Image credit: Simon Lucas)

Detailed, natural and neutral (though not the most exciting sound)
Excellent telephony
Average active noise-cancellation

Where audio quality is concerned – and let’s face it, that’s what most of us are here for most of the time – the Technics EAH-AZ80 are a vexatious combination of really impressive and slightly underwhelming.

A track that played to their strengths was a Tidal Masters file, Grapevine by Weyes Blood, which offered lots to admire. The whole frequency range is really nicely balanced and coherent from top to bottom and very even-handed from the (deep, nicely textured) bass to the (clean, politely attacking) treble. The midrange is eloquent and informative, thanks to impressively high detail levels, and the journey from floor to ceiling and back again is smooth and seamless.

Control of the lowest frequencies is good, with nice straight edges to the attack of sounds and no discernible overhang to the decay. This helps the AZ80 remain nice and positive when it comes to rhythmic expression, and it means that the midrange is never in any danger of being swamped or dragged at by overconfident bass. The opposite end of the frequency range is equally well controlled, though in ultimate terms the Technics could do with a little more substance and shine to those treble sounds.

The sky-high detail levels means no harmonic variation or minor dynamic discrepancy goes astray, and the AZ80 are just as capable when it comes to barrelling through the big dynamic shifts in a recording too. Their soundstage is spacious and well organised, so even complicated or instrument-heavy recordings are solidly laid out and easy to follow. And even though every element of a recording gets sufficient space in which to express itself, the Technics properly unify recordings into a convincing whole, into an actual performance.

They’re not the most exciting sounding earbuds you ever heard though, it has to be said. For all of their precision and insight, the AZ80 are just a little short of the sort of drive and animation that can turn listening into an invigorating, exciting experience. There’s no denying the admirable nature of their even handedness and realism, of course – but some music demands the sort of bite and attack that the Technics don’t seem especially comfortable with delivering.

And there’s a similar diffidence to the way their active noise-cancellation is implemented. The problem for the EAH-AZ80, of course, is the problem that all true wireless in-ear headphones have when it comes to ANC: the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. Compared to the best in class, the AZ80 can rescue overall noise, do an especially worthwhile job on high-frequency stuff – but they’re unable to do a complete job on all the external distractions you might encounter. In the opposite direction, though, their amplification of external sounds when using ‘ambient sound’ is impressive.

The way they handle connectivity and communication needs no caveats, though. The triple-point system provides seemingly unbreakable connections to your three nominated devices, and multitasking is a breeze as a result. And the ‘Just My Voice’ technology works well too - wind-noise is dramatically reduced, and voices are far more prominent as a result. They sound slightly less than ‘natural’, it’s true - but that’s infinitely preferable to wind interference when you’re trying to hold a conversation.

Sound quality score: 4/5

Technics EAH-AZ80: Value

The Technics EAHAZ80 inside their case — Shiny, jewel-like buds which look pricey – and they are (Image credit: Simon Lucas)

Properly built with premium materials
Many performance positives
But not an across-the-board success

Around the edges, the Technics EAH-AZ80 represent great value. They look and feel every bit of the asking price, all their clever functions are implemented flawlessly, and they give that ineffable pride of ownership that so many alternative designs strive in vain for. And in many ways, they sound great too, especially if you value accuracy and neutrality of sound above all else. But their slight lack of animation is compounded by second-tier ANC and battery life, which means they can’t quite score full marks.

Sound quality score: 4/5

Should you buy the Technics EAH-AZ80?

Buy them if...

You intend to wear your earbuds all day
Some carefully considered design, along with a lavish selection of silicone ear tips, means the EAH-AZ80 should stay comfortable no matter the size or shape of your ears.

You want to switch between devices
Triple-point connectivity is a world-first in a product like this, and it’s brilliantly convenient for those of us who surround themselves with sources of audio.

You prefer a neutral, lifelike sound
There’s nothing artificial about the way the Technics EAH-AZ80 sound, they offer convincingly realistic and coherent listening in all circumstances.

