[Arkats]

Dear friends,
All DAPs I was interested in are managing libraries with less than 20,000 audio files.
Do you have any suggestion for a DAP able to manage 30,000 files below 350$?
If it has Bluetooth 4.0, that will be perfect!!
Thank you so much!
Laurent

 

[Music Alchemist]

You could just go for one that supports SD cards so you can have as many files as you want via multiple cards. (With the slight inconvenience of having to switch out cards at times if your collection can't fit on just one. If you use 256 kbps AAC files, that should help save space.)

 

[Arkats]

Dear MA thank you for your reply.
Unfortunately, I don't want to have multiple cards. My bliss since 25 years of collecting various types of music is to listen my entire library in random which my iPod Classic do perfectly up to now. I want the same but with a non Apple product.
So, a DAP with a 256gb SD card is perfect for me. My only problem in the DAP I have investigated up to now is the firmware limitation in the amount of files.
And I guess that it exists a DAP able to manage large amount of files...

 

[Music Alchemist]

The FiiO X1 2nd gen supports SD cards (most DAPs nowadays do as well) and Bluetooth 4.0 and costs under $100.

 

[Arkats]

Dear MA, two years ago the X1 was limited to 5,800 songs. I doubt that they have passed to 30,000 since then. But I just send an email to Fiio asking for the X3 and X5.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Dear MA, two years ago the X1 was limited to 5,800 songs. I doubt that they have passed to 30,000 since then. But I just send an email to Fiio asking for the X3 and X5.

You put the files on the SD card. You said you were willing to use a 256 GB card and that would hold all your music.

 

[Arkats]

You put the files on the SD card. You said you were willing to use a 256 GB card and that would hold all your music.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that!
My problem is not a storage capacity. My problem is a Firmware limitation. Even if I have my 30,000 files on the 200 gb SD card, only the maximum amount of files allowed by the firmware will appear in the library.

Examples:
- Shanling M2s and M3s: max SD card capacity = 256gb, max files managed by the firmware: 15,000
- Cayin M3: max SD card capacity = 256gb, max files managed by the firmware: 12,000 (20,000 since firmware v2.0)
- Astell & Kern AK Jr.: still waiting for the answer
- Fiio X3 and X5: still waiting for the answer

It is really a critical problem and it is not honestly manage by the DAPs brands because the music files limitation due to the firmware is never written in the specifications. So, you go on forums and a lot of people are complaining because they have been fooled by the storage capacity thinking that the device can manage as much files as you put on the SD card. But it doesn't work like that!

So, my problem remain the same, does anyone knows a good and not too expansive DAP with a firmware allowing to manage a 30,000 files library?

 

[Dulalala]

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that!
My problem is not a storage capacity. My problem is a Firmware limitation. Even if I have my 30,000 files on the 200 gb SD card, only the maximum amount of files allowed by the firmware will appear in the library.

Examples:
- Shanling M2s and M3s: max SD card capacity = 256gb, max files managed by the firmware: 15,000
- Cayin M3: max SD card capacity = 256gb, max files managed by the firmware: 12,000 (20,000 since firmware v2.0)
- Astell & Kern AK Jr.: still waiting for the answer
- Fiio X3 and X5: still waiting for the answer

It is really a critical problem and it is not honestly manage by the DAPs brands because the music files limitation due to the firmware is never written in the specifications. So, you go on forums and a lot of people are complaining because they have been fooled by the storage capacity thinking that the device can manage as much files as you put on the SD card. But it doesn't work like that!

So, my problem remain the same, does anyone knows a good and not too expansive DAP with a firmware allowing to manage a 30,000 files library?

Why not go for an Android based DAP, like the Fiio X5 III or something, to work around the firmware limitation issue. The Fiio X5 III also has two micro SD card slots which lets it have a lot more total space.

 

[Arkats]

Why not go for an Android based DAP, like the Fiio X5 III or something, to work around the firmware limitation issue. The Fiio X5 III also has two micro SD card slots which lets it have a more total space.

Dear Dulalala, thank you very much, you have raised a very good point! I haven't really payed attention to the Android based DAP because they are mainly for top of the line devices. But it deserves that investigate that option!! Thanks!!

 

[Arkats]

Here are some answers received:
- From Fiio customer service: "Theoretically, there's no limit on the number of files that the X3MKIII and X5III can manage in the library. But kindly note that when working with a very large music library, the player might get slow on response."
- From an Astell & Kern AK Jr. Player 64GB user (on Amazon) : "There is no songs quantity limitation. There is a limit on the amount of memory storage that you have available for songs. Once you reach that limit, you cannot add any more songs until you delete some songs."

 

[Tinnitus Man]

I really wouldn't recommend that an AK Jr would be used with a large library like that. I only used about 5,000 tracks on my Jr and the UI was sluggish enough for me to buy something else. With a 30,000 song library, the UI would be next to unusable to navigate.

I'd also recommend moving to an Android based player, one with a good amount of RAM and a good processor. The HiBy R6 seem to be particularly powerful in this respect, although is somewhat over your budget.

 

[Arkats]

I really wouldn't recommend that an AK Jr would be used with a large library like that. I only used about 5,000 tracks on my Jr and the UI was sluggish enough for me to buy something else. With a 30,000 song library, the UI would be next to unusable to navigate.
I'd also recommend moving to an Android based player, one with a good amount of RAM and a good processor. The HiBy R6 seem to be particularly powerful in this respect, although is somewhat over your budget.

Thank you very much Tinnutus for your feedback and advise! The AK Jr was tempting... but then no! I think that now I will definitely choose an Android based DAP and increase my budget. The HiBy R6 seems very interesting even maybe a bit big and heavy for me. But let's see what is coming out in the following months and I will decide. Thank you very much!

 

[Tinnitus Man]

No problem. I guess that not many users of portable players have such large libraries, so manufacturers don't spend money on CPU/RAM where it's not needed by the majority of customers.

What I'd suggest you do is pre-load an SD card with your library and take it into a shop and then see for yourself how quickly the player responds and whether it's suitable or not. Obviously, make sure that the sales assistants are ok with you doing this.

 

[Arkats]

No problem. I guess that not many users of portable players have such large libraries, so manufacturers don't spend money on CPU/RAM where it's not needed by the majority of customers.

Yes, you are probably right even if I think that music lovers after 25 years of collecting music they necessarily end up with a large library. And I think that for some of us it might be even more complicated because on my side, I have made the choice to compress the files...

What I'd suggest you do is pre-load an SD card with your library and take it into a shop and then see for yourself how quickly the player responds and whether it's suitable or not. Obviously, make sure that the sales assistants are ok with you doing this.

Yes, that is a good idea!! Thank you!!

By the way, do you use an Android DAP? I have also put albums on my Android phone and after having tested various app I have choosen VLC but I not very happy with it. Do you have some suggestion? Thank you!

 

[Tinnitus Man]

I can't speak for anyone else here, but I don't have my full collection on my DAP - I just copy on what I feel I'll actually listen to (basically, I don't copy all the music that I don't particularly like that much).

And yes, I have an Android powered player now. There's many apps available. Sometimes the DAPs are intended to be used by the app provided by the manufacturer to give the best playback experience - it really depends on the DAP/manufacturer. Common apps I've seen are HiBy, PowerAmp, Onkyo, but other people have other preferences.