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Looking for new DAP to replace dead Ipod?

J

joekapahulu

Active Member
Well my Ipod Classic 160GB HD has died. I dont like the music player on my Galaxy phone and it burns the battery too quickly. SO, looking for a new mobile player. Went on Amazon and was shocked at the number of players out there in all kinds of price ranges. So, anyone have experience with recent offerings? I would like something that can play lossless files and has a decent capacity storage maybe 128 GB? I know there are audiophile brands like Fiio and A & K. But I also see brands like AGptek for $30. So anyone bought anything they feel particularly good about recommending?
 
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be prepared to do a lot of research - go to headfi and start there. there are DAPs that offer 24/96 LPCM
and beyond, DSD64 and beyond, great chips like the AKM4490, and can hold 1-2 flash cards, and up
to 256GB. they range from $20 to thousands. and even better things like optical outputs and in some
cases, ability to use the DAP as a DAC (and especially with great DACs inside).

The Asian markets gets first crack at these simply because the US markets are saturated with iPods and
phones playing music with the music already DAC'd (MP) or with low res audio. you would have to do serious
research to decide how to keep your proprietary formats and how to convert if necessary and how to store
and download.

the next problem is how the unit works, folks who have had iPods since day one may find difficulty
in transitioning to different ergonomics - function and placement of buttons, menu traversing, and
everything they've been used to.

the big problem is the differences in music tastes between many of these early users and the almost
standard genre favorites here in the US. It's difficult to get a comparison when you read about a great
Asian female singer that you've never heard of. or they don't play megadeath, nine inch nails, black Sabbath, etc.

I think the unintended consequence is that these DAPs become our complete music storage systems
for those who don't stream or listen to free music (like FM, TV music channels). I see terabyte(s) storage,
DACs that do OS, and high quality hardware.

you have one alternative that a lot of folks go to: repair the 160GB unit. find and pay for that "new"
HD or find some creative guy who will upgrade your 160 to 512GB using flash and eliminate the
mechanical HD problems once and for all.
 
Thx for the overview. You quickly encapsulated what I was learning after just a couple hours going over things on the net. While I am interested in the new audiophile devices from A & K and Fiio and others, I am thinking getting my classic drive changed could be the best approach in the short run. I will have to find some of the reputable repair shops out there. I got nowhere here in HI. Then I can do more research on a higher end unit. Appreciate the response.
 
Do you need to upgrade your phone? The LG V20 is a relatively elegant all-in-one solution. They're also on sale at most carriers right now for way under MSRP.
 
for the $$$$$$$ (original cost plus repairs plus upgrades -> 1 grand) you could buy several
more modern DAPs. my guess is that an SSD upgrade will cost you as much as what you
paid for it originally.

or for the price of a couple iTunes collections you could try a new DAP. for example,
I picked up a Benjie K9 for about $15 shipped, uses 32GB microSDs (folks on
headfi say it can handle 64GB).

since you can't find any repair on HI, put ads up on all the buy/sell sites like CL, freestuff,
etc and offer to buy old iPods. search ebay and other sites for the 160GB drives, working
pulls or new. then use ifixit to replace.

My first SLR was a Petri and I spent enough on repairs and upgrades ( I got to know
the Japanese agent well) that I could have bought a Nikon F. then my first car's cassette
player broke so often that I now no longer add anything to a car.

My rule now is I fix something once (like batteries in my Zune, laptop screens, etc)
and if it breaks again I sell it on eBay. but I understand nostalgic value (priceless)
 
I sent Bob a pm about the Benjie but thought others may benefit from his input. I recently bought the newer model Benjie K9s, which handles up to 128 gb. Most of the reading I have done says people with a 128 capable machine have been using a 200gb card? That in itself is a boatload of music.
However, as I looked at Fiio products their 2nd generation units all looked pretty good, but they were considerably more expensive than this Benjie "experiment" route. The K9s was $32 shipped, and the cheapest Fiio was $155. I do like the newest model Fiio, but they're $300, and I don't want to try something at that price point.

However, here's one questions...for lossless style files, let's say flac, is anyone using one of these portable players as they're storage, or are you using say a desktop/laptop external storage, and just transferring music to the portable??
 
FiiO X1 (2nd generation) is $99. Handles files up to 32/192 (including lossless) and Micro SD cards to 256Mb. If you also want native DSD playback the X3 (2nd generation) is $169.

edit: Neither include any onboard memory. You must supply a micro SD card.
 
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