Best Digital Audio Players

[TitanTim]

Hi all,

I'm looking to get a decent alround audio player, aka Walkman type as my Phone (HTC M8) is full to capacity, only has 16gb and has never been that great as a music player, well it is a phone and would like to get more into a dedicated portable music player as bought some decent headphones over Christmas. I have a budget and narrowed it down to the following 3,

Fiio X7 which hasn't been out long http://headmania.org/2016/01/10/fiio-x7-review/ and looks appealing with detatchable amp which can be swapped out for more powerful ones depending on your headset, gets good reviews for the price.

Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 http://www.whathifi.com/sony/nwz-zx1/review Slightly older and has some limitations, operating system a little dated with no expandable memory, the latest replacement is a bit more pricey.

Astell and Kern AK Junior http://www.whathifi.com/astell-kern/ak-jr/review I know very little about the brand but gets good reviews.

Ipod touch, should I be looking? or a level down on the ones above.

Any other recommendations would be great.

Thanks alot,

Tim.

 

[stupot67]

Hi Tim,

Take a look at Cowon players (http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/) - Have had 3 over the last 10-12 years and they have all been fautless, and the audio quality (Especially from FLAC) is really top notch. they don't come with loads of toys installed, it's all about the audio quality.

Stu.

 

[jamesbond]

Hello Tim

May not help you much as it sounds as if you are after something small .. all my units are PC based. I use WAV un compressed and if you use a program called Dbpoweramp you can tag (data & artwork)

Also I use FLAC uncompressed .. never use MP3 as the files are compressed. a couple of links below also try Jriver audio 20 is which most audio geeks use

https://www.dbpoweramp.com/

https://www.jriver.com/index.html

If you get a small pc with a decent sound card and use aiso drivers (allows the music to go straight to the sound card) you would have a great music system. I use these systems at audio shows to demonstrate my valve amplifiers

You can then use a site called HD Tracks ... https://www.hdtracks.com/ .. where you can download master music files in glorious 192Khz/24 bit music files, but only if the soundcard A/D convertor can handle the higher music rate .. all XONAR music cards do.

Regards

 

[jamesbond]

Hi Tim

Had a look at Astell and Kern AK Junior .. looks ok plus it can handle 192Khz/24 bit files plus it has a decent voltage output to drive your existing music system. Also it uses Wolsons DACs which some of the best in the industry

Just need to check what Codec files it can handle and if the memory can be expanded , let me check for you

Plus the Cowon is a good choice as well ..

regards

 

[TitanTim]

Hi Tim,

Take a look at Cowon players (http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/) - Have had 3 over the last 10-12 years and they have all been fautless, and the audio quality (Especially from FLAC) is really top notch. they don't come with loads of toys installed, it's all about the audio quality.

Stu.

Thanks Stu will have a look at some reviews for Cowon

Tim.

 

[TitanTim]

Thanks James for the advice, much appreciated, primarily looking for something whilst on the move as much as for home listening, I know its just another thing to lug around but would like to get all my music files off my phone to free it up a little and generally a dedicated music player thats better than what a phone can give.

Tim.

 

[jamesbond]

Hello Tim .. another link for you to read

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/05/14/6-best-portable-hi-fi-music-players/

 

[jamesbond]

and another

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.php/internet-audio/638-fiio-x3-portable-digital-audio-player.html?showall=1

 

[jamesbond]

Main thing to check is the codecs (WAV / FLAC / wmp lossless) or apple lossless ... any lossless codec will give you the best possible sound quality on your device

and that the DAC can handle 192Khz/24bit .. the bigger the memory the more music stored, for I would suggest FLAC

https://xiph.org/flac/

 

[TitanTim]

Thanks for the links James, I've had a read I'm erring towards the Fiio X7 at the moment as as the Astell and Kern doesn't support Wifi which is a shame. Ruled the Sony out.

Tim.

 

[jamesbond]

Thanks for the links James, I've had a read I'm erring towards the Fiio X7 at the moment as as the Astell and Kern doesn't support Wifi which is a shame. Ruled the Sony out.

Tim.

well .. just checked the spec, I am sure you will be fine with that spec machine ..

before you purchase, send me a email for a 2nd opinion as I can check the spec for you

 

[onenil]

I have the Sony ZX1 i it is a great bit of kit. Its so well made and you feel the quality in your hand before you even start it up. Its milled from a solid piece of aluminium.

It supports all the lossless codecs (most of mine are FLAC) so you can download full HD tracks (hdtracks.com) but I also use TIDAL for hi def streaming and caching. You mention about expanding the storage and yes, it is limited, but so far i still haven't filled up the 128Gb!

Of course you do need a top pair of headphones as well to make it worthwhile.

Take a look out for the ZX1 on ebay, you can get some cracking deals on it.

 

[bluestreak56]

Which headphones did you go for? You also have the option to go for a micro-sd card and keep the music on your phone if you want to keep the cost down..

 

[TitanTim]

I have the Sony ZX1 i it is a great bit of kit. Its so well made and you feel the quality in your hand before you even start it up. Its milled from a solid piece of aluminium.

It supports all the lossless codecs (most of mine are FLAC) so you can download full HD tracks (hdtracks.com) but I also use TIDAL for hi def streaming and caching. You mention about expanding the storage and yes, it is limited, but so far i still haven't filled up the 128Gb!

Of course you do need a top pair of headphones as well to make it worthwhile.

Take a look out for the ZX1 on ebay, you can get some cracking deals on it.

Thanks for the feedback, I very nearly went for the NWZ-ZX1 a few weeks back purely as a default choice as I've been very happy with Sony's stuff over the years. TVs, Soundbar etc but then caught my eye on the Fiio X7 literally as I was about to place an order for the Sony so held off. I think I've pretty much settled on the Fiio now paired with its dedicated headphone amp, both get excellent reviews,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaU7cKAvM1E

https://vimeo.com/149733877

I quite like the idea with the X7 you can change the amplifier part and swap it out depending on your headphones etc. indoor/outdoor use etc. I'm sure the X7 isn't perfect but have a certain budget. I think the Astell and Kern Jr would be the best choice sound wise but it looks to be that bit too compromised with its functions for the money.

Tim.

 

[TitanTim]

Which headphones did you go for? You also have the option to go for a micro-sd card and keep the music on your phone if you want to keep the cost down..

I've been using Bowers and Wilkins P5s for a while now for indoor listening but went for the smaller P3s over Christmas when out and about, lovely headphones and fold up a treat. I've tried earbuds/inner ear etc but just can't get on with them so rely on headphones.

My HTC One M8 does have a SD card slot and thought of just doing that but I do like my music and it just doesn't sound that great and for me has poor amplification when out and about.

Tim.

 

[stuartC]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm thinking about portable external speakers to connect to PC & iPod when on travels. Any recommendations anyone? Cheers

 

[DumfriesDik]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm thinking about portable external speakers to connect to PC & iPod when on travels. Any recommendