[gerelmx1986]

I've decided to make this forum as there is one for IEMs

Let's rate our DAPs (dead or alive)

I'll go frist

1 will be first place and the Nth will be the looser, you can add your chain, e. G. DAC/amp stack

1)Sony Walkman NW-ZX100
2)Sony Walkman NWZ-A17 + Oppo HA-2 (Via Fiio L5 analogue out)
3)Sony Walkman NWZ-A17
4)Fiio X3 1st gen
5) Walkman NWZ-X1060
6)Walkman NWZ-A818
7)Walkman NW-E507
8)JVC Discman in the 90's
9)iPod Classic (2009) 160GB

 

[KT66]

901s balanced
901 minibox
240
801
120 II
QRP
DX90
Studio V
DX50
601
Nova N3

 

[Zuvio]

FiiO X5 2nd gen is nice mid fi, but apparently FiiO X7 is summit fi, and first hearing tests show it to be a giant killer even better than 901s. This can only be good for the industry.
 
Other than that i don't like the warm sound of the Astell&Kern 120mkII, so it rates way down the list for my hearing.
 
Colorfly C3 is nice but has a clinical sound.
 
FiiO X3 2nd gen is a feisty competitor but ultimately loses out to the bigger boys.
 
iPod 7th gen has a nice clear sound and good soundstage. 

 

[gerelmx1986]

Interesting i rated my ipod as the worst

 i found the music so lifeless (maybe ebcause i never amped it)

 

[castleofargh]

on a 1 to 10 scale of DAPs I like with 10 being the best:
-10 for those who make nasty noises when close to an active cellphone.
0 for those hissing with my sensitive IEMs (studio V, ak100, dx50, xduoo x2, most sonys......most DAPs really. and most of those are in fact also in the -10 area, save for the sonys that are usually well shielded against EMI)
5 for everything that is relatively silent, most cowons, most FIIOs, sansa clip if we disregard the annoying buffering noise)
10 for anything from 0 to 9 plugged into a proper amp, but you disqualified those ^_^.
 
I guess what I like the most in music, is silence from anything that isn't music

 

[proedros]

SONY ΖΧ2
Ibasso DX90
Cowon J3
clip+

 

[Tony1110]

ZX2
AK120 MKII
DX90
AK120

 

[bahamot]

1. QLS QA360
2. Calyx M

 

[Zuvio]

  Interesting i rated my ipod as the worst

 i found the music so lifeless (maybe ebcause i never amped it)

 
 
Yes i would have to agree. It had good clarity and natural sound etc with good soundstage, but like you say, it seemed a tad lifeless, and not sure why though.

 

[gerelmx1986]

 
 
Yes i would have to agree. It had good clarity and natural sound etc with good soundstage, but like you say, it seemed a tad lifeless, and not sure why though.

a friend of mine told me the iPods use a $1 to $3 DAC chips (lower range)

 

[Zuvio]

  a friend of mine told me the iPods use a $1 to $3 DAC chips (lower range)

 
 
Just like smartphones and FiiO DAPs, so Apple is not alone. Most DACs cost that... $1 - $15 max. If i owned a company i would stop dicking the customers around and just put in the latest Sabre DAC $12 and be done with it. Give the customers prime time at negligible cost! Sick and tired of these tech companies holding out on us.

 

[gerelmx1986]

 
 
Just like smartphones and FiiO DAPs, so Apple is not alone. Most DACs cost that... $1 - $15 max. If i owned a company i would stop dicking the customers around and just put in the latest Sabre DAC $12 and be done with it. Give the customers prime time at negligible cost! Sick and tired of these tech companies holding out on us.

As far i know sony DAPs use their in-house developed DAC/AMP chip called S-MASTER HX, is really good thing and the circuit implementation too, I have a huge soundstage in my ZX100 walkman, i can hear the distant "unda maris" (organ register like vibrato like) and the Bass wood pofaune pipes, 32-foot, some brass reeds and the trumpet near me... I can differentiate between the rela trumpet and the organ imitation pipes... more important and amazingly i can feel the room (inthis case a cathedral)
 
Sony has improved their SQ over the years since 2004 i had my firt walkman to the legendary X series in 2009 the firt with S-MASTER, the A17 walkman last year and this one represents the pinnacle of sony's SQ, maybe the zx2 is the true flagship

 

[Zuvio]

  As far i know sony DAPs use their in-house developed DAC/AMP chip called S-MASTER HX, is really good thing and the circuit implementation too, I have a huge soundstage in my ZX100 walkman, i can hear the distant "unda maris" (organ register like vibrato like) and the Bass wood pofaune pipes, 32-foot, some brass reeds and the trumpet near me... I can differentiate between the rela trumpet and the organ imitation pipes... more important and amazingly i can feel the room (inthis case a cathedral)
 
Sony has improved their SQ over the years since 2004 i had my firt walkman to the legendary X series in 2009 the firt with S-MASTER, the A17 walkman last year and this one represents the pinnacle of sony's SQ, maybe the zx2 is the true flagship

 
Can the digital upscaling function be switched off? And do you think this Sony player beats the FiiO X5 2nd gen? Thoughts appreciated, i'm still looking for another DAP.

 

[gerelmx1986]

 
Can the digital upscaling function be switched off? And do you think this Sony player beats the FiiO X5 2nd gen? Thoughts appreciated, i'm still looking for another DAP.

Yes you can switch it off in the settings menu > music settings or in the music playback screen one quick press on the OPTION/PWR OFF button opens a menu, you'll see a DSEE (HX) option: select OFF and OK, and you're done.
 
For the fiio x5II i cannot comment as i don't own one

 but the fiio x3 I had i found it to be super warm thing giving a werid stage and spearation issues
 
I found the DSEE HX on my walkman to add an artifical sound, like artifical widening, reverb so i turned it off

 

[meat01]

Since you are making your own thread go off topic 

....The reason Apple uses $3 DAC chips is because with the quantities Apple buys, they can get them that low.  It is not saying they are poor quality.