[RugbyPlayer]

Hello all.
 
Im looking for some advice as i feel like i may be trying to solve a problem i dont really have.
 
First off here is my current list of stuff.
 
Cowon Z2 
MadDogz headphones (with alpha pads)
Bose Quiet Comfort 15
Sansa Clip rockboxed
Ibasso D6
IEMs (unsure of brand and model but not near as high end as my other headphones)
 
Electronics i dont use but could
Samsung Galaxy Tab pro 8.4
Galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition
Nokia Lumia Icon
 
Ill start by saying the majority of my time spent listening to music is at work, using just an external HDD and my Bose Quietcomfort 15's. I work in a cube and the conversation/noise can be relatively high which is why i opt for the Bose at work. Noise isolation on the isnt near as good as it needs to be but if i could find a better noise isolating headphone i might opt to go that rout.
 
I am considering a new DAP. The thing i dislike about just playing the music files on my work PC is that undocking the laptop also powers off all USB deivces plugged into the dock meaning my drives do not properly disconnect and while risk of corruption is small it still exists. My headphone cable also tends to annoy me being plugged into my PC and its been yanked out moving about my cube before so I would like a more pocketable device.
 
I have tons of music, my external HDD right now has well over 200 Gb which makes the single SD card slot of the Z2 inadequate. I would like a DAP that supports more than one microSd card...i know there was an Ibasso at some point but i cant find it right now. 
 
Ive also had trouble with the Z2 that someone may be able to advise me on. The transfer rate is slow to the SD card, which makes managing and moving music to the player painful and something i don't do very often which is why i dont use it much. 
 
Playlist support seems....odd to me. What i would like to do is use my PC to create a playlist, then copy all the songs for that playlist into the player givin its limited storage space. 
 
If a player had enough storage to hold most of my music that would be negated but i havent found a way to actually even create a playlist and transfer it to the player.
 
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[RugbyPlayer]

Anyone have some advice?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Get an easy to drive, good quality, comfortable IEM then use a mainstream player or smartphone with the appropriate player app that has playlist support. It's pocketable so you can stand up and move with less likelihood of damaging anything since it will be in your pocket, it will isolate well, you have playlist support, and no need for a dedicated amplifier nor a DAP with a real amplifier circuit.
 

 

[RugbyPlayer]

 

Get an easy to drive, good quality, comfortable IEM then use a mainstream player or smartphone with the appropriate player app that has playlist support. It's pocketable so you can stand up and move with less likelihood of damaging anything since it will be in your pocket, it will isolate well, you have playlist support, and no need for a dedicated amplifier nor a DAP with a real amplifier circuit.
 

IEMs wont give me what im looking for. Using my current IEMs with foam ear pieces do not give me near the amount of noise isolation im looking for. Im also not looking at using a player like an ipod because the library management being strictly through itunes will not do what i want it to. 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  IEMs wont give me what im looking for. Using my current IEMs with foam ear pieces do not give me near the amount of noise isolation im looking for. Im also not looking at using a player like an ipod because the library management being strictly through itunes will not do what i want it to. 

 

The thing is playlist support isn't as good on anything that doesn't run on iOS or Android mainstream devices (many players are just based on Android, but it's not like they can all interface with PlayStore and get you a smooth running player app). I would use dedicated players myself but I don't want to lug around a separate device; but even with a smartphone I still listen per album anyways instead of playlists (I grew up putting a huge black or small silver disc inside players at home, all filed alphabetically on the shelf, so I'm used to that).

 

Also, you needed a player that from the way I understood it would not be on your desk so as not to be damaged when you move around. A DX50 or DX90 can run using some external storage devices,* but as if they aren't thick enough to make pocketing them difficult enough with many pants in the market (unless you wear in da hood pants at half-arse height), you'd be adding more thickness strapped on to it. If you suddenly stand up or move your office chair, you won't just pull the cable out of the socket - you'll pull the whole shebang off the table. Instead of a broken jack, you say goodbye to the HDD and the DX50/90.

 

A smartphone however can address the playlist support with the right app. Second, it can address the storage problem too - some player apps like MediaMonkey can do UPnP with a properly set-up computer host; or some wireless drives like this Seagate which has its own WiFi antennae allowing you to access its files, however I do not know if its media player app supports playlists. Lastly, if you saved up your intended DAP+headphone budget and added a bit more, you can get a good custom IEM that addresses your need for isolation.

