I can't seem to find a DAP for under 200 dollars anymore. My fiio M7 just broke and I need to replace it but everything is either sold out or only the really high dollar versions. Any advice?

So recently I've spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect portable. Instead of focusing on the pros and cons of each individual DAP and it's software, battery life, build quality, etc, I'd like to take a look at sound quality vs. cost.

The DAPs I have tested are the Hidis AP80 Pro-X, Hiby R3 Saber, Hiby New R6, Fiio M11 Pro, Sony ZX-507, and the highest tier the AK 2000T. I have tested all of these extensively with IEMs from the Sennheiser IE600s (personal favorite), Sony IER Z1R, Thieaudio Monarch MK2 and lots of lower end models. For headphones i've tested Arya Stealths, Grado SR80X, and HD600s. All audio is from a variety of genres, all FLAC files.

I have spent the last month or so trying to listen for the differences between each DAP and tell if increased cost really does increase your audio experience.

My conclusion is that it all comes down to 10%. When going from the cheapest DAP (R3) and then listening to the same song on the 2000T it takes concentration to tell the difference. Once you factor EQ into the mix, then that 10 percent can come down even more. I see all these reviews discussing warmth, soundstage, DAC and AMP comparisons, and sure, if I had to sit down and write a 10 minute essay on how each one varies, I'm sure I could point out specific sound signatures that each one has; however, in reality none of these things really matter in the long term.

So next let's compare the M11 Pro and the 2000T. The 2000T is 3-5x the cost of the M11 at a whopping MSRP of $2500 vs the variable $500-800 for the M11 as the AKEQ chips have seem to become desirable. I have spent about a month with these two and can say if you changed some EQ settings to try to match up the sounds, I would not be able to tell the difference blindfolded.

Here we come to maybe a 5% difference, where the tube in the 2000T really does add a nice warmth to the sound. Is that 5% worth a 3-5x cost over the M11 or a 15x cost of an R3?

In my personal opinion no. If you disregard output power, (which for all IEMs I tested isn't an issue, for regular headphones it will come down to preference) something like the R3 is more than good enough. Honestly an LG phone with a Quad DAC can be picked up for about $100 and can do more than all of these players (other than balanced output).

If you care about having balanced connections, also think about the practicality of a DAP. Are you really going to carry around a 2000T or M11 Pro? The ZX-507 is the minimum size to be even comfortably pocketable once you've used it for a while. Next once software and battery life become and consideration and the choice gets even more complicated. When you add build quality, all of these players are extremely well built and despite more exotic materials none really stand out more than any modern phone.

So in closing, I'm not sure what the point of my rant is. I rarely see people discussing a variety of DAPs that have used them for a decent amount of time, and not influenced first impressions and long term reviews on the topic are surprisingly scarce on YouTube, especially on the higher end.

Feel free to ask me any questions on any of these players and I'll be happy to share my experience

TLDR: More money = Similar sound

Edit: These are all just my opinions, I do not have golden ears

My old HD Zune that I use while working is on it's last legs and I am looking to finally replace it. Need something portable that will fit in my pocket.

Would like it if it won't suffer from accidental button presses while in my pants pocket. Either a lock switch to prevent it or a button that isn't easy to accidently press that turns the screen on if it is a touchscreen.

Need around 32 or 64gb of storage at least if I can't add my own.

Hoping whatever is recommended will be just as good or better than my Zune.

As for why I don't just use my phone, mainly to preserve battery and not get interrupted by notifications / phone calls while listening to music. Also my phone sucks but I am not looking to replace it anytime soon.

Title is self explanatory. Been looking at DAPs recently, and I want to know why you chose yours! If you don’t already have it, what DAP would you want in the future? Just curious at what this subreddit think about these things

Feels like just yesterday I got my Fiio X5iii. But realizing it's been probably half a decade now. Just curious what some more up-to-date users use as their DAP of choice. Pictures encouraged, just want to see what everyone is up to.

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I saw the M17 for the first time today (as in online, didn't know it existed) and almost fell over laughing at the size and cost. I thought it was a typo. Very cool way to replace owning a million things though, but still very funny.

