[rbf1138]

I absolutely love the sound of my Shanling m0, however, I’d like a better UI (should be easy coming from the tiny m0, right?). I’m pretty picky and a finicky buggy UI will annoy me. Ultimately, sound quality is the most important feature to me, though.

I only use IEMs, primarily Ety Er2xr, Ikko OH1 and Audio Technica LS200. Will a dap that costs, let’s say $700, be overkill for these or will I really notice a difference in sound?

I plan to use local flac files and don’t really need streaming. I also see that Tidal is very popular on higher end DAPs. Is the sound quality of Tidal especially great or is it just that most people would rather stream than download lots of music?

Lastly, the daps that have my attention right now are the Dethonray DTR1 and the A&K SR25. They both get raves as far as sound quality but are polar opposites as far as UI and features. Any opinions and advice would be great. Thanks!

 

[Devodonaldson]

I absolutely love the sound of my Shanling m0, however, I’d like a better UI (should be easy coming from the tiny m0, right?). I’m pretty picky and a finicky buggy UI will annoy me. Ultimately, sound quality is the most important feature to me, though.

I only use IEMs, primarily Ety Er2xr, Ikko OH1 and Audio Technica LS200. Will a dap that costs, let’s say $700, be overkill for these or will I really notice a difference in sound?

I plan to use local flac files and don’t really need streaming. I also see that Tidal is very popular on higher end DAPs. Is the sound quality of Tidal especially great or is it just that most people would rather stream than download lots of music?

Lastly, the daps that have my attention right now are the Dethonray DTR1 and the A&K SR25. They both get raves as far as sound quality but are polar opposites as far as UI and features. Any opinions and advice would be great. Thanks!

Tidal is FLAC audio, vs lossy music on Spotify or Apple music. People stream or download tidal music. I have a Sony zx507 with a 512gb micro SD and half of it is full with Tidal HiFi and Tidal Masters albums. Large selection of a lot of different types of music for $20 a month. That's why we use Tidal. Qobuz is hi-res as well up to 24/192 but the selection isn't as vast.

 

[Mhog55]

The DTR1 will make you quite happy, especially compared to your Shanling. You might also want to take a look at Cowen line of daps, if sound quality is most important, and you don't need all the bells and whistles. If you want to save some of that cash, the Hiby R3 Pro is quite excellent for 200 bucks.

 

[rbf1138]

The DTR1 will make you quite happy, especially compared to your Shanling. You might also want to take a look at Cowen line of daps, if sound quality is most important, and you don't need all the bells and whistles. If you want to save some of that cash, the Hiby R3 Pro is quite excellent for 200 bucks.

youve heard all of those? My concern with the Dethonray isI’m seeing quite a few issues with it failing. The issue with Cowen (which is probably what I’d end up pulling the trigger on if not for this issue) is not supporting MicroSD cards over 128gb. That totally sucks and kills it as an option.

if I’m going down to $200, there are quite a few options and I’m not certain the R3 Pro has better sound than someone like the Shanling M2x or the Fiios in that range. Then there’s also the Hizidzs a80 Pro. Is that better than the R3 Pro??

 

[Mhog55]

I don't own the Dethonray, but my buddy does. He only uses in ears, but I listened to a few of my full size cans with it. Sounded super good imo. I've also read through the dedicated thread, and people really seem to like it. As for issues with it, I can't help you there.
Yes, the Hiby R3 Pro should sound better than the m2x. It had better sonic traits than the m5s to my ears. I'm not going to lie though, I am a bit of a Cirrus Logic fanboy. I haven't heard too many daps with AKM chips. Bluetooth on the R3 Pro isn't great. It really depends on what exactly you want from a dap. For straight wired musical goodness, I think Cowon is one of the better options. If you want the full android experience, an excellent sound, and to blow your whole wad, the Shanling M6 Pro is what I'd roll with. I haven't heard it, but a member I really trust had incredible things to say about it. It's too rich for my blood, so I settled with the Hiby R5. I chose it because of its perfect size and form factor, plus it has a ton of power. It also has my preferred dac chips in it. Preferred for that price point anyways. It really is a pocket rocket. I don't really trust Ibasso, so there's that. Just seems to be too many bugs across the board. But let's be realistic, none of these manufacturers can seem to get it 100% right. Never heard a Cayin, but nothing they have really peeked my interest. Another dap you might want to look into is the YinLuMei A2. It's a grand, but what the heck . Lots of options for sure. My best advice is to follow member Nayparm. I refer to him as the dap master. Super good dude who has helped me out a few times with some different things. You could probably shoot him an PM, once you get your choices narrowed down. What kind of sound are you looking for - anything particular? Oh yes, and back to your original question, unless you plan to upgrade your IEMs to something more detailed, layered, resolving, etc... A more detailed, layered, resolving, etc. dap likely won't turn your in ears into such. It will likely help a little, but it indeed can be overkill. The rabbit hole ladder has no bottom. Personally, I can't see using head gear that can't hang with the technical abilities of a more expensive dap, but different strokes I guess. I'm sure some might disagree.