Portable d a c

[Cat998]

Hi, first time poster, Bought an SR 35 three months ago, great sound, but too small and fiddly for me. I’m knocking on a bit and I’m looking for a good quality dac with a screen size about the same as my iPhone Pro Max. It will be used solely for music on the go, so it must be quite easy to download via tidal or apple, directly to a. decent size micro SD card., must be reasonably simple to operate as I am an old duffer. I’m looking to spend around £ 500. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Dave.

 

[Al ears]

Hi, first time poster, Bought an SR 35 three months ago, great sound, but too small and fiddly for me. I’m knocking on a bit and I’m looking for a good quality dac with a screen size about the same as my iPhone Pro Max. It will be used solely for music on the go, so it must be quite easy to download via tidal or apple, directly to a. decent size micro SD card., must be reasonably simple to operate as I am an old duffer. I’m looking to spend around £ 500. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Dave.

I take it you are looking for a digital music player not a dac.....

 

[Cat998]

I take it you are looking for a digital music player not a dac.....

Hi, I’m a bit naeve on the difference, is there a digital music player with the quality of a Dac? I’m open to suggestions, thanks.

 

[Gray]

A DAC is a Digital To Analogue Converter Dave - used wherever digital needs to become analogue audio.
So you will have a DAC built into your SR35.
Your SR35 is a DAP (Digital Audio Player).

I saw this review for a Fiio M23 recently.
Around £150 more than your budget though - but maybe less than you paid for the A&K??

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hAT0mJr_nU

 

[Cat998]

I take it you are looking for a digital music player not a dac.....

Hi, I’m a bit naeve on the difference, is there a digital music player with the quality of a Dac? I’m open to suggestions, thanks

 

[Cat998]

Hi, I’m a bit naeve on the difference, is there a digital music player with the quality of a Dac? I’m open to suggestions, thanks

Hi, I’m a bit naeve on the difference, is there a digital music player with the quality of a Dac? I’m open to suggestions, thanks

A DAC is a Digital To Analogue Converter Dave - used wherever digital needs to become analogue audio.
So you will have a DAC built into your SR35.
Your SR35 is a DAP (Digital Audio Player).

I saw this review for a Fiio M23 recently.
Around £150 more than your budget though - but maybe less than you paid for the A&K??

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hAT0mJr_nU

Hi, thank you for taking the time to reply. Very interesting. I will follow this shop. Thank you so much. It looks like a dap is the way to go. Regards , Dave.

 

[Al ears]

Hi, thank you for taking the time to reply. Very interesting. I will follow this shop. Thank you so much. It looks like a dap is the way to go. Regards , Dave.

Rather than get a DAP why don't you simply use your phone?

 

[Cat998]

Rather than get a DAP why don't you simply use your phone?

I have a very expensive set of I E Ms and it seems wrong to not get the best from them,I don’t think my I phone gives me the best quality, ergo d a p , thank you.

 

[Al ears]

I have a very expensive set of I E Ms and it seems wrong to not get the best from them,I don’t think my I phone gives me the best quality, ergo d a p , thank you.

A dap would certainly have a better DAC, depends on what sort of files you are attempting to listen to.

 

[Friesiansam]

If you don’t mind buying used, there are a number of Astell and Kern DAPs on eBay, within your stated budget.

 

[Cat998]

If you don’t mind buying used, there are a number of Astell and Kern DAPs on eBay, within your stated budget.

Hi, no I have no objection to buying used there are so many out there and so many fake recommendations that i get disheartened very quickly. I spent a lot of money on the A&K and ultimately lost 300 pounds on it obviously my own fault for not doing my research but that’s 300 pounds that could’ve gone towards a reasonable dap, I have now resolved to take my time and not trust. Any recommendations from anywhere else other than this site i thank everyone for their comments. Regards to all

 

[Jasonovich]

I have a very expensive set of I E Ms and it seems wrong to not get the best from them,I don’t think my I phone gives me the best quality, ergo d a p , thank you.