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I'm still running Fiio X5iii w/ custom kernel (that has - IMO - completely 180'd my DAP from mediocre to god tier) using USB Audio Player PRO -> into my A5 amp, all wrapped in a little leather case. Then into my Fostex Mahogany for more private/bass heavy (hiphop) music and my AKG Pro Audio Audio K702 for softer listening, of things like Symphonies & Jazz.

"What budget DAP (digital audio player) would you recommend for under $100?" I'm looking for a DAP that offers good sound quality without spending a lot of money, with a maximum budget of $100. Some features that interest me

Support for audio formats such as FLAC, WAV .

Expandable storage via microSD card.

Decent battery life (ideally 8-10 hours).

Compact and durable design.

bluetooth support

I'm not an extreme audiophile, but I want something that offers a better sound experience than a smartphone. Any recommendations based on your experience

It can also be used

Hey all, i'm looking for recommendations on good DAPs that are hi-res and not too expensive. My budget is around $250

I was looking at the Hiby R2, and seems like the best choice in price, but I don't know if its worth it. Also looking at the Hiby R3 Pro Saber.

I also stumbled upon the Surfans, but I can't find many opinions about them so I don't know if they're legit on their audio quality.

Or, I was also considering buying used iPods, but do they actually have good DACs? They're usually on good price but there's also different models, which one would you recommend?

I use both wired and wireless earphones, so anything with a good serviceable DAC for bluetooth.

Alternatively, suggestions on DACs for smartphone instead of a DAP are also welcome

I'm just curious to ask basically what the title says, what's everyones favourite DAP? Specifically of course your favourite one that you own or used to own.

I've been collecting Mp3s for over a year now and felt it was time to try out something a bit more advanced in the audiophile world however I haven't a clue where to even start as there's so many different DAPs out there with mixed reviews, I thought the best place to start was seeing which one is most popular and enjoyed by the DAP community ☺️

My top 3 brands I've been looking at is Fiio, Hiby & iBasso in that specific order (Astell & Kern too but they're way over my desired budget!) and Sony Walkmans are definitely ruled out for me as I had a A105 and actually really disliked it as the battery life is so poor, it was far too quiet for me and I couldn't quite get the sound I desired out of it even with constant equaliser tweaks

Think I'm leaning towards a Fiio (not sure which model) but I haven't done half enough research yet to make sure I won't end up making the same mistake as I did with the Walkman so if you want to convince me otherwise, go for it!

Also if anyone's an IEM user, feel free to let me know your favourites as I use them too and would like a decent pair to go with the DAP!

Edit: Just wanted to add this on as I've seen a few comments about iPods, I actually do have several iPod Classics and Nanos which I love and use frequently but I'm thinking about stepping it up to something a bit more advanced and modern, still please keep the iPod comments coming as I'm loving reading them ☺️

Hi all, I'm new to this. Never used DAP before, only been using phone/laptop. Main reason I'm looking for a DAP is so that I don't have to drain my phone battery while listening to music.

Context:

• 99% of my music is on Spotify

• Only using IEMs/TWSs

The "necessities":

• Best price-to-performance ratio (up to ~$150, maybe more)

• Wifi/streaming/Bluetooth Aptx Adaptive/HD

• Very good sound/DAC chip quality

• Okay-to-decent-ish battery life (~15+ hours on 3.5mm)

• Good, clear display and no laggy UI, preferably Android.

• Decent power output (only for IEMs)

• At least 64gb storage space

Nice to haves (but not necessary):

• Portability, small form factor

• Smart battery management, eg doesn't damage/degrade battery if overnight charged.

• Functions as a USB-C DAC/AMP

Not needed:

• EQ (I'm assuming I can download Wavelet)

• Abundance of audiophile features like gain, filters, etc (I don't know how to use them)

• High power output (because I'm only powering IEMs)

• MQA (Not switching to Tidal anytime soon)

Looking in the $200-$300 range but cheaper is better.

