[Svenrolic]

So I work in an area with classified information, and this means anything with wireless capabilities (bluetooth, wifi, cellular networks, etc.) are explicitly disallowed. I am allowed to listen to music at work, but the work PC has a constant buzz through the 3.5mm onboard audio, and USB devices are not allowed to be connected to the PC due to security issues.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a music player that can fit this use case? I'd prefer not to go to a CD player or similar.

Other things that would be nice or things I'd prefer are listed below in order of importance
* The ability to store >= 128gb of music is a plus.
* The quality of playback being at least at FLAC levels would be nice.
* The ability to connect a DAC to process the files stored would help. (Most DACs I've seen have no wireless capabilities, but can't store music)
* The price being at or below $500 would be preferable. The cap is likely $750. Cheaper alternatives at any price point would be appreciated.

 

[kendosperling]

I think the Opus 1 or Opus 1s from thebit meets all your creteria and is comfortabely in your budget.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Svenrolic,

I would suggest something like Cowon Plenue D or iBasso DX 120, both are 'no frills' players which hit well above their value & suit your needs perfectly.

I own the PD & the DX 120 is on my list to get at some stage in the near future.

Since it is the one I have actually in hand as a go to, PD is very compact & powerful with 100 hrs battery life & funnily enough, though not stated, the headphone port is balanced 3.5 which means it can run balanced cables in that size.

Happy to provide more info &/or personal experience on the PD if necessary.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[1TrickPony]

I think the Opus 1 or Opus 1s from thebit meets all your creteria and is comfortabely in your budget.

Yup. This. Totally.

 

[Svenrolic]

Hi Svenrolic,

I would suggest something like Cowon Plenue D or iBasso DX 120, both are 'no frills' players which hit well above their value & suit your needs perfectly.

I own the PD & the DX 120 is on my list to get at some stage in the near future.

Since it is the one I have actually in hand as a go to, PD is very compact & powerful with 100 hrs battery life & funnily enough, though not stated, the headphone port is balanced 3.5 which means it can run balanced cables in that size.

Happy to provide more info &/or personal experience on the PD if necessary.

Hope you have a great day !

I like what I've read on both of your suggestions so far. Thank you for the information. Why would you choose to purchase the iBasso if you own the PD already? I wasn't* able to discern any* major differences between the two for my use case, but maybe you can point out why I'd choose one over the other.

* = edited sleep deprived language

 

[PaganDL]

Hi @Svenrolic,

In answer to your question why get the 120 since I already have the PD, well, I like iBasso products & sometimes, it is nice to have something different for on the go which is nice & portable. (More a first world issue than anything else really)
As with IEMs &/or headphones, I do have a few on rotation for various uses &/or moods though I tend to stick to certain ones more than others.
iBasso make good players overall & I did own their mid range player, DX 150, for about a week.
It was actually a nice upgrade over the PD but in no way replaced the former in my book as it did a few things more as a mid range player & eventually if I kept the 150, would have swapped out the amp cards.
But due to unresolvable technical issues with the BT being non functional was really irritating at the time.
While it didn't bother me overall about having BT in a DAP, if it is a listed function, I like one which is working, that's all.
Due to excellent customer service, I exchanged the 150 for the IT 04 which was just being released only a few weeks later so all was good since I was really after the IT 04 over the 150.

So basically, when it comes down to your choices & preferences, only you can decide what you find suitable in a given situation & for reasons I already outlined with the PD, it is pretty hard to beat as a basic no frills player with ridiculously long battery life.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Mhog55]

Yup. This. Totally.

I'll 3rd this recommendation. I have this DAP, and it's sonic qualities are glorious. It's somewhat expensive considering you get pretty much nothing other than blissful wired audio, but that's the entirety of what you're paying for. I've listened to a handful of other daps in this price range with a slew of additional features, and the sound couldn't touch the Opus #1s. What it does have is significantly more power than most daps, so you can use most head with it, with the capability to drive them to their fullest potential.
As for the sound, well I'll just say it's superb. Better than both my LG V30 and V40, and that's saying something. Haven't listened to a DAP in or below the price range that moved me in the same way. You might be able to source the Opus #2 if you shop around. I haven't looked.

 

[Mhog55]

I forgot to mention, the touch screen UI is also by far the least buggy and simple I've used as well.

 

[Svenrolic]

I think the Opus 1 or Opus 1s from thebit meets all your creteria and is comfortabely in your budget.

Yup. This. Totally.

I'll 3rd this recommendation. I have this DAP, and it's sonic qualities are glorious. It's somewhat expensive considering you get pretty much nothing other than blissful wired audio, but that's the entirety of what you're paying for. I've listened to a handful of other daps in this price range with a slew of additional features, and the sound couldn't touch the Opus #1s. What it does have is significantly more power than most daps, so you can use most head with it, with the capability to drive them to their fullest potential.
As for the sound, well I'll just say it's superb. Better than both my LG V30 and V40, and that's saying something. Haven't listened to a DAP in or below the price range that moved me in the same way. You might be able to source the Opus #2 if you shop around. I haven't looked.

Well since there are 3 votes for the same DAP, I'll do my best to locate one in Korea and try it out. Saying it is better than the v30/v40 interests me because I'm currently using the v30 for music on the go, which means I have less battery for other applications. If I can kill two birds with one stone, that would be nice.

I'll look into the other Opus models to make sure they have no wireless capabilities, though the #1s looks good to me so far.

Edit: Everyone said it would be impossible to find a DAP that beats the v30 (I use the G7, so samsies?) under $500 somewhere so I just never looked into it.

 

[yong_shun]

+1 for Opus 1s. I am using Opus 3 but if you want something w/o wireless capabilities then 1s is a good choice!