The best MP3 players transform your music to superior high-resolution sound, thanks to built-in digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and the fact that, well, they're not your phone. These devices do much more than simply playing lossy MP3 files – and we've meticulously tested every single one here, before it arrives in this guide.
Today’s players can handle hi-res audio formats like FLAC, DSD, WAV, MQA, and ALAC, so whether you prefer downloading tracks or streaming from platforms such as Apple Music , Qobuz, or Tidal, these players offer full, lossless audio quality.
These digital audio players (or DAPs, as they're sometimes known) pair excellently with the best wired headphones, but most models also support Bluetooth if you prefer the best wireless headphones or best earbuds. The landscape has evolved significantly over the years – while the iPod once dominated, now the iPod Shuffle is more popular as a hair clip – and in our guide below you’ll find our top recommendations.
Our audio team has decades of experience, and we meticulously test and review every single MP3 player before considering whether to include it in this buying guide. That is why can trust our recommendations and rankings – if we didn't love it, you won't see it here.
The best MP3 players on Black Friday
Black Friday is here. This sale season, expect reductions on all sorts of devices thanks to a whole host of Black Friday sales. But if you have your heart set on one of the best MP3 players at a reduced price, then you're likely to be in luck. If you reside in the UK, we've already spotted a great Black Friday bargain on one of our best MP3 player picks, as there's a fantastic deal on our ideal step-up model, the A&K SR35.
We'll be keeping our eyes peeled and adding fresh new MP3 player deals to this page as they land, so be sure to keep it bookmarked. In the meantime, you may want to use sales season as an excuse to refresh your entire audio setup. In which case, we recommend our Black Friday headphones deals guide and our best Black Friday earbuds deals list, filled to the brim with the sound of sweet sale prices.
The quick list
Want to cut the lengthy explanations and just find out which digital audio players are the best? We're here for it – here they are. You can also jump to a full review of each product, and click through to see the best deals on it.
Best for most people
FiiO's March 2024-release M23 offers a delicate yet muscular sound quality that's lavishly detailed. It's a little big for your skinny jeans pocket, but if you don't mind that…
Best step-up model
Whether this stunning little A&K player can be considered 'entry-level' isn't up for debate – it's too expensive for that. But if you can afford it, the SR35 is so, so worth it.
Best cheap 'A&K' buy
It doesn't look like an Astell & Kern player, and it isn't priced like an A&K player. But Activo is A&K's new subsidiary – so it is. Also, we've tested it and let us tell you, it sounds like an A&K player…
Best budget Sony
Sony' latest hi-res streaming player has quickly become the best option when it comes to value for money, despite supporting seriously high-end formats.
Best money-no-object
We gave the Astell & Kern SP3000T a rare 5-star review. It's very expensive, but sound is stellar and it goes an awfully long way towards justifying the asking price.
Best affordable FiiO buy
FiiO's M11S offers stellar hi-res sound quality and premium audio player features – and because it's been superseded by the M23 (above) it undercuts most of the competition.
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Best premium
Astell & Kern is known for delivering elite and beautifully made hi-res audio, and this is at the pinnacle. It's extremely well-specced, and sounds simply astounding.
Best A&K-branded affordable pick
The SR25 MKII's sound is as expressive, expansive and decisive as Astell & Kern's trademark brutalist aesthetic. It's not cheap, but it is the most affordable A&K-branded pick in our guide.
Read more below
Best for design
The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 is one of the very best digital audio players there is. The good news? It looks lovely too, with a stunning rose gold finish.
Best ultra-cheap buy
Look, it won't play hi-res stuff and it's not got a touchscreen. But for a fuss-free, leave the phone at home music option, it does a job – and it's got a clip for your clothes.
I've reviewed over 150 audio products since becoming a tech journalist, ranging from super-budget earbuds to high-end Hi-Res Audio music players. Before joining TechRadar, I spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing everything the world of audio had to offer; before that, I was a professional dancer. My love of music ties it all together.
Recent updates
November 15, 2024
Updated the introduction. Added a 'Black Friday' section to share news of Black Friday deals we've spotted on the best MP3 players. Included more images for each buying guide entry, so readers can get a better look at our expert recommendations. Added a 'meet the team' section so that readers can find out more about the skills and experience of our expert audio team.
Best digital audio players 2024: the list
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The best MP3 player overall
✅ You want a high standard of engineering: The build and finish here isn't exactly luxury, but it is a fantastic piece of tech.
