I wanted to start this thread to spark a discussion about all things Digital Audio Player Or DAP. if you haven't heard of a DAP you can essentially think of it as a really advanced iPod with the ability to play high resolution audio. we know when the iPod first arrived it was big, clunky, expensive and not very intuitive or easy to use, but as time went on they got smaller, better and we eventually saw things like the iPod touch. I feel this is where we have gotten to with DAPs; of course there are still huge behemoths that cost thousands of dollars and you have to carry them in a backpack (looking at you sony) but thats the cool thing about a free market ecosystem, there are all types for every budget and need. overall the market has grown so much that there are amazing players anywhere from $150-$1000 with streaming capabilities, 2 way lossless bluetooth, and of course the excellent audio reproduction produced by the high quality internal DACs or Digital to Analog Converters.
So you may be asking by now, "Taco, what does this have to do with car audio? I have an iPhone XXXIV that can do all that anyway and shit diamonds"; well I'm glad you asked! in todays era of tricked out cars and all in one phones that can replace your computer, camera, and iPod; things like audio quality and authentic sound reproduction are often looked over. (this is why you are on a forum for custom car audio ya dingus!)
That is where the DAP comes in, to be the best of the best, go to audio source that can play high resolution audio files to their full potential, whether it be over high quality bluetooth, SPIDIF/Optical out to the DSP, balanced, or almost any other way you could think of.
And so, the mid-range price bracket is exactly where I would like to start this conversation, as it just so happens I am in the market for one of these little bad boys myself, and just recently a number of new devices have come out that are bringing a lot to the table for a really good price and the competition is hot!
Let's take a look at the Top three I have narrowed down in my Sub $500 budget.
1. FiiO M11 ($450)
The good!:
* Extremely fast processor (Samsung Exynos 7872, 3gb ram)
* Large Display 5.5 in
* 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm Headphone outputs
* USB C Audio out, SPDIF audio out
* Can be used as a PC sound card / dac
* 2 way LDAC bluetooth streaming and receiver
* AptX, AptX HD, LDAC, LHDC codec support, BT 4.2
* 32 gb internal storage, 2 Micro SD card slots for up to 2tb
* Hardware volume wheel
* 3800mAh battery (QC 2.0)
* 2.4/5ghz wifi AC
*
Bad/not good:
> Low resolution display (720p, 312ppi)
> Large and chunky design
> Subjective, but from what I have been reading the sound output from this device is a bit shallow and uninspiring
> Android 7.1, no Google play store
> No MQA support
2. HiBy R5 ($400)
The good!:
* Full android 8.1 with google play store
* Large battery (3500mAh, QC 3.0, PD 2.0)
* Dual CS43198 DACs (same as iBasso dx160)
* Monster amplification 1040mW+1040mW@16Ω, 564mW+564mW@32Ω
* 3.5mm, 4.4mm Balanced, and USB C audio out
* Can be used as a PC sound card / DAC
* 2 way LDAC bluetooth streaming and receiver (BT 4.2)
* MQA support
* DTA for bit perfect digital audio out via USB C
* Compact size
* Super low SNR ratio and noise floor
Bad/not good:
> Smaller low resolution screen (4in 300ppi)
> Only 2gb Ram
> No hardware volume/scroll wheel
> Slower Snapdragon 425 CPU
> Only 802.11n wifi afaik
> 16gb internal storage, 1 Micro SD slot
3. iBasso dx160 ($400)
The good!:
* Newest of the bunch
* Two Way Bluetooth 5.0 LDAC streaming
* Dual CS43198 DACs (same as HiBy r5)
* MQA, DSD256, and PCM 32bit/348kHz decoding
* Android 8.1 with Fast 8-core processor
* Can be used as a PC sound card / DAC
* Compact design with Gorgeous 5in 1080p screen (Massive ppi of 445)
* Also has a really low SNR ratio and noise floor
* 3200 mAh battery, QC3.0, PD 2.0
* Hardware scroll Wheel / Volume (obviously I really like these )
* 3.5mm, 4.4mm Balanced, Coaxial and USB C audio out
* 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz)
* 32 gb internal storage
Bad/not good:
> USB C port is on the top, which makes mounting in the car more cumbersome
> Only 2gb of RAM
> no google play store
So! let me know what you think, what would your choice be? would you even use one? what would you use it for?
I know for me personally I plan to run one of these bad boys straight to my DSP to bypass my crappy sounding stock HU while retaining all of the factory functions of the car and head unit.