[arficus]

I've been playing flacs on an ipod 5g w/rock box on my home system as my primary source for a while- I suspect it is the weakest link in my chain. I imagine a fiio X5, ibasso DX90, or AK100/AK120 would be a step up, but I don't need portability. I'm hoping there's a non-portable "home" player that might offer greater bang for the buck than a portable player. Ideally player could read from hard drive, or if not, support at least 128gb memory card. I see some  home transports on ebay (ie no DAC) in the $550 and up range, but am hoping to find a player with a relatively good built in DAC (at least as good as the portable players mentioned) in the same price range, maybe up to $1k if quality warrants. Does such a beast exist, or is my $ best spent on a DX90 or AK120? Is it possible that despite their portability they represent the best value/sound for playing lossless files?
Thanks...

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I've been playing flacs on an ipod 5g w/rock box on my home system as my primary source for a while- I suspect it is the weakest link in my chain. I imagine a fiio X5, ibasso DX90, or AK100/AK120 would be a step up, but I don't need portability. I'm hoping there's a non-portable "home" player that might offer greater bang for the buck than a portable player. Ideally player could read from hard drive, or if not, support at least 128gb memory card. I see some  home transports on ebay (ie no DAC) in the $550 and up range, but am hoping to find a player with a relatively good built in DAC (at least as good as the portable players mentioned) in the same price range, maybe up to $1k if quality warrants. Does such a beast exist, or is my $ best spent on a DX90 or AK120? Is it possible that despite their portability they represent the best value/sound for playing lossless files?
Thanks...

 
Aune S1 - AKM4396 DAC, USB ports for ext HDD (check for 2.5in compatibility on soe ports) and thumb drives; SD card; LAN connection for NAS access and remote via apps (iOS, maybe Android too); haven't heard this one yet but I'm saving up for it, confident about the implementation of the AKM DAC; only thing that stopped me aside from not having $600 in cash is that I'd also have to buy it online, whereas the next two have local support.

 
Cocktail Audio X10 - internal HDD, can rip CDs and check tags online with the WiFi antennae; also has an internal speaker amp that can drive the Duevel Planets - omnidirectional 2-way speakers with 85db sensitivity; sound is a bit dull on the treble and could use a bit more oomph in the bass, but note that prior to listening to it I was listening to the same system with a couple of Cayin CDPs. Over here it's sold for $600 with a 1TB drive, the WiFi antennae, and Castle mini monitors for a cool desktop speaker system for roughly $625. I've seen the X10 by itself for $399 on Amazon, but get the WiFi dongle.

 
Olive 04HD - same features as the Cocktail X10, but only line output; so far my favorite - more detailed sound than the X10 but bass is a little bit fuller; realistically speaking, I'd still buy the X10 unless I can get this used, thanks to its sticker price (for those who can afford it however I will say go for it)

 
 
Musical Fidelity M1 Clic - closer to your budget limit, sound isn't too far behind the 04HD (not that any of the DAC circuits in any of these will matter if you use a stand-alone DAC), but back to back (and volume matched) vs the M1 DAC and there's some improvement (whether the extra $500 for the M1 DAC is worth it is up to the listener; personally, I can wait for a used M1 DAC if I buy this, and mostly for an aesthetic match); only external storage including an iPod input (from what I heard this is one of the easiest to set up to work with an NAS); also, it has a preamp outputs, so if you also have a speaker system, you can use a power amp with that and a headphone amp on the line input.

 

[arficus]

Thanks for your suggestions. Guess I should've been more specific regarding my usage and needs. I have a tube preamp, tube crossover, and tube power amplifiers, driving mid 1950's Jensen corner horns (128 cubic ft each!). I know these are "head-fi" oriented forums, but most of my searching for digital audio player info led here, seemed like the best place to ask... So, given that I have no need or desire for any amplification (pre, main, or headphone) or CD ripping/playing from my digital source, I'm guessing the Aune S1 would offer the me the most out of those listed?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Thanks for your suggestions. Guess I should've been more specific regarding my usage and needs. I have a tube preamp, tube crossover, and tube power amplifiers, driving mid 1950's Jensen corner horns (128 cubic ft each!). I know these are "head-fi" oriented forums, but most of my searching for digital audio player info led here, seemed like the best place to ask... So, given that I have no need or desire for any amplification (pre, main, or headphone) or CD ripping/playing from my digital source, I'm guessing the Aune S1 would offer the me the most out of those listed?

