Read the full review: Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII Still, if your budget can stretch to it, this is a truly stunning player with superb build quality to match. And we stress the word 'reasonably': because while it pushes performance forward, it also pushes what is acceptable as an entry-level price. Notably more expressive and eloquent than any other portable music player we have encountered at this price, and far beyond anything that smartphones are capable of, the SR25 MKII demonstrates just how good music on the move can sound, while also remaining reasonably affordable. Last year, it was a What Hi-Fi? 2021 Award-winner, and this year, it took the best portable music player over $1000 What Hi-Fi? 2022 Award. The SR25 MKII doesn’t let us down, propelling its lineage forward from the 2018-introduced A&norma SR15 (also in this list) to set a new performance benchmark. And each new generation invariably proves more talented than the last. The Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII is the latest in what has been a long line of excellent, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning, ‘entry-level’ portable music players.

Below, we've rounded up the current best MP3 players across a range of prices to ensure you know exactly what to look for and where to find it. We're reviewing new Sony Walkman and FiiO models, so we'll be sure to add those once they've been officially reviewed.

We've tested many players from Cowon, FiiO, Sony and more over the years, although the higher-end Astell & Kerns are having a stellar year (or two) and dominating our best lists at every budget – for the moment.

Thanks to hands-on testing for each and every one of the products below from our expert listening team, you can rest assured you'll find the ideal music player for the right price. While smartphones now satisfy most users' demand for on-the-go musical delivery, there are still dozens of dedicated players that can go even further in delivering high-quality audio from your pocket. The iPod, and latterly the smartphone, may have come to dominate the mainstream market, but there's so much more to discover than those products sporting a piece of half-eaten fruit stamped on the back. Despite the demise of the iPod (Apple waved goodbye to the last remaining model in May 2022), the traditional portable music player has by no means been consigned to the scrapheap.

Sony walkman nw a55 cover