Hi Resolution Portable (without breaking the bank)

[Pyramus]

Hi all,

Its that time of year again... time to think upgrades. I am very happy with my Electrocompaniet/Elac/REL purchases from this time last year, thanks again all who had a hand in that in the WHFi forums.

I am getting veritably sick of having to plug in my Mac every time I want to listen to music. Another point is the functionality. It mean, I don't get to listen to music as often as I would like to. I am often working on the laptop, and my workspace is miles away from the HiFi. So, I reckon I need a new source for my music files. I thought about just getting a new cheapo laptop for this purpose, but then I read some interesting stuff about HiRes portable devices. I suppose I could use it on the bus, and when running.... how cool, it would be like my old Sony walkman in 1987. So... long story short... I want one.

Question is:

Long holiday planned this summer with wife and kids... not as minted as las summer, looking for something reasonable below the 500 mark - micht consider something more expensive, if it invovled a life changing experience, or something similiar.

Product suggestions welcome, advice too...

Many thanks all!

Pyramus

 

[EvPa]

FiiO's products (X1, X3 and X5) are very good and priced affordably.

The X3 was recently updated and the X5's new model was announced this week.

The X1 sells for GBP 99, GBP 160 for the updated X3 and GBP 289 for the X5 (the updated one should be priced the same way when released).

 

[Pyramus]

Thanks EvPa, just had a look, it doesn't look bad, with up to 250 gigs storage. Do you own one? Can you recommend?

 

[EvPa]

Do you own one? Can you recommend?

I do not own one (yet), mostly because my 2009 SanDisk Sansa Clip+ still works very well and I do not really listen to much Hi-Res stuff, despite my home kit being compatible. Heck, I still use my 2004 iRiver H320 from time to time...

I used a friend's FiiO X3 (first model) for some time and was very happy with it, If I were in the market for this type of product I would definitely consider FiiO's range first (their other products are also of very good quality).

 

[ID.]

http://store.sony.com/64-gb-hi-res-walkman-digital-music-player-zid27-NWZA17SLV/cat-27-catid-All-MP3-Players;pgid=6gJyO_bEEw1SRp9AcFfhkkYf00009Zj7LkWc;sid=Rz1-zB6J1QRnzEv4h0cYyC6Di15AL9Lqed7dbvg3?_t=pfm%3Dcategory

 

[Pyramus]

Thanks, found this:

A shootout between the NWZ-A17 and FiiO X5 high-resolution players seemed like a good idea, as they're nearly the same price. The X5 is more powerful and can play full-size headphones a lot louder, but it's bigger and bulkier; I prefer the NWZ-A17's user-interface and easier-to-read display. The X5's controls are awkward to use, and worse yet, it occasionally stops playing tunes (the reset gets music back on track). The X5 sounds warmer and fuller paired with my Audio Technica ATH-M50x and Sony MDR 7520 headphones. The NWZ-A17 was lighter in tone, with a smaller sound stage. The X5 opens up the sound; it's less inside my head, and the X5 also did a much better job with difficult-to-drive (300 ohm impedance) Sennheiser HD-580 headphones. The NWZ-A17 didn't cut it with the HD-580s.

(CNet 2014): http://www.cnet.com/news/sonys-tiny-high-resolution-audio-player-might-be-the-next-big-thing/

Question is if I can USB both (either) device(s) to my DAC?

 

[ID.]

Thanks, found this:

A shootout between the NWZ-A17 and FiiO X5 high-resolution players seemed like a good idea, as they're nearly the same price. The X5 is more powerful and can play full-size headphones a lot louder, but it's bigger and bulkier; I prefer the NWZ-A17's user-interface and easier-to-read display. The X5's controls are awkward to use, and worse yet, it occasionally stops playing tunes (the reset gets music back on track). The X5 sounds warmer and fuller paired with my Audio Technica ATH-M50x and Sony MDR 7520 headphones. The NWZ-A17 was lighter in tone, with a smaller sound stage. The X5 opens up the sound; it's less inside my head, and the X5 also did a much better job with difficult-to-drive (300 ohm impedance) Sennheiser HD-580 headphones. The NWZ-A17 didn't cut it with the HD-580s.

(CNet 2014): http://www.cnet.com/news/sonys-tiny-high-resolution-audio-player-might-b...

Question is if I can USB both (either) device(s) to my DAC?

I own the X5. It outputs a digital signal but not via USB. When researching it I couldn't find a definitive answer about whether the Sony could. If I recall correctly, it can but it isn't necessarily compatible with all USB DACs. Either way, I'd double check it.

 

[Al ears]

The Fiio X3 is a brilliant bit of kit. Not seen the X5 but by all accounts it knocks the Sony into a cocked hat. Very poor reviews of the Sony are easy to be found on other HiFi mag review sites..

 

[ID.]

I should add that I'm very happy with my X5. I bit big if you are looking for something to carry around in your pocket. I bought it for when I travel but also so I could use it as a digital source at home if I wanted. The other deciding factor was that it has massive storage depending on the memory cards used, although buying the biggest cards does increase the cost significantly.