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Help to chose a DAP

lovesound

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Dear all,
sorry to trouble u guys again.. I went to a local shop (Harrod in London) to try a few of DAP and headphones they got there and it change my requirement a bit.

Here is what I summary my need:

1. Simple off-line play files from memory card / I don't need an online stream and all the fancy functions. I want to slow down a bit when enjoying the music so less tech seem better
2. Long battery life (20h more)
3. Good quality to pair with the Meze 99 classic. I am not keen on balance or some fancy connectors - 3.5mm do the trick for me :p
4. charge by USB C - less cable for me to carry around
5. not too big to put in a pocket

and here is what I love to have but not compulsory

1. has FM tuner - this is silly but i think handy to have. so I dont need to carry a radio with me.
2. Bluetooth is good to have but not a big deal.
3. weather resistant. i hear that some sony DAP has weather-resistant. well, I would not put them under the rain but handy to have?


at the moment I open myself to any price range but not too big (i see most of the high-end player they are quite big and heavy).

thank you all
 

SeriousApple

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I would say buy the fiio m6. m7 might be on discount you can go for that. Fiio build quality is better than HIDIZS i think.
 
OP
lovesound

lovesound

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Dear all
I managed to get the astell&kern a&futura se100. I have meze 99 classic already. It is a bit heavy and big to carry around (on plane or public transport, i dont use headphones for walking or running).

Could your advise an earphones please?

I am thinking of T4 or similar. I am not sure if it is worth spending more or a lot in small earphones?
 

raistlin65

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Meze 99 Classic are so easy to drive, than any dap will not have a problem.

I like my HiBy R5 Saber. But it does not have FM.
 

jae

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One thing I was going to suggest before seeing you made your purchase was to get any affordable NOS/second hand Android phone made in the last 2-4 years or so that has removable storage (if you need it) and use that as a "DAP". These can be found very cheap and you or someone you may know may have one already. Most phones have inherent weather/water protection and there are extended battery cases you can buy if you need more battery life and it makes it feel heavier/more weighty an more resistant to drops etc. For playback software use USB Audio Player Pro and Wavelet for EQ. If you enjoy tweaking you can root the phone to use other custom software packages and DSP like Ainur Narsil, Viper4Android FX, JamesDSP etc. If you found the headphone jack was not adequate (quad-dac LG phones tend to be good, but some of the older ones lack power with some headphones), add an HIDIZS or E1DA USB-C dongle to complete the package. That will probably give you better output than most DAPs at a fraction of the cost and you still have a fully-functioning phone you can use for streaming apps, bluetooth, chromecasting, games, emergency etc. The biggest downside to all this is that you don't get nice things like hardware buttons and the build quality of a fully dedicated pricey player, but the entire listening/software/dsp experience is probably superior.
 

RHO

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Could your advise an earphones please?

I am thinking of T4 or similar. I am not sure if it is worth spending more or a lot in small earphones?
It depends on what you value. Since you are visiting this site I assume sound quality is of high importance. But other factors can also play a role. Things like build quality, aesthetics, ergonomics, accessories, ...
Spending more can get you more out of the things that are not specifically sound related is my experience. Cheaper earphones can sound very nice but can lack in mainly build quality and ergonomics and accessories.
Aesthetics is very personal, so it's hard to comment on that.
What is certain is that you don't need to spend $1000 to get very good sound and a very reasonable package with regards to the rest of the factors involved in price.
How much do you value all of these factors and what is the budget you want to spend, knowing that $100 can already get you good sound.
 
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lovesound

lovesound

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It depends on what you value. Since you are visiting this site I assume sound quality is of high importance. But other factors can also play a role. Things like build quality, aesthetics, ergonomics, accessories, ...
Spending more can get you more out of the things that are not specifically sound related is my experience. Cheaper earphones can sound very nice but can lack in mainly build quality and ergonomics and accessories.
Aesthetics is very personal, so it's hard to comment on that.
What is certain is that you don't need to spend $1000 to get very good sound and a very reasonable package with regards to the rest of the factors involved in price.
How much do you value all of these factors and what is the budget you want to spend, knowing that $100 can already get you good sound.
thank you.
well, i don't mind the look but prefer it to be metal or wood - that is why I thought the T2 or T4 can be a good option.
could you advise one around the 100 USD price range?
 

