Looking for a new DAP to replace my NWZ-A729
Oct 3, 2015 at 8:29 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

queuewindow

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Hello everyone,
 
I'm looking to get my first DAP since 2008. My current is the Sony NWZ-A729 - I love the sound of this thing and I've come to appreciate the simplicity of its UI but there's not much life left in the battery. I'm aware there's been a boom in the DAP market since then and I'm hoping something with the following features exists:
 
Large-ish screen - larger than the Clip's but not smartphone large
Intuitive UI
Physical buttons - I'd like to be able to skip tracks, start, stop, and control the volume without looking at the screen
Flash memory of 64GB or more
Support for lossy gapless playback
Support for playlists
Browse by folders and metadata - including the album artist field
Rechargeable battery
A lock setting
Rockbox compatibility would be a plus, but not necessary
 
I'm not looking for an "audiophile" DAP with questionable build quality and UI, just a convenient and hassle-free player that sounds good and preferably under $500
 
I've got access to Japan-only devices if it makes a difference
 
Oct 10, 2015 at 11:20 AM Post #5 of 8
  I'm looking to get my first DAP since 2008. My current is the Sony NWZ-A729 - I love the sound of this thing and I've come to appreciate the simplicity of its UI but there's not much life left in the battery. I'm aware there's been a boom in the DAP market since then and I'm hoping something with the following features exists:
Large-ish screen - larger than the Clip's but not smartphone large
Intuitive UI
Physical buttons - I'd like to be able to skip tracks, start, stop, and control the volume without looking at the screen
Flash memory of 64GB or more
Support for lossy gapless playback
Support for playlists
Browse by folders and metadata - including the album artist field
Rechargeable battery
A lock setting
Rockbox compatibility would be a plus, but not necessary
I'm not looking for an "audiophile" DAP with questionable build quality and UI, just a convenient and hassle-free player that sounds good and preferably under $500
I've got access to Japan-only devices if it makes a difference

 
My two cents is to get another Sony DAP or FiiO DAP.
 
Oct 10, 2015 at 3:49 PM Post #6 of 8
Thanks for the suggestion. Any models you'd recommend based on my criteria?

My understanding is that Sony DAPs don't have gapless lossy playback or the ability to browse by album artist, and their non-touchscreen models don't come in anything larger than 16 GB. Is there a model I'm unaware of?

My experience with FiiO amps is that their build quality isn't great, but that was 4 or 5 years. Have things improved recently? I'm willing to give them a try if there's a model that satisfies all my criteria
 
Oct 10, 2015 at 5:08 PM Post #7 of 8
Thanks for the suggestion. Any models you'd recommend based on my criteria?
My understanding is that Sony DAPs don't have gapless lossy playback or the ability to browse by album artist, and their non-touchscreen models don't come in anything larger than 16 GB. Is there a model I'm unaware of?
My experience with FiiO amps is that their build quality isn't great, but that was 4 or 5 years. Have things improved recently? I'm willing to give them a try if there's a model that satisfies all my criteria

 
For the price range your going for in a DAP, I really do not follow much, so can't say which ones offer the most features your looking for.
I do own the Sony E564 and E474 and really liked them, I usually do not carry around a lot of songs, so not having expandable memory did not matter to me.
Also got to demo a FiiO X1 for 10 days and liked it too.
So I'm assuming the higher priced Sony/FiiO offer even better audio quality.
 
Might check out the website anythingbutipod.
 

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