Portable Music Player - Recommendation

[DIDI]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

Wow that's cool, didn't know there are DACs for cars.

There used to be custom iPods with upgraded sound chips.

I ended up buying one of those iPods . Bought one that had been sitting in a draw since new in 2006 . I have been using it for the last three years and still great . But it doesn't want to know about anything over 1536kbps, and is even problematical with those. Which the free download tracks on Soundcloud are. This problem is only going to get worse.

Long story short I am looking for something that handles this problem in a non complicated way .

And why I resurrected this thread

[progressive420]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

I have a Fiio X5, its android based.only complaint is battery lasts maybe 12 hrs max.
I have 2 256 GB micro sd cards in it which is 95-100% of my library.

[DIDI]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

I'm Mac

[chuckc]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

i still use my sony walkman although the model i have has long been discontinued.
i have yet to fill it up and have over 6500 music files.

[sbando]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

In another life I would definitely buy this little gem

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/cowon-plenue-d3

[DIDI]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

^^ That looks great !! I ended up buying a budget Astell and Kern. Activo CT10 The local dealer had them on sale at less than half the Amazon price. $249 . So cheap for any of these players , let alone an Astell and Kern.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/activo-ct10

It certainly doesn't look crash hot. But it's super easy for me to download music to. It has lots of features I will never use. But as more hi res music becomes available I am covered. I actually got rid of the the Astell and Kern I had before which looked great , but was an absolute bitch to operate. !!

[sbando]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

New Astell & Kern, the SR25 MKII

https://www.whathifi.com/news/astell-and-kern-unveils-successor-to-award-winning-aandnorma-sr25-hi-res-music-player

[ddr]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

i picked up a Lotoo PAW Gold Touch a few months ago. i had a Sony ZX507 Walkman before that... great warm sound, it just didnt output enough power for the IEM and headphones i use.

https://shop.musicteck.com/products/lotoo-paw-gold-touch-reference-portable-hi-fi-player-english-version

definitely the best sound i have ever heard from a portable device. that being said, i have not heard from Luxury & Precision, the LP6 Pro could beat it. Cayin make some good stuff too, i am semi interested in picking up their C6 amp to complement my Lotoo player.

[simonr]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

They look very nice but I have less and less need for something portable with all this work from home - with my last iPhone (early 2019) I bought a higher amount of memory and then haven't utilised it with music - also carrying around another device prob isn't a good thing as I always end up forgetting something when in a rush !

So think I'd invest in something for home - always tempted by Naim Uniti gear with internal DAC which is very expensive, although not buying the latest phone probably puts that in perspective. May see what the 2nd hand market has to offer.

[ddr]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

They look very nice but I have less and less need for something portable with all this work from home - with my last iPhone (early 2019) I bought a higher amount of memory and then haven't utilised it with music - also carrying around another device prob isn't a good thing as I always end up forgetting something when in a rush !

So think I'd invest in something for home - always tempted by Naim Uniti gear with internal DAC which is very expensive, although not buying the latest phone probably puts that in perspective. May see what the 2nd hand market has to offer.

You can often find good deals in the 2nd hand market. head-fi forums, reddit, some facebook groups allow selling. good thing about the audiophile hobby is that with a lot of gear, people buy just to see what it sounds like and resell them with minimal use. the only thing you would be potentially missing out on is any warranty if the place they originally purchased the item from doesnt transfer it. almost all of my gear, i got 2nd hand.

[DIDI]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

^^^ Excellent advice. !!

[GregWhelan]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

So this is a very noob question, but these players (the ones that have been linked in this thread in recent weeks)…..how do you get music onto them?

I have an iPod that is years old and is still going strong. It’s the first video one from 2003. When I add music to it, I have to download a set or track to my laptop, then plug the iPod in to the laptop and transfer the set or track to the iPod. Is it the same with these portable players now?

These things look lovely but I’m a bit torn as to whether I need one or not, especially as I stream most stuff now that I work from home a lot

[DIDI]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

^^^ If you are happy with what you have, and you may have something better than you think, stick with it . The first video iPods where actually 2005 and depending on which of those you may have the enhanced 5.5 gen classic. If you have they have great sound. I bought one that had been sitting in a draw since new 4 years ago, and have since bought 2 Astell and Kerns hi res players and the sound on that iPod is discernibly better for me than either of them.


The first Astell and Kern I bought I resold because it it was just an incredible pain in the arse. It refreshed the whole library every time I opened it. I bought this last one because I was sent a Hi res file I couldn't play on the iPod and Addicted to Audio had this one really cheap. And it will only be used in future for that purpose. You just can't beat the simplicity of an iPod . You switch it on and it it on , I can see my tracklists with a couple of clicks. 4 years of playing hours very single day , and still going strong on the same battery. I love it. !!

I just plug my iPod in and iTunes updates. I bought the 2nd A @ K because it looked a lot simpler and it was but I had to download an android app to use it !! And I still have to wait for it to switch on Another stupid thing it has pause , back and forward buttons on the side where you would hold it !! The best thing about iPods is they don't have an OS or firmware you have to keep updating

Btw the iPod does play everything up to and including aiff and wav. Over that it literally ignores It,

[ddr]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

^^^ If you are happy with what you have, and you may have something better than you think, stick with it . The first video iPods where actually 2005 and depending on which of those you may have the enhanced 5.5 gen classic. If you have they have great sound. I bought one that had been sitting in a draw since new 4 years ago, and have since bought 2 Astell and Kerns hi res players and the sound on that iPod is discernibly better for me than either of them.


The first Astell and Kern I bought I resold because it it was just an incredible pain in the arse. It refreshed the whole library every time I opened it. I bought this last one because I was sent a Hi res file I couldn't play on the iPod and Addicted to Audio had this one really cheap. And it will only be used in future for that purpose. You just can't beat the simplicity of an iPod . You switch it on and it it on , I can see my tracklists with a couple of clicks. 4 years of playing hours very single day , and still going strong on the same battery. I love it. !!

I just plug my iPod in and iTunes updates. I bought the 2nd A @ K because it looked a lot simpler and it was but I had to download an android app to use it !! And I still have to wait for it to switch on Another stupid thing it has pause , back and forward buttons on the side where you would hold it !! The best thing about iPods is they don't have an OS or firmware you have to keep updating

Btw the iPod does play everything up to and including aiff and wav. Over that it literally ignores It,

i have a ipod 5.5 classic as well. agree, these are the best ipod versions out there. it is the Wolfson DAC chips in them that make them so great. mine is sitting in a drawer somewhere lol

So this is a very noob question, but these players (the ones that have been linked in this thread in recent weeks)…..how do you get music onto them?

I have an iPod that is years old and is still going strong. It’s the first video one from 2003. When I add music to it, I have to download a set or track to my laptop, then plug the iPod in to the laptop and transfer the set or track to the iPod. Is it the same with these portable players now?

These things look lovely but I’m a bit torn as to whether I need one or not, especially as I stream most stuff now that I work from home a lot

most if not all of the hi-res audio players take mini SD cards up to 2TB. my LPGT has a 1TB card in it that i put all of my flac/mp3 files. i connect it via USB, and it opens like any other folder... drag and drop music files through folders. be careful what you buy if you do choose to get one, if you need streaming, i would recommend an android-based player.. although battery playback time will always be an issue <10hrs continuous because of the android OS.

[DIDI]

Re: Portable Music Player - Recommendation

"it is the Wolfson DAC chips in them that make them so great.


Yep !!