[gazzington]

I have an ak se100, ibasso dx200 and Sony wm1a for home use but after s cheap set up for work. Sound more important than UI. And if you have reasonably cheap iems or earbuds to recommend with it even better. £250 ish

 

[kukkurovaca]

Are you looking for another DAP, or a DAC/amp to use with your work PC? Also, is there a erason why don't want to use one of your existing DAPs at work?

 

[gazzington]

Another dap. I'm an IT technician so I'm on the move a lot. I don't want to take my current ones in case they get damaged. Lots of tools in work!

 

[kukkurovaca]

Another dap. I'm an IT technician so I'm on the move a lot. I don't want to take my current ones in case they get damaged. Lots of tools in work!

Onkyo DP-S1 can often be found $199 US or less, and at that price it's a very good deal. Compact, somewhat chintzy in its construction but surprisingly sturdy. No frills UI, but it's very usable and mostly well thought-out. Sound is decent, particularly balanced in ACG mode. Good EQ and Tidal streaming, if that matters.

Pair that with maybe an iBasso IT01, which is also a very good value and, like the DP-S1, sturdier than it looks.

Or if you don't need a screen (like, if you mostly play your music on shuffle), maybe look at some of the screenless chi-fi DAP options and increase the earphone portion of your budget.