DAP discussion thread

Ah I see. I have the same for my Radius Wn4, so the pic kinda piqued my interest. I too am tempted to recable mine to balanced 3.5mm for use with the ZX2, but for now it doesn't seem to be worth the trouble and cost.

Alright back to your DAP discussion guys.

 

Ordered a Shanling M1 during the 11/11 sale, couldn't resist. Probably going to pick up a go2a, are there any nice type c to usb a cables that you can recommend @zerodeefex

 

Spent way too much time looking for a right angle C to Left angle micro b until I realized that type C is a reversible connector.
Something like this right?:http://www.ebay.ca/itm/4-Left-Angle...162871?hash=item46505fbf37:g:rCoAAOSwGIRXbodp

 

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So I've had a SoundAware M1 dap the past few days. It's a step up from the Shanling and Aune chifi crapola that I tried earlier... but that isn't saying much.
The standard M1 is $570, and the M1pro is $760. Ugh.

I like it outputting digital (coax), but now it's just a really expensive transport. As a dap it really skates in at average. As an amp it's not bad but is honked by a highish output impedance which is idiodic for portable users when you consider the iem market. Compared to the Shanling and Aune so far I've tried, sadly it's coming in above average which is just a piss poor indicator of the market.

 

*a wild newbie appears*

Hi! So I stumbled upon this thread while doing some research into the next DAP I could buy, and I'm wondering if you guys could be a little more help than when I asked this question at HF: I have a budget of... let's say €500, and I'm looking to pick up something that meets a bunch of these criteria:

• Responsive UI (whether a 'pure' audio player or something with Android on it for greater functionality)
• Room for an absolute minimum of 128gb of music (dual SD card slots much preferred - though I did have an iBasso DX50 that would support cards up to a hypothetical 2TB)
• USB OTG capability (not a deal-breaker)
• Goes well with, say... Hifiman RE600 Songbird IEMs (can be had for €199 here so we're talking that sort of quality IEM)
• Decent-to-good battery life
• Resilient, can take being accidentally dropped etc. Or at least not be like a Sony A15 I had that I knocked off my bed and onto the floor with enough force to kill it on impact.

Thanks!

 

Damn I was going to say the A15/A17 lol. If android is an important checkbox for UI or streaming services or whatever, the Onkyo DP-x1 hits all those things, dual SD cards, decent battery (with wifi off),...etc. May be within budget in Europe?

 

Shit, really?! I don't know my own strength in that case.

The DP-X1 is a beast of a DAP, but on a cursory browse I'd be going an absolute minimum of €150 over budget so that's probably out! Thanks for the tip tho!

 

Are you buying everything new? You can try to score a deal for a used sony zx2. Would work perfect with hifiman re600 balanced as the trrs is the same. Else I would say you could try to get your hands on the new A30 series from Sony, though I'm not sure that is available. I would wait for the A30 series over getting an a15/17 now as it has a touch screen, side buttons and newer tech. Also ZX100 is good. The Fiio X7 shoudl also be good, but you have to get at least an am2 to make it work. All these are options within your budget.

 

stupid me! I didn't know that a ready to use DAP can be used as a source with v2+... to me it sounds much more interesting than using the iphone as a source. Is there a setting oi on the shanling m1 to do so?? I thought i only had DAPs with optical out but the sony a15 might work... have to try tonight!

 

I'm not sure when the Sony NWZ-A30 series is launching here, but I have the option of importing from Japan, with the A36 working out at around €400 at the moment. They look interesting for sure. Thanks for the rec!

 

Bumping this - I think I have my choices narrowed down a bit more.

Lotoo PAW 5000 - traditional sort of pure audio player, and I've read it's future proof for quite a while being able to support microSD cards up to 2TB!
Cayin N6 - this sci-fi-looking mofo has similar storage capabilities. I love its design but it's a fair bit more expensive than its younger brother, the...
Cayin N5 - two mSD slots and a much more straightforward design. Looks bulky as shit too, which is appreciated considering the luck I've had with these things! Does anyone know if it can theoretically match the above players' storage capacity? If it can, I'll probably go with that.

Anyone got any Android-based players to suggest that I might have missed?

 

Cayin i5

 

Looks good, it's got maybe 230GB between the onboard memory and mSD expansion! Very nice to look at as well, so I'll consider that too!

 

Not picking up on anything specific posted earlier, just some random thought on my experiences being new to the DAP scene. Even thought I have two iPods (only two Apple products I've ever owned and that makes it two too many) kicking around the house (now used by the kids mostly) I never really had a use case for a potable player. I don't use a lot of public transport, I don't travel often, I'm not a gym freak.

But then two things happened ... a friend swung by with an Astell & Kern Jr (which impressed me greatly), and I got news that I will be doing a reasonable amount of international travel from next year. That sparked my interest in high quality mobile music and I decided to keep my eyes open for a value buy, and when a first generation FiiO X3 (complete with 32GB microSD card and skin casing) came on the market for little more than the price of a 2GB iPod Shuffle, I snapped it up. So here are some impressions from a DAP newby ...

First out, I am truly impressed with the technology stuffed into the confines of this chunky little player. No, it is not a uber-cool high end device, but then again I never intended to chase the tippy top of mobile audio. But it is quite solidly made, has a reasonably slick user interface (will admit Apple got that department taped), sounds pretty damn decent and has an incredibly diverse range of functionality.

As a standalone player it performs just fine ... not the nth degree of detail, depth or dynamic slam, but certainly not unenjoyable either. The sound is rich and rhythmic, and definitely a major step-up from iPod or smartphone playback. It works very well with a range of cans from low key Senns and NAD HP50's and to, surprisingly, much more taxing loads like LCD2, HD800 and 600ohm DT990's ... suppose I will have to look at IEM's at some stage. As a transport feeding my non-USB Benchmark DAC-1 it works a treat trough the 3.5mm coax SPDIF out ... full marks here!. And as a USB DAC it performs more than adequately after updating the firmware and installing the Windows driver. I havn't done A_B comparisons but I expect it to be at least at the NuPrime uDSD level of performance (minus DSD functionality). It is great in the car too feeding the main stereo via 3.5mm Aux cable. The only functional gripe I had was when I tried to use it as a USB - RCA bridge .... it works but the mashed up sound makes me believe it is not a simple digital pass through, but rather a full DA-AD conversion cycle, and not a very good one either. No go here, so if I need bridge functionality I will stick to the uDSD which does that job with incredible transparency.

All in all I am very happy with my purchase, and I suppose the key learning for me is that it is not necessary to be chasing the latest and greatest in DAP technology if you have a need for quality music on the go. Something like the lowly X3 can work just great ... and if it get's left on a plane or in an hotel room as mobile devices sometimes do it would be no great loss.