Nodap

1

After trying a number of DAPs, I have come to the conclusion that they don’t deliver what I need:

  1. Boot-up time: Android based DAPs can take 20-30 seconds to boot up; seems interminable
  2. Card Storage: creating another static library is not convenient for me as I continue to explore
  3. Cable Clutter: can’t stand this, particularly when traveling
  4. Resolution: Album covers are tiny and not high-resolution
  5. Depreciation: Because of the relentless “upgrades”, older DAPs lost value quickly

So I sold my $4k DAP and came up with a better solution (for me):

iPhone SE 128GB (refurbished) for $165 on Amazon with Apple Dongle (or Audeze Cipher Cable)

  1. Boot-up time: Instant ON!
  2. Music Access: Native Qobuz app and Apple Music app via WiFi
  3. Card Storage: 128 GB is enough for my favorites - don’t need the clutter of cards
  4. Cable Clutter: One dongle + cable from the iPhone SE to headphones
  5. Resolution: Super high-resolution screen
  6. Value: Incredible versus high-end DAPs
  7. SQ: Highly dependent on the headphones chosen

Works for me!

3 Likes
2

Totally understand this point of view. I will say I went in exactly the opposite direction, and the reason is that I wanted something that was less distracting. I do not want my music player calling me to tell me someone has looked at my loan application. (I don’t have any pending loan application, of course; the spam calls are constant and agonizing.)

In any event – why would cable clutter be better with an Apple dongle? A good DAP has all the jacks and better BT options, no?

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3

Me too, after using an iPhone XS with Qudelix T71 I changed to a FiiO M21, the main reason was the better battery life

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4

When I last gave some thought to improving my portable hardware setup, I actually went in both of these directions :grin: , trying to get the best of both worlds, and I got a tiny 3" stupid-cheap Chinese phone (called the Soyes XS14 Pro) running Android 9, to use as a pure music player and never connect to the Internet (beyond the initial setup), and of course never plug a SIM card into.

Ironically, it starts faster than any of my newer phones since it’s an older OS with fewer bells and whistles, it runs Neutron Player just fine and supports USB OTG so I can plug in any dongle I want, and its 2600 mAh battery is more than enough for any reasonable listening session where I’m not giving myself cramps and back aches from sitting on that park bench or riverside bench for too long.

I do have to live with the SD card management issue, but that’s nothing new for me since my other player device has been my main phone for years, and I’m always playing my music collection from local storage on that one too. I don’t worry about keeping it 100% up to date at all times, and anyway I’m only updating my collection every 2-3 times a year, so I’m fine with having to plug in all my SD cards to copy stuff manually when that happens.

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5

I get it. That’s why I disabled the eSIM on the iPhone SE, and removed all but music related apps. It is essentially a very convenient and compact music player, much like the earlier iPod Touch , using the familiar (to me) iOS operating system. I still keep WiFi activated for connection to Qobuz and backup music storage.

No notifications, no texts, no emails, no spam, just a dedicated music player device. It is slim, light, and very pocketable at an amazing price.

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6

That’s encouraging. After trying none at all, carefully over a period of years, I came to the same conclusion. :squinting_face_with_tongue:

4 Likes