I have been using the ibasso dx160 for a few days now. And I have one real problem:
How do I make skip backward/forward and volume work without dragging the thing out of my pocket?
Is there a bluetooth device that can link with an android dap and do just that? Something I can clip on somewhere and keep accessible?
If I could solve that, and solve it as well as my apple watch does it, a DAP is an absolutely superb option for me.
Ideas?
I think something like this:
But I would like confirmation it actually works.
The one I bought (not the one linked above) refuses to stay connected to the dx160.
Actually cancelled the hiby r6 2020 until I can figure out why it doesn’t work. (Trying to find out if bluetooth low energy is supported)
It should be noted, it appears to work fine connected to my iPhone. Reconnects instantly. The one thing it won’t do is open the music player and start playing if it has shut itself down from lack of use.
Basically, it only controls audio if some app has told apple there is something to play.
Camera button also works. In fact, the whole thing seems very well implemented.
So much so I might keep it and use it in the car (the intended purpose, attach it to the wheel to keep play controls safer)
Anywho, if I can prove this works on the hiby r6 2020 or the iBasso dx300, I will buy one of them. (Or if I can find them at a place with a no risk return policy)
Good luck. I will admit I’m waiting on the sidelines to see how you do before I make any mobile-oriented purchases. So you’re doing a fine job as forum guinea pig. 
Yeah, I do that. Just be warned, I have ridiculously high expectations. Example: We were just released from quarantine after negative test results, and I kept my IEMs in while running some errands.
It would have driven me nuts not to have apple audio coming through the headphones (directions, texts from my wife, etc…). This means while out, I definitely want bluetooth or wired from the phone. This may not rule out a dap, but it does mean streaming from the dap is a non-starter for that case. So a dap would just be a giant btr5 that can’t handle phone calls.
It’s making daps less and less appealing. Especially since the quality jump from the apple dongle is not giant.
Anyway, I am pretty sure there isn’t a great way to get the best of both worlds here.
I’ve read in another thread you chose the DX but if one uses Hibylink one can control the DAP from their phone. I’m not sure but you may be able to use Hibylink with a non-Hiby DAP but would probably have to use the Hiby music app.
I returned the dx300.
Hibylink is basically useless as a streamer. I don’t have a music library. Also, on iPhone it is wifi only, which makes it even more useless unfortunately. As far as I could tell it couldn’t be used to play/pause some other app. Only the hiby music library.
I had a hiby r3 And got to experiment with this.
I am still considering the r6 2020. But instead of the dx300 I am trying out the Audeze Euclid. Fun fun!
Sorry- didn’t know you were interested in streaming only. Didn’t see that in your post.
I can’t even keep track of all my requirements for these products. No way you could. 
Agree. Happy listening!
Hey Dynamic,
I’m attempting the same thing: Usability + awesome sound. What did you end up with?
Thank you very much in advance!
Some Daps have got AirPlay. I thought about that combination: Apple Watch → AirPlay (which should be better than AAC via bluetooth) → DAP. Doesn’t work at home but should be very stable at home.
The only amp I own and use is the Qudelix. I own a handful of IEMs + the LSA hp-2 ultra. This has not changed in well over a year.
Thanks for your reply. Do you use the Qudelix as a headset too? If so: Do you attach it to your shirt via clip? How do you skip tracks and which cable do you use from the Qudelix to your IEMs? If I attach it to my shirt, I would be looking for a very short cable.
I have. It has a mic. But not as common these days. I actually use it most with the LSA HP-2 Ultra with hart audio cables. For IEMs I like dunu modular cables ( hart IEM cables have noise ). I also use it bluetooth or wired both on iPhones and macbooks.
I keep the cable wrapped up for IEMS. not a big deal.
This is my struggle too. My use case is a bit different but related.
I want the “Btr3k but with great sound quality & power & battery life” so I can use Roon ARC on my iPhone, check directions on my phone, use Apple Pay, text, and even occasionally have a conversation on my phone (ok if I have to drag out the “Btr3k”-ish thing in order to talk into it on those occasions when I’m on a call). Frankly if ARC got a bit better (and even better if apple could get past AAC to one of the AptX implementations) the Btr3k would be reasonably close to what I want.
For the record, I have no issues with Bluetooth AAC implemented on apple products. (the important part is the source, so when transmitted from an iPhone/iWhatever, I find it fine). However, AAC from any other source seemed to be plagued with issues and any aptx or other codec did better. The consumers of AAC seem fine though. I assume this is because Apple has a better implementation of AAC’s variable compression. But never really cared to dig deeper.
