DAP discussion thread

Why is that though if all the other great sounding DACs do? I'm still waiting to get my first decent DAC (planning on buying a Modi Multibit in the next month or two) so I don't have first hand experience with this but everyone insists that DACs need to be on for hours, maybe days, to sound good. Why is the GOV2+ different? The great reviews of it have caused me to think through this idea and I would love to get some further feedback on it. What's the operating temp of the DAC chip in the GOV2+?

 

Well generally the dacs that people say you want to keep on are much much bigger and usually require a plugged in power source Don't think the creators of battery powered units create ones that need to be constantly on or heated. Generally these types of units usually are not recommended to keep using the unit while it's charging. It's like....using a dap while it is constantly charging on the wall to have optimal sound...makes no sense. Sony zx2 constantly turns off its headphone output when paused to save power. I don't think having a sony zx2 that's been warm for 5 hrs of music playback will sound drastically different than one that I turned on 30 minutes ago. That said certain daps recommend burn in for caps, which they state may take couple hundred hours....ymmv

 

Has anyone here had hands-on time with the XDUOO X10, and if so, what do you make of it?

 

I bought a Fiio M3 to replace my Sansa Fuze V1.

If it is any good, I will keep it and post some impressions. I only care about good (enough) sound for FLAC, hi-res on-the-go is overkill for me.

 

I have a ZX2 and I have a TRRS->dual XLR cable and it didn't occur to me to plug that into the Jotunheim! I know what I'll be doing tomorrow...

 

The M3 arrived today.

What folllowed:

1. Unpacked the device. Plastic yes, quality plastic, yeah.
2. Charged it up with the USB cable.
3. First problem, changed the language from Chinese to English by updating to firmware 1.7.
4. The internal 8-ish GB memory is a ".lib" file. Windows seems to have an issue with that.
5. The M3 quickly reads my Micro SD card but tagging of tracks in album folders is not accurate.
6. Sound quality with EQ off is more than acceptable.
7. Sound quality with Custom EQ is better to my ears.
8. With EQ off this thing does not sound lifeless, too bad the EQ is only five-band.
9. There is one button for okay/play and pause. I prefer one button for okay/play and one for pause.
10. This thing can play loud (PortaPro!). EQ off sounds better for well produced music.

Custom EQ I like the most: sounds full and smooth enough, peaks are at 6 decibels.
62 hertz + 2
250 hertz + 2
1K hertz + 2
6K hertz + 2
16K hertz + 1

I need to fix this tagging issue but apart from that not bad for 70 Euros. The buttons are easier to work with compared to the Sansa Fuze buttons.

This is a keeper for the sound quality, that is certain.

More to come...

 

I was reading on HF, seems to be well received. My problem is with Xduoo, they really fucked people with the X3. Just stopped supporting it and left a lot of people hanging. From what I've read, unless you Rockboxed the X3, it had a lot of issues. I can't support a company that does shit like that. IIRC, the X3 isn't even that old.

I'll ask a few trusted ears I know on HF to find out more.

 

Addressed the tagging issue on the Fiio M3 with firmware 1.7 for now.

Solution:

1. In the album files on the PC insert numerals per track on the album as in "artist - number. track title."
2. After doing so unplug Fiio M3 from PC, library updates and only in "play album mode" everything will be correct.
3. Other playback modes are sometimes correct, sometimes incorrect.
4. Fiio should step up its firmware game...

After doing some quick research, googling, scanning and skimming of information it is clear that Fiio basically had to rebuild/re-engineer the firmware/software for the M3 because it was not an X-series DAP. In doing so Fiio made mistakes that are beyond stupid.

Thing is, I am used to this since Sansa a.k.a. Sandisk also did stupid things like incorrect tagging in the past. There are workarounds but you have to improvise a bit.

Do I recommend the M3? No! This is a fiddly thing out of the box you still have to update yourself (no Apple or Microsoft to help you out!) and the average consumer is better off with a Sony DAP that works out of the box.

Before buying Fiio DAPs check whether there are firmware/software issues. Especially with tagging and the order of album tracks. They can boast about hi-res and advanced DACs all they want, I care about my tagging of album tracks. Even Nokia phones with Symbian could do it fifteen years ago, I had one as a DAP!

Is this a keeper? If my solution works longterm yes. If not my next DAP will be at least 200 Euros without firmware/software issues this stupid.

 

The Fiio M3 is a goner.

The file tagging issue is not acceptable in 2016.

 

Anyone hear the Cowon S? I love the P1... So I finally gave in and ordered the S. Probably a complete waste of money, but I desperately needed to hear it. Some folks on HF say it's an improvement, especially with the balanced output, others say it's negligible. I'm going with the latter. It's from Amazon, so either way I'm safe.

 

partly the reason why I'm hesitant getting the xduoo x10 from massdrop is Xduoo's minimal support.

 

Yes, I don't blame you. I couldn't support them, they don't support their customers.

 

I am going to skip Fiio for a while.

Can you recommend a reasonably priced DAP with micro SD-card slot, decent playback and good sound quality which does not have stupid firmware/software issues?

Even if it is a Pono-player, I am not too picky as long the potential/existing issues are rather minor.

 

Cowon P1 is my favorite. Cheap too now, $699 new. You can find good deals used. I might sell mine when I get the S. Not sure if I really want to because I'd sell it here for probably 200 or so (friends or people I know only) probably would rather keep it as a spare.

 

I too am interrested in the difference between these two DAPs, so I'm looking forward to your comparison!

 

I'm going to say they are negligible. That's one thing I've learned about portable audio, in higher end daps, not major differences. Never heard difference between any of the AK daps, including the ak240, hence why I didn't want the ak380.

 

Agree with warrior in that for higher end daps it is more about your preferred sound signature, though really some really are worse than others. Many like the qp1r, but I didn't like it very much from the get go. Would always recommend a zx2 to deep funk, though many say the wm1a is an improvement. Once the players are more readily available the zx2 price will definitely take a hit!

 

I am still stuck with my Fiio X1 so far, but if I ever feel the urge to upgrade something tells me that I'll probably be looking for at LG V10 at best.

If not, perhaps the most ideal would be buying a used Fiio X3 II with a second hand Mojo (assuming I found a good deal).

Otherwise I find it hard to bother upgrading my DAP since the only thing bothering me would be the congested sound, and the X1 is about the most basic DAP compared to other models, but it's not bad enough to put of off using it.

 

I'm still quite amazed that the DX50 gets software updates, old as it is (most recently Jun 30 2016) . Even the original FiiO X3 (of which the first batch had some obnoxious midbass bump issues, at least for the 3 or so units I've tried...) has been put out to pasture in October 2015.

If only the DX200 didn't follow the same development trajectory as my incoming Geek Wave......

 

I have had the X3ii, x5, x7, alo international plus and mojo. I am enjoying the Cayin i5 more than all of those.