1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best budget
4. Best premium
5. Best mid-range
6. Best for design
7. Also consider
8. How to choose
9. How we test
10. Latest updates
The best MP3 players might seem like old pieces of tech, but the modern versions are high-resolution audio players with specific tech designed to add more energy, fidelity and excitement to the world of digital music. The best digital audio players are the tool of choice for those who would rather listen to studio quality sound through a hi-res audio download on a device that can handle a higher sampling frequency and bitrate to eke every drop of detail from these lossless downloads.
They're meant to be paired with the best wired headphones, though many players have Bluetooth too (including higher-res aptX or LDAC versions) for those who want the convenience of the best wireless headphones. But wired is preferable, because even fancy Bluetooth doesn't have the bandwidth to fully do justice to hi-res music.
Don’t expect to find classics like the iPod here (Apple discontinued the final iPod model in May 2022); instead brands such as FiiO, Sony, and Astell & Kern are filling the market with a versatile range of hi-res audio players. Many of them are massively expensive, but that's partly because so many people just listen on their phones now – the people still buying dedicated players are in it for the quality, and are prepared to pay for it. Having said that, we've still chosen options at a range of prices.
Becky is a senior TechRadar writer (which she has been assured refers to expertise rather than age) focusing on all things audio. Before joining the team in early 2022, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Long before all of this though, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 23-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – most recently in March 2023, as a soloist in Rusalka at the Royal Opera House. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage.
The quick list
Want to cut to the chase and find out which digital audio players are the absolute best? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a more detailed review of each product, and see the latest deals on these players.
Best for most people
FiiO's M11S offers stellar hi-res sound quality and premium audio player features, all while undercutting the competition at the same price level.
Best budget
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 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 mid-range
Splitting the difference between other pricing options here nicely, the Onkyo is incredibly versatile and sound superb. It's just a bit bulky.
Read more below
Best for design
The SR25 MKII's sound is as expressive, expansive and decisive as Astell & Kern's trademark brutalist aesthetic. The angular edges and skewed screen make it stand out from rivals.
Read more below
Best digital audio players 2023: the list
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The best MP3 player overall
You don’t have to listen long, hard, or through especially accomplished headphones to realise the M11S is the real deal. In every meaningful music-making respect, it has skills – and in some areas, it’s a genuine expert.
The M11S is insightful enough to make minor or transient information apparent, and it can describe the most nuanced dynamic variations in a solo instrument with ease. It has more than enough headroom to dispatch the big dynamic shifts with no difficulty, and it can also describe a big, wide and properly defined soundstage. The treble is perhaps a little on the bright side, but not so much that we'd consider it a deal breaker.
There's lots to love here including an Android 10 operating system with a touchscreen that's smooth and responsive, a punchy, controlled and detailed sound and a premium build.
The Fiio M11S does an excellent job of gently undercutting its closest rival, the Astell & Kern a&norma SR25 Mk II. You've got so many great options, such great sound, and such high-spec parts that it's very easy to look at the saving and decide it's worth putting into a nice high-capacity microSD card instead of its higher-priced rival.
Read our full Fiio M11S review
The best budget MP3 player
There’s a lot going for this little hi-res digital audio player. Not only is it part of Sony’s new Walkman lineup, but it’s built to handle incredibly high quality audio files for a price that is much more affordable than most of what’s available on the market. The Sony NW-A306 was released in 2023 and we’re so thankful that Sony decided to make a comeback with this nostalgic audio device – the tape cassette interface is a nice retro touch.
Where the NW-A306 is let down is not in its music-playing skill, but slight niggles with its all round usability. During our testing, we found that the menu could be a little unresponsive, the battery longevity would vary and it surprisingly sounded like it struggled when playing a standard 128kbps audio file, which all together let down our all-round experience just a tad (well, by half a star to be exact). But there’s no denying that the positives vastly outweigh the negatives here.
If you’re looking for a dedicated hi-res audio player, then straight out of the box the Sony NW-A306 boasts an impressive spec sheet. It can support audio sources far above CD quality, and it really shines with them. On top of that, it has a slim design that can fit in your pocket for when you’re on the go, which is not true of every hi-res player by any means.
Read our full Sony NW-A306 review
The best premium MP3 player
The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP2000T is the best portable music player you can buy right now if money is no object. Yes, it's expensive, but if you want a premium digital audio experience while you’re out and about, don’t look (or listen) any further. The SP2000T 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. Even the battery life is half-decent. As for the player itself, it is not so much built as sculpted – though it is too large to slip into your jeans pocket. Astell & Kern has continued this design with the SP2000s predecessor, the SP3000, which also comes in a limited edition 24k gold casing.
Read our full Astell & Kern A&ultima SP2000T review
The best mid-range MP3 player
The Onkyo DP-X1A offers lots of customizability, an intuitive interface and fantastic sound. The DP-X1A looks a little bit like a phone, but much thicker with two audio ports – one headphone jack and one balanced output for those interested in a cleaner and overall better-quality sound. The device has an easy-to-use volume wheel, physical playback buttons and two microSD card slots for those with a sizeable collection of music.
The player is built with a full version of Android, complete with Wi-Fi connectivity and the Google Play Store, which results in it being kind of like an Android version of the iPod touch, able to do much more than just play music. However, the Onkyo DP-X1A is built for super-high-quality audio, and it's an absolute dream. It supports a range of music formats, including FLAC, OGG, WAV, MP3, ALAC, and more. In terms of hardware, the device has two chipsets, one to power the overall device, and one to handle the DAC and amplifier – resulting in a noise-free experience.
