MP3 players are back, and just in time for Black Friday – here are my 4 top deals as an audio expert

What a hi-res audio player this is! It launched in May 2023, it is still A&K's newest 'entry level' digital audio player (although its sub-brand, Activo, has a very affordable P1 and that's also a belter of a player and on sale if you scroll down) but for this £200-off sale price it simply cannot be bettered. For clarity, this is a return to the SR35's lowest-seen price ever – but as you'll see when you click through, this time you can choose a brown or grey case (that feels like leather but is actually polyurethane), for free. See our five-star Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 review for the specifics (and a lot more praise), but let me tell you this: ‘musical’ might feel like a bit of a cop out to describe a DAP, but not every player deserves the description. This one does. I know it's still not cheap but believe me, it's musical and then some.

Activo's five star P1 hi-res audio player (just see our Activo P1 review if you don't believe me) is a joy even at full price – because Activo is the cheaper offering from elite audio outfit Astell & Kern (see above). It launched on July 24th, 2024 and basically knocked everything like it out the water for the money. And now, you can save £150. Again, it's a model we called "an excellent audio player and DAC and, at £399, it represents very good value; similarly specced players are usually much more expensive". At an even lower price, you can see how good this deal is.

This November 2023-launch beauty of a digital audio player (or DAP) is the successor to the excellent 2022-issue Kann Max, which came with a £1,199 price tag. This model isn't one we've been the full 12 rounds with, but with a faster octa-core CPU, a larger 5.5-in display and up to 16Vrms of output power (compared to the Max's quad-core CPU, 4.1-inch 720p screen, and 9Vrms maximum output) plus a newer ES9039MPRO DAC, along with A&K's excellent know-how with DAPs I cannot imagine this little beauty would be anything less than splendid. Oh, and that LED light around the rotary volume dial glows red for 16-bit audio, green for 24-bit, blue for 32-bit and purple for DSD files. And this is what I love about dedicated, serious hi-res audio players – they tell you the resolution, so you're never in any doubt.

What a huge discount this is on already-affordable separates in a complete starter bundle pack for hi-res audio on the go! For just £50 more than the discounted P1 player above, you get that very same DAP, a protective case, and the company's most affordable March 2025-issue Volcano IEMs thrown in, which should cost £99 on their own! So why isn't it my top pick? I'll be honest, the Volcano are absolutely made for the P1, but they aren't my favourite wired buds made by Activo (that'd be the Activo Q1, but sadly there's no bundle deal including those right now), however, if you've got a budding audiophile in the family, this is still an excellent beginner portable hi-res system.