Hi all,
I need your advice.
I currently have a Samsung Galaxy SII which doesn't have a good DAC as far as I know. I use it in my car (Honda Accord 2008 EX-L) to listen to music (mainly rock music). I almost always have my phone in the car being charged via USB and connected to the AUX In of the car via the 3.5 mm male-to-male audio cable.
I am interested in purchasing a portable DAC for the following reasons:
1) Improve the audio/sound quality of my music without replacing the OEM audio system.
2) Remove the use of the audio cable and have my phone connect wireless-ly via Bluetooth to the portable DAC.
The use of this portable DAC will be almost strictly in the car (engine noise, road noise, etc.) so I guess that I am looking to improve the audio quality but I'm not trying to create a recording studio out of the inside of my car. I also am not into rigging my car so that people in the next state can hear what I hear... maybe just the car right next to me.
I would like to leave the DAC in the car 24/7, always connected to both AUX IN and USB charger so that it never runs out of battery and always ready to connect to my smartphone (via BT) and play music when I start the car.
With all the above said, I have the following questions/comments:
1) Should I be getting the E5 or is the E3 more than sufficient for the setting/scenario above? I feel like the E5 might be overkill because it has so many features that I won't be using. E1 is out of the question because it doesn't have BT. In other words, would I hear any difference between the two in a running, moving car. Use of headphones with this DAC will be very minimal. Also, I don't have any high-end headphones.
2) Does the E3/E5 sleep when it's powered on for a while but no music is playing? If yes, does it wake up if it receives electrical or audio signal? Or both? Or do I actually need to turn it off and on. I just want to see whether I can start the car and start moving or I need to press a button here or there before I drive.
3) I noticed that the E5 has two outputs for audio--headphone and line-level out, but the E3 has a headphone output. Does it matter which of these I use when I connect it to the AUX In of my car? I assume that in this scenario I would be using the amp in the car itself?
4) I noticed that the E5 supports aptX Low Latency but E3 through supports just aptX. I have a feeling that for my use case, standard aptX would work just fine (and of course assuming I upgrade my phone to an aptX-compatible one).
Finally, based on my needs above, can you think of another portable DAC that's better than the E3/E5 that is around this price range (between $100 and $200)?
Your input/advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!