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
Cowon Plenue D3 £279
July 2021 ★★★★★
This is a talented player that betters its previous generation counterpart for detail, separation and transparency. An impressive, tiny box of tricks… Hi-res 24-bit/192khz, DSD 128 Weight 103g 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 Kann Alpha £1099
April 2021 ★★★★★
A powerful and talented machine, we cannot fault its sonic chops. The stylish, rock-solid build is (just) small enough to take with you on your travels Hi-res 32-bit/384khz, DSD256 Weight 316g Storage 64GB
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