Sound Performance
The SR35 has a fairly smooth overall character that’ll be familiar to anyone who’s owned an Astell & Kern player before. The midrange in particular features A&K’s signature coloration which seems to aid vocal articulation, however I do find vocals could use a little bit of extra body.
Treble is never harsh but is admirably detailed for such a small player. Resolution is correspondingly capable, without really calling attention to itself or matching that of players worth thousands of dollars. I do not listen to the SR35 with the impression of missing any important details in the music, but nor are minute nuances presented in a way that genuinely impresses me.
Bass is impressive. In fact it feels like bass has been given small lift above neutral, particular in the sub region, which suits my taste perfectly. However bass texture could be improved, I wouldn’t call it poor enough to ruin my enjoyment by any stretch but really awe-inspiring rumble is to be found elsewhere.
As for technical prowess, soundstage width is quite decent and does not feel congested at all. There is some stage depth and height, but not a great deal and this is an area where expensive DAPs demonstrate where the extra money goes. Dynamics however are very good – one aspect of the SR35’s performance that really impresses me. Background blackness is also respectable for such a small player.
I almost get the feeling the SR35’s built-in headphone amp is doing a lot of the sonic heavy lifting, performing far beyond what I expected from such a tiny DAP, and that the CS43198 DACs themselves are the bottleneck. There’s nothing inherently wrong with them, but they just can’t render music in quite the startlingly-beautiful manner DACs found in flagship players can.
That said, with the right IEMs the SR35 sounds far better than such a tiny package has any right to. I never really feel like my musical enjoyment is being compromised by listening to it, but that feeling of being blessed by a very special musical experience one receives from a TOTL DAP is of course absent.
Page 1 – Introduction, Tech Specs & Battery Life
Page 2 – Ergonomics & Usability
Page 3 – Sound Performance
Page 4 – Source Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
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