 
Yes, it will - although of course that doesn't mean that just because the X10 has a built-in speaker amp or the Marantz has a built-in headphone amp they should be crossed out of the list. There are other considerations for getting one or the other. The Marantz for example might have a higher sticker price, also the Pioneer, but if it's available from a local dealer, then for some that can provide some peace of mind for servicing compared to the Aune S1 (although neither should that be an absolute deterrent for that one either - just that one should weigh pros and cons here).  The X10 is relatively cheap and will house the HDD, so if you'd rather have an internal storage solution, then that's the cheapest one I'm aware of. 

 

[digreyfox]

On the subject, I've also been looking for a good digital transport. I've been using my fiio x5 plugged through coax into a schiit bitfrost. 

All i'm looking for, then, is a simple media storage device (with HDD, or just with an sd card reader) and a display to browse media.

Simple enough, yet most items i find also have dacs and amps and whatnot, which would drive the cost up.

Isn't there any cheap transports that do just that ? Read files, browsable through a screen, and send them through the coax for the external DAC and AMP to work with ?
 
 
Edit: Something like the cocktail audio x10, but without the speakers, amp, dac and even the CD drive.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  On the subject, I've also been looking for a good digital transport. I've been using my fiio x5 plugged through coax into a schiit bitfrost. 

All i'm looking for, then, is a simple media storage device (with HDD, or just with an sd card reader) and a display to browse media.

Simple enough, yet most items i find also have dacs and amps and whatnot, which would drive the cost up.

Isn't there any cheap transports that do just that ? Read files, browsable through a screen, and send them through the coax for the external DAC and AMP to work with ?
 
 
Edit: Something like the cocktail audio x10, but without the speakers, amp, dac and even the CD drive.

 
I've seen some on eBay before and the screens suck - even for a headphone system where it can be at arm's length you'll get a screen smaller than and controls less intuitive than an iPod wheel for browsing storage media potentially larger than any iPod barring the 7g. Some of these are compatible with just FLAC or WAV; there's also the Pro-Ject but it only uses MP3 (not sure if it works with 320kbps VBR), and it still has a DAC chip in it with analog outputs.
 
Pro-Ject
http://www.box-designs.com/main.php?prod=mediaboxs&cat=source&lang=en
 
eBay device - has storage option limitations (check the description), and too small screen
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BBP-200-enhanced-version-wav-flac-player-digital-turntable-110v-or-220v-/251480020367?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item3a8d60958f
 
This older music server (originally used for multi-room audio systems in place of 300 disc CDPs) still has a D/A circuit
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Elan-Home-Systems-Via-DJ-CD-Digital-Music-Server-160GB-Works-Perfect-Guaranteed-/181447111581?pt=US_CD_Players_Recorders&hash=item2a3f17339d
 
I think even this one has a D/A circuit:

 

[digreyfox]

I had seen the olive one as well. Looks cool, but it's also pricey. 

It'd probably be cheaper running an older laptop with PLEX or something connecting to some sort of tiny monitor. Or, even better, having a closed laptop running the library, browsable through an ipad/iphone.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

It'd probably be cheaper running an older laptop with PLEX or something connecting to some sort of tiny monitor. Or, even better, having a closed laptop running the library, browsable through an ipad/iphone.

 
The Android miniPC I posted a photo of above (looks like a black MacMini) is only a little over $100, is the choice for those with Android devices. If you have iOS devices, a MacMini is also (and is the original) option for a headless set-up (either way the ports are all on the rear, which only a few laptops have). I'm on the lookout for one ever since someone posted online that they bought a $20 MacMini from a goodwill store, which they probably thought was an accessory like the time capsule or airport express, since it's easier to set-up (I can always use other music players so I can just copy my FLAC files) and I have an iPad.
 
Although the real reason why I don't want the Android miniPC despite my S3 is because it's black, while my amp is silver. My iPad may be black, but hey I don't have to set it next to the MacMIni and amp while in use (although it will annoy me when I dock it next to the other gear, but my next tablet will be the iPad Mini in white anyways).