We tested the player with multiple pairs of headphones across multiple price ranges, and were stunned with the clarity and exceptional quality of the audio. There’s a reason the Onkyo DP-X1A sits atop this list – it’s a beast in the portable audio world.
Read our full Onkyo DP-X1A review
The best MP3 player for design
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 SP2000T.) 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 (one of which is listed directly above here), 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.
As well as a new 4.4mm headphone jack, the MKII unit (an update on the A&norma SR25, listed below in this guide) 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
Other MP3 players to consider
Looking for something else? We haven't tested the MP3 players below ourselves, but they fill niches we haven't touched on above, and come with great customer reviews.
The best option for working out, this MP3 player is small and light. It only offers 16GB of storage and although that’s not much in comparison to a phone, it still holds plenty of songs. Despite being built for sport, it supports a pretty wide range of audio formats – including MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and WMA.
During testing, we found the battery life is impressive at 20 hours. You also get Bluetooth, which is important for exercise so cables don’t get in the way.
The interface is dated, not as powerful as your smartphone and it’s not touch-sensitive. But it’s easy to navigate via hardware buttons that serve as playback controls.
As long as you don’t expect full audiophile-level quality here, you'll find the sound very capable. We found it to be slightly muddy with a small dip in clarity, but for most people that won’t matter – especially when you're out on a run or hitting the gym.
The Astell & Kern AK Jr is a great mid-range MP3 player and a serious contender against the more expensive players on the list. You get 64GB of onboard storage and there’s a microSD card slot if you want to expand it. It also supports major audio formats, including FLAC, WAV, MP3, AAC, AIFF, and more – and it’s able to play at sample rates of up to 192kHz.
The interface is easy to control. Tap through options using the touchscreen, and select the music you want to listen to. It could be more responsive, but you get used to it. Battery life is around nine hours, which isn't amazing, but not terrible either.
Music is dynamic and crisp, with a nice and powerful sound. The soundstage on these, when paired with a great pair of headphones, is huge – that’s to say the left and right are clearly defined, while instruments placed at the center of a mix are given plenty of room to breathe. We enjoyed the guitar solo on AC/DC’s Back in Black, while Eminem’s rap on Lose Yourself cut straight through the mix – exactly the way it’s supposed to.
A high-res MP3 player from Sony that's affordable – especially in comparison to some of the higher-end devices from the likes of Astell & Kern.
This MP3 player is short on storage with only 16GB internally. But with a microSD card you can bump that up significantly. It boasts an impressive 45 hours of battery life and supports a wide range of formats.
Sound is clear and powerful and although it might not be the best out there, it's a huge improvement over listening to music on your phone.
This is a small, light and stylish music player with a simple matchbox-like design and a big, wide screen. It's an upgrade on Cowon's previous MP3-player model, this time with a volume dial, Bluetooth and more features.
It offers exceptional battery life. You'll get 45 hours of playback time with regular MP3 files and more than 30 hours with high-res files – which still beats most of the competitors on this list.
It supports a huge range of formats, including DSD(DFF, DSF, ISO), FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, APE, MP3, WMA, OGG and DCF. Music sounds brilliant and with Bluetooth, you can listen on a range of different devices. Although there's no Wi-Fi streaming available.
How to choose the best MP3 player
If you pair one of the devices in this buying guide with a set of the best headphones you’ve got the ultimate in premium, portable music: high-quality music that you can take on your travels.
So how do you select one? Well, you're in luck. Because the market is increasingly geared towards the audiophile (the kind of people who won't touch Spotify's lossy streams), firms are constantly innovating. These days, ever improved sound quality, hi-res audio support and seriously impressive built-in DACs (Digital-to-Analogue Converters) are making already impressive players even better.
And there's style to match the substance, with manufacturers also competing on design to deliver players that look as good as they sound. Fan of brutalist architecture? Astell & Kern is the name for you. Something a bit more colorful? See SanDisk or Sony. Want something about the size of a matchbox? Cowon's Plenue D3 is the one – see them all in our guide above.
Why do people still use MP3 players?
There are lots of very good reasons why people still use dedicated MP3 players and similar devices. One is sound quality: depending on the device, you can listen to much higher quality versions of tracks than anything you'll find on streaming services – especially if your device has a headphone jack, which many phones lack. For serious music fans that's a major consideration: Bluetooth audio quality is getting better, but for full hi-res audio you still need your headphones to be wired. Even Apple's most expensive headphones, the AirPods Max, can't do fully lossless audio wirelessly.
Another reason is that not everything you might want to listen to is available on the various streaming services – and not everything that's there today might be there tomorrow, because songs and even artists come and go. By synchronising an MP3 player with your desktop music collection you can always be sure that you can hear what you want to hear. A big bonus for many people is that with your own music collection, you don't need to pay a monthly subscription to listen to it, or to listen to it without advertising.
Although it's less of an issue than it used to be, another reason many music fans preferred MP3 players is because they were designed to do one thing and one thing only: play music. Most smartphones weren't, and audio performance of some of them wasn't brilliant; battery life and storage space weren't always great either. And MP3 players don't require you to have a mobile phone conne