How does that one sound? I take it there is no need for a portable amp or DAC because there are ones built in already?
i use a sony wm1z with an lcdi4 when i have the luxury of a quiet environment, and they are wonderful together. i tried the kann but didnāt much care for it.
the iphone x with the lcdi4 or the isine20 with the cipher lightning cable is quite excellent - again, under quiet conditions.
Iāll be getting the Hiby3 here soon, first"real" DAP, Iāve been using a Zune HD or phone with a fiio A5 most of the time. Iāll have the Campfire Comet hopefully next week to play with also, not a big iem guy they tend to hurt my ears after a bit, so hopefully the Comet will change my mind about iem use outside of the gym.
I use an Aune M1S, in addition to my phone (sony xperia XZ). If Iām only going for a walk or something, I just bring my phone. If Iām taking a day trip, or Iāll be out of town overnight, I make sure to have both mostly to save battery life.
Been using my Zune 30 since release. Hard for me to justify getting something better purely because I treat all my portable gear like crap. Aside from a lack of FLAC support itās still a spectacular device imo
Just got some new gear. Shanling M0 and Cayin N5ii. Just got the Periodic Be back from getting repaired. Start of a good weekend.
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I actually started with Digital Audio Players, as I was a student at the time and spent most of my listening on the go! Any time spent at home was brief. I started with a ZUNE HD, moved to a Hifiman HM601 and finally wound up with my HM901
Though these days I find my self using my LG V20 with a portable Dac/Amp more than I use my Digital Audio players! That way Iāve still got access to good quality music Hardware but also email and any other work related updates. An sometimes depending on the task I will use something very simple like a Shanling M2S.
An if Iām staying overnight outside of home I do still use my larger Towers of portable gear lol, as ever since I built my desktop system Iāve always kept a portable system of equivalent resolve on hand!
I use a V20 around the house as a standalone DAP because it works with my over ears and has a nice UI in the form of USB Audio Player Pro.
When on the road/flying I use my phone which is an iPhone SE, because I donāt want to lug an extra device and donāt need a bunch of power for my IEMs.
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I was using a DAP for a short amount of time, the AK320 and needless to say I didnāt like that particular DAP. Was overpriced for what it is. I wanted to get a used WM1Z from Japan at a time but I didnāt do it because itās rather expensive. So for now I just settled with my 4 year old phone.
I hope I am posting in the correct place (Newbie and clueless, lol). I purchased the Sony NW-ZX300 and XBA-Z5 IEM for an overseas trip on October and loaded the ZX300 with ripped DSF files from my SACD collection and loved it!
On my trip I listened to the Sony NW-WM1Z and fell in love with it, even though it was a static display and I had to listen to headphones I was not familiar with.
I purchased the Sony NW-WM1A upon my return and compared it to the ZX300āthe WM1A was smoother/not distorted as one of my favorite vocalist sang through an octave with increasing sound pressure, I thought the microphone preamplifier was clipping with the ZX300, but there was no evidence of this with the WM1A DAP. Other items also came thru with images and instruments being more defined with the WM1A too.
Then both DAPs were connected directly to my Plinius SA-100/103 upgrade stereo home amplifier and this is where the WM1A became evident that it was more true to the original music. The ZX300 had a pleasant mid-bass bloom (my speakers are generally thin sounding), a very forward physical soundstage, the highs were good but not excellent. WM1A has a wide and forward soundstage, less mid-bass bloom, and clear highs. I donāt know why the soundstages were so physically forward, but they were both very 3D and enjoyable. I used a crappy 3.5mm to rca cable and later received a custom 4.4mm Balanced cable to XLR Balanced cable, but has already sent back the ZX300.
The new 4.4mm to XLR Balanced cable has some noise issues possible related to the WM1A player, as it starts playing DSD files and then turns off its screenāI am now considering buying the Cayin N8 to test out the custom cable and I like the various output options it has too. The Cayin N8 may replace my Benchmark DAC3, if it can do earphones and home audio as well, or interesting enough.
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A&K Kann. Very nice player, and what I call a home portable. You could take it with you to your destination or your office, but its a bit heavy for active wear. Sound is beautiful. Recommended. I can use it with my Bose QC-25, HD 700 and HD 800 cans. $200 off regular price (now $799).
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Great suggestion! thank you so much. I will let you know what I purchase. : )
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I have gone through a bunch but am pretty happy with my Pioneer XDP-300R as my daily driver. I recently got the Hidizs AP80 from Kickstarter as well as a review unit of the XDuoo X3 II. They arenāt in the same league but provide a lot of features at budget prices with rock solid build quality and Hiby OS.
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I like that term. Her is my jury rigged ādockableā home portable. The cellular antenna on my wifeās iPhone SE died, so I tried it as a sort of head unit for my Topping NX4. With some double sided tape and Velcro it makes for a nice bedside listening station that I can also detach when I want to ambulate.
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Very neat idea. I like it. I still use my iPod Touch when not needing the extra quality from my Dap. Apple do make some nice sounding stuff which along with great design and functionality make up for cost. IMHO.
To a point of course, some Apple stuff whilst really well implemented is just too expensive.
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If it makes good noise, its A-OK in my book. Velcro and tape are surefire mounting cures. 
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At home I use a Sony DAP (NW-ZX300). On the move I use an LG V30.
I also have a 7th gen iPod Class in the car.
ShaneD
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Somebody tell me why I might want a DAP. I didnāt think Iād want a DAC when they first introduced outboard DACs, but 15-20 years later, I have about 3 of them. Then again, I didnāt think I wanted an 8 track player, and have lived happily without one of those like, always.
I was going to review one, I thought, from the community program, but then something happened or someone else did, or it got sold. And after my last review of the LCD-2 closed back, Iāve probably been put on community review probation until I write something worthy on my own.
So, Iāve got an iPhone 6 which might get upgraded, Dragonfly and iFi xDSD DACs. I havenāt been able to figure out what the reason for that DAP might be. I still have a lot of CDs that I havenāt ripped. And some that were ripped to 360 MP3 before I went all FLAC/ALAC/OGG. Mostly FLAC.
Only have a few HD files. Listen to TIDAL (for now), Apple Music sometimes when driving. Stream Radio Paradise in FLAC mode. Like Vinyl and those things that weigh about 70-80 pounds and sit on my living room floor that hold air and audio drivers and that go with the vinyl setup.
Yeah, Iām reviving the topic after an 8 month hiatus. Looking for a DAP raison dāĆŖtre
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I personally use a DAP for 2 reasons:
- not enough memory space for songs in smartphone, especially if u have lots of loseless files.
- to minimize using the phone for music on the go so as to save battery drain from the phone. I used to plug DAC/AMP dongles to my smartphone for music on the go, but it does drain the battery somewhat.
Personally, I wonāt mind carrying 2 devices (DAP and smartphone) for these reasons, but of course YMMV.
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Well, that makes some sense. Iām not encountering problem 1, and donāt listen that much on the go away from charging to have problem 2. That probably explains my perplexitynesshoodshipfullness with DAPs.
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