[Themilkman46290]

I would also pick the ibasso, so far best customer service I have seen, fiio has been horrible about updates and hidizs isn't much better from what I have noticed. Ibasso on the other hand has been excellent about that and the fact that they only recently stopped supporting the dx50 Wich is pretty old still impresses me, can't think of any Chinese company Which is as considerate of there customers as ibasso. I am sure the next time I need a good dap it will be an ibasso

 

[Themilkman46290]

Guys, I’ve been out of the DAP scene for a while. Still using my trusty xduoo X3 with Rockbox.

I’m ready to move on.

What are some good options nowadays? I’ve been out of the budget ChiFi DAP game for a few years. The last I checked in, the Benjie T6 was recommended as a good bang for buck player.

Ideally, I’d like it to have:

- line out (for use with FiiO amp)
- touch screen preferred, but not required
- no laggy buggy firmware, no goofy 2 second delays or clicks or static between songs, etc
- ability to set my own EQ (not preset junk like “pop”, “rock”, “jazz”, etc

Optional but would be a definite plus:
- Bluetooth 5.0, but I’d settle for 4.2
- AptX or AAC support
- balanced port

I don’t need DAC.

I guess another option could just be an ES100 adapter plus my iPhone, although that doesn’t help with with flac. Apple is about to discontinue iOS 13 from the iPhone SE, so I might relegate my 128GB SE to duty as a dedicated DAP since it has a headphone jack and the sound is pretty clean. Can also do Tidal among other streaming apps. And I wouldn’t have to spend a penny.

Otherwise, the DAP budget would be $200 up to maybe $300.

Some players I’ve considered, but don’t know much about:
Hiby R3
Hidiz AP-60 II
Hidiz AP-80
Aigo Z6 Pro
Cayin N3
Shanling M0
Shanling M2X

Cayin N5IIS and Shanling M5S look totally badass specs, and the Cayin has dual card slots which is a definite plus. So I could keep saving my pennies for that if it’s totally worth the extra price.

Also, as comical as the Zishan DSD Pro looks in 2019, it has nice specs for the price. And coming from an xduoo X3, I’m used to button-only navigation. So I could certainly consider the DSD Pro if it is the best bang for the buck option.

The dsd is a really good dap, cheap, upgradeable and sounds awesome

But it has some flaws( it's not great with mp3's)
No gapless, and after a while the buttons start having issues(think they get dirt in them, maybe can be cleaned maybe replaced) and it's not nearly as sexy as the dx120, no Bluetooth, no wifi, no fancy shmancy o.s.

It's like a Kalashnikov rifle, it simple works, and works well!

 

[peskypesky]

The dsd is a really good dap, cheap, upgradeable and sounds awesome

But it has some flaws( it's not great with mp3's)
No gapless, and after a while the buttons start having issues(think they get dirt in them, maybe can be cleaned maybe replaced) and it's not nearly as sexy as the dx120, no Bluetooth, no wifi, no fancy shmancy o.s.

It's like a Kalashnikov rifle, it simple works, and works well!

I would order one….but you say it's not good with mp3's? That's mostly what I listen to.

 

[Themilkman46290]

Yeah mp3's sometimes crash and don't sound as good as lossless, it's not horrible but not great
It's the only negative thing I can say, that and floder, 3 updates and it still says floder.......

 

[peskypesky]

Yeah mp3's sometimes crash and don't sound as good as lossless, it's not horrible but not great
It's the only negative thing I can say, that and floder, 3 updates and it still says floder.......

Any idea whether that crashing has been noticed by other users?

My ears aren't good enough to tell the difference between lossless and 320kb Lame mp3's...so I convert everything to the latter. I've done ABX testing many times and just can't hear the lossless advantage. Then again, I'm not listening with really expensive headphones. Currently use Alessandro MS1 and just ordered Takstar Pro 82s.

 

[Slater]

The dsd is a really good dap, cheap, upgradeable and sounds awesome

But it has some flaws( it's not great with mp3's)
No gapless, and after a while the buttons start having issues(think they get dirt in them, maybe can be cleaned maybe replaced) and it's not nearly as sexy as the dx120, no Bluetooth, no wifi, no fancy shmancy o.s.

It's like a Kalashnikov rifle, it simple works, and works well!

Yeah mp3's sometimes crash and don't sound as good as lossless, it's not horrible but not great
It's the only negative thing I can say, that and floder, 3 updates and it still says floder.......

I appreciate the advice, but it’s exactly this sort of buggy stuff that I’m looking to avoid.