I was using my phone for digital play back, music was of reasonable quality and this is by far the cheapest route.
However, a small investment in a DAP player and a good set of ear phones or portable headphone is the way forward.
Gray mentioned FiiO but also check out Caylin, Hiby, astell & kern (very expensive!) or TempoTech or even the Sony Walkman.

 

[Al ears]

I was using my phone for digital play back, music was of reasonable quality and this is by far the cheapest route.
However, a small investment in a DAP player and a good set of ear phones or portable headphone is the way forward.
Gray mentioned FiiO but also check out Caylin, Hiby, astell & kern (very expensive!) or TempoTech or even the Sony Walkman.

None of those are going to have the size of screen the OP was asking about unfortunately, which is why I suggested he simply uses his phone.
And he has had an A&K.....
why don't people read the requirements??

 

[Cat998]

I was using my phone for digital play back, music was of reasonable quality and this is by far the cheapest route.
However, a small investment in a DAP player and a good set of ear phones or portable headphone is the way forward.
Gray mentioned FiiO but also check out Caylin, Hiby, astell & kern (very expensive!) or TempoTech or even the Sony Walkman.

Hi , looking at FiiO at present, I want a 6” screen if possible, hiby looked ok , then read not very loud,Walkman gets poor reviews.

 

[Cat998]

None of those are going to have the size of screen the OP was asking about unfortunately, which is why I suggested he simply uses his phone.
And he has had an A&K.....
why don't people read the requirements??

People don’t read the requirements because they get old ,things slip their minds and can’t understand half the tech, i’m nearly 78 and I think I do quite well ,but as I have previously stated things do Slip your mind and sometimes when you ask for help with a tech guru, you might as well have not bothered in the first place, unless you are very lucky like I was and got someone who was understanding and talked me through it but by that time it was too late. The AK was much too demanding the screen too small yes, I know my fault. I didn’t take this into consideration. IM OLD 😂

 

[Jasonovich]

None of those are going to have the size of screen the OP was asking about unfortunately, which is why I suggested he simply uses his phone.
And he has had an A&K.....
why don't people read the requirements??

Fair point AI, the devil is in the detail!

Not exactly portable the FiiO R7 comes to mind.

FiiO R7 Snapdragon 660 Android 10 Desktop Musik Player AMP/DAC ES9068AS Chip/THXAAA 788 Kopfhörer Verstärker Bluetooth 5,0 DSD512 - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[Jasonovich]

People don’t read the requirements because they get old ,things slip their minds and can’t understand half the tech, i’m nearly 78 and I think I do quite well ,but as I have previously stated things do Slip your mind and sometimes when you ask for help with a tech guru, you might as well have not bothered in the first place, unless you are very lucky like I was and got someone who was understanding and talked me through it but by that time it was too late. The AK was much too demanding the screen too small yes, I know my fault. I didn’t take this into consideration. IM OLD 😂

God bless you sir, you're never too old to enjoy music

 

[Cat998]

God bless you sir, you're never too old to enjoy music

Thank you, sir quite correct. I have a very eclectic taste in music from heavy rock to classical and I can say some classical is absolute garbage in my honest opinion, but! Each to his own , that’s what personal preferences all about ,long live it

 

[jjbomber]

why don't people read the requirements??

Er, that's every thread on here!

 

[DCarmi]

What about a portable dac for the phone? I know it means carrying 2 devices but you'd probably be doing that with a DAP anyway. That way you can use your iPhone and get better quality sound.

Something like the FiiO K3 or the Ifi Hip Dac or the Chord Mojo.

Personally, I have a tiny Ifi Go Link (£59) which is not battery powered (uses power from the phone) and volume is controlled entirely from the phone. I have a cable which allows me to listen and power the phone/tablet at the same time.

Given the cost of the Go Link it might be worth giving it a go, to see how you get on before deciding to invest in a DAP or better DAC. https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/ifi-go-link

 

[Cat998]

What about a portable dac for the phone? I know it means carrying 2 devices but you'd probably be doing that with a DAP anyway. That way you can use your iPhone and get better quality sound.

