[milohvleonard]

I'm currently looking at how I can get higher quality audio on the go, and I have found that I either need a portable amp/dac (I'm looking at the FiiO Q1 to connect to my Oneplus Two), or a high res portable music player (potentially the FiiO X1). However, I don't understand the pros and cons of each one, apart from that the portable dac I'm looking at can only handle up to 96KHz/24 Bit audio files.
I'm hoping someone could shed light on which one would get me better sound from my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Over Ear headphones.
Thank you!

 

[PinkyPowers]

I imagine the Q1 will sound a bit nicer than the X1. It has more real estate to do its job, and that matters in these devices. The 24/96 limitation means nothing in practical terms.

Which one is right for you depends on you, and you alone. Will you be okay stacking a DAC/Amp to your phone every time you want to listen to music, or do you want a dedicated player that you can just pick up and play instantaneously?

I loved the sound from my GalaxyS4>Dragonfly setup, but it became a real pain to hook it all up whenever I felt the need for tunes. So I eventually moved over to stand-alone DAPs.

 

[milohvleonard]

At the moment I feel like I'll be fine stacking it with my phone when I listen, but I suppose I'll never know in the future if I don't try it (I also use spotify to listen to my music a lot of the time, so the flexibilty would be very helpful).
I was mainly wondering whether a DAP would be a lot better than a portable amp I suppose!
Just as a reference point, in case I do use a DAP in the near future, may I ask which one you bought first or what you would recommend for a first time buyer? Am I along the right lines with the X1?
Thank you very much for your help!

 

[PinkyPowers]

The best place to start is picking a solid, reliable brand (like FiiO), and spending as much money as you are comfortable with at the time.

I can't say much about the X1, since I've not handled it. My first DAP was the FiiO X3ii. It has a lot of good things going for it.

In the end, I missed the sound of the AudioQuest Dragonfly. So I moved up to the FiiO X5 Classic, because I did not want to go back to stacking. That was the DAP for me. I still own it, even though I've upgraded again since then. Not because I didn't like the sound, only that I desired to know what "better" could sound like.

I found the answer in the Astell&Kern AK120ii.

 

[BrianovichIV]

I guess it depends on how much you're spending and what your preferences are. For example, I prefer to use dedicated devices and to keep things simple, so carrying 2 devices to listen to my music is overkill. I wanted a DAP with a better amp that was an improvement over my iPod classic. I could have bought an amp/dac, and a line-out cable, and had to carry 2 devices and keep them both charged. I went for a DAP with a nice amp already in it (iBasso DX50). If you can afford it and want a Fiio, I'd recommend the X3. You could get one used for a decent amount.

 

[milohvleonard]

@PinkyPowers
I'll definitely consider them if I do end up using a DAP! I don't really want to spend very much money at this point in time (just want to see if I will even appreciate the extra detail the DAC can offer!)
I aspire to own a device of such quality one day 

 bet you're very pleased with it! Sound must be sublime!

 

[milohvleonard]

@BrianovichIV
I'm not sure if carrying two devices will bother me, so I'm going to give a portable DAC a go first, probably a Q1 since I don't want to spend too much on my first amp!
I'm not obsessed with having a FiiO, I just know that they're a solid brand and I've heard good things about both products. Would you say that the X3 is the best for its price, or would you recommend a different one?
Also, do you have a specific site that you would recommend I buy from? Besides eBay obviously.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Yes. Start small. That's the best way, I've always felt.

My journey started when I decided to see if I could tell the difference between the $15 SkullCandys I'd been using, and a $100 set from Klipsch. I figured, if I couldn't hear the difference, at least I hadn't spent too much.

It's been a wild ride since then. Each upgrade, a revelation.

 

[milohvleonard]

I guess I have an exciting journey ahead then!
 
Yeah, I started off with just your standard iPod earphones and worked up to a pair of Sony earphones which were about £50 (around $80) and now I'm on my £200 ($300) Sennheisers over ears, which I'm currently loving!
 
I don't even have a proper home set up at the moment since I'm required to be mobile whilst listening most of the time, but that may change soon so I may end up spending a lot on a nice system in the future.
 
On a side note, I assume you have some music in lossless format, so may I ask where you get your music from? I'm wondering where I should use HDTracks or if there are better sites?

 

[PinkyPowers]

Yeah, I listen to almost all lossless. Very little of it is high-res. Mostly it's just FLAC rips of CDs. HDTracks is good, if you're careful about what you download. Nothing upsampled. That's a waste of money.

 

[milohvleonard]

Do you notice much of a difference between the high res stuff and regular CD rip FLAC files? Or would you say there's little point in bothering? I think I'll try it myself, but I'm just wondering what someone with great equipment thinks.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I can't say I hear any difference. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Either way, if it's there, it's insignificant. I'd rather listen to a well-mastered 320Kb/s MP3 than a modern 24bit/192Khz suffering from over-compression.

Even though I do have some HDTracks that I enjoy flirting with, I prefer to fill my SD cards with standard resolution lossess. More bang for your buck, that way.

 

[BrianovichIV]

Fiio and iBasso seem to be the two most popular brands here for DAPs...they're both good. I look at it like the difference between Stratocasters and Les Pauls. Some people swear by one or the other (I'm a Fender guy, BTW).
 
I buy most of my stuff on Amazon. But if you're not able for whatever reason, check out the for sale forums here. You'll find good used gear that's been taken care of for a good price.