RHO

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thank you.
well, i don't mind the look but prefer it to be metal or wood - that is why I thought the T2 or T4 can be a good option.
could you advise one around the 100 USD price range?
What kind of tuning are you after? Do you like more bass, more treble, vocals, V-shaped curve, ...
There's so many it's hard to tell without knowing the preference of the listener.
For me, I think the T2 and T4 will be to mid forward and lacking a little bit in the bass. For many they don't. I do own the T2 plus. I like it. But it did get damaged quite easily (I mean the actual driver on the left earpiece got damaged). Many have nu issues with this model.
Do you know how to read frequency graphs? There is a very nice tool with a great database for IEMs: squig.link
 
OP
lovesound

lovesound

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What kind of tuning are you after? Do you like more bass, more treble, vocals, V-shaped curve, ...
There's so many it's hard to tell without knowing the preference of the listener.
For me, I think the T2 and T4 will be to mid forward and lacking a little bit in the bass. For many they don't. I do own the T2 plus. I like it. But it did get damaged quite easily (I mean the actual driver on the left earpiece got damaged). Many have nu issues with this model.
Do you know how to read frequency graphs? There is a very nice tool with a great database for IEMs: squig.link

actually, I don't know how the frequency graph work...
I am mostly listening to vocal, traditional music, Indian classical, and western classical as well.

I am thining today, maybe if for traveling around, the quality of the wireless earphone would be ok? or not?
 

RHO

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actually, I don't know how the frequency graph work...
I am mostly listening to vocal, traditional music, Indian classical, and western classical as well.

I am thining today, maybe if for traveling around, the quality of the wireless earphone would be ok? or not?
There are some good sounding wireless IEMs. The Samsung Galaxy buds+ and pro seem to be very nicely tuned. Other features are less impressive it seems (audio quality during calls etc). But for sound they should be very good. I'm actually thinking about getting the pro myself.
If you are only interested in the sound I would still go wired.
Some very well tuned examples:
Moondrop Aria, Thieaudio Legeacy 2, Hidizs MS2 ... KZ DQ6 (some spicyness in the treble, but personally I can live with it).
 
OP
lovesound

lovesound

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There are some good sounding wireless IEMs. The Samsung Galaxy buds+ and pro seem to be very nicely tuned. Other features are less impressive it seems (audio quality during calls etc). But for sound they should be very good. I'm actually thinking about getting the pro myself.
If you are only interested in the sound I would still go wired.
Some very well tuned examples:
Moondrop Aria, Thieaudio Legeacy 2, Hidizs MS2 ... KZ DQ6 (some spicyness in the treble, but personally I can live with it).
Thank you. It is a kind of make sense
Big headphone and dap
Small earphones with phone
 

Nango

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There are some good sounding wireless IEMs. The Samsung Galaxy buds+ and pro seem to be very nicely tuned. Other features are less impressive it seems (audio quality during calls etc). But for sound they should be very good. I'm actually thinking about getting the pro myself.
If you are only interested in the sound I would still go wired.
Some very well tuned examples:
Moondrop Aria, Thieaudio Legeacy 2, Hidizs MS2 ... KZ DQ6 (some spicyness in the treble, but personally I can live with it).
Sibilances is an issue with DQ6, isn't it?
 

RHO

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Sibilances is an issue with DQ6, isn't it?
Depends on the tracks. But most of the time it doesn't bother me and I'm certainly not insensitive to it.
Maybe using tips with a smaller bore helps? I'm not using the stock tips since I can't get a seal when I use those. The stock tips are junk if you ask me.
 

Saidera

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So here's my finding of a very comprehensive DAP list ranked by price and specs.

You'd be surprised to see so many, with a lot of them exclusive to certain markets. The entry-level DAPs might be alright but query the value of anything beyond that range. ASR's majority of users prefer phones and/or dongles/adapters, but DAPs are kinda 'fun' nevertheless.

https://align-centre.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/06/dap-comparison-2021-06

There are 4 pics in a dropbox page. Or view the pics on twitter (4 posts in a thread): https://twitter.com/search?q=#DAP比較&src=hashtag_click

Hope it helps.
 
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