Astell&Kern A&Norma SR35 Digital Audio Player

Astell&Kern A&Norma SR35 Digital Audio Player

 

If you are looking for a portable and powerful Hi-Fi sound device, then the A&norma SR35 is the perfect choice! It offers the highest quality sound with the CS43198 DAC from Cirrus Logic, in Quad DAC configuration and New Generation Amp technology, as well as 20 hours of continuous playtime.

The SR35 also has a beautiful Crimson Theme UI/UX with improved visuals and usability, is Roon Ready and features an MQA full decoder. Furthermore, the SR35 supports two-way Bluetooth and LDAC, as well as Native DSD256 and PCM playback of up to 32 bit/384 kHz, allowing you to enjoy clear and detailed Hi-Fi sound without any distortion. With all these features, the SR35 is the ultimate way to experience premium sounds while on-the-go.

 

What Astell&Kern Say

The A&norma series was created to enjoy the premium sounds of Astell&Kern in a portable size with best in class specifications. SR25 MKII, the previous model in the series, was loved by audio enthusiasts and those just starting their personal audio journey thanks to its portable size and powerful Hi-Fi sound through a 4.4-mm balanced jack.

The A&norma SR35 inherits these strengths while applying the amplifier and audio design that was applied to Astell&Kern's premium products to deliver the authentic sound quality that Astell&Kern are so well known for. The ultra compact SR35 features 20 hours of continuous playback, while supporting Quad DAC and two-step Gain control, and the A&norma line's first introduction of New Generation Amp technology with Astell&Kern's long-standing know-how for an even more delicate and clear Hi-Fi sound at higher output.

We have also applied our new UI/UX with improved visuals and usability to the SR35 for a more immersive music experience. In addition to this the SR35 is equipped with Roon Ready and MQA full decoder support to further enhance the performance of our A&norma line.

 

Features

• Quad-DAC (Quad/Dual Switching Mode)
• New Generation AMP Technology
• TERATON ALPHA Technology
• 2-Step Gain Mode
• 33% more power output
• NEW UI/UX - Crimson Theme
• Supports Native DSD256, 32bit/384kHz
• Dual Wi-Fi (2.4 & 5 GHz)
• ReplayGain - adjusts sound sources with different volumes to an identical level
• AK File Drop - freely transfer files wirelessly through a PC, smartphones, or FTP program located on the same network
• 20-hour continuous playtime
• Supports two-way Bluetooth and LDAC, aptX™ HD
• BT Sink
• Roon Ready (First in A&norma series)

 

True Hi-Fi Sound

Featuring Astell&Kern's unique technologies, Quad DAC, and patented TERATON ALPHA technology, the SR35 delivers superior dynamics, clarity and a remarkable sense of space. The advanced amplification circuitry, which was only available in Astell&Kern's flagship models, is now incorporated in the SR35, producing an industry-leading SNR of 130dB. Additionally, the Dual/Quad DAC Switching mode allows users to adjust power management efficiency, improving battery life for long-term listening. Get ready for an extraordinary audio experience with the Astell&Kern SR35 Digital Audio Player.

 

New Generation AMP Technology

Astell&Kern's unique amplifier design effectively reduces noise at high output power, allowing you to enjoy your music with perfect clarity. Thanks to the advanced OPAMP selection and circuit design, the SR35's amplifier is as powerful as Astell&Kern's renowned A&ultima and A&futura products. The SR35 has a high current handling capability at the output end, meaning it can be used with various devices to maximise its performance.

 

2-Step Gain Mode

The SR35 gives you the perfect Hi-Fi experience with its 2-step Gain Mode. With two gain settings, Normal Gain and High Gain, you can provide the optimal sound output for both sensitive in-ear monitors (IEMs) and hard-to-drive headphones. The SR35 provides up to 6Vrms from its balanced connections, giving you powerful sound and control over your drivers with ease.

 

SR25 MKII and SR35 Comparison (Output Level, S/N)

	SR25 MKII	SR35
Output Level	Unbalanced 2.0Vrms / Balanced 4.0Vrms	(Normal) Unbalanced 2.1Vrms / Balanced 4.0Vrms (High) 3.1Vrms / Balanced 6.0Vrms
S/N	122dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced 124 @ 1kHz, Balanced	127db @ 1kHz, Unbalanced 130dB @ 1kHz, Balanced

 

Audio Block Diagram

 

New User Interface

The new UI/UX is designed so that users can quickly browse music categories and re-discover songs within their music library. Astell&Kern added an easy album art search function on the SR35 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 colour theme of black with 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.

 

Roon Ready and MQA Support

The SR35 is the A&norma series first ever Roon Ready product. Enjoy a smooth, uncompromised network audio system with Roon Ready, now available on the SR35 digital audio player. The SR35 supports MQA 8X full decoder and will deliver true to the original sound quality anywhere and at any time.

