PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYERS
TREAT YOUR TUNES TO A DEDICATED MUSIC PLAYER
Sony NW-A55L £160
Best portable music player under £250, Awards 2020 ★★★★★
Sony hasn’t carried out an update for the sake of it; the refresh is justified by squeezing more performance into a budget price than ever before.
Hi-res 32-bit/384khz, DSD Weight 99g Storage 16GB (plus microsd)
Cowon Plenue D2 £259
Best portable music player £250-£500, Awards 2020 ★★★★★
The PD2 manages to justify the premium over its predecessor. We haven’t heard a better-sounding budget portable music player. Hi-res 24-bit/192khz, DSD 128 Storage 64GB
Astell & Kern A&norma SR15 £549
Best portable music player £500-£1000, Awards 2018 ★★★★★ Our favourite music player combines fine build, ease of use and class-leading sound better than any rival we’ve tested. Hi-res 32-bit/384khz, DSD128 Weight 154g Storage 64GB
Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 £649
Best portable music player £500-£1000, Awards 2020 ★★★★★
More expressive and eloquent than any other portable music player we’ve encountered at this price – far beyond anything smartphones are capable of. Hi-res 32-bit/384khz, DSD256 Weight 279g Storage 832GB
Astell & Kern A&futura SE100 £1499
Best portable music player over £1000, Awards 2019 ★★★★★
For those with grand portable ambitions, decent high-end headphones and, crucially, the budget, this sonic-savvy source is both a luxury and logical buy. Hi-res 32-bit/184khz, DSD 11.2MHZ Weight 240g Storage 128GB
Astell & Kern A&futura SE200 £1799
Best portable music player over £1000, Awards 2020 ★★★★★ Astell & Kern has managed to set a new performance benchmark for the price with the A&futura SE200.
Hi-res 32-bit/348khz, DSD 256, MQA Weight 274g Storage 256GB