✅ You want a fantastic all-rounder: Other choices in this guide do specific things better, but this one ticks all the boxes.
❌ You want a flawless listening experience: Look, overall it sounds fantastic but we did notice some minor and occasional glitches.
❌ You want a small and portable device: It's not big, but it's not the most dinky or compact option in this guide.
FiiO has become an audio specialist we're so used to applying the phrase "great value, high-performance portable audio electronics" to that the M23 could almost be seen as a run-of-the-mill player. Almost. Because it's simply not. The company has thrown absolutely everything it can at this high-resolution audio player in terms of specification; we've yet to find an audio file type it won't accept, handle, unpack and celebrate. Also, the design is solid but classy (if a tiny bit big for your skinny jeans, at 299g), it's snappy in operation and, unlike some smaller players, its touchscreen is easy to use.
How does it sound? Minor (and certainly sporadic) audio playback trip-ups aside, this is an absolute audio beast of the highest caliber. In every single circumstance and with every file-type and size we feed it, the M23 sounds assertive, muscular, lavishly detailed and vaultingly dynamic – but also refined, nuanced and subtle. It's even prepared to tolerate lowly sub-16bit/44.1kHz content if you simply must, although if you're investing in this player, you really should also invest in a good music streaming service subscription – oh, yes, it works on amended version of Android (Android 12 in this instance) and will happily load up your Tidal, Apple Music and Qobuz subscription apps via the Play Store.
It seems basically impossible to throw FiiO out of its positive, confident stride these days – and this excellent March 2024-issue player is further proof.
Read our full Fiio M23 review
The best step up model
✅ You like the look and feel of high-end tech: Using this MP3 player and feeling it in your hand is a luxury experience and we can't get enough of it.
✅ You have small fingers and good eyes: The 3.6-inch touchscreen looks great, but it's fairly small compared to rivals.
❌ You're not willing to get a great pair of headphones: You'll get the best experience from a pair of accomplished and (sorry) expensive headphones.
❌ You want a slim and compact player: This option isn't big, exactly, but you'll find a more streamlined design elsewhere.
Look, however much Astell & Kern wants to believe this is an 'entry level' player, it's not – it is really quite expensive in anyone's money. Astell & Kern doesn't typically budget options, and it's $100 (or around £150) more than the FiiO option above.
But the good news is that the premium nature of the SR35 applies to the specification, the sound quality and the user interface as well as the high ticket-price. It's an exceptional player. It's about the size of a deck of cards and at 184g it isn't the lightest DAP on the market, but believe us when we tell you that the four onboard DAC filters and new amp circuitry are worth a few extra grams – and if you can afford it, the more-than-few-extra dollars you'll pay.
Also, while the SR35 deserves the best standard of content of content you can afford to load up onto it, it’s less fussy than many rival players. So while you should really be giving it all of the 24bit/192kHz FLAC files, this particular Astell & Kern will readily tolerate and deliver 320kbps Spotify streams better than most.
Whatever you're listening to, the sound this player is capable of is deft, detailed and fun like you wouldn’t believe. Even the shortest listening sessions will become lengthy deep-dives into much-loved tracks, to see what this beauty of a DAP can do with them.
Read our full Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 review
The best cheap A&K buy
✅ You want high specs at a low price: If your budget can't stretch to the higher-end players, you'll be happy with this one.
✅ You've already got great headphones: Yes, this applies to most devices in this guide but you'll get the best experience from good headphones.
❌ You want to use AirPods: Apple headphones won't play nice with the supported audio formats.
❌ You're a Spotify subscriber: This player is only as good as its source and right now Tidal and Apple Music are much better streamers.
We'll speak plain: we really (really) like this July 2024-release player, from Astell & Kern's new audio subsidiary brand, Activo. We think the things more expensive A&K players can do, that the Activo P1 can’t, aren’t really noticeable to the majority of us – and probably don’t justify spending more unless you’re really (really) far into your audiophile journey.
It doesn't look quite as expensive as its parent brand's angular, dark metallic players but it's what's inside that counts, and under the hood the P1 is very good indeed: it's got the same amplification as more expensive players and an ESS ES9219Q SABRE Dual-DAC.
Of course, the most important thing is how this player sounds, and in that department it is more than deserving of the full five stars: it sounds outstanding as a player and in DAC mode it's a useful audio upgrade for your computer. You can craft complex EQ curves with the equaliser, but during our testing we tended to leave well alone – the P1 sounded so good without our tweaks.
