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Author Topic: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?  (Read 43463 times)

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anetode

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2014, 05:56:31 PM »
Quote from: Anaxilus on July 03, 2014, 05:45:08 PM
The X3 I heard is pretty much on par with the Clip+.  I wouldn't have bothered based on SQ except it seems like you wanted more drive for headphones.
...
I'll be getting a Wave fyi.

Good thing the Clip is an awesome DAP to begin with  p;)

I'll be getting a loaded Wave too, it'll be nice to have a DAP that can do all of the music-related functions of a smartphone without the hassle, memory limitations or mediocre headphone output.
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DaveBSC

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2014, 08:04:14 PM »
The original AK100 stunk. The newer ones are definitely better, but I think the Hifimans beat them, at least the 100 and 120 anyway. If you can tolerate the bricky brick and the awful UI, the 901 with the balanced card is very nice. I haven't heard it with the IEM option.
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blue

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2014, 08:34:54 PM »
I'd have my eyes on the Calyx M, and of course the new Geek dap.

100/120/240 are all  poo for the price, I hope the new AK120 II is better. 901 is meh.

I still miss my old kenwood.
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Anaxilus

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2014, 08:45:32 PM »
Quote from: blue on July 03, 2014, 08:34:54 PM
I'd have my eyes on the Calyx M, and of course the new Geek dap.

100/120/240 are all  poo for the price, I hope the new AK120 II is better. 901 is meh.

I still miss my old kenwood.


The 120 II is now using the same cirrus chip in the 240 which I think is worse than the 120 I personally.

I've been waiting for the Calyx M as well, but looks like they lost their distributor or something happened.  Who even knows how it compares to the CES prototype.  They wouldn't let me use my swap in my own sd card because they were worried it might melt if I did or something.  I think it was all hand soldered and the software was very beta at the time.
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Greed

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #14 on: July 03, 2014, 09:24:39 PM »
Battery life is apparently horrid on the M, so no go for me. Early reports are 2-3 hours of mixed playback (Hi-Res/Redbook). I'm still on the fence about the Geek Wave. I put down for the 32, but am holding off upgrading it to a loaded player till they are ready to release. It seems like their trend is, allowing the backers to upgrade there units even after the campaign is over. They offered the option on the Geek Out, and on the Geek Pulse survey.

Right now, there isn't much out there that comes even close to desktop quality, a fool's errand. I came to terms and would recommend the Sony ZX1 for something that has good storage, fluid/well-designed UI, and relatively good sound quality. The HM-901 with the balanced amp module is also very nice, although a tad too warm for me but nice full sound. Apple recently dropped the prices on their iPod Touch 5G to $299 for a 64gb version. You can pick up a refurbished one (with factory warranty) for $229 which is a pretty good deal for something ultra portable. Portable audio seems like it is all about compromises. 
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Kunlun

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #15 on: July 03, 2014, 10:30:23 PM »
I use a 5.5 gen ipod with the wolfson chip (160 or so with 80gb) plus an apex glacier and it's a pretty reasonable set-up.
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Anaxilus

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #16 on: July 03, 2014, 11:23:07 PM »
Quote from: Greed on July 03, 2014, 09:24:39 PM
The HM-901 with the balanced amp module is also very nice, although a tad too warm for me but nice full sound.

I agree with this although not too nice for what I'd prefer.  I'd say to save money and get a warm, full sound go for the X5 if we are giving up on desktop quality.

If the M sounded right and could charge via USB, I'd just hook up a remote battery pack to it.
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Eric_C

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #17 on: July 04, 2014, 01:20:00 AM »
Quote from: StunEvilKeenevil on July 03, 2014, 04:55:43 PM
They dont look anything special TBH, the geek wave XD is $899 and has almost identical specs to the dx90

Identical except the dimensions. The DX90 is a brick, the Wave *may* not be a brick--that's to be seen as yet.
Also, why does one have to pay for a XD? It's up to the individual, but I only sprang for a Wave 32 with no upgrades. Looks more than good enough for me, and it's significantly cheaper than a DX90.
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Anaxilus

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #18 on: July 04, 2014, 01:59:32 AM »
I can pretty much guarantee the Wave 32 sounds better than the DX100 did.
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Claritas

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Re: Best DAP in terms of audio quality?
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2014, 02:19:47 AM »
I'm currently looking into modding my iPod 5.5 with an SSD drive, though I'm concerned about how high-res playback will affect battery life. Regardless, it's very dependable compared with most boutique DAPs. X3 is a step up in sound quality and features (EQ bass -1 to eliminate the hazy warmth) though not in UI/GUI.
« Last Edit: December 04, 2014, 01:23:45 PM by Claritas »
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