Is the V20 worth all the trouble in 2020? I would like a DAP for my home system to play off my SD card of my stored CD's. So, CD quality may be all I need...
I can't add anything to your other questions, but as a user of a V20 for about a year, I can give you my subjective opinions (excuse me ASR
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My V20 is the H910 ATT model. Used strictly as a DAP. No sim, no cell. I use it with Quad DAC enabled via a 3.5mm to dual RCA cable to a Liquid Spark HP amp. HP are HE400i. Music is Amazon Music streaming over WiFi. IMO - works great. Better than previous setup of Fire 7" tablet, USB OTG to D10, to LS. I listen mostly to FLAC 16/44.1 CD quality, and have concluded that is all I need. Today the best price I have seen for a V20 NIB is $150. A year ago, $110. Would I buy again at $150? If I needed the large uSD card capacity, yes.
But if I did not need the uSD capacity? Probably not. I would buy, and have bought, a $30 LG Rebel TracFone instead. (You throw away the sim card and TracFone stuff and simply use it on wifi. Works fine). Why the TracFone? It's because I wanted to add PEQ capability (without a PC) - and I have done that by adding a $110 Qudelix 5k via 3-wire OTG cable USB to LG Rebel. For me, this works great - as I am not bothered by the 32gb uSD card capacity limitation of the LG Rebel.
The Qudelix 5k, with a new balanced cable for my HE400i, has enough 'oomph' to nicely drive my HE400i. But the Qudelix also has a 3.5mm output, so my same 3.5mm>RCA cable can connect it to an amp - my LS, or RX-596, should I wish.
This change gave me the PEQ functionality I did not have with V20>3.5mm>LS previously. Though I could have used the V20 USB with the Qudelix, for $30 I decided to keep the V20 'as is' and use a separate DAP - the LG Rebel.
So - to summarize, I concluded my only V20 'deficiency' was a lack of system-wide PEQ. Otherwise, it was great. If you don't need that, the V20 should be fine - and I believe it's uSD capacity is at least 512gb, maybe more.
In a final opinion, I doubt the 14yo Sony DAC is anywhere near the performance of the V20 Quad DAC, or even the performance of the $30 LG Rebel w Snapdragon WCD9xx. I wouldn't screw with it at all, and go 3.5mm>RCA>Amp Line In - in both LG cases.
Have fun!