Personally I don't think the ZX1 needs a portable amp. Sony did a fairly good job making this a worthwhile standalone player.

I've paired it up with the Leckerton UHA-6S for instance, and I felt like there wasn't a strong enough justification sonically to put up with the increased bulk. Unless you want one of those ridiculously powerful portable amps for running orthos or something, I wouldn't bother. But that's just me.

Leckerton's stuff still ranks as my favorite for portable use, and it's a good place to start. I thought the Apex Glacier sounded good too, but the unit I had was very noisy for some reason. Lastly, the upcoming Cavalli portable is worth looking into, as the prototype remains one of the best portable amps I've heard by some margin. It should be out later this year.

I usually listen to music on the go so a stand alone player is ideal. I have demoed portable amps with the DX100, DX50, and the X3 and for some reason I dont hear the music gets an better with the amps. All I hear is that it gets louder.

The amp you used sucked.  The DX100/50 and X3 stand to improve quite a bit with a better amp section, though their DAC sections suck ass.  Those have made my personal wall of shame, especially the 100.

I can't comment on the ZX1 as the unit I heard was loaded with Chinese mp3s.

Well I demoed and borrowed: Ray Samuels SR71, Mustang, and Hornet, Pico Slim and Ibasso amps. I am talking about portable amps but if it works great for you that is good. Anaxilus which stand alone portable dac/amp you suggest that doesnt suck ass?

ODAC>Leckerton UHA6Smk2 (w/ 4627BRZ opamps) doesn't suck ass.  If you need a digital pot then the Apex Glacier might be the way to go.  Most of the ones you listed above suck ass to me except the Hornet which is just okay but overpriced and old school unrefined but pretty neutral and half decently resolving.  SR71 (demo'd a few times) was too warm and compressed, Pico Slim (formerly owned) is unresolving with a low bass accentuation I found fatiguing and colored.  Ibasso amps (many demo'd) tend to sound very dry, unrefined and grainy, not especially resolving either.  Of course they can be opamp dependent but iBasso stuff seems to have a signature to them, even in the PP6 and DX100.  I'd rather just have a used Hornet over most iBasso amps.

If you want to spend some dosh, the Portophile 627 is pretty good with the caveat you let it warm up and your phones don't react negatively with it.  The LISA is still the best I've heard in production but is more a transportable desktop solution than truly portable.

The ODAC isn't perfect but it's the lesser of evils available in the portable world.

When it comes to portable audio players, I usually suggest folks start with the best standalone player and pair of earphones they can afford on their budget and go from there. I suspect for many folks the ZX1 and AK120 (and likely the Calyx M) will sound good enough with their IEM of choice for them to not want to forsake the appeal of a single unit. Otherwise, you can always add on an amp down the road.

Lekerton UHA-6 and Apex Glacier are probably the best choices out there right now.

The upcoming Cavalli portable amp however might be a game changer for me, as the first one I'd actually be amazed enough by to carry around on the go.

I don't know whether Mike or Romy has heard the iCan Nano.  I have one and I'm very happy with it, especially in tandem with the Herus.