Don't buy them if...

You intend to wear your earbuds all day
Even at its best, the battery life available here is nothing special – long-haul flights are a non-starter, unless you want to recharge halfway through.

You have a lot of external noise to block out
While it’s true to say there are less capable noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds around, it’s equally true to point out that there are more capable alternatives too.

You prefer an animated, exciting sound
For all of their poise, balance and accuracy, the Technics EAH-AZ80 don’t produce the most out-and-out animated sound you ever heard.

Technics EAH-AZ80: Also consider

How I tested the Technics EAH-AZ80

Tested for a week or more
Used in a home office, on the street and on public transport
Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Nothing Phone (1) as source players

The benefits of the Technics EAH-AZ80 are obvious. They stay comfortable for easily as long as their battery lasts, they connected to all the sources of music I could stash on me at once and they’re simple to use for phone calls even in a wind-tunnel.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I could hear some of the sounds around me, especially on the train, and the fact that I know some of the music I listened to should sound fiercer, I’d give them a wholehearted five star recommendation.

Editor's Note

• Original review date: June 2022
• Launch price: $749 / £699 / AU$1,099
• Target price: still $749 / £699 / AU$1,099

Update: February 2024. The Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII is still the revered hi-res audio specialist's most entry-level player – and emphatically still one of the best MP3 players in existence – but it's important to note that in November 2023 it was superseded by A&K's newer (and slightly more expensive) Astell & Kern A&norma SR35. The nitty gritty of it is this: the SR35 is now billed as A&K's entry-level option and under intense review the newer player edges it (just), but you'll need to pay a $50 / £100 / AU$200 surcharge for that newness. Now, one could argue that if you're prepared to shell out $700 for a dedicated hi-res audio player, you may as well throw another $50 or so down, but I'm not so sure. Honestly, if this is where your budget maxes out, A&K's second-generation November 2021-issue SR25 remains an excellent option. Deals owing to its relative age? Unlikely, this is Astell & Kern, not Amazon. That said, it's not unheard of…
The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII: two-minute review

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and one man's trash is another's treasure. Anyone invested in portable hi-res audio, for instance, will surely view the Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII as a thing of beauty both sonically and visually; the very sight of an A&K player emerging from its owner's pocket signifies their ascension to a very select group of music lovers.

To others, the off-kilter screen may seem a hindrance, the name long-winded, the edges a little sharp, the unmarked buttons somewhat unhelpful and the pricing prohibitive – even though for Astell & Kern, this is budget territory.

Whatever your opinion on the above, the level of features, connectivity, file support and sound quality incorporated here is, as the dynamic '80s cartoon heroin Jem once said, truly truly truly outrageous.

What you need to know is that the music you've been playing from your phone or laptop is going to sound constricted, muddied, compressed and altogether beige after you've heard music on this. And even if the original (and very talented) SR25 is well-known to you, this model sounds that little bit better – and as such, it just became one of the best MP3 players on the market.

The A&K A&norma SR25 MKII digital audio player takes and celebrates virtually any digital audio file size or type, and it will now happily accept balanced headphones with 4.4 or 2.5mm headphone jacks as well as 'regular' 3.5mm unbalanced models.

Elsewhere, the touch-screen is bright and responsive and the battery life, at 20 hours, walks all over the company's A&ultima SP2000T at only 9 hours. And did we mention how expressive, detailed, regimented and faithfully neutral it sounds?

The A&norma SR25 MKII is a gifted digital audio player and it will reignite your love of music. And unlike many of the company's more pricey players, this one is small enough to put in a pocket and will keep you streaming, pinging or downloading once-treasured songs to it, just to see what it makes of them.

If the current financial climate still facilitates your consideration of such a purchase, you won't be disappointed with this talented little player.

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII on black background — The A&K's rotary volume dial is a thing of beauty (Image credit: TechRadar)

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII review: Price and release date

Released in November 2021
$749 / £699 / AU$1,099

The Astell & Kern A&norma SR 25 MKII comes with asking price that may have some moving swiftly on given the current cost of living challenges. Others may still pause to hear more though – because unlike the majority of Astell & Kern's ouevre, it doesn't actually cost thousands.

