Is there an Android-free DAP out there?

[Nutul]

Hi folks,

I have been fascinated by DAPs for a long time; not that I desperatelyt need one, but I see may options, most of which are Android-based.
Not that I hate Android also, but I find useless to have all of its bloatware just to listen to some FLACs.

What options are there, keeping audio quality at a good level, and not high-in-the-sky price, of course.

Thanks, and enjoy the music!

 

[ZolaIII]

Check the Hiby's mid range offering and you could try out actual player (for the most part) as it is on iOS/Android (Hiby Music). You can use smartphone and as a controller (Hiby link). Good old R3 Pro (CS43131 DAC) whose hard to beat for 200 $, Sabre (ES) version isn't bad either and available but old one whose better regarding autonomy and probably performance as well. Hope that's help, best regards and have fun.

 

[somebodyelse]

This may not be the sort of thing you had in mind, but just in case...

https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/WebHome.html - alternative firmware for a variety of players, some rather old.
https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices - native linux ports to a variety of devices, most of which originally came with Android. There would be a degree of rolling our own to turn it into a DAP - I'd probably be looking at LMS, squeezelite and jivelite to give something like a touchscreen piCorePlayer but in a phone handset.

 

[Nutul]

I was looking at the HiBy, and I think the only option is the RS2... at almost 500USD or the Hidizs AP80 at 170. Everything else is on Android 9 / 12.
Any of you know other players with proprietary OS? Performance soundwise?

Thanks eveybody for your help.

 

[Room314]

Cowon Plenue D2/D3 might be an option. Limited storage, though.

 

[staticV3]

Any of you know other players with proprietary OS? Performance soundwise?

What price range are you looking for?

 

[Nutul]

What price range are you looking for?

Ideally around 4/500 USD/EUR, could extend if it's worth...

 

[staticV3]

Ideally around 4/500 USD/EUR, could extend if it's worth...

• Shanling M0 Pro, M1s, M2, M2s, M5s
• xDuoo X2S
• Hiby R2 II, R3 II, RS2
• Hidizs AP60 II, AP60 Pro, AP80, AP80 Pro, AP80 PRO-X
• iBasso DX120
• aune M1p, M2 Pro
• Lotoo PAW 5000 MKII
• Xuelin iHiFi790
• ACMEE MF02S, MF02S-PE

 

[Chrispy]

Haven't had any ads/bloatware interfere with audio apps I'm using on android....

 

[b7676]

Android 14 just released and is supposed to have a new bit perfect API that can now be developed for.

 

[Nutul]

• Shanling M0 Pro, M1s, M2, M2s, M5s
• xDuoo X2S
• Hiby R2 II, R3 II, RS2
• Hidizs AP60 II, AP60 Pro, AP80, AP80 Pro, AP80 PRO-X
• iBasso DX120
• aune M1p, M2 Pro
• Lotoo PAW 5000 MKII
• Xuelin iHiFi790
• ACMEE MF02S, MF02S-PE

That's an exhaustive list. I'll dig into it later on today, thank you so much!

 

[Nutul]

Haven't had any ads/bloatware interfere with audio apps I'm using on android....

It's not about ads (it would be unacceptable!!!) it's just I find extremely annoying to have an entire OS (with all its running things) just to play music.
I know, I'm old-school.

 

[boXem]

It's not about ads (it would be unacceptable!!!) it's just I find extremely annoying to have an entire OS (with all its running things) just to play music.
I know, I'm old-school.

If you want a graphical interface, audio and bare metal programming, your search may take a while.

 

[Count Arthur]

It's not about ads (it would be unacceptable!!!) it's just I find extremely annoying to have an entire OS (with all its running things) just to play music.
I know, I'm old-school.

While some players are Android based, I think they use a very cut down and customised version of it.

I'm very happy with my Hidizs AP80 Pro, while I belive it is Android based, it is just a music player.

 

[Nutul]

While some players are Android based, I think they use a very cut down and customised version of it.

I'm very happy with my Hidizs AP80 Pro, while I belive it is Android based, it is just a music player.

AFAIK, the AP80 is not based on Android.

 

[Nutul]

If you want a graphical interface, audio and bare metal programming, your search may take a while.

I got a decent list from @staticV3 which I'll look into later. I am not on a rush... ;-)

 

[staticV3]

AFAIK, the AP80 is not based on Android.

Tbh, I wouldn't be surprised if Hiby OS 3.0, MTouch OS, Mango OS, etc. turned out to be custom forks of Android.
The DAPs on my list have no App stores and are not explicitly powered by Android.
However, I did not bother to look into each custom OS to make sure that there's no Android code hiding beneath.

 

[boXem]

I got a decent list from @staticV3 which I'll look into later. I am not on a rush... ;-)

All of them have an OS. Just not Android.

 

[Nutul]

Tbh, I wouldn't be surprised if Hiby OS 3.0, MTouch OS, Mango OS, etc. turned out to be custom forks of Android.
The DAPs on my list have no App stores and are not explicitly powered by Android.
However, I did not bother to look into each custom OS to make sure that there's no Android code hiding beneath.

You may be right, although making a music player to run on a stripped Android (and those, eventually, look veeery stripped down) is almost equivalent to writing it for directly for Linux, only PITA being the graphical interface, probably on framebuffer... (been there, done that, and it's not easy, but...)

 

[frogmeat69]

Since my FiiO X5 2nd gen died a while back, I have been on a similar hunt. I did get the 3rd Gen X5, and hate it, so slow and clunky.
I liked the FiiO models because they had 2 slots for memory cards, and it was usually cheaper to buy 2 Micro SD cards at 256GB compared to one at 500GB.
I have the original Shanling M0, which works well, and was inexpensive, so the pro model might be worth looking into.
Just get a case for it if you do buy one, because it is very small and kind of slippery feeling, and I have what are basically sausages with stiff joints for fingers, lol.