Portable Audio situation

[red dragon]

I have a FiiO X5 (2nd gen) with an almost dead battery ( the battery health worsened very quickly over last 2/3 weeks) and a first gen X1 with very weak output ( and very rarely used for this issue) Now the phone ( Note lite 10) possibly has the weakest headphone out and not usable even with a triple BA easy to drive custom IEM.
So basically now I have lot of good headphones and not a single decent portable player. Not an issue now, as mostly staying at home. But the situation will change and when I am out on the roads, a pair of headphones are permanently glued to the head. The market is flooded with high res DAPs and I have zero clues about portable DAC/ amps.
Requirements are simple, should be able to play 24bit FLAC files, should be able to drive 250 ohm cans with some headroom, should be able to handle 250GB microSD, at least 8-10 hours of play time with lossless, should not be very laggy and would love to avoid android. No streaming, no Bluetooth, no balanced output no high res sticker (and various snake oils) are needed. Cold analytical out is preferred, as all my cans are warm sounding.
Now the budget, unlike mobile phones (where I am extremely kanjoos) here it is very flexible. Can go high if the amp section is worth the money( from my previous experience, the DAC plays little role in portable players, it is the amp which decides almost everything)
Please do no suggest Sony Walkmans (the amp even in the very expensive ones are not that great)
No other brand preference.Please don`t suggest portable DAC/amps to stack with the phone (way past that audiophile madness)

 

[NotMyRealName]

What about that fiio m3 pro you recommended to me the other day?

btw, i checked it out online and i'm not too pleased with the eq not being customisable, only presets.

Post automatically merged: Jul 10, 2020

I kinda like how tiny the m5 is

 

[red dragon]

I only heard it once, and it's out of stock here. The amp section is very powerful. Personally don't use eq at all.

 

[rdst_1]

Why not check out some micro DAC/AMPs which can be used with your phone? I was ready to blow some money as well but I came across a post on HiFi forums and ordered the E1DA DAC from Aliexpress.
The guy who makes them is a genius. I have his 9038s and it has 1W of power in such a small package and very VFM. It easily drives my HD650. It will probably be more than enough fot most of your needs. Check out his site and Discord group.

HOME | index

e1dashz.wixsite.com

 

[6pack]

That E1DA needs a y-splitter cable and usb power bank to be used with phones. Extra stuff which OP didn't want to lug around.

 

[rdst_1]

That E1DA needs a y-splitter cable and usb power bank to be used with phones. Extra stuff which OP didn't want to lug around.

No it doesn't. I use the 9038s with a normal USB-C to USB-C cable. The issue is only with some phones which won't provide power through the USB-C port for some reason.

 

[NotMyRealName]

Why not check out some micro DAC/AMPs which can be used with your phone? I was ready to blow some money as well but I came across a post on HiFi forums and ordered the E1DA DAC from Aliexpress.
The guy who makes them is a genius. I have his 9038s and it has 1W of power in such a small package and very VFM. It easily drives my HD650. It will probably be more than enough fot most of your needs. Check out his site and Discord group.

HOME | index

e1dashz.wixsite.com

Ivan da. Nice

 

[psyph3r]

I used to own the Audioquest Dragonfly Black 1.5 a few years ago and it was a great purchase for under $100, you should look into the rest of their range.

 

[dissel]

I have a FiiO X5 (2nd gen) with an almost dead battery ( the battery health worsened very quickly over last 2/3 weeks) and a first gen X1 with very weak output ( and very rarely used for this issue) Now the phone ( Note lite 10) possibly has the weakest headphone out and not usable even with a triple BA easy to drive custom IEM.
So basically now I have lot of good headphones and not a single decent portable player. Not an issue now, as mostly staying at home. But the situation will change and when I am out on the roads, a pair of headphones are permanently glued to the head. The market is flooded with high res DAPs and I have zero clues about portable DAC/ amps.
Requirements are simple, should be able to play 24bit FLAC files, should be able to drive 250 ohm cans with some headroom, should be able to handle 250GB microSD, at least 8-10 hours of play time with lossless, should not be very laggy and would love to avoid android. No streaming, no Bluetooth, no balanced output no high res sticker (and various snake oils) are needed. Cold analytical out is preferred, as all my cans are warm sounding.
Now the budget, unlike mobile phones (where I am extremely kanjoos) here it is very flexible. Can go high if the amp section is worth the money( from my previous experience, the DAC plays little role in portable players, it is the amp which decides almost everything)
Please do no suggest Sony Walkmans (the amp even in the very expensive ones are not that great)
No other brand preference.Please don`t suggest portable DAC/amps to stack with the phone (way past that audiophile madness)

Hmmm....250ohm Drivability with 8-10 hours battery life may not come hand in the hand for dedicated DAP. As I believe you have no restriction of pick up player from anywhere kindly follow these two channels....There are some Chinees Dap which is completely offline and comes with AKM4490 with Impressive battery life but not sure the high ohm ratings reviewed by BGGAR long time ago.