In the United Kingdom it sells for a pound short of £700. American customers hoping to snag one will need to put seven hundred-dollar bills and one fifty aside, while in Australia you’re looking at over a grand.

Can such a product make a case for itself outside of the niche audiophile world when good-quality music streaming and downloading capabilities are so readily available on contract smartphones? If you ask us, yes.

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII detail of headphone ports on black background — A&K has added a 4.4 balanced headphone jack for extra connectivity (Image credit: TechRadar)

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII review: Features

Supports both 24-bit Bluetooth wireless codecs LDAC and aptXHD
Comprehensive wired hi-res chops to DSD256 and 32-bit/384KHz PCM
Replay Gain automatically adjusts volume playback from sound sources up to 24-bit/192kHz

The features we need to get through here give even the best MP3 players a run for their money, so strap in.

Astell & Kern states that every aspect its customers admired in the original SR25 is retained here, but that this new model improves on the audio performance even further. How? With its latest audio architecture, that's how, which promises more detail, clearly defined upper and lower ranges, and a deeper, more rounded sound. (More on this later.)

What is not new is the implementation of two Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs, because it is the same dual DAC chip setup as the previous SR15, which is a few years old now. Then again, that player was excellent sonically and if it ain't broke, etc…

As well as a new 4.4mm headphone jack, the MKII unit also boasts a new Replay Gain function to uniformly adjust volume playback from sound sources up to 24-bit/192 kHz. You're also getting AK File Drop (first introduced in the pricier A&futura SE180 player) for easier wireless file transfers; BT Sink function for simpler connection of the SR25 MKII to an external Bluetooth device (essentially, music from an external device such as a smartphone can be played back in high-quality on the SR25 MKII using it) and extra internal silver-plated shielding to protect from electromagnetic interference, first seen in the thrice-the-price A&ultima SP2000T.

Although it hasn't been shouted about, upon going through the settings of the SR25 MKII, four new, interesting and quite different-sounding DAC filters also present themselves, which will work if listening in 24-bit/192kHz or less PCM (although they won't work in MQA and DSD formats) and they certainly add value and scope for customization at the level.

As with the first-generation model, the SR25 MKII easily handles a huge array of high-resolution music formats and sample rates, including support for native playback of DSD256 and 32-bit/384KHz PCM high-resolution audio.

And should you want to listen to your favourite hi-res music over a wireless connection (and why shouldn't you, given the excellent wireless headphones available in this day and age?), the SR25 MKII features the high-quality LDAC and aptX HD Bluetooth wireless codecs too, plus wi-fi for access to streaming services including Tidal, which is happily waiting to be discovered in the 'services' tab.

I tried the SR25 MKII using several true wireless price-compatible earbuds, including the NuraTrue and Cambridge Audio's Melomania 1+ (both of which support aptX) and found the Bluetooth connection rock-solid.

In terms of wired connections, the power output here is standard rather than exceptional, although the SR25 MKII drove my hefty Austrian Audio Hi-X55 over-ears over a (regular 3.5mm) unbalanced connection admirably.

Features score: 5/5

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII review: Design

Bright and responsive touch-screen
Angular but nicely pocketable
Glorious trademark A&K rotary volume dial

Astell & Kern is known for its trademark brutalist aesthetic and it’s not about to switch tack any time soon. So the A&norma SR 25 MKII is all angles and pointy bits – some of them glassy. Look at it and you know it's made by A&K.

The slanted screen may be slightly jarring for some (yes, if the display simply fit the measurements, it could've been bigger) but it does allow for the inclusion of a lovely clicking rotary volume dial in the top right corner, for which all Astell & Kern players are now known. This one is bigger than that sported by its predecessor and it looks even more like a blown up Swiss chronograph watch dial – but we mean that in the best possible way.

