“It’s déjà vu all over again,” one of the famous malapropisms by late Yankees legend Yogi Berra, feels like a fitting reaction to unboxing the Astell & Kern A&norma SR35. We get the overwhelming sense that we have been here before. And again before that. It’s understandable really, as the new SR35 is the fourth iteration of this portable music player we have reviewed in as many years, and the model’s appearance has varied little more than Mickey Mouse’s over their careers.
Either the South Korean portable audio specialist is needlessly determined to compete with the annual smartphone launch cycle, or it keeps finding ways to improve upon its entry-level player and cannot resist sharing it with the world. Let’s go with the latter.
