Are DAPs important sound quality wise? Or are they just an avenue to stream music from?
Do they add power/volume and affect sound signature the same way an amp/Dac would? Or can I get away with just a nice Amp/Dac and using my cellphone as a DAP?
Most modern day cellphones have not too bad DAC (digital to analogue converters) that help to play your music files. In fact some like the LGV series have quite good DACs.
Some DAPs have quite good DAC chips and opamps in them, so some have legit better sound quality. Though with modern day smartphones having very portable dongle/cable DAC/Amps, it is debatable whether one wants to carry multiple devices on the go. U can always stack a DAC/amp in non dongle/cable form with your phone, but it is quite unwieldly and bulky.
FWIW, i use a DAP for two reasons other than sound:
1 - if u have many lossless music files, the smartphone may have not enough memory so a DAP is useful for memory purposes.
2 - adding DAC/amps to phone may drain battery, hence i bring a seperate DAP so as not to use my phone battery.
Are DAPs important sound quality wise? Or are they just an avenue to stream music from?
Do they add power/volume and affect sound signature the same way an amp/Dac would? Or can I get away with just a nice Amp/Dac and using my cellphone as a DAP?
They can be important sound quality wise. Though remember too that every brand and model of DAP has different qualities of sound. So the price has dropped to such an extent that it may make sense for some. As since about 2016 some offer power close to desktop power.
Though in a way it’s a complicated question if one would be the best way to go? Also.......keep in mind people use DAPs at home only just like a desktop system, though they can take them places too on a trip. They may not carry them around all day. It’s subjective if they are too big or not, often bigger than a phone.
But.....from a design standpoint there is a lot going on. Clean power as it’s DC. All the files either streaming or on board, in your hand at a glance with a nice interface. Also many offer very sophisticated and elaborate DAC systems and cool running amplifier designs.
I use DAPs more at home than my desktop. Though only a few DAPs are super-super good with full-size or hard to drive headphones. The best way to know if you want one is try them. Each will have a special sound personality as well as different functionality. Mine don’t stream but simply play files off a 400GB card combined with the internal memory. Strangely at this point one of my DAPs actually has a preferable sound signature.....sounding better to me than my desktop. Keep in mind too, something like the FiiO M11 will run $460 and be a complete system. I’ve heard it and they get pretty loud. If your using IEMs, there is a good chance the FiiO M11 could run them well. Though for $1200...the Sony 1A is amazing. 31 hour battery life, two way Bluetooth and both the Sony and FiiO DAPs will go into DAC mode to listen to your computer music files.
So to answer your question......don’t let size fool you, they do well as far as sound quality. Though desktops work well too, it’s just you can get lazy having to reach over to a desk all the time....it’s pleasant having the screen hand-held......and if you love the sound then it’s a win-win situation!
Sound quality can be miles better than a phone. Again though it’s simply finding the best synergy with your IEMs. But 4.4mm balanced out from some DAPs is going to offer bigger soundstage, better imaging and a more involved listening experience than what could ever be found using a phone. This is because they are designed from the ground up for sound quality.
Do you know of any model of DAP powerful enough to drive something like the Abyss ab 1266 phi tc with a portable amp? Or do you think it'd need a full desktop Amp?
Given comparable pricing chances are the DAC-HPamp will have more power since none of that money nor battery power is going into a screen, firmware, interface, etc.
As with everything, the more you spend, the more you get. I love my LG V40, but it's missing a few things. A balanced connection, and really good power. It's fine for most portable use though. My main reason for getting a dap was that I can listen to music without interruption. No notifications, calls, texts, etc. Sound quality wise, my phone can compete with most sub 500 dollar daps from a sound quality perspective, but most other phones can't. I have a dap that only functions for wired headphones. My V40 has all the Bluetooth, streaming, etc. Both sound great, and I can't say one sounds better single ended.
Seems like one of your main questions is if a DAP is necessarily better than a portable DAC/AMP+phone setup.
I used to think that because phones have better UI and are faster than most DAPs, that pairing a phone with a good DAC/AMP would be better. However, nowadays DAPs have caught up in terms of UI and are definitely getting there in terms of speed. The other factor is that there is a lot more RF/EMI from your phone and the power coming from your phone to the portable DAC/AMP may not be very clean, which can both affect the sound quality. DAPs also always have expandable storage.
A DAPs sound quality may be comparable to a portable DAC/AMP (depending on what you are comparing of course). But having an all-in-one solution is the way to go IMO, and I have gone back and forth myself between the two setups.
Seems like one of your main questions is if a DAP is necessarily better than a portable DAC/AMP+phone setup.
I used to think that because phones have better UI and are faster than most DAPs, that pairing a phone with a good DAC/AMP would be better. However, nowadays DAPs have caught up in terms of UI and are definitely getting there in terms of speed. The other factor is that there is a lot more RF/EMI from your phone and the power coming from your phone to the portable DAC/AMP may not be very clean, which can both affect the sound quality. DAPs also always have expandable storage.
A DAPs sound quality may be comparable to a portable DAC/AMP (depending on what you are comparing of course). But having an all-in-one solution is the way to go IMO, and I have gone back and forth myself between the two setups.
That was the thing here for years. Maybe 2013 was the apex of buyers wanting to throw their DAPs at a wall due to glitches in the firmware. Much of time new updates then never fully addressed these software issues..........where at one point the issues ended as permanent. And while there is no perfect firmware operating system today, many are close to flawless as far as lag goes and bugs go.
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