Hi-Res Portable DAPs comparison chart 2022

[Azalush]

Thank you for the preview! For what it's worth, I noticed the omission of the Shanling M6 Ultra (as far as I can tell).

Oops…
Thanks for pointing that out!
I completely forgot about M6 Ultra and confused it with M3 Ultra.
I will add it to the next version!

 

[yeowyap]

At now, there are 2023 pre-released versions on my Twitter.
https://twitter.com/align_centre/status/1662702721802330112?s=20

In this chart, some issues are included and will be fixed soon. Stay tuned.

Thanks a lot for all your efforts! Appreciated!

 

[Barndoor]

Also there's the Tempotec V6 in the budget category

 

[ColdsnapBry]

Epic chart!

 

[baneand]

Lotoo Paw 6000 is missing or I don't have latest version
Also one suggestion maybe to add a something like "sound character" column to say summarized characteristics of the dap - something like warm, neutral, reference etc.

 

[joherdi]

At now, there are 2023 pre-released versions on my Twitter.
https://twitter.com/align_centre/status/1662702721802330112?s=20

In this chart, some issues are included and will be fixed soon. Stay tuned.

Remember... you are THE BEST. You've done a fantastic job.

 

[vokain]

will you make one for 2023 please

 

[Edric Li]

Now that @alignJP san no longer update the chart, I wonder how folks stay updated to the new DAP releases?

 

[SGarfinkle]

Now that @alignJP san no longer update the chart, I wonder how folks stay updated to the new DAP releases?

My Japanese is a little rusty. What does the post say?

 

[Edric Li]

My Japanese is a little rusty. What does the post say?

That he was generally disappointed in the lack of software/UI advancement in recent releases, and that he had reached his end-game with Hiby M300.

 

[yeowyap]

My Japanese is a little rusty. What does the post say?

 

[rlw6534]

He does make a valid point. I mean how many DAPs lack basic audio features such as system-wide PEQ, Atmos and other codec support, and, uh, well, Android etc.

Battery life is generally pretty bad and new models come out without ever fixing issues with existing models. Of course, we buy them anyway...

On occasion, I use my $10 Apple dongle with my iPhone and wonder why I have spent so much $$$. Everything just works as it should.

 

[yeowyap]

He does make a valid point. I mean how many DAPs lack basic audio features such as system-wide PEQ, Atmos and other codec support, and, uh, well, Android etc.

Battery life is generally pretty bad and new models come out without ever fixing issues with existing models. Of course, we buy them anyway...

On occasion, I use my $10 Apple dongle with my iPhone and wonder why I have spent so much $$$. Everything just works as it should.

Agreed.

There is a YouTuber who once did an experiment to see which is the most important factor if you only have money to pick one out of three:

1. Audio Source (FLAC, WAV, bit rate, etc.)
2. DAP
3. Headphones or IEMs

Factor​	Test Combination A​	Test Combination B​	Test Combination C​
Audio Source	Best	Normal/Decent	Normal/Decent
DAP	Normal/Decent	Best	Normal/Decent
Headphones or IEMs	Normal/Decent	Normal/Decent	Best

The experiment was quite interesting. You should always put more weight on #3. Unless you have unlimited wealth, just spend a decent amount on #1 and #2, and then invest the most in #3. This way, you should be able to get the best value for your money.

 

[voja]

I don't know how other manufacturers' DAPs are behaving, but I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with iBasso's DX340. I've been using it regularly for a few months now, and the UI and software are flawless [in terms of smoothness]. What I mean by this is no lag, no touch input problems, no freezes/crashes. It's running Android 13, and I'm pretty happy with it.

It has good battery life for what it is, imo. A pretty neat feature it has is that you can bypass the battery and run the whole DAP from your charger (in short, once the batteries are charged to 100%, the charger becomes the DAP's power supply and the battery stops charging).

It would be cool to see a place where consumers request features that they'd like to see in DAPs. System-wide [P]EQ would indeed be very nice. I'm wondering whether we aren't seeing Dolby Atmos because of the license costs or whether there's something legally preventing it from being utilized.

Anyways, @Azalush, what you did with the DAP charts is one of the most valuable community contributions to the DAP space. Thank you for everything you've done, and I hope that one day there will be a DAP that will have what you are looking for. Personally, I'd love to hear more from you. If you share feedback, know that there are manufacturers that will listen to what you have to say and start working on implementing it.

 

[daijobudes]

I don't know how other manufacturers' DAPs are behaving, but I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with iBasso's DX340. I've been using it regularly for a few months now, and the UI and software are flawless [in terms of smoothness]. What I mean by this is no lag, no touch input problems, no freezes/crashes. It's running Android 13, and I'm pretty happy with it.

It has good battery life for what it is, imo. A pretty neat feature it has is that you can bypass the battery and run the whole DAP from your charger (in short, once the batteries are charged to 100%, the charger becomes the DAP's power supply and the battery stops charging).

It would be cool to see a place where consumers request features that they'd like to see in DAPs. System-wide [P]EQ would indeed be very nice. I'm wondering whether we aren't seeing Dolby Atmos because of the license costs or whether there's something legally preventing it from being utilized.

Anyways, @Azalush, what you did with the DAP charts is one of the most valuable community contributions to the DAP space. Thank you for everything you've done, and I hope that one day there will be a DAP that will have what you are looking for. Personally, I'd love to hear more from you. If you share feedback, know that there are manufacturers that will listen to what you have to say and start working on implementing it.

Yes, yet, no one guarantees it will remain.