Something like the FiiO K3 or the Ifi Hip Dac or the Chord Mojo.

Personally, I have a tiny Ifi Go Link (£59) which is not battery powered (uses power from the phone) and volume is controlled entirely from the phone. I have a cable which allows me to listen and power the phone/tablet at the same time.

Given the cost of the Go Link it might be worth giving it a go, to see how you get on before deciding to invest in a DAP or better DAC. https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/ifi-go-link

Hi, I have seen these advertised. I’ll have to look into the quality of these, but you’ve certainly given me something to think of and it might be a way forward. i’m definitely going to investigate this. Thank you so much for your input. It is greatly appreciated as is everyone’s help on here.

 

[Cat998]

Hi again DCarmi, just as an aside I don’t wish to appear dim , But I assume ,correctly I hope ,that you use your iPhone screen for all the input as in downloading and selecting songs etc , if I am correct, this will be brilliant because one of my big gripes about the A&K was the minuscule screen, I think you may just have hit the nail right on the head with this post. I’m going to jump on this now. I don’t mind spending the cash if I can get the result that I need, I brought this on myself by not doing the research first, I’m a Wazzock thank you very much for your inpu,. It’s very much appreciated.

 

[Cat998]

Hi all, does anyone have any personal hands on experience with the ibasso dc-elite , I am aware of the volume attenuator issue, but this looks a really good bit of kit. I would appreciate any feedback from someone who has used this personally thank you again please don’t get too technical. I am old.

 

[Jasonovich]

Hi all, does anyone have any personal hands on experience with the ibasso dc-elite , I am aware of the volume attenuator issue, but this looks a really good bit of kit. I would appreciate any feedback from someone who has used this personally thank you again please don’t get too technical. I am old.

I haven't but from the numerous reviews these appear to be solid, also check out the FiiO equivalents - see Headfonia review.

iBasso DC-Elite Review

In this review we take a close look at the iBasso DC-Elite which is selling for $449 USD. It's a recommended Buy! Now on Headfonia!

www.headfonia.com

If you're still thinking about a DAP the new ibasso has a 5" inch screen, not as dinky as the A&T, and very high spec in terms of DAC and memory capability. It's based on Android OS, so you could probably adjust the font size?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/iBasso-DX180-Digital-Audio-Player-128GB-Black/dp/B0D7CYGJ6G/ref=sr_1_117?adgrpid=1174279357823106&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.As14rLF20_PNbzffZ3uyqfFItyaL66FBBJ9P9Ys4Ckz692sgnowmpSw9nadGlhDSUhPt3he7OOhK6mKyA1UZ5yuDbSFTED0KH59fpPoIPDL2lDzSz8FE9TglTfiCwkf2s0Id0x7P1a27dfAL6KFg2eHzAz97LkA3a8olA2aoboPGjgERsjSqrux9Rk2i0gZt.xSJipnL7CHzGhYDKRg0HcI4ZQjQdAUbyGLTY20s9eDY&dib_tag=se&hvadid=73392668454853&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=4076&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-73392632196711%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=3766_1860986&keywords=audio%2Bplayer%2Bfor%2Belderly&msclkid=73c2948e0f411c67dfbff24d2eca1e4d&qid=1724064369&sr=8-117&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.4c560c31-6601-464f-a219-d10a40a4ca65&th=1

Ps. It's Amazon, if you don't like it you can always return it

 

[jjbomber]

What about a portable dac for the phone? I know it means carrying 2 devices but you'd probably be doing that with a DAP anyway. That way you can use your iPhone and get better quality sound.

I use one of these:

EarFun UA100 Portable USB DAC

EarFun has developed the UA100, a portable Hi-Res DAC that enhances the audiophile experience. Powered by the ES9038Q2M SABRE Reference chip, it supports up to 32bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512 decoding, with features like clock jitter suppression and low distortion. It includes dual headphone...

www.myearfun.com