Obscure Chinese DAPs

[ironbrewer]

Another question to ask urself is the type of file and sampling rate of the music u are listeing to.

I have all my music on CD's. I know I am old. I was considering reripping all my music in flac or ape but that is another discussion of which would be better, or something else. I think my music is ripped at 186kbps mp3 right now.

 

[Slater]

I have all my music on CD's. I know I am old. I was considering reripping all my music in flac or ape but that is another discussion of which would be better, or something else. I think my music is ripped at 186kbps mp3 right now.

Another thing to consider is portability. If you’re going to be hiking and biking and skipping down the sidewalk all over town, you may not want some big brick of a player.

Something dinky and easily pocketable might be high on the list of requirements.

 

[ironbrewer]

So I'm guessing the answer is yes even one of these $50 or less DAPs will have better sound quality than my lg g6 phone with Neutron.

 

[ironbrewer]

As far as form factor, maybe something super small for biking, but I'm ok with something a little bigger for most things I do.

 

[NotKunvinced]

As far as form factor, maybe something super small for biking, but I'm ok with something a little bigger for most things I do.

Speaking for the Zishan Z3 Pro(the one with AK4493 DAC), it's tiny, tough, sounds fantastic, not waterproof though! So if you're bringing it outside make sure it's in a waterproof pocket or some such.

I don't have any hiss or pops, that some others mention, in my player. If you like album art try some other player as this has zero capability to display it.

 

[ironbrewer]

It is all about sound and ease of use for me.

 

[NotKunvinced]

It is all about sound and ease of use for me.

Sound, for $80 or less? Check.

Ease of use? Small learning curve but certainly NOT rocket science!

 

[ironbrewer]

Speaking for the Zishan Z3 Pro(the one with AK4493 DAC), it's tiny, tough, sounds fantastic, not waterproof though! So if you're bringing it outside make sure it's in a waterproof pocket or some such.

I don't have any hiss or pops, that some others mention, in my player. If you like album art try some other player as this has zero capability to display it.

As far as I see the Zishan Z3 second generation has the AK4493 DAC. The PRO has a AK4497EG DAC and is about $130.

 

[NotKunvinced]

As far as I see the Zishan Z3 second generation has the AK4493 DAC. The PRO has a AK4497EG DAC and is about $130.

That's the Zishan DSD Pro which has the AK4497.
When I bought the Z3(the one with AK4493) it was advertised as Z3 Pro. Got it for $40 US.

 

[mbwilson111]

As far as form factor, maybe something super small for biking, but I'm ok with something a little bigger for most things I do.

The Ruizu A50 would be perfect for that ... especially if you add the case.

 

[ironbrewer]

That's the Zishan DSD Pro which has the AK4497.
When I bought the Z3(the one with AK4493) it was advertised as Z3 Pro. Got it for $40 US.

You are absolutely right. I missed the DSD.

 

[madnanny2]

The Ruizu A50 would be perfect for that ... especially if you add the case.

i have the ruizu a50 in red,well built machine and sounds good.i couldnt find the case.penon audio said they were discontinued as did some other sites.would have loved to have a case for this,if you find one please tell me where. thanks

 

[CoiL]

I don’t have OPA2288 yet to try, how does it sound tho?

The X10 is easy to mod because you have a lot of space inside to put big components tho, seriously ton of spaces. The biggest thing that’s gonna change the sound is the two capacitors in the upper corners and the Op amps. The IV chips is not necessarily to change tho, but it’s worth a try lol

IMHO, and in those places I have tried OPA2228, it is superior to OPA1612AID, AD8599ARZ, ADA4084-2ARZ, NE5532AD, NE5532AP in terms of detail, soundstage, natural timbre and imaging. Anyway, try it, it could be very nice but depends on implementation and personal preferences.

That's a shame.

Assuming that it's not a fake NE5532, it should sound really good. I've tried numerous op amps on my Objective 2 amplifier and the NE5532APE4 sounds the best

Yeah, depending on version NE5532 can actually sound very good.

 

[seanwee]

IMHO, and in those places I have tried OPA2228, it is superior to OPA1612AID, AD8599ARZ, ADA4084-2ARZ, NE5532AD, NE5532AP in terms of detail, soundstage, natural timbre and imaging. Anyway, try it, it could be very nice but depends on implementation and personal preferences.


Yeah, depending on version NE5532 can actually sound very good.

So what other op amps should I try out?

What are some of the best op amps you have tried?

Also, what do you mean depending on version (NE5532)? Do different batches sound different? Are there versions that I should pick over others?

 

[CoiL]

So what other op amps should I try out?

What are some of the best op amps you have tried?

Also, what do you mean depending on version (NE5532)? Do different batches sound different? Are there versions that I should pick over others?

For those questions it is better to ask from this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-opamp-thread.432749/page-440

In my experience, despite very little differences (maybe also pseudo), different size and factory/batch, NE5532 could possibly sound different.

About those opamps I mentioned:
* AD8599ARZ is detail monster but can sound too bright overall.
* OPA1612AID is also very detailed and personally prefer it over previous but somehow OPA2228PA sounded with more natural timbre and "air" in my gear implementations.
* NE5532AD sounds more analog and somewhat natural than 1612 but with less detail and resolution. As I said, this chip can actually sound very nice and depends on hardware implementation.
* About ADA4084-2ARZ I`m not made up my mind and ears enough to give proper subjective feedback but by brief listening I found myself preferring OPA2228.

Haven`t tried more expensive OPA627 / OPA 827 etc. chips... I`m not THAT opamp-freak

For what it is worth, I also made little opamp specification comparison table for myself (this is old pic, newer version is in my laptop and will update it as soon as I can):

The biggest thing that’s gonna change the sound is the two capacitors in the upper corners and the Op amps. The IV chips is not necessarily to change tho, but it’s worth a try lol

What capacitors did You use?
Haven`t done proper research about X10 schematic yet, so, my question is - are they de-coupling or coupling caps?
Generally I prefer sound of Panasonic FC but also Vishay 038RSU and Panasonic POSCAP sound very good. They all are cheap and up to ELNA SilmicII SQ level but with lot of cheaper price and smaller form factor.
On power filtering stages I prefer to use cheap Panasonic FR usually.
Also on one pic I saw some tiny mylar/ceramic bypass caps lordered to some resistors - reason for that?