a lot of that comment feels backwards to those who understand the actual benefits of a DAP.
The phone is a jack of all trades/master of none.
Running ‘outdated’ OS on a DAP is usually due to it being custom code designed around perfect audio transport from an ‘outdated CPU’ (also chosen due to a manufacturer having great white docs/knowledge with ‘how to get the best’ from said part).
Keeping the devices seperate typically leaves a phone capable of taking calls during critical moments (without affecting the audio that everyone might be enjoying) and usually leaves the phone with the power it needs mostly by removing the multimedia burden from its function.
I have found that most of the DAPs I buy have ‘no features’ (just pure audio), and when I have them, both of my devices never have any power concerns...(sometimes for days)
Having all sorts of stuff loaded on my phone is the distraction.. where as having my ‘toy’/entertainment device be pure usually makes it better for that (i actually play on a nintendo handheld frequently, and no ‘not a Switch’, cause it has never left the dock..) I like physical controls and dedicated gaming units. I like the vastly better audio output that most mid tier DAPs offer (even just as a transport), generally due to having custom OS’s and chips.
I have never had great digital transport duties pulled by any of the mainstream OS’s.
The sound quality upgrade by getting away from kernel level mixers that don’t care about output sampling rates etc is noticable, especially into higher level kit.
I gather many here run select audio playback software that *hopefully* restores control / or grants better access to hardware features.. but having bought a DAP that doesn’t even have a radio in it, its output flogs even a *great* CD player for digital transport duties.
I basically consider using a phone the ‘last option’ and I usually choose to simply go without music when that is the case.
If iFi did have a product that was tailored along the same lines as a Diablo (music first, everything else be damned) then I’d certainly champion its goal.
I think iFi implementing circuits that use much of their clever tech makes perfect sense.
I kinda like that their concepts are more than their output and that they are already happily over worked
DACs and amps make sense to many more people than the world of DAPs simply because most people justify that their expensive phone IS a camera and a GPS and an internet portal etc, and hence should be their DAP as well.
Its been a long time since phones were actually good at being a phone. (they are certainly very average at being a transport)
iFi targeting DACs and amps make practical sales to many markets, not just phone users, and I’m not sure if the unit sales to be found with DAPs is worth the effort.