In addition to its local playback, the P1 also works with the best music streaming services and includes full Play Store support. Any downsides? Two: it runs a little hot, and it is a little slower to start up than players selling for double, triple or quadruple the price. But if those small shortcomings don't worry you, this is a great little player.
Read our full Activo P1 review
The best budget Sony buy
✅ You want hi-res for the lowest price: You'll get hi-res audio here but won't have to spend a small fortune for this entry-level offering.
✅ You want a light and compact option: It's a small and streamlined device you won't notice in most pockets.
❌ You want all your hi-res audio with you: The internal memory storage here isn't the best – though you can buy a microSD card.
❌ You want a premium look and feel: It's an affordable option and it feels it, especially when it comes to the screen which could be more responsive.
Not only is this plucky little player part of Sony’s new (but old… but new!) Walkman lineup, it’s built to handle incredibly high quality audio files for a price that is much more palatable than most of what’s currently out there. The Sony NW-A306 was released in 2023 and we’re so thankful that Sony decided to make a comeback with this admittedly nostalgic audio device – the tape cassette interface is a gloriously retro touch.
Where the NW-A306 is let down is not in its music-playing skill, but in the slight niggles with its all round usability. The menu can be a little unresponsive at times, the battery longevity can vary and surprisingly, it occasionally struggles when playing a standard 128kbps audio file, which is why we we forced to adjust our star rating under intense review (by half a star to be exact). But there’s no denying that the positives vastly outweigh the negatives here – especially for the money.
If you’re looking for a dedicated hi-res audio player, the Sony NW-A306 boasts an impressive spec sheet straight from the box. It supports audio files far above CD quality – and more than that, it really shines with them. It also has a slim design that can fit in your pocket, which is not true of many hi-res players in this list.
Read our full Sony NW-A306 review
The best money-no-object MP3 player
✅ You only want the best: It's high-end and expensive but oh boy does it almost justify that eye-watering price.
✅ You don't mind a bigger device: You'll need sturdy pockets as this is a weighty and chunky player, at least compared to rivals.
❌ Longevity is a priority: If you want to listen to hi-res files for long periods of time the battery probably isn't going to last.
❌ You're vegan: The case is made from calf leather. No, we don't know why that's really necessary either.
We awarded the Astell & Kern SP3000T a rare 5-star rating in our review. Because despite the fact this is an incredibly expensive MP3 player, it's one of the best we've ever tested.
As you might expect, the Astell & Kern SP3000T sounded incredible. In our review, we wrote that it delivers "an energetic, entertaining listen that prioritizes the enjoyment of music over the minutiae of how it’s been recorded." It's also worth mentioning that although the biggest audio files perform the best, this MP3 player makes the most of the files you give it and the headphones you use.
Not only does it sound fantastic, the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T looks premium. It’s made from silver-plated stainless steel, controls are beautifully implemented and it has a stable and logical operating system. Everything about this MP3 player delivers a premium experience, from the way it sounds and handles to how it looks. If money is no object and you want only the best sound, this is the MP3 player you need.
Read our full Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T review
The best affordable FiiO buy
✅ You're on a budget: This is one of the more affordable picks in this guide, but you're still getting a great player.
✅ You're happy to use wired headphones: Yes, you can use wireless headphones but wired ones will give you an infinitely more pleasing experience.
❌ You have small pockets: It's not huge, but it's not the most compact choice either.
❌ You want it for long listening sessions: Battery life might not be bad here, but it's only average.
You don’t have to listen long, hard, or through particularly talented headphones to realise the M11S is the genuine article. In every meaningful music-making respect, it's got skills – and in some areas, it’s a certified expert. It's been superseded by the M23 at the top spot in this list, but what of it? In hi-res audio, things move a little slower.
The M11S is intuitive enough to make trifling or often transient information apparent, and it can relay the most nuanced, delicate and dynamic variations in a solo instrument with ease. It has more than enough headroom to dispatch bigger shifts without issue and when called upon, it faithfully describes big, wide and properly defined soundstages. The treble is perhaps a little on the bright side, but not so much that we'd consider it a fault – moreover that it's our job nitpick and here, we have noted it.
There's lots to love here including an Android 10 operating system, a touchscreen that's smooth and responsive, a punchy yet controlled and detailed sound and a resoundingly classy build.
