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Best portable digital music player?

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kzoliver909 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 25 Mar 2021 at 7:01am
You'll be surprised at what you can get for your money these days. Every player supports MP3 and AAC files of course, but we can all do better than that. Nearly all of them also support hi-res DSD and PCM files and technology trend too, so you can listen to downloaded digital music in the best sound quality possible.
All in this list below share one thing: excellent sound quality.
1. Astell & Kern A&norma SR25

Reasons to Buy

Sets benchmark for transparency
Native DSD playback
Improved battery and UI
2. Sony NW-A55L
Clean, insightful, upfront sound
Bluetooth receiver/transmitter
All-encompassing file support
3. Astell & Kern Kann Alpha

Reasons to Buy

Expansive presentation
Punchy bass
Good levels of detail


Edited by kzoliver909 - 05 Apr 2021 at 8:53am
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miT View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2020 at 7:46am
Originally posted by Darrry Darrry wrote:

There are many portable digital music player for your choice in the web and you can choose one suitable for you. For me, I use the old sandisk to listen to music from Spotify. And I move Spotify music to sandisk via the DRmare Spotify Music Converter for Windows, which is a tool designed for converting Spotify music.
Hi Darrry,

This is very true, there is a large selection of players available. I use a Sandisk Clip when partaking in more physical activities, and use my phone when I wish to listen to the poor quality music from Spotify.

The purpose of this thread however was to discover portable options for  the purists whose appreciation for HQ audio playback has led them to discover Graham Slee. For this usage my Dethonray player is still my first choice. By now there may be other options out there but considering the lack of reliable information on the web for portable players that put audio quality above consumer gimmicks, my search ended happily.

Best regards,


miT
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Darrry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2020 at 6:48am
There are many portable digital music player for your choice in the web and you can choose one suitable for you. For me, I use the old sandisk to listen to music from Spotify. And I move Spotify music to sandisk via the DRmare Spotify Music Converter for Windows, which is a tool designed for converting Spotify music.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Nov 2019 at 8:33pm
My Dethonray DTR1 has burned in now and I must say I am impressed. I do not exactly have an extensive list of DAPs to compare to (my last was a Sony MP3 Walkman 15+ years ago) but this player is sublime. It pains me to say but it actually sounds even better than my powered Bitzie desktop setup!! Shocked It sounds just as uncoloured but even cleaner so potentially that is a reflection of shortcomings from my desktop set up prior to the Bitzie and/or the additional driving power (if there is any?). If I was able to carry separates instead, I would still go for a Bitzie and definitely will not change my home set up (unless I upgrade to a Majestic) but for a one box DAP solution, I don't think you can do better at any price range.

As a result of this small box of goodness, I have demo'd a considerable amount of highend headphones and IEMs and it appears to drive everything cleanly and without issue. That list includes Hifiman HE1000, Sennheiser HD800, HD800S and HD820, Focal's top tier range (Utopia,  Stellia, etc.) Audeze, Shure, Noble, Campfire Audio...

I may post my thoughts on those headphones if I find the time but in brief  review, I have only found models that are livable but none of them achieve the basics of the HD540II...


Edited by miT - 10 Nov 2019 at 10:06pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2019 at 10:12pm
Further to my previous message, Graham has looked over some designs for me to see what has the most promising design from an engineering point-of-view. Given that most companies do not share any design information apart from two, I have decided on the Dethonray DTR1 Prelude and am awaiting delivery on Friday.

In the spirit of trying to assist future visitors, I will give my thoughts when I am used to it.

Watch this space...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Sep 2019 at 8:29pm
I have potentially increased my budget quite drastically so while I have been quiet on here, I have been doing a lot of research about this.

Now I have a question for the more technically minded out there:

Can the design of a PCB give you an indication of whether a product is particularly good, and therefore worth considering? 

Unfortunately the DAP market has limited options to demo kit in the UK so you are generally left buying blind, but two players I found seem to be above the competition due to their design focus. Separating the power supplies, etc. makes sense to me (in theory) as that is high-end Hi-Fi mentality but would it actually achieve anything in a DAP, or is it simply marketing fluff?

Please have a look at the two players below and let me know your thoughts:





Edited by miT - 25 Sep 2019 at 10:37pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 2019 at 8:02pm
That all makes sense, thanks Ash.
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