Fiio Decided to stop making Powerful DAPs without Andriod... i,e X series

Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews

It's all about the MUSIC

www.youtube.com

Z Reviews

I do product review and educational / instructional videos, mostly involving Home Theater or budget Audiophile items such as headphones, speakers, dac and am...

www.youtube.com

 

[red dragon]

Checked AliExpress, for some reason the shipping cost has increased considerably ( almost 1400 CZK via EMS) and my last 2 orders of USB-C PD chargers( AliExpress standard shipping) disappeared (now showing invalid tracking number). I am basically stuck with eBay for now.
Thanks dissel, did not know about the first youtube channel ( you seem to be an youtube expert, I`m watching that Bengali channel almost daily now)

 

[dissel]

I`m watching that Bengali channel almost daily now

If you are interested to know more about the dark side of the Ruling party in Bengal you may like to follow 'Bangalar Barta'. (In case you don't know) - You will know all tits-bits of the Bengal Cut Money Politics....and the suffering of Aam Jonota.

SANMOY BANERJEE

আমরা বাংলার মানুষের মনের কথা বলার জন্য দায়বদ্ধ । বাংলায় গণতন্ত্র বিপন্ন, লুণ্ঠিত । সীমাহীন দুর্নীতিতে নিমজ্জিত বাংলার প্রশাসন । আর্থিক এবং রাজনৈতিক ভাবে সর্ব...

www.youtube.com

 

[red dragon]

Yes, definitely want to know about people and society I come from (typical middle class Bangali) without interacting with them directly. My situation is little strange and complicated.

 

[red dragon]

Looks like this country has gone back to Soviet era!!
Nothing is available online ( no, things are available everywhere in Europe, may be even at Ceznska but not in this stupid city) and the old X1 is dying a slow death ( a tiny screw came out from the base, and the back cover has swollen slightly, possibly the battery, which somehow still has significant juice)
Only the fiio M5 is available and deliverable to my address. Everything else is out of stock for Prague.

 

[NotMyRealName]

You know the ideal battery drill. Applies to any device. Keep charge levels between 20 and 80%. Never charge immediately after using and never use immediately after charging.

Anal, but this Li-ion life...

Why are you not considering that m3 pro?

 

[red dragon]

It (M3 Pro) is not deliverable to my address. I am not blaming the X1`s battery, the device is 5 year old. The 3 year old X5`s battery is almost dead due to extensive use ( I traveled thousands of miles in last 3 years and it served really well during the super long commutes in Africa)
Wouldn`t even mind paying 1400-1500 EUR for the M15 , but even that is not available. I will think 100 times before buying a 400 EUR phone, but ready to pay three times for a DAP as it is something indispensable for long travels.
If nothing is available, will buy a LG V40 and use it in airplane mode and a back up phone.

 

[fLUX]

There are better options than the Fiio M5/M6 at similar/slightly higher price ranges, would suggest to lookup on www.headphonezone.in

The Fiio daps (The M5/M6) are buggy and sluggish as compared to the alternatives from Hiby/Cayin. I had a fiio x5 iii which i sold off because it was very sluggish and used to have screen freeze of almost a second or two on using streaming apps like tidal/amazon music

 

[red dragon]

I can not order from headphonezone. It doesn`t ship to Europe. Moreover I was perfectly happy with 2nd gen X5. Only need gapless and folder playback. No streaming needed ( my ears can not differentiate between Tidal highest and 320kbps Spotify streams with BTNC cans, and mobile phone can perfectly handle the occasional streaming).
Please suggest some specific DAPs from Hiby/ Shanling/ Cayin/ A&K/Xduoo etc. Do not care about brand/ android/ streaming. All I need is gapless folder playback and a 3.5mm output with enough power to drive 250ohm headphones and the damn thing should be deliverable to Prague.
I have tried the M3 pro once, it did not feel sluggish and the amp was surprisingly powerful (enough to drive the HD600 the comfortably)

 

[psyph3r]

I can not order from headphonezone. It doesn`t ship to Europe. Moreover I was perfectly happy with 2nd gen X5. Only need gapless and folder playback. No streaming needed ( my ears can not differentiate between Tidal highest and 320kbps Spotify streams with BTNC cans, and mobile phone can perfectly handle the occasional streaming).
Please suggest some specific DAPs from Hiby/ Shanling/ Cayin/ A&K/Xduoo etc. Do not care about brand/ android/ streaming. All I need is gapless folder playback and a 3.5mm output with enough power to drive 250ohm headphones and the damn thing should be deliverable to Prague.
I have tried the M3 pro once, it did not feel sluggish and the amp was surprisingly powerful (enough to drive the HD600 the comfortably)

DAP Reviews — Headfonics

The complete list of all our portable digital audio player reviews, (DAP), on Headfonics since 2011 with Reader and Award scores where applicable.

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[red dragon]

Given up on DAP. Will buy a LG phone and use it as DAP and a secondary phone.
Some folks @ YouTube made videos of using 250ohms Beyer cans with V30/40, should be adequate for my purpose.

 

[rdst_1]

Given up on DAP. Will buy a LG phone and use it as DAP and a secondary phone.
Some folks @ YouTube made videos of using 250ohms Beyer cans with V30/40, should be adequate for my purpose.

If you are gonna stick with using a phone as DAP, do again take a look at the portable DAC/AMP I linked above. I am using it with my HD650 and it is sufficient enough to drive them. That way you won't even have to buy a separate phone.