So... my iBasso DX50 is screwed. Internals decided to nope out on me last Sunday on the first leg of an 8-hour journey to Belfast, which was super-great and fun of course. I travel quite a bit so am reliant on a good DAP for most of my music needs (so I don't absolutely slaughter my data cap via streaming, also).
My budget for one has increased significantly as I've recently secured a part-time job and have a birthday on 23rd Nov, so I'm willing to stretch to €500 if the value-for-money makes it worthwhile!
I've used the following in the last couple of years:
Good battery life is a plus; if the battery's user-replaceable, even better. Expandable storage via microSD card(s) is a deal-breaker; if I can't get the bare minimum of 128gb of music on my device (all MP3 V0, though FLAC support is great too) through on-board and external storage then I'm not interested. USB OTG capability would be preferred.
Open to any possible brand you can throw at me; have looked into the Fiio X1 second-gen, Astell & Kern AK70, the Hifiman HM650 and Sony A25 & ZX1 - am now opening the floor to the knowledgeable HF community for some extra options, so have at it!
My budget for one has increased significantly as I've recently secured a part-time job and have a birthday on 23rd Nov, so I'm willing to stretch to €500 if the value-for-money makes it worthwhile!
I've used the following in the last couple of years:
- iPod Classic 160GB (has since been refurbished and sold on)
- Fiio X1 first-gen (sold on as I wanted to move up to...)
- Fiio X5 first-gen (stolen, luckily without SD cards in there at the time)
- Sony A15 (went on holiday to Portugal with me this past August and never came back; accidentally dropped it with enough force to kill it on impact)
- iBasso DX50 (I think it was a hard-drive failure that iced it)
Good battery life is a plus; if the battery's user-replaceable, even better. Expandable storage via microSD card(s) is a deal-breaker; if I can't get the bare minimum of 128gb of music on my device (all MP3 V0, though FLAC support is great too) through on-board and external storage then I'm not interested. USB OTG capability would be preferred.
Open to any possible brand you can throw at me; have looked into the Fiio X1 second-gen, Astell & Kern AK70, the Hifiman HM650 and Sony A25 & ZX1 - am now opening the floor to the knowledgeable HF community for some extra options, so have at it!