Hi, 
 
Like many im new to the site and in need of some advice from the many experts here.
 
Ive been into hifi for many many years and currently have a Wadia /audiolab/Proac setup at home.  I use a set of HD650's for home use but for everyday (traveling etc) ive got an ipod with a set of basic sennheiser IEM.  Ive also got a set of shure SE535 and now need to look at getting a better DAP.  
 
Could anyone recommend a good DAP to try, My listening tastes range from leftfield to the grateful dead to kelly joe phelps, not much jazz, rock or any classical. As with most things budget doesnt extend to a HIfiman DAP.
 
Finally, what would you recommend in terms of music programmes for the computer as i currently use iplayer and should imagine this is not compatible with any DAP's other than apple.
 
cheers in advance
 
si

What is your budget? You said "doesn't extend to hifiman DAP" - but what does it extend to? You know, the ipod is a very good DAP. The amp is weak, but that can be fixed with a $10 line-out dock and a $100 - $300 portable amp. I wouldn't be so quick to give up on what is a rock solid music player.

sorry should have been more specific... looking at fiio x3 prices.
 
Sorry could you explain the solution to the ipod... if i have $100 for an amp what would you recommend and would i need any specific cables?
 
I'll get my head around all this one day
 
si

turneround said:

 
Sorry could you explain the solution to the ipod... if i have $100 for an amp what would you recommend and would i need any specific cables?

Click to expand...

 
He was referring to something like this:


 
Personally, you should consider the trade-offs: how much do you like iTunes and how much do you like a compact set-up? An X3 or DX50 will give you a compact set-up since it's a DAP that has a circuit design similar to a CDP with specialized chips, rather than a do-it-all audio processing chip in an iPod, which will be strapped onto an amp (even if they're the same thickness, the strapping alone can be a problem for some. However the people who can't live without iTunes really cannot live without it and get lost on 1) folder organization, 2) re-tagging since iTunes tags sometimes don't work properly on other devices, 3) can't understand why you would drag and drop when you can sync via iTunes...

Thanks for that.