DAP with unamped line-out and good DAC?

iPod, pretty easy to have a line out, just buy a cable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kskwerl 

 

I was thinking about that, maybe rockboxing a 5.5 but I can't stay with the stock firmware as I hate apple with an undying passion and itunes makes me want to castrate myself.

I understand your feelings, I've been using an iPod classic and iTunes is bad, but I got it as its the only player in that category.

And it has line out.

rockbox for Classic is listed as "unusable".

Quote:

Originally Posted by kskwerl 

 

You can use MusicBee with the latest gen iPods?

I'm not sure.

With my nano, I use SharePod. Pretty much drag and drop.

Hi, 

you can use a Sansa Fuze (not the + ) with a LOD, rockbox and a 64go µSD. I have had a Classic with Pico Slim, it was good, but not enough because of the "bad" DAC and the unusable rockbox. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kskwerl 

I'm looking for a DAC with a good DAC and un-amped line-out I can connect to my iBasso PB2. I'm been looking but I can't seem to find a straight answer anywhere, was hoping you guys could help.
My portable setup is an iBasso DB2 (DAC) and iBasso PB2 (AMP), here's my dilemma. I can only hook use COAX, TOSLINK or micro USB on the DB2 (DAC), there are very little DAPs that has these that I can hook up to the DB2 (DAC) to use the DB2's DAC. Since there are very few options to pair with the DB2 in terms of a DAP or PMP I am now looking for a DAP or PMP that has a good DAC like a Wolfson or equivalent that I can just run a line-out 3.5 to 3.5 on the PB2 (AMP). This is driving my insane, if anyone has any suggestions I can't tell you how appreciative I will be.
Cheers,
kskwerl

kskwerl,

Having just spent a week making comparisons, I consider the first of these two chains to offer superior sound quality to the second:

44/16 or 96/24 WAVs on SDHC cards -> Sony PCM-M10 Line Out (single-ended) -> iBasso PB2 with LME49990 in L/R and HA5002 as buffers (balanced) -> Toxic Cables Silver Poison -> LCD-2 rev.1

44/16 or 96/24 WAVs on SDHC cards -> Foobar2000 on a Windows 7 laptop -> USB -> iBasso DB2  (balanced) -> iBasso PB2 with LME49990 in L/R and HA5002 as buffers (balanced) -> Toxic Cables Silver Poison -> LCD-2 rev.1

Surprised?  For my tastes, my ears, my equipment chain, I'd much rather listen to the first chain than to the second.  The DB2 is just too dark and smooth for my tastes.  The Sony PCM-M10's proprietary DAC (accessible via Line Out) is just a little bit bright, if anything - a perfect match, in terms of frequency response, when used with the LCD-2 rev.1, which is known for its shelved highs.  The PCM-M10's DAC is a sigma-delta design, supporting 24-bit 96-Khz playback.  I find it to be very high resolving, much like a Sabre DAC, and never glaring or harsh.  It is, however, I must admit, a wee bit grainy in the highs. I still prefer the overall sound of the Sony PCM-M10's Line Out to the DB2 - by a long shot!  And it's portable - not tethered to a laptop.    

For more on the Sony PCM-M10, see this thread, where I state that I consider the sound of the Sony PCM-M10 DAC to be superior to everything in the following list), with the exception of the phenomenal CEntrance DACport LX (for my ears, my tastes, my equipment):

Centrance DACport LX

April Music Stello DA1000 (USB)

RWA iMod

Rocboxed Sansa Clip+

iBasso DB2 (USB, balanced out)

JDS Labs Objective DAC (a.k.a. ODAC)

Thanks,

Mike

I had some interesting try with my Samsung Galaxy S III. (but i have low level of ear/headphones)

+ USB DAC (ODAC) + Headstage Arrow G3 + Westone UM1 / Superlux HD-668B / Audio-Technica ATH-CKM55

I cannot really tell any wrong with the sound quality, just as I compared connected to laptop and Harman-Kardon AVR 255, so it is decent.

Now I am thinking on reduce and shorter the cables (USB OTG Cable and "LOD"), and attach together the dac+amp.

There is something special with this phone as i read here:

"...legacy USB audio feature implemented by Samsung on Galaxy S III, which can interwork with a legacy USB DAC "

Maybe in the future other (cheaper, and small tablets) android devices will useful too.

And of course every singla Sony Walkman

Quote:

Originally Posted by kskwerl 


Any chance you know where to get a custom Sony LOD from anyone?

eBay has loads of them.