Best Apple iPod alternatives: budget and premium

[What Hi-Fi?]

If you’re not Apple's biggest fan but want a quality portable music player, we've got plenty of iPod alternatives on this list.

Best Apple iPod alternatives: budget and premium : Read more

 

[Navanski]

Here's a suggestion, why not ditch the list provided in the article and spend your cash on something else.
Buy a phone with a decent DAC and adequate power output.
My LG V30 has a quad DAC, it will handle virtually all codecs, including 32 bit @ 384khz and MQA. It drives my 300ohm HD580s with ease. And it cost me, new, about the same as the cheapest device in your list.
Basically, you don't have to remove all that cash from your pocket to make room for a second device.

 

[Norvitski]

Do not make accusations of payola - unless you have evidence.

 

[malrdaw]

I have an as new AK70 MkII lying in a drawer at home, it was purchased specifically to play back Tidal (one of it's USP's).
After less than 14 months the latest version of Tidal became incompatible with the android version of the DAP rendering it useless.
No reply to any of my emails sent A&K, with Tidal saying they had every right to update their software to make it more stable and secure.
Nuff said.

 

[Firsidh]

New here, but read several articles to realise this is one I wanted to be registered with, from many comments I realise my "expertise" is well below that of others here, which means I can learn a lot,
however on this occasion I need to express my opinion on this subject,
I mean no slight on Apple, I have more than one of their devices in my arsenal and my wife is not a fam but me and kids are enough to keep them around, with good reason.
BUT the iPhone 16, is not an alternate to an iPod when one wants the processing and performance power of a dedicated music play, perhaps with some perks, such as the later iPhone like iPod Touch. we still use two older iPods and two iPod 4th Gens, because unlike our iPhones or Wifi only iPad, battery life is remarkably lower when the device has a Cellular connection constantly draining at the battery, less of an issue when the phone is new of course, but as the devices get old and the iPods still run strong, why on earth would we want one device that does it all, one device then drops breaks like the headlines of the nightly news, so separate devices are perfect for us.
sadly all these options are rather expensive to replace an iPod,
the Sony most notably for me because I know Sony stuff and it usually good without being bank breaking.
and now with the market wide open, there is still nothing solid for a replacement of the aging and now absent iPod.
excellent reviews just a shame that the market place only seems to have poorly made MP3 players and Smart Phones than both have poor sound quality, in the budget minded part of the market and overly expensive devices aimed squarely at professionals or actual smart phones with good sound, but not good enough sound for the modern ear.
but still thank you for the reviews.