The Fiio M11S does an excellent job of gently undercutting its closest rival, the Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 Mk II (also in this roundup). Not to nudge you either way, but it's easy to look at the saving you'll make here and decide it's worth putting into a nice high-capacity microSD card, instead of its pricier rival.
Read our full Fiio M11S review
The best premium MP3 player
✅ You like finer things: One of the most premium and most expensive options in this guide, if you like high-end tech, this is for you.
✅ You can afford headphones that are just as fine: Only the best wired headphones on the planet will do this player justice.
❌ You're in any doubt about the price: It's eye-wateringly expensive. Yes, the audio is incredible but you'll find great music elsewhere for much, much less.
❌ You want a slim device: It's not exactly bulky but it'll stick out in most pockets.
The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP2000T is one of the best portable music players you can buy right now if money is no object. Yes, it's expensive, but it has recently been superseded by the SP3000 and SP3000T (both listed here), so if you want a premium digital audio experience that might now be available at a slight discount, know that the SP2000T is still in A&K's current lineup – and it sounds superb.
Two amplifier stages offer seven distinct options, while no fewer than four DACs are deployed to handle two channels of audio information. The SP2000T is unconcerned by digital audio file size or type, and it will happily power any headphones you care to mention.
The control interface is clean and responsive. As for the player itself, it is not so much built as sculpted – hewn or forged, even! – though it is too large to slip into your jeans pocket. Astell & Kern has continued this design with the SP2000s successor, the SP3000 (above), which also comes in a limited edition 24k gold casing.
Read our full Astell & Kern A&ultima SP2000T review
The best A&K-branded affordable pick
✅ You care about value: This is probably the most fully-featured DAP you'll find available at this mid-range level.
✅ Portability is a priority: All of the devices in this guide are, technically, portable, but this is smaller, lighter and will fit in most pockets.
❌ Your fingers are large: You'll still be able to use this player, but bigger options will suit you better.
❌ You're on a budget: It's incredibly good value for what you get, but it's not exactly affordable by most standards.
Give this A&K your music, sit back and relax – if it doesn't wow you, we don't know what will. (Well, maybe the SP3000T.) The A&norma SR25 MKII is a gifted digital audio player that will reignite your love of music. And unlike many of the A&K's more pricey players, this one is small enough to put in a pocket and will keep you streaming, pinging or downloading once-treasured songs to it, just to see what it makes of them. This is why it's our top pick if you're looking for a more affordable Astell & Kern option.
As well as the new-for-June-2022 4.4mm headphone jack, the MKII unit (an update on the A&norma SR25) also boasts a new Replay Gain function to uniformly adjust volume playback from sound sources up to 24-bit/192 kHz. You're also getting AK File Drop (first introduced in the pricier A&futura SE180 player) for easier wireless file transfers; BT Sink function for simpler connection of the SR25 MKII to an external Bluetooth device and extra internal silver-plated shielding to protect from electromagnetic interference.
Although it hasn't been shouted about, four new and quite different-sounding DAC filters are also onboard, which will work if listening in 24-bit/192kHz or less PCM (although they won't work in MQA and DSD formats) and they certainly add value and scope for customization at the level. If your budget stretches to this player and not a penny more, you won't be disappointed.
And the final important touch is its unique design, with an off-angle screen and the looks of a deck of cards that's been twisted. Everyone will want to hold it and play with it.
Read our full Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII review
The best MP3 player for design
✅ Looks matter to you: It's beautifully designed and the finish is impeccable; a lovely object.
✅ You have high-end headphones: Again, you don't need excellent headphones but you'll want them.
❌ You're looking for good value: Everything here is impeccable, but you can get a similar sound for much less.
❌ You're vegan: The case is made from goatskin, which will put off a lot of people, especially vegans.
The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 is one of the priciest DAPs in A&K's arsenal of expensive DAPs. It’s uncompromisingly specified (six DACs and full independent balanced and unbalanced audio circuits are just two of its highlights) and you'd be forgiven for filing it under 'high-end jewelry' in its press shots. But if you think you're basically paying a premium for the impressive design and casework here (it's available in Black, Silver, Copper or Gold) you really must think again.
What are you paying for? Simply put, your money's going on the way it sounds. Oh, and its big, beautiful touch-screen. It supports every worthwhile digital format going and the ground-breaking independent audio circuitry (it is the only player to boast it yet) keeps the signal path for the balanced and unbalanced outputs entirely separated.