 

Design

With its bold, angular design, the SR35 evokes a mighty warrior's sword and shield. Delicately refined volume control and a concave surface symbolise the shield, while a single bold line on the side and a surface that gets bigger at the bottom represent the sword. For a perfectly balanced experience in hand, Astell&Kern kept their iconic angular display, familiar with other models.

The rear glass on the SR35 also features an "A" pattern, which symbolises the first use of Quad DAC architecture in the A&norma series. With its sophisticated rectangular pattern, you can enjoy a superb listening experience with this latest addition to the A&norma series.

 

Specification

• Model: SR35
• Body Colour: Charcoal Grey
• Body Material: Aluminium
• Display: 3.6-inch HD 720 x 1280 px touch screen
• Supported Audio Formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF
• Sample rate PCM: 8kHz ~ 384kHz (8/16/24/32bits per Sample) DSD Native: DSD64(1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo / DSD128(1bit 5.6MHz), Stereo / DSD256(1bit 11.2MHz), Stereo
• Output Level:
  • (Normal) Unbalanced 2.1Vrms │ Balanced 4Vrms (Condition No Load)
  • (High) Unbalanced 3.1Vrms │ Balanced 6Vrms (Condition No Load)
• CPU: Quad-core
• DAC: Ciruss Logic CS43198 x4 (Quad-DAC)
• Decoding: Support up to 32bit / 384kHz Bit to Bit playback
• Input: USB Type-C input (for charging & PC & MAC)
• Outputs: Unbalanced Out (3.5mm), Balanced Out (2.5mm, only 4-pole supported / 4.4m, only 5-pole supported)
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4&5GHz)
• Bluetooth: V5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, LDAC)
• Dimensions: 2.51” (64mm)[W] x 4.26” (108.3mm)[H] x 0.63” (16.1mm)[D]
• Weight: about 184g (6.49oz)
• Firmware upgrade supported: (OTA)
• Operating Temperature: 0℃ ~ + 40℃ (32℉~ 104℉)

 

Audio performance

• Frequency Response:
  • ±0.012dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.011dB (Condition : 20Hz~20kHz) Balanced
  • ±0.0125dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Unbalanced │ ±0.0126dB (Condition : 20Hz~70kHz) Balanced
• S/N:
  • 127dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced
  • 130dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
• Crosstalk:
  • -133dB @ 1kHz, Unbalanced
  • -145dB @ 1kHz, Balanced
• THD+N:
  • 0.0005% @ 1kHz, Unbalanced
  • 0.0006% @ 1kHz, Balanced
• IMD SMPTE:
  • 0.0002% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Unbalanced
  • 0.0002% 800Hz 10kHz (4:1) Balanced
• Output Impedance:
  • Unbalanced Out 3.5mm (1.1ohm)
  • Balanced Out 2.5mm, 4.4mm (2.7ohm)

Clock Source

• Clock Jitter: 25pS (Typ)
• Reference Clock Jitter: 70ps

Storage Capacity

• Built-in Memory: 64GB [NAND]
• External Memory: microSD x1 (Max. 1TB)

 Battery

• Capacity: 3,150mAh 3.7V Li-Polymer
• Charge Time: about 2.5hours (5V 2A General Charging)
• Playback Time: about 20hours (Standard : FLAC, 16bit, 44.1kHz, Normal Gain, Unbalanced, Vol.50, LCD Off, Dual DAC Mode)
• Supported OS: Windows 10, 11(32/64bit) MAC OS X 10.7

 

About Astell&Kern

Astell&Kern is the ultimate digital music source that brings you Mastering Quality Sound or MQS. Astell means ‘Stars’ in Latin and Kern means ‘Center’ in German. We believe Astell&Kern is the center of music.

Today, original music performances can be captured in digital almost exactly as they were performed due to new, advanced recording technology currently available. However, these high quality recordings are mainly listened to through inferior sound formats, such as MP3 or through streaming services. With the debut of the MP3 format, music lovers sacrificed sound quality for the convenience of being able to carry their music collection wherever they went. Because the MP3 format heavily compresses files for the sake of convenience, the vocals and instruments you hear are only an inferior version of the original. The soundstage and the ambience of the original performance often disappears when listening to compressed MP3 music. After pondering these issues, Astell&Kern was our solution to poor sound quality for the sake of portability, and our way in reviving the original sound quality of music, MQS, for music artists, recording engineers, and professionals.

Astell&Kern's pursuit is to provide natural and original sound without distortion. It showcases the presence of the original recording with miniscule details you may not have noticed from other music systems, while playing back high-resolution music bit by bit, exactly as it was recorded. The ability to play back the exact recording of any live performance is what Astell&Kern is known for.

The power of true sound from Astell&Kern can now be experienced and has been part of many famous audio exhibitions around the world. Astell&Kern is now admired by music lovers from many countries, including the USA, China, Japan, UK, France, and many more around the world.