Hello!
Can somebody report on how this thing performs as a digital transport? Are there any differences in sound/audio related performance compared to a smartphone in this use case? I have found out that active background processes (running apps and system services) on my phone have an impact (subjectively negative, i.e. "darker" sound, lesser perceived channel separation) on sound when I'm using it as a transport with BTR5 in both wired (via UAPP, Neutron MP) and wireless modes, even with 16/44,1 files without any additional resampling and DSP. Same goes for my PC. This leads me to believe that processing power available matters in handling of audio files/digital signal. With this point in mind, I'm concerned about M3 Pro's apparent hardware limitations.
I need a dedicated mobile digital transport device, but my budget is very limited, so the only viable options for me are budget low-performance DAPs like this one or the ShanLing Q1, or a budget smartphone like, say, Redmi Note 8 Pro. I'd like to go with the latter to be sure, but in my current financial situation I'll have to save up for it for a few months at least.
Sadly, this issue seems to be pretty obscure to say the least, and it's very hard to find any information on this topic.