 

*they only have one card slot, but support thumb drives and external SD card slots through their USB ports or an adapter to use higher capacity standard size SD cards; you were probably thinking of the Fiio X5 with dual microSD slots, as well as the A&K players

 

[RugbyPlayer]

   

The thing is playlist support isn't as good on anything that doesn't run on iOS or Android mainstream devices (many players are just based on Android, but it's not like they can all interface with PlayStore and get you a smooth running player app). I would use dedicated players myself but I don't want to lug around a separate device; but even with a smartphone I still listen per album anyways instead of playlists (I grew up putting a huge black or small silver disc inside players at home, all filed alphabetically on the shelf, so I'm used to that).

 

Also, you needed a player that from the way I understood it would not be on your desk so as not to be damaged when you move around. A DX50 or DX90 can run using some external storage devices,* but as if they aren't thick enough to make pocketing them difficult enough with many pants in the market (unless you wear in da hood pants at half-arse height), you'd be adding more thickness strapped on to it. If you suddenly stand up or move your office chair, you won't just pull the cable out of the socket - you'll pull the whole shebang off the table. Instead of a broken jack, you say goodbye to the HDD and the DX50/90.

 

A smartphone however can address the playlist support with the right app. Second, it can address the storage problem too - some player apps like MediaMonkey can do UPnP with a properly set-up computer host; or some wireless drives like this Seagate which has its own WiFi antennae allowing you to access its files, however I do not know if its media player app supports playlists. Lastly, if you saved up your intended DAP+headphone budget and added a bit more, you can get a good custom IEM that addresses your need for isolation.

 

*they only have one card slot, but support thumb drives and external SD card slots through their USB ports or an adapter to use higher capacity standard size SD cards; you were probably thinking of the Fiio X5 with dual microSD slots, as well as the A&K players

 
The UPnP would be nice however im not sure that would be allowed at work (government rules on computers)
 
To be clear i wasn't intending to do headphones at this time, i just recently bought the bose QuietComforts and they do the job well enough for me, The active noise cancelling is the most important feature for me. If i were to spend more on headphones i would do open cans that would be for home use not portable so much.
 
Is there computer software that i would be able to do something along the lines of Create a playlist from my music library, and then copy all the files in that playlist to my player easially? 
 
The size of the players as you mention i suppose could  be a valid concern. I do wear jeans so im not sure it would be a major issue but it may be.
 
What i was looking at was the fiio x5 due to its dual memory card support which would give me up to 256 gb of storage which would be fantastic but it is it a bit high price wise

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Is there computer software that i would be able to do something along the lines of Create a playlist from my music library, and then copy all the files in that playlist to my player easially? 

 
None that I'm aware of save for when it's essentially the same software on the computer and the player, like importing playlists on iTunes or setting them up on MediaMonkey and using their Android app for the player.
 

 
The size of the players as you mention i suppose could  be a valid concern. I do wear jeans so im not sure it would be a major issue but it may be.

 
I'd always assume that for long pants (men's shorts tend to be a bit looser, unless you're talking 3/4 khaki pants that fit like jeans) it would be a problem, unless you shoot your gun sideways out of the windows of an old Impala that can can jump around at the stop light.
 
Quote:

   
The UPnP would be nice however im not sure that would be allowed at work (government rules on computers)

 
If the wireless HDDs can be allowed, check with Seagate and WD if their media apps have playlist support.
 
Quote:

 
What i was looking at was the fiio x5 due to its dual memory card support which would give me up to 256 gb of storage which would be fantastic but it is it a bit high price wise

 
Note however that SQ-wise using an ANC headphone with it can be counter-intuitive - ANC headphones work by doping the signal to cause cancellations of noise, so any SQ differences only come from lowering ambient noise, not from the hi-fi dedicated hardware of a player like the X5. For one, you'll be paying for its amplifier circuit, but that's pointless for an ANC headphone as it has its own amplifier built-in, since the ANC is an active circuit on its own and then drives the headphone.

 

[RugbyPlayer]

   
None that I'm aware of save for when it's essentially the same software on the computer and the player, like importing playlists on iTunes or setting them up on MediaMonkey and using their Android app for the player.
 
 
If the wireless HDDs can be allowed, check with Seagate and WD if their media apps have playlist support.
 
 
Note however that SQ-wise using an ANC headphone with it can be counter-intuitive - ANC headphones work by doping the signal to cause cancellations of noise, so any SQ differences only come from lowering ambient noise, not from the hi-fi dedicated hardware of a player like the X5. For one, you'll be paying for its amplifier circuit, but that's pointless for an ANC headphone as it has its own amplifier built-in, since the ANC is an active circuit on its own and then drives the headphone.

One thing to add is the bose ANC headphones wont be the only headphones i use. I would use the maddogz as well and it seems like itd be a pretty big benefit if a player like the x5 can drive those phones without my ibasso d6