I asked this several months ago. Has anything changed?

[trains are bad]

These are the things I require to in a DAP to make it worth buying:

Proper (gapless) music playback.

Must have acceptably hifi line out capability for connecting to a hifi system.

Must play FLAC.

Must require no software, must operate as an external drive.

Last time I asked such a player did not exist. What's the sitrep?

 

[jagorev]

Get a PCDP.

 

[haibane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trains are bad Must require no software, must operate as an external drive.

This is going to be your killer. It is just a poor industry move to make something like that

 

[Lsportline43]

iRiver H120/H140 running Rockbox firmware. It has optical out and has gapless with Rockbox. Doesn't require software and it does play FLAC also, but again needs Rockbox. You can pick one up at eBay. They are out of production.

Also there's the Redwine modded iPod. I don't know much about it, but you can do a search for "redwine ipod." I'm sure you'll find your answer.

 

[trains are bad]

Quote:

iRiver H120/H140 running Rockbox firmware.

That was the answer last time, but buying something out of production seems risky to me.

Quote:

This is going to be your killer. It is just a poor industry move to make something like that

Why is that? The 40 dollar mp3 player I got for christmas does that. Why is it that I cannot get that functionality in a higher end DAP no matter how much money I spend?

It just irritates me to no end.

 

[haibane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trains are bad That was the answer last time, but buying something out of production seems risky to me. Why is that? The 40 dollar mp3 player I got for christmas does that. Why is it that I cannot get that functionality in a higher end DAP no matter how much money I spend? It just irritates me to no end.

because people who pay big bucks want a screen

 

[trains are bad]

What does having a screen have to do with anything? The HP-120s had screens.

 

[Lsportline43]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trains are bad That was the answer last time, but buying something out of production seems risky to me.

Well it is the only DAP available with an optical out, so I say pick one up and see if you like it. And if get the H120/H140 and it ends up being bad, because it was used, just sell it again. Or just go to the "For Sale" section of the forum and find one from a Head-fi member with good feedback.

Actually, is there a DAP other than the H120/H140 with optical? I never was sure.

Or just get a Redwine modded iPod.

 

[FenderP]

Everything is a tradeoff at some point. I got my Sony because gapless was the #1 feature I needed. No regrets.

 

[Febs]

Rockbox also now supports most iPod platforms and the iAudio X5, both of which are in current production. I know that there have been issues reported with the quality of the iAudio's line out, but maybe an iPod with Rockbox and the Redwine mod would suit your needs.