• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Is there a lack of audio players on the market?

Just recharged all of my shuffles...four of them seem to still recharge pretty well, two are getting iffy. I sure wish Apple would release new ones, but I guess a $50-70 shuffle player is just chicken feed for them now...

Even two of the 2nd gen ones are still alive and kicking...along with various old Apple laptop lithium batteries from the 2000-2005 era. I can't say anything bad about Apple parts quality, the longevity of some of their devices is pretty amazing. Wherever they get their batteries from - they really do seem to hang in there.
 
someone say time capsule?
From the weird things in my basement files:



won't play mp3 files though -- at least, I don't think it will...
:cool:
I finally sold off all of my Palm Pilots of various versions...never had a Newton. Kind of sad, but I just couldn't find a use for them anymore.

Now where did I put all those old Blackberries? Hmmm...
 
I post this because I have noticed that on Amazon, for example, that it is the largest marketplace in the world, if you search for an mp3 you will only find ones of very dubious quality and strange brands that no one knows with very strange names, I have tried two, and both have presented failures in the first week.

Don't search for mp3 players. Search for dap or digital audio player. There are a bunch available.

Also search for hiby.
 
Just make your own for the ultimate in brutalist nerdcore!

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (£14)
Apple Dongle (£9)
512gig SD card (£30)
7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM (£26)
Random 10,000 mAh powerbank (£11)
Some adaptors and glue (£5)

Under £100. Running moode with PEQ (which I discovered the original Pi Zero W didn't handle reliably), controlled from an android app/browser, and which works perfectly via its own wifi access point when out and about. Battery lasts days, SD card hold weeks or months worth of music depending on whether you use flac or opus.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    287.6 KB · Views: 67
Alternate: mid range android phone - last years model that has a sd card slot. Put in aeroplane / flight mode. Easy way to get quality product.
 
Alternate: mid range android phone - last years model that has a sd card slot. Put in aeroplane / flight mode. Easy way to get quality product.
That's for the most part what I have done for a music player. My last three phones I have kept when I upgraded and I use an LG G8X currently with I believe a 512Gb card.

I have also made the choice to not dump everything that I own on it either, rather putting the music that I know I will listen to. So all of my classic rock, metal and heavy metal is not on my phone. When I want to hear that type of music, very rarely now, I stream it from Tidal.
 
Just recharged all of my shuffles...four of them seem to still recharge pretty well, two are getting iffy. I sure wish Apple would release new ones, but I guess a $50-70 shuffle player is just chicken feed for them now...

Even two of the 2nd gen ones are still alive and kicking...along with various old Apple laptop lithium batteries from the 2000-2005 era. I can't say anything bad about Apple parts quality, the longevity of some of their devices is pretty amazing. Wherever they get their batteries from - they really do seem to hang in there.
I have an old iPod Touch I got as a demo from Costco years ago (can't remember the generation but has a LCD screen-like a small smartphone) and it does charge but once off charging and used the battery goes dead within minutes. Never use it-tried to sell it but no one wanted it. Tried to give it away and no one wanted it. I just charge it up and look at it from time to time. I guess I'll have to try to replace the battery at some point.
 
I recently needed a new DAP. Several ipods had died at the same time. I wanted something portable to replace them that could play FLACs while I exercise.

I happened on an auction where new Ruizu A55 DAPs were going for cheap. I bought two. The total for both, with shipping, was $40 USD.

Coming from an AK70 mk II, I can't tell the difference playing FLACs between the Ruizu and the AK. The $20 Ruizu is the sonic equal of the $300 AK to my ears.

The A55 is an entry-level 64gb internal storage player with expandable storage via micro SD. It's a little smaller than a deck of cards, with a knurled metal thumbwheel built into the top corner. Charging via usb-c and a 3.5mm jack only. There is a pull-down menu in symbols only that supplants the standard menu.

Couple complaints: The thumbwheel volume is useless for quick swings - better to use the symbol pull-down menu for quick changes in volume. Also, this player times out faster than any I've used - with the max timeout setting being 8 minutes!

On the plus side, it boots up quickly, the standard menu is intuitive, and it's got all the SQ I need in a portable. And it was super cheap. Can't argue with that.
 
Back
Top Bottom