I split my time with my Quedlix between wired to the iPhone with a dongle cable and running wireless over bluetooth aac. I don’t do this for audio quality reasons, I do it for battery life reasons. I never use any of my headphones from the Qudelix at a loud enough volume to trigger the charging issue limits of the iPhone lightning port. So this is simply another way to keep the battery of the Qudelix charged regularly.
I gave up on daps long ago. Audio isn’t something I want to think about, I just want it to be there and working.
I am considering a desktop setup again, simply because there is a headphone or two I may want to re-obtain that are not drive-able from a Qudelix. So far, I haven’t been able to justify the investment. Nor could I decide on a desktop stack as few impressed me.
I also gave up on all other music services besides Apple Music. There just weren’t any benefits for me to use them. In fairness, I never tried anything roon related. I listen to music in 3 places: Qudelix (which could be on phone, or wired to a macbook), Car (CarPlay) and Sonos. Apple music is really the only one that served all of them well. Anything else would need library syncing between services, and was just too much work.
Anywho, that’s been the case for quite some time. The urge to try new stuff was defeated by the hassle of actually trying new stuff. 
So we differ in our background, which I think begets some of our preference differences:
So here I am. I think the way I went through my journey and lack of AppleMusic leads to slight differences in what we want, but I bet something you’d be psyched about and something I’d be psyched about wouldn’t be that far apart. And I bet we are not alone. Let’s name ourselves… the “iem Road warriors” or something.
I actually went for headphones when my new house really didn’t accommodate a home theater system. I had a 5.1 system in my old house that I enjoyed for movies and music (music mostly in 3/2.1). After trying to get speakers to work in this horrific room (and having it be horrible), I moved to headphones. This was a very compressed timeframe. I bought sony xm4 just to have some music, and it was so much better than the home theater setup in this house. The xm4. So, I started exploring headphones that are, you know, actually good.
I went through a big list from the sundara to the arya, audeze mobius to the lcd-x… etc. Then IEMs, again, a nice spread (and found them much more appealing than any headphone thus far), but found comfort issues on most, then came back to headphones. This took about 6-9 months on and off. I tried desktop stacks from a90/d90 to bifrost/jot, portable options… etc. Eventually I started trying good dynamic driver headphones, and I was done. I still haven’t tried a ZMF, and I would if it weren’t for the drive-ability. I simply never got along well with any desktop stack (or powerful portable stacks/daps). I finally just accepted that and limited my stuff to portable friendly headphones and IEMs.
The timeless are still my favorite planar headphone along with the drop ether cx. Both are quite unique, but I didn’t keep the ether cx because I didn’t have enough head time for it. He6sev2 is my favorite open back planar but mine died. My favorite IEMs continue to be the dunu zen. I have the timeless and oxygen handy as well. I also have a handful of low cost stuff like the dq6, miele and a few others. I also still have the UM 3DT in a box somewhere. but I don’t listen to it. I gave my blessing 2 dusk to my wife (which was the IEM that started the IEM craze, but I don’t like it much anymore). The audeze euclid was the best of the higher tier stuff I tried, but not better than the zen to me. I found I really didn’t like hybrid IEMs. Which is a blessing, as that is where nearly all IEM companies focus their energies. So I am off the hook there.
I have also owned every airpod except the airpod pro 2. I still own two airpod maxes for movie watching with my wife. And I kept the airpod 3’s because they were honestly the best balance of sound among all of them. But I don’t use any of them for music.
You should try a qudelix. It had decent phone calls if you had it clipped up by your collar. I even used it for webex. However, for webex, it is much better if you wire it to the laptop. It enables much cleaner audio as most codecs don’t support the bandwidth for a microphone + audio and it drops into SBC. I am still not sure why it seems fine with the iPhone. Maybe apple cleans it up somehow. I also got a podcasting mic which I leave on my desk for webex. So there is no need now.
There are a few things I would love to have back. But, ultimately, the sound quality of Dunu Zen, LSA HP-2 Ultra and Timeless on the Qudelix just keep me from spending more money on audio. There is no such thing as “dedicated listening” for me. It’s always secondary to working or exercising. Background music. And that just killed any justification of having “better” audio.
For me, functional is as much a priority as sound quality. And that is where daps and desktop stacks failed. The LSA hp-2 still gets the most head time of anything I own.
That said, I have a drop hifiman he-x4 coming in tomorrow that I am setting up as a gift for someone. I am opening it up and creating a package of coordinated amp, dac and headphone and listening to it so I can recommend music to start. I haven’t heard a new headphone in a year, so I am very excited about it. If I like it, I will probably instantly order one for myself. I do miss the hifiman sound signature, but it’s not worth owning an arya or ananda for a tertiary headphone to me.
Ok, enough babbling.