[Vortaku]

i was looking at the sony xperia z tablet with the build in headphone amp, i was wondering if this is really the best option. I have shure 840s and hopefully will be upgrading to the mdr 7520s in the near future. i am a student will also use the tablet for ebooks and movies between classes. i also have a laptop so windows tablets is not needed to really do my work, my laptop which i will continue to carry has microsoft office! thanks!
 
V
 
ps: i plan on getting a fiio e17 aswell, atleast thats what ive heard is the best for portable amplification

 

[Spadge]

What about a portable USB dac/amp to pair with your laptop?...... much better quality (potentially) than amping a tablet.

Also, if you get a tablet that supports USB audio you could do the same with the tablet......I know you said you don't NEED windows but the Microsoft Surface is great for the things you mentioned and has USB support.

Good luck in your search
Paul

P.S. .....the e17 is great by all accounts, but I dunno about the best there is..... it does have a dac though.

 

[Vortaku]

i am open to a amp and or dac i just dont want to have to break out my laptop all the time.tablet just seems easier...

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

How about looking first a tablet with the same OS as your laptop?
If it is windows there are now tablets using Windows 8/8.1 as small as 8" screen size. If Mac well Ipad or mini Ipad is for you. Having the same OS you will have lesser difficulty in transferring/using your apps and files. As well as orientation.

 

[Sefelt103]

I have sometimes wondered about high quality audio on tablets. Perhaps there is an untapped market for an audiophile tablet. A tablet has three (or more) advantages compared to a normal sized media player. It has a large battery which means you could get 30 hours of playback out of power hungry electronics. Which covers a much requested need on headfi: high quality and long battery life. The other advantage is its size which means more space for components and fewer circuit design compromises. Space can also mean more storage capacity. Also because tablets tend to be used at home, with full sized headphones you would see the full benefits of the high grade electronics. The tendency today is to purchase an audiophile player and use IEMs which can't match better quality full size headphones plus you have all the external noises outside that also degrade the experience. I am sure many on headfi would disagree but I can't see the point in having an AK120 and £1000 IEMs listening to lossless files in noisy environments. I have read many reviews of tablets and vitually none of them go into any detail on sound quality or compare tablets with other media players or other tablets. It just seems to be that music is a sideline to surfing and video or e-books. The only tablets I have any experience of are an iPad 2 and 4. The sound quality is pretty good the iPad 4 giving more bass which is less on the iPad 2. The iPads give a warm and quite forgiving sound similar to other Apple players. Compared to my Teclast T51 they have lower grade bass and less midrange clarity, they just can't compete. Most tablets will have inferior audio to the likes of Fiio's X3 despite the expense of the tablet, because a tablet is perceived to be a general rather than a specialist device. My guess is there isn't that much difference in audio quality with most of the premium tablets.

 

[In-A-Song]

A little OT, but the new Bob Dylan Boolegs App is quite interesting and currently is only available on iOS.  I don't know if Sony or other publishers are going to be looking at doing more apps like this.
 
In general iOS devices have a great reputation for sound of course.  Amazon has been good about putting good sound inside their recent HD and new HDX Fire models, but I've not really seen specs for the HO output and I don't think even the latest model have a true line out.  It seems on the Android devices your best bet would be to ensure that USB audio is supported and expect to use an outboard DAC.

 

[Buckster]

anyone tried the new Dell Venue 8 tablet (full Windows 8.1)
 
seem a bit of a bargain to me - so wondered what the audio quality is like ?  can find most things out about it online except for any opinions of headphone audio out quality
 
I guess though you could plug in most DACs (well self-powered ones anyway) without much of an issue
 
thanks

 

[CharlesC]

I'd suggest a windows tablet with a USB port. I use an RT tablet, which is fine for me, but an X86 device is very flexible.

 

[canali]

just thought i'd ask the same question,
but updated, since we're into 2016.
 
something in the 10'' size
great audio for music listening via cans or iems
(not the speakers).
any thoughts?
 
or better to just hook up a good dac/amp
like the dragonfly or mojo to an existing tablet to get better sound?

 

[Mr Rick]

  just thought i'd ask the same question, going into 2016.
 
something in the 10'' size
great audio for music listening via cans or iems
(not the speakers).
any thoughts?
 
or better to just hook up a good dac/amp
like the dragonfly or mojo to an existing tablet to get better sound?

I just got a Fire HD 10. I use it for around-the-house tunes. Have Amazon music and Spotify loaded. A little early for a detailed review, but I like it so far. 
 
I was hoping to connect it to my Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 2U, but I don't think it's capable. The headphone output is quite acceptable.

 

[havagr8da]

  just thought i'd ask the same question, going into 2016.
 
something in the 10'' size
great audio for music listening via cans or iems
(not the speakers).
any thoughts?
 
or better to just hook up a good dac/amp
like the dragonfly or mojo to an existing tablet to get better sound?

I use a Surface 3 128g with a 200g micro sd + MOJO and love this combo. I also hook up a Soundblaster E5 and use the E5 software when watching movies is very enjoyable.

 

[Mr Rick]

  I just got a Fire HD 10. I use it for around-the-house tunes. Have Amazon music and Spotify loaded. A little early for a detailed review, but I like it so far. 
 
I was hoping to connect it to my Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 2U, but I don't think it's capable. The headphone output is quite acceptable.

I stand corrected. I received this today.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FGKXY9S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
 
 
Now my Fire HD 10 plays nice with my Schiit Modi 2. I'm one happy camper.

 

[canali]

for portable DACS also check out the 3 new Audioquest dacs that are coming out early 2nd quarter
that are supposed to be more versatile and work with a host of both ios and android devices, smartphones etc.
 
will have upgradeable firmware, too...will consist of both a black and (more powerful) red 'turbo' dragonfly upgrade
...and a blu tooth wls 'beetle' dac.
 
https://vimeo.com/151709852
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUj4SAhm6RY
 
http://www.stereophile.com/content/audioquest-bugs-out-new-dragonfly-black-dragonfly-red-and-beetle-dacs
 
they also talk in the vimeo link about how they're now exploring more sophisticated line conditioners etc as possible products of the future
given the success of the jitterbug.
 

 

[REXNFX]

A tablet seems like the perfect device for audio, the things I need are TIDAL and digital out. Could be Android/Windows/iOS. Any suggestions/experience? Thanks!

 

[Mr Rick]

  A tablet seems like the perfect device for audio, the things I need are TIDAL and digital out. Could be Android/Windows/iOS. Any suggestions/experience? Thanks!

 
As I mentioned above. With the correct cable the Amazon Fire HD 10 works well into my Schiit Modi 2. I use Spotify and music I've downloaded from my PC. I am also  an Amazon Prime subscriber, so the Amazon music and video library is available to me as well.
 
The Fire comes in several sizes, and I'm tempted to try one of the smaller versions as well.