There are four unmarked pill-shaped buttons along the top left edge of the player as you look at the screen, which handle (from top to bottom) power, track skips backwards, play/pausing and forwarding to the next track. While unmarked, they are intuitive and once you know, you know – again, if you don't like it, A&K does not care.

In terms of dimensions it's a fair bit deeper than your smartphone but thinner and shorter and, at 178g it actually weighs 26g less than the iPhone 13 Pro (and 62g less than the iPhone 13 Pro Max).

The touch-screen may be a tad fiddly for those with larger fingers – it may take a few goes to key in your Tidal password, for example – but it's more than worth persisting because the trade off is a nippy, happy and talented little player that you can actually put in your pocket without feeling like you're listing to one side.

The slightly moodier new 'Mercury Dark Silver' colorway is another improvement on the older model, which is lighter in terms of finish. Our only slight gripe with the build is the glass panel on the back of the unit; even though it's supposed to resist fingerprints, we find it collects ours.

Design score: 4.5/5

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII playback button detail — Unmarked, brutalist buttons. But once you know, you know (Image credit: TechRadar)

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII review: Audio performance

Open, spacious soundstage
Assured timing and oodles of detail
Zealous, fun presentation

Give the A&K your music, sit back and relax. It takes only a cursory listen to Radiohead's OK Computer (in 24-bit FLAC) to understand that this is a gifted little belter of a DAP. Throughout Airbag, the SR25 MKII seems to separate and celebrate each sonic article and inflection, but never to the detriment of the track as a whole. Bass passages other players cannot reach are offered like musical treats on a shelf to be enjoyed in passing, while synths and jingles soar through the upper registers.

Switching to Tidal, Coheed and Cambria's Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness brims with detail thanks to an incredibly open and three-dimensional soundstage, from the initial strings coming in all around us to the child playing quietly over by our right earlobe as the guitar joins centrally.

Lower frequencies are deep, snappy and held resolutely in a cohesive and controlled mix. Mids come alive as we listen to Melissa Etheridge's No Souvenirs, realizing as we do so that rarely has her textured, emotive, belted vocal sounded so expressive and present.

Timing and dynamic build here are both poised and secure; the SR25 MKII takes every recording you give it, relays it faithfully, dutifully and with an extra ounce of detail both rhythmically and across the frequencies but – and this part is where other such players often fall down – it manages to keep the overall sonic experience zealous, energetic and fun rather than analytical to a fault.

Any negatives? Really, no – although if you scale up to A&K's A&futura line you'll see a step up in terms of power and detail yet again. But for this money, the A&norma SR25 MKII cannot be beaten sonically.

Audio performance score: 5/5

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII with Radiohead playing, on white background — The angled screen may not suit larger fingers (Image credit: TechRadar)

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII: Value

A&K's entry-level player – if $749/£699 is 'entry-level' to you
Tech from models thrice the price
For a premium player, this is the least you'll pay

This is a tricky one, because you can pick up a portable audio player made by Sony for a tenth of the price of this hi-res player. That said, this is upper echelon territory; Astell & Kern's top-tier Ultima model sells for $2,399 / £1,999 / AU$3,599.

Astell & Kern actually calls the SR 25 MKII a "true mass premium product", which just about sums it up. To clarify, for this money you're still getting A&K's core (and frankly, 'cor!) values: exceptional audio performance for a diverse range of musical tastes and that trademark brutalist build, plus tech such as AK File Drop, access to streaming platforms, DAC filters and the BT Sink function trickled down from the company's flagship players, but without the four-figure price tag.

Will most of us still need to pass on "mass premium" players given the cost of living crisis? Perhaps. But that is a shame, since this one really does represent value for money – if you have it, and expressly want to spend it on a dedicated, talented, hi-res digital audio player.

Value: 4.5/5

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII: Should you buy it?

Astell & Kern A&Norma SR25 MKII USB-C port and SD-card slot detail — It's all angles and edges, but with its SD card slot (and supplied cover) you can level up the storage, too (Image credit: TechRadar)