An MP3 player that doesn’t play MP3 files right, and a DAP whose sole means of navigation are buttons that have problems? I’m sure the DSD sounds awesome, but um no thanks.

That’s like an awesome sports car, but it only makes right turns on even days of the week, plus the headlights only work at night sometimes.

 

[Themilkman46290]

I appreciate the advice, but it’s exactly this sort of buggy stuff that I’m looking to avoid.

An MP3 player that doesn’t play MP3 files right, and a DAP whose sole means of navigation are buttons that have problems? I’m sure the DSD sounds awesome, but um no thanks.

That’s like an awesome sports car, but it only makes right turns on even days of the week, plus the headlights only work at night sometimes.

Perfectly understandable, but in zishans defense, it is called DSD not the zishan mp3....

I can say the recent update made it much better but it's not perfect

You might try the ibasso, doesn't have any of those issues as far as I am aware

 

[Themilkman46290]

Any idea whether that crashing has been noticed by other users?

My ears aren't good enough to tell the difference between lossless and 320kb Lame mp3's...so I convert everything to the latter. I've done ABX testing many times and just can't hear the lossless advantage. Then again, I'm not listening with really expensive headphones. Currently use Alessandro MS1 and just ordered Takstar Pro 82s.

Yes, a few people had the same issue, the last update almost solved this issue I would say if i listen to mp3's it may crash once in 4-6 hours, before it was far more common, like once every album or 2

But we must keep in mind it is $100 and sq is that of a $200-300 player

 

[Slater]

Perfectly understandable, but in zishans defense, it is called DSD not the zishan mp3....

I can say the recent update made it much better but it's not perfect

You might try the ibasso, doesn't have any of those issues as far as I am aware

Which is totally cool. I have no DSD, only half flac (including ISO’s) and half 320k MP3.

However, if I ever convert to DSD down the road I’ll give the Zishan a consideration

 

[weedophile]

Yes, a few people had the same issue, the last update almost solved this issue I would say if i listen to mp3's it may crash once in 4-6 hours, before it was far more common, like once every album or 2

Hmm i got a 64gb card full of mp3 but i dont encounter this issue. I did have an issue when changing from all shuffle to normal sequence play and when i skip a song the DSD will hang. That said, i have the AK4495SEQ (edit, typo) version.

However after i cleared the default files (those files that are created in the root folder once u power on the DSD), no more hanging issues.

Also, the only tags i have are the song title, artiste and album name.

 

[Themilkman46290]

Hmm i got a 64gb card full of mp3 but i dont encounter this issue. I did have an issue when changing from all shuffle to normal sequence play and when i skip a song the DSD will hang. That said, i have the AK4495SEQ (edit, typo) version.

However after i cleared the default files (those files that are created in the root folder once u power on the DSD), no more hanging issues.

Also, the only tags i have are the song title, artiste and album name.

Sounds like you have the z3 ( ak4493 isn't available in the dsd) and you are right the z3 never crashed on me either

 

[peskypesky]

Sounds like you have the z3 ( ak4493 isn't available in the dsd) and you are right the z3 never crashed on me either

oh wow! I just looked at the Z3 and it looks much better for my needs, since I don't have DSD files. And the Z3 is cheap!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/173436310261

 

[JackFlash]

The Zishan Z3 has been tempting me for a while. Wondering when you guys were going to mention it! Seems like a great value, no nonsense player.

 

[CoiL]

I'm gonna go for the DX120 for the DAP, and eventually pick up an ES100 to use with my phone.
The DX120 not only has dual cards, but NO file limit (which is important for me because I have >20k files spread between (2) 512GB cards.

Wise choice
You will be pleased with it for long time! Money well spent!

I would also pick the ibasso, so far best customer service I have seen, fiio has been horrible about updates and hidizs isn't much better from what I have noticed. Ibasso on the other hand has been excellent about that and the fact that they only recently stopped supporting the dx50 Wich is pretty old still impresses me, can't think of any Chinese company Which is as considerate of there customers as ibasso. I am sure the next time I need a good dap it will be an ibasso

Yeah, agree, DX50 is still my all time fave DAP I`ve tried (not many though) and if I did not had upgraded its hardware and FW, then I would already have DX120 in my hands.
I`m just waiting for my DX5X to die (NOT).

 

[silverfishla]

The Zishan Z3 has been tempting me for a while. Wondering when you guys were going to mention it! Seems like a great value, no nonsense player.

Get the new Z3 with the AK4493 DAC. Sounds better than the 4490. In fact, it sounds really good. Stick a Burson in there and it’s really competitive.