It is abundantly clear that Astell & Kern decided not to compromise where technical specification was concerned with the A&ultima SP3000. And that’s before we mention the bespoke A&K-designed 'Teraton X' processor that nixes power supply noise and any conceivable audio nasties derived from the numerous DACs. The result? The SP3000 delivers both amplification and sound quality that’s cleaner and more efficient than any digital audio player we've ever heard.
Read our full Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 review
The best ultra-cheap MP3 player
✅ You're on a very tight budget: This is the most cheap and cheerful option in our guide, but it still works well.
✅ You don't care about hi-res files: As the name suggests, this really is an MP3 player – it won't unlock and deliver hi-res file types such as FLAC or MQA in all their glory
❌ You want lots of room: There's 16GB (although you can add an SD card), which likely won't be enough if you want to pack in every single one of your albums.
❌ You'd like a touchscreen: A device this cheap has to make sacrifices and a fancy touchscreen is the first thing to go.
OK, so this player cannot reasonably be compared to the options listed above – for starters, the only officially supported file type is lowly, lossy, easy-to-store MP3 quality. And it's less than one tenth of the price of even the next-cheapest DAP here. Got it? Good. Also, there's no touchscreen, it only holds 16GB natively (although that's around 4,000 MP3-quality songs so, you know) and even if you wanted to expand on that with an SD card, your maximum storage is 128GB – or even more low-res songs! – before it can hold no more.
It won't stream over an internet connection, so no downloading from your favourite music streaming site, and it'll only accept your 3.5mm-terminated headphones (no 4.4mm or 2.5mm ports here) unless you want to ditch wires and hook it up to your wireless earbuds, which will impact the otherwise very-good 34-hour battery life.
So it's an MP3 player which you'll have to manually download song to – like the olden days. And now we've mentioned everything it can't do, let's talk about what it can manage: your music, especially if you're a runner. This thing is tiny, and it has a lovely strong clip to attach it to your clothes. If that's what you're after – and handily, there's also a stopwatch if you're looking to beat your 10k PB – you've found a cheap and cheerful solution. To clarify, audiophiles will need to look at any of the nine other options within this buying guide. But maybe you're not one of those, and that's just fine with us.
Read our full Majority MP3 player review
Meet the team
Everyone on the TechRadar team has years of experience testing the latest tech. But our audio tech team are particularly interested in the best headphones, best speakers and best MP3 players. With decades of combined experience, our audio experts know exactly what to look for from the best MP3 players. They've put each and every device through rigorous testing and, importantly, know a great deal about the audio tech space to add much needed context – which is essential when we're telling you why to buy one product over another.
Matt Bolton is the Managing Editor for Entertainment at TechRadar. This means he oversees the platform's content on movies, TV shows, televisions, soundbars, headphones, and speakers. Matt has more than ten years of experience in tech journalism and joined TechRadar after holding the position of editor at T3 magazine. His writing and reviews have been featured in various publications, such as MacLife, PC Gamer, Digital Camera World, Edge, PC Plus, and MacFormat, among others.
Becky Scarrott is the Audio Editor at TechRadar and leads the platform's coverage of everything to do with audio and hi-fi. Becky joined the TechRadar team as a Senior Staff Writer in 2022. Before this, she spent more than three years at What Hi-Fi?, where she tested the latest audio technology, from budget-friendly earbuds to premium sound systems. Becky also holds an MA in journalism.
Simon Lucas has spent almost 20 years writing about technology as a freelance journalist, with a particular focus on audio and video gear for the home. Simon was also the editor of What Hi-Fi? magazine and whathifi.com. His writing and tech reviews have also appeared in publications such as Wired, Metro, the Guardian, HiFi+, GQ, and others.
Tom Bedford was the Deputy Phones Editor at TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from Staff Writer. He now works for the entertainment site What To Watch. He has specialized in phones and tablets over the years, but has also reviewed audio tech extensively, including headphones and MP3 players.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pairing one of the best MP3 players with the best wired headphones creates the ultimate portable music experience, which is perfect for road trips or high-fidelity listening on-the-move. But how do you choose the right one for you?
With the market catering increasingly to audiophiles, brands are continuously innovating with new devices. Improved sound quality, hi-res audio support, and powerful built-in DACs are making these players better than ever. Plus, style meets substance. Whether you prefer Astell & Kern's bold and beautiful designs, Sony's simple flair, or FiiO's minimal but functional devices, you’ll find something that suits your taste in our guide above.
What is DSD audio – and is it good?
