Looking for a new mid range DAP for music on the move & I'm considering taking the plunge & getting the NW-ZX707.

My primary focus is sound quality plain & simple.

Have always had good experiences with Sony Walkmans as far as support, sound quality & reliability go with the exception of test driving a A306 last year which was a bit ehhh I don't know.... tiny touchscreen & a bit sluggish so sent it back.

I know people recommend the IBasso dx180 on here but the brand is an unknown to me same goes for Shanling / Fiio and I would also need to import these from Japan to the UK or pay way over the odds so if they needed to be sent back for whatever reason it would be a lengthy pain in the butt.

I really didn't want android / internet connectivity etc as would only be using it to play local .flac files but it seems that all the players I've been looking at are android devices.

What other brands / models should I be looking at in the upto £500 price range. Don't want to spend more than this but would consider a used device.

The Sony & the IBasso have both been out for a while now and was wondering if either of them are still worth purchasing this year considering the SOC they're based on are starting to get a bit long in the tooth is there anything coming on the horizon this year that might be worth holding out for.

Cheers