Best portable music players 2021

Product of the year

Best portable music player £500-£1000

Best portable music player £500-£1000

Astell & Kern A&norma SR25

A&K’s entry-level music player remains unbeatable at this level

Best buys

Best portable music player under £500

Cowon Plenue D3 review

Cowon Plenue D3

A tiny and sonically talented portable music player

Best portable music player over £1000

What HiFi Awards - Astell & Kern A&futura SE180

Astell & Kern A&futura SE180

Astell & Kern innovates in the music player market once more

You may like
What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test

Read more
Astell & Kern music player on a magazine next to earbuds
Best portable MP3 players 2025: top hi-res music players tested by our experts
Q Acoustics 5050 floorstanding speakers
Readers' Award 2024
Portable music player: Sony NW-A306
Best Apple iPod Touch alternatives 2025: budget and premium models tested by our experts
Naim Nait XS3
Hall of Fame 2024
Austrian Audio Full Score One headphone amp on desk
Head-fi nuts, there’s a new class-leading analogue headphone amp in town
Esoteric K-05XD CD player
Temptation 2024
Latest in Portable Music Players
Activo P1 hi-res music player
Activo P1
Fiio CP13 and DM13 with CD and cassette cases
Gimmick or Godsend? I spent a week with FiiO’s retro cassette deck and Discman to test their modern-day merit
Volumio Rivo Plus
This slimline, compact network player aims to deliver all your modern-day streaming needs
iPod MP3 digital music
Portable audio peaked 14 years ago – is it time to come full circle?
Astell & Kern A&Ultima SP3000M next to books
Astell & Kern claims that its latest premium portable player is "the world's finest"
Astell & Kern A&norma SR35
Best portable music player 2024
Latest in Awards
Naim Nait XS3
Hall of Fame 2024
Apple tandem OLED
Innovation of the Year 2024
Q Acoustics 5050 floorstanding speakers
Readers' Award 2024
roy george
Outstanding Contribution 2024
Esoteric K-05XD CD player
Temptation 2024
Nagaoka MP-200 moving magnet cartridge
Best accessories 2024