Basically, I am getting the new XM5s soon and instead of relying on Apple Music or Spotify, I want to have it on disk with me at all times so in the market for a DAP. Will be mainly using it for BT playback but I do also have a Senn IE300 IEMs that I inted to use with the DAP every now and then.

My Requirements :

- BT 5.0
- LDAC
- Small and pocketable but not to the extent of Shanling M0
- Great battery life

After going through the usual brands like Fiio and Shanling, I narrowed it down to either the HIBY R3 Pro Saber OR Hidizs AP80 Pro-X. Leaning towards the Hiby as it has BT 5.0. What are your thoughs and recommendations?

My first choice is actually the Sony NW-A105 but it's out of stock locally.

For the past 6 years or so, I have been using a micro-sd card playing on my old Galaxy s5 phone and the Rocket Player app to play my music. As of last week, the app will no longer launch without an app update, but the O/S is so old, that it won't update, so I am effectively locked out of using it anymore. I had been wanting to look into a better/newer device for some time anyways, to avoid this type of situation in the future, as well as getting something with better battery life. I'd like to get a DAP, but I'd like to hear from someone who actually has one on some advice.

My use case: I almost never listened to music on my old device while sitting around. It was mostly while walking or driving (hooked up via aux cable). I sometimes held the phone while running.

Here are what I'd like:

• Micro-SD support. 128GB at a minimum.

• 3.5mm headphone jack support.

• Good enough sound quality to output to decent headphones. I use Audiotechnica M50s while walking generally.

• Bluetooth would be a bonus, as well as wifi, but not absolutely required, as I would be adding music directly to my Micro-SD card and I wouldn't be utilizing streaming services.

Are there any players that will treat folders as playlists? That would help immensely with trying to freshly organize my music list or transfer it in the future.

I'd prefer to spend under 300 if possible.

the thing is i have several daps. but i found myself not using them much anymore since i have a BTR5 connected by LDAC to my phone.

and every time i look up daps in my price range (around 300 euros) i find that there's basically nothing that would provide a worth while improvement over using my phone and the BTR5.

lets correct my question as a first step, DAP´s are still worth it as a stand alone high quality device for 2 cases.

A small dap for places where the phone cant go, aka a Sansa Clip style device.

Or a high end device that can power higher end high impedance cans which can provide a portable set up you can carry and still enjoy high quality audio, unfortunately these devices have climbing in price with "entry level" high end daps going for 700+ euros like the Fiio M11 plus, Hiby R6 or A&K devices. which can reach 3000 euros.

So..

once you have a BTR5, UP5, Qudelix-5K which are a much more versatile device, so daps like the Sony A105, Shanling M3, Fiio M0-M5 Hiby r3 are all obsolete.

or am i taking this in a too simplistic approach ?

Looking to play music through headphones at work for hours, don’t want to open the Home Screen or touch my phone, just listen. I heard DAP is the best to listen to music. What do you suggest is a really good DAP? Music player device

I am curious how useful daps truly are. Does your joy from daps trump that of other sources like a phone + dac/amp combo? Let me know. Very intriguing topic to me.

Alright so I'll try and keep this short but I don't like streaming on my phone and hate the dongle situation we've got going on right now so I thought I'd give a DAP a try, my price range is 100$ish with android of some kind so I do have the option to stream, and a decent to good sounding chip in it, that's pretty much it, does a product meet those requirements on the market right now?

Currently have a Fiio X1ii, and I love the affordable, simple nature of it. However, with 300GB of music and 24,000 tracks, the interface has slowed to a crawl.

What DAP would you recommend to replace it that has a similar audio quality, and affordable price, that can eventually handle 500GB/50k tracks?

With all its bells and whistles, I bought a shiny new DAP (won't post the model so I can still sell this 🤣😇). Then, did an A/B with my trusted iPhone + lightning dongle using some lossless files, driving my collection of Focal and Sennheiser over-ears. (No, not with IEMs coz if I'm just driving IEMs, the dongle is more than enough, that much I know).

Guess which one ended up sounding better? Neither. Both sounded exactly the same. I just got audiofooled. I should've known better and demo'd the DAP first.