Looking to get a DAP. I recently got the ER4XR, and the sound is SO different from my PC (great!), phone (decent), and Bluetooth dongle (awful). It should be obvious, but my other IEMs never changed sound so much based on the source. I do most of my music listening on the go while walking or on a crowded train.
Anyways, at first I was looking for a better Bluetooth dongle to avoid loose cables on a crowded train, but a small dap with HibyLink seems like a much more interesting proposition to get the best quality. I will probably glue a clip to the back of some type of case, and make a short mmcx cable (3.5mm or balanced).
Location - Osaka, Japan
Budget - 30, 000 yen (200-300 USD)
Earphone - ER4XR (might use the PtoS converter from time to time depending on what I am listening to...) so need to be able to drive up to 125 ohms.
Listen to - A lot of female vocals, pop, rap, alternative rock and some EDM.
Features - I need HibyLink with bluetooth for it to work. I also want to be able to use it as a usb-dac, my pc earphone jack acts up sometimes. Sound quality is important.
I have been considering a few things...
1. Import a Shanling m3s from penon-audio. It's very expensive here. Seems great and ticks all the boxes, but I wish I could order locally in case I have issues.
2. Shanling M1 with a Dragonfly Red. The smallest one, the Dragonfly is useful for the PC too without hurting the battery, and if I don't feel like I need it I can go more compact.
3. Canyin N3, and maybe get a Dragonfly later on. It sounds pretty good out of the box, but I feel like I might chase more in the end.
4. Fiio X3 Mk3. The reviews of the sound signature sound right up my alley. Most criticism I see is about the UI, but I really intend to use HibyLink for everything so I don't have to fiddle with it. Maybe it is a little big to clip on a shirt?
Any advice would be welcome. I don't even need a screen if I can control everything through my phone, too.
Anyways, at first I was looking for a better Bluetooth dongle to avoid loose cables on a crowded train, but a small dap with HibyLink seems like a much more interesting proposition to get the best quality. I will probably glue a clip to the back of some type of case, and make a short mmcx cable (3.5mm or balanced).
Location - Osaka, Japan
Budget - 30, 000 yen (200-300 USD)
Earphone - ER4XR (might use the PtoS converter from time to time depending on what I am listening to...) so need to be able to drive up to 125 ohms.
Listen to - A lot of female vocals, pop, rap, alternative rock and some EDM.
Features - I need HibyLink with bluetooth for it to work. I also want to be able to use it as a usb-dac, my pc earphone jack acts up sometimes. Sound quality is important.
I have been considering a few things...
1. Import a Shanling m3s from penon-audio. It's very expensive here. Seems great and ticks all the boxes, but I wish I could order locally in case I have issues.
2. Shanling M1 with a Dragonfly Red. The smallest one, the Dragonfly is useful for the PC too without hurting the battery, and if I don't feel like I need it I can go more compact.
3. Canyin N3, and maybe get a Dragonfly later on. It sounds pretty good out of the box, but I feel like I might chase more in the end.
4. Fiio X3 Mk3. The reviews of the sound signature sound right up my alley. Most criticism I see is about the UI, but I really intend to use HibyLink for everything so I don't have to fiddle with it. Maybe it is a little big to clip on a shirt?
Any advice would be welcome. I don't even need a screen if I can control everything through my phone, too.
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