[apaar123]

hey guys i wanna buy my first dap and i am confused so i need help. This will my first dap so i want a good one. I will be using hd598 and meze 99 classics and i will also be buying an amp dac. I have shortlisted cowon plenue D, fiio x5ii, ibasso dx80, ak jr shanling m2 or m3. Please help me. Thanks in advance.

 

[Mython]

  hey guys i wanna buy my first dap and i am confused so i need help. This will my first dap so i want a good one. I will be using hd598 and meze 99 classics and i will also be buying an amp dac. I have shortlisted cowon plenue D, fiio x5ii, ibasso dx80, ak jr shanling m2 or m3. Please help me. Thanks in advance.

 
 
 
You say you intend to buy a DAC-Amp in future - well, you're going to need a DAP that offers a digital-out, in order to be able to feed the DAC-amp with a digital signal
 
 
So that means the Cowon Plenue D and AK Jr will have to be removed from your shortlist.
 
I'm unfamiliar with the Shanling M2 & M3, but you need to check if these have digital-output.
 
iBasso DX80 does have digital output, but, iirc, some people have been unhappy with the way the DX80 performs over digital-out, so you'd need to check if the current version of the firmware makes the DAP worth using for digital-output to a DAC-amp.
 
Fiio X5ii would be a fairly good bet, both as an all-round DAP, and as a transport to feed a digital signal to a DAC-amp.
 
That doesn't mean the X5ii is 'the best DAP', but it means it is one of the DAPs best-suited to your stated needs, and is quite a well-respected device.

 

[apaar123]

I didnt know that thanks for telling. Any other recommendations around this price?

 

[apaar123]

Well since i increased my budget i can also buy fiio x7 or pioneer xdp 100r or cayin i5 or shanling m5. Can anyone compare them?

 

[JK1]

  hey guys i wanna buy my first dap and i am confused so i need help. This will my first dap so i want a good one. I will be using hd598 and meze 99 classics and i will also be buying an amp dac. I have shortlisted cowon plenue D, fiio x5ii, ibasso dx80, ak jr shanling m2 or m3. Please help me. Thanks in advance.

If you buy a Fiio X3ii or X5ii then you don't need an external amp except for perhaps powering a power hungry 600 ohm headphone. If I wanted to play music portably using an HD598, I would get a Fiio X3ii and skip the external DAC and external amp.

 

[apaar123]

If you buy a Fiio X3ii or X5ii then you don't need an external amp except for perhaps powering a power hungry 600 ohm headphone. If I wanted to play music portably using an HD598, I would get a Fiio X3ii and skip the external DAC and external amp.

well now i increased my budget and i am confused between shanling m5 and cayin i5