Astell&Kern makes some of the best portable music players on the market, there's no doubt about that. Their A&norma lineup of DAPs is aimed at the entry-level or beginner audiophile. Sure they're still a bit pricey for some, but I'll tell you right now, you won't find this many premium features and performance in any other DAP under a thousand bucks.

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That's not all, however, because AK implements a new audio circuit for the SR35 - providing more sonic fidelity in an entry-level player than ever before. More on that further down in the sound impressions section. What really impressed me at AXPONA was the newly-designed Dual/Quad DAC switching mode on the SR35, allowing the user to disable 2 of the DAC chips to run in a dual-DAC mode for better efficiency and longer battery life, without much sonic degradation. Absolutely no complaints here, as I'm already a big portable lover, and being able to stay away from the power outlet for longer is huge. In dual-DAC mode, I'm getting around the estimated 20 hours.

The SR35 also sports some new AMP technology from Astell&Kern. The New Generation AMP as they're calling it, improves noise reduction at high power output. This change brings the entry-level A&norma line - in line - with their more expensive A&futura and A&ultima music players. Combine that with the 2-step gain mode, you can now select normal or high gain modes depending on your power requirements. The SR35 can output a whopping 6 Vrms from the balanced connections. That was my biggest beef with the previous SR series of DAPs - they sounded great but they just didn't have enough power for my favorite headphones. The SR15 was grossly underpowered, the SR25 was decent, the Mark II improved a bit, and now the SR35 can carry itself respectfully. A much-needed change and a very appreciated upgrade for sure.

Sound Impressions

Right out of the gate, it's nice to be able to press a button to switch from dual DAC to quad DAC mode. It's a noticeable improvement in space, textures, and depth. I'm actually quite surprised at how robust the sound is in such a tiny music player.

For my testing setup, I paired the SR35 with the Focal Bathys headphone with a Black Dragon Portable cable (I paired both wired and wireless setups). I also tried the Empire Ears Bravado MKII IEM with a Bronze Dragon IEM cable.

Dual DAC mode is certainly great at bringing out those crispy details, brass shine, and giving you decent and punchy low end. If you are concerned about the battery life if you're going on a long trip or whatnot, I certainly wouldn't be disappointed by the dual-DAC mode. It's not going to be for bass heads in this mode, however.

The Essence of Astell&Kern Technology: Equipped with New Generation AMP: Astell&Kern's brand philosophy - refusing to overlook even the smallest differences in sound quality - has been recognized by numerous media and audiophiles through our multiple releases of premium audio players that combine innovative circuits and amplifier technologies.

The SR35 is equipped with New Generation AMP technology that was applied to the A&ultima line so that A&norma users can also enjoy the highest level of sound provided by the A&ultima line with this exclusive in-house technology.

The New Generation AMP technology applied to the SR35 is Astell&Kern's unique amplifier design that effectively improves noise reduction at high power output. With this new technology, the SR35 contains the same amplifier design as the latest A&ultima and A&futura products, completely transforming into an amplifier design worthy of premium audio, from OP-AMP selection to component placement and circuit design. Moreover, in order to reliably operate different impedance output sources, the current handling capacity at the output end is increased to maximize the performance of various devices with one SR35.

All-Day Music - Amazing Playtime: The SR35 provides premium-class audio specifications and genuine Hi-Fi sound by Astell&Kern. Along with the core value of A&norma series that seeks to provide unlimited Hi-Fi audio anywhere and at any time, we offer you the best portability in the digital audio player market, with a class-leading long playtime and powerful output.

The compact size of the SR35 fits easily in your pocket and weighing in at only 184g is light enough to carry without any inconvenience. With a maximum of 20-hour continuous playtime, you can enjoy music without a recharge all day long. The SR35 is the perfect companion that you can use for long-haul flights as well as full days at work and vacations, guaranteeing you Hi-Fi sound anywhere, anytime.

New Experience, New User Interface: The SR35 comes with a redesigned Crimson-themed UI/UX transforming into a "true music player" for users to deeply connect with their music listening experience. The new UI/UX is designed so that users can quickly browse music categories and re-discover songs within their music library. We also added an easy album art search function so that users can re-discover the joy of viewing and interacting with music album art whilst listening to their music.

The crimson theme focuses on edge, simplicity, and dark mode keywords. The color theme of black and red highlights lowers visual fatigue and offers intuitive user experiences, and many other improvements were made to the device's user-friendliness of app service, artist view, album sorting, and the album art search function. Immerse yourself in music with the new UI/UX.

For my testing setup, I paired the SR35 with the Focal Bathys headphone with a Black Dragon Portable cable (I paired both wired and wireless setups). I also tried the Empire Ears Bravado MKII IEM with a Bronze Dragon IEM cable.

When pairing your existing gear with a source device like the SR35, a lot of consideration should be taken into account for the natural signature of the headphones you are using. In my case, pairing the Black Dragon with the Focal Bathys helped to bring out some more low-end for a more musical presentation. Beefier mids really helped to balance out some of the detail and clarity provided by the SR35. In the case of the Bravado, the Bronze Dragon does much of the same, yet provides more low-end weight. What headphones or IEMs do you have? We'll be more than happy to provide a personalized recommendation just for you.