What are /r/DigitalAudioPlayer's favorite Products & Services?

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Everyone will recommend the LGs, because they have better DACs. (Un)fortunately, LG just got out of the smart phone business. Bad for LG, but it hopefully means you should be able to score a good LG phone cheap.

And if the audio is crap, you can add something like one of these external DACs (a friend has one) that sits between the phone and your wired IEMs/headphones (no Bluetooth, sorry).

As for which player software, I played around with about two dozen Android players this year to compare. I even made a spreadsheet comparing them :-) The one that I keep coming back to is Musicolet.

Why? Because of the things you're asking about: use, reliability, and library organization.

It can sort/search/filter by artist, album name, album artist, composer, and genre. I was really surprised to see how few support filtering by composer and genre. A lot do one or the other, but only 5 out of 35 I tested supported both. That really helps with the library organization.

It also supports playlists and queues.

The queues are a really neat feature I haven't seen elsewhere. Basically, every time you start playing some sequence, it creates a queue. So if I decide to filter by genre (instrumental), it will show me I have 8 albums and 95 songs. I can select two albums/13 songs, then add 3 other songs making 16, and start playing. Those 16 songs are now a queue, and I can add/delete songs to the queue, and save it as a playlist.

A bit over but it might be worth the extra bucks.

FiiO M3K HiFi Metal Shell MP3 Player with Digital Voice Recorder,24 Hours Playback and Expandable Up to 512GB with Independent Lock & Volume Control,Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GPPC7BS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_kmNaGbS6RN7YC

Hiby R5 gen ii apparently can, according to the Amazon product listing https://www.amazon.com/HiBy-R5-Headphone-Amplifier-Generation/dp/B0B7JRSNB7

I'm a big fan of Musicolet. It has both playlists and queues, where a queue is basically the currently running playlist.

You can do things like filter by genre (soundtrack) and see that you have 23 soundtrack albums, then select 2 or 3 of them, and start playing. That will be the current queue. You can edit it live, and you can save it as a playlist.

Whether you can save that created playlist to a PC, I can't say, I've never tried.

The DX160 is no longer available here, almost considering getting a cheap player like the Xduoo x2s https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Res-Lossless-DSD128-Portable-Player/dp/B091C9YFP1 for now and save up for an upgrade later.

>I did look at the FiiO Mk3 but it seems to be no longer available with not much on ebay.

It's $95 on Amazon, and they claim to still have 6 in stock as I write this.

The only one offered on Amazon is $569. It doesn't have a clip.

The only one offered on Amazon is $569. It doesn't have a clip.

If you don’t mind taking Tidal for a spin, check their free trial. Both Tidal and Qobuz offer best streaming options out there with offline listening (download).

This might be the best option for you to test the DAP and headphones without getting into Flac or Dsd/Dff.

I'm the same. I think Android is both overkill and too general purpose. I really prefer custom devices over general ones. I mean, otherwise, why not just use my cell phone?

In fact, that's still a possibility. One other solution I'm considering is one of these USB DACs with a USB converter to plug it into a microUSB or USB-C phone (or my PC, or my tablet, etc).

Having said that, the downside of a dedicated player is that if the interface sucks, or there's a missing feature, you're out of luck. The Android Fiio player software isn't bad. I like it better than Sony's for some things, but I prefer Sony's Android player for other things. I know the Sony NW-A55 firmware won't be a match for the Android player (for one thing, the Android has no ClearAudio), but it does give me a chance to simulate what each of the DAPs would be like.

And with the M6, I'm not limited to Fiio's player software. As long as the hardware's there, other DAP software might be superior.

It's not like the good old days when the interface was just play/pause/ff/rew :)

I think these would serve you well and be close to your budget. AKG is a top tier brand for audiophiles. 👍🏽

AKG Pro Audio K72 Over-Ear, Closed-Back, Studio Headphones, Matte Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AYSNHVQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_byTaGbW9H2SRS

Check this out:

Sony NW-A55/B Walkman NW-A55 Hi-Res 16GB MP3 Player, Grayish Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08286VLNB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_VD66FbQQXZF5Q

SR-25 if you want the best interface but costs $700.

For IEMs: there are plenty, my recommendation is check out Moondrop.. star field, blessing 2 all are good..

for headphone: there are plenty as well. Better dynamic open back or closed back are cheap and would get the job done (in my opinion)..

Invest in a good headphones or IEM. And it goes without saying, you’d need to use FLAC or Audio CD (WAV) quality files to fully utilize the potential of a DAP and a headphone/IEM. Prices ranges are vast so there’s no one solution that fits for all. You’d have to do your research and pick your choice of DAP/Headphone or IEM.

I’d stay away from Tidal or Qobuz if you intend them to use via Bluetooth. Otherwise they are OK but it’s a monthly subscription and I wouldn’t do it because it’s not worth for me. I just buy the Audio CD and rip them (16 bit, 44khz) or better buy Hi-res files from Qobuz download store or another legal download websites (there are more than a few, google it)..

I have been really happy with my Pioneer. Just awesome sound off a non android os. It’s got everything you need.

Pioneer Hi-Res Digital Audio Player, Black XDP-30R(B) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071V2QJ6M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_6856FbKHF2MZC