DSD (Direct Stream Digital) is Sony’s proprietary high-resolution audio format, designed to offer a distinct alternative to the more common PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) system used in formats like WAV, FLAC, ALAC, and AIFF.
Co-created by Sony and Philips in the 1990s, DSD was initially developed as an archival format. Unlike PCM, which uses multi-bit recordings (like 16-bit for CD quality), DSD employs a 1-bit Sigma Delta Modulated (SDM) system. DSD’s sampling rate is 2.8224 MHz. This is 64 times that of 44.1 kHz, aka CD audio sampling rate, but with 1-bit samples instead of 16-bit. You can read our hi-res file format explainer for more.
DSD can capture audio with great detail and the resulting sound is smooth and more natural. Many audiophiles consider DSD to be better than PCM – but that depends on personal preference. Qobuz recently began offering DSD downloads to its platform, which is good news for fledgling audiophiles.
Why do people still use MP3 players?
There are several reasons why you may want to use a dedicated digital audio player. The biggest one is sound quality: many DAPs allow you to listen to higher-quality tracks than what you can stream from your phone, especially since most smartphones lack headphone jacks.
Serious music fans appreciate that Bluetooth audio, while improving, still can’t deliver full hi-res quality without wired headphones. Even high-end wireless headphones, like the AirPods Max, can’t handle Apple Music’s Lossless formats wirelessly.
Another reason is music curation. Not all music you want to hear is available on the best music streaming services. What's more, the tracks that are available today might be gone tomorrow (although this seems to be happening less and less). With an MP3 player, you can sync and own your music, ensuring you always have access without a monthly subscription or ads.
MP3 players were also designed specifically for music playback, which gives them an edge over smartphones in terms of audio performance, battery life, and storage. Plus, they don’t require a mobile or Wi-Fi connection, so you can take your music anywhere, even offline.
Is an MP3 player worth buying?
Whether an MP3 player is worth buying depends on your needs. If you're trying to escape constant notifications and distractions from your phone, an MP3 player can help you focus purely on music.
Some people also prefer using MP3 players for workouts to avoid carrying their phone or risking damage at the gym.
Additionally, if your phone lacks space for high-resolution music, a dedicated player is a great solution. While not everyone will notice or care about the improved audio quality, for some, an MP3 player is a game-changer.
Is MP3 quality as good as CD?
The short answer is no. MP3 is a "lossy" format, meaning some audio data is removed to reduce file size, typically frequencies less noticeable to human ears.
CDs, by comparison, store music at a higher resolution of 1,411 kbps, while the best MP3s max out at 320 kbps. Although MP3s aim to remove less crucial sounds, you may notice a lack of deep bass and a "splashy" high end. While MP3s offer convenience, lossless and hi-res formats provide superior sound quality.
Are hi-res audio players worth it?
Hi-res audio players are definitely worth it if sound quality is your top priority. These devices support high-resolution audio files, delivering more detail, depth, and richness compared to standard MP3s. Hi-res formats, typically lossless, preserve the full quality of the original recording, resulting in clearer sound, a wider soundstage, and deeper bass.
However, whether a hi-res player is worth it depends on your setup. If you're using budget headphones or streaming compressed music from services like Spotify, you might not notice much of a difference. But with high-end audio gear, the improvement in sound quality can be significant.
What's the highest quality way to listen to music?
The highest quality way to listen to music involves a few key things. You’ll need hi-res audio files (you can read our hi-res explainer and audio file-format explainer for more about what this means), a high-quality audio player, and high-end headphones or speakers.
If you have access to lossless audio formats, like FLAC or ALAC, this can preserve the original recording's detail. Then, you'll need to use a high-res audio player or digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to ensure the music is processed with the precision it deserves.
And remember, output matters. You should invest in high-quality, over-ear headphones or audiophile-grade speakers. Wired connections are typically preferred right now over wireless because that way you can avoid any loss of quality due to compression. However, take a look at our LE Audio explainer to find out how advances in Bluetooth can improve audio quality. As well as our Snapdragon Sound explainer for more on how this technology will soon improve your audio hardware.
When you consider all of these factors, the result is a rich, immersive listening experience that’s capable of translating every detail of your favorite music.
What music players do audiophiles use?
Audiophiles tend to opt for high-resolution audio players and digital-to-analog converters (DACs), or devices that combine both, to ensure they get the best sound quality.
Brands like Astell&Kern and FiiO are popular for their exceptional build quality, sound performance, and advanced features. These players support a wide range of audio formats, including lossless and high-resolution types, and often offer customizable sound settings. This flexibility allows audiophiles to fine-tune their listening experience to match their personal preferences, ensuring they get the most out of their music.
Can I listen to hi-res music players wirelessly?
Yes, you can listen to hi-res audio players wirelessly, but bear in mind that Bluetooth usually compresses audio. This means that newer codecs, like LDAC and aptX HD, will generally improve wireless sound quality, so for the best experience, you'll need a hi-res audio player and Bluetooth headphones that support these codecs.
That said, some audiophiles argue that even the best wireless setups can’t fully match the sound quality of a wired connection, especially when dealing with high-resolution files.
How we test the best MP3 players
Hi-res file support: we test dozens of hi-res portable music players every year at TechRadar, and that means we know exactly which features, specs, file support and wireless audio codecs to look for. It's important for us to compare the performance of these players against the claims made by their manufacturers, which is why we take the time to make sure the stamina, durability, connectivity and sound quality claims are legit.
Comparative testing against like-for-like class-leaders: we make sure to test each product against its chief competitors too, so you can be sure that if we say so, the product is the best bet for the money. We live with these players for weeks and we run them in religiously so that the components have 'bedded in' before we commence our tests, and we don't finish testing until we are certain of the sound quality.
Several headphones; myriad musical genres: on this, we test the audio performance using a range of musical genres and with both wired and wireless headphones – and streamed and downloaded music from various sources, to ensure that these products can handle everything from thumping dance tracks to softly-spoken podcasts in whatever format we throw at them.
Only the most experienced audio reviewers: after more collective years in this game than we'd care to divulge, we are truly confident that our star-rated reviews are the best indication of the quality. Every reviewer is highly knowledgeable about audio tech and most of us have a specialism, giving us years of industry insights and real-world experience of other devices that add a rich layer of context to each and every review. There are no sales teams involved in our verdicts and we're not getting paid bonuses to hand out extra stars, which gives us complete impartiality. It also means if we don't like it for sound, design, usability and features, we simply won't recommend it here.
The latest updates to this best MP3 players guide
November 15, 2024
Updated the introduction. Added a 'Black Friday' section to share news of Black Friday deals we've spotted on the best MP3 players. Included more images for each buying guide entry, so readers can get a better look at our expert recommendations. Added a 'meet the team' section so that readers can find out more about the skills and experience of our expert audio team.
October 16, 2024
Rewrote the introduction. Updated our FAQ section and added a new entry 'what is DSD audio?' to help readers understand this kind of audio file type.
September 18, 2024
Rewrote the introduction to make it more succinct and current. Added 'buy it if/don't buy it if' advice to each MP3 player listed in our guide to make it more useful for buyers. Rewrote the FAQs section to make information more current and relevant.
August 21, 2024
Rewrote our FAQ section to reflect products we now recommend; itemised our 'How we test' section to better explain our review testing process.
July 23, 2024
Added the Activo P1 as our 'best cheap A&K buy' and the FiiO M23 as our 'best overall' pick. Switched the Fiio M11 to 'best affordable FiiO'. Added the Majority MP3 player as 'best ultra-cheap' pick.
June 24, 2024
Added the Astell & Kern SP3000T as our 'best money-no-object' pick. Switched the Astell & Kern SR25 MKII for our 'best affordable A&K buy' and the Astell & Kern SP3000 as our 'best for design'.
Read more updates
May 29, 2024
Added this update log! Updated the copy to reflect current top picks and why. Added our audio file types explainer to help listeners better understand their music.
April 2, 2024
Removed the Onkyo DP-X1A from this list as the best mid-range digital audio player due to it no longer being available. There's also no stock currently available in the UK for the A&norma SR25 MKII. This could be down to it being succeeded by the Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 in May 2023.
January 30, 2024
Added the Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 and the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000. Re-ordered to reflect the newer products and updated copy throughout. The SR25 MkII and SP2000T remain in this list because although older, they're still in the current lineup at A&K and they may well receive certain discounts in upcoming sales events.
December 6, 2023
We still haven't yet reviewed Astell & Kern's SP3000 but with a new limited edition gold casing being released, that may very well soon change. For now, though, our list has remained unchanged.
September 25, 2023
Added new navigation features to make it easier to find particular models. Updated the list based on our latest reviews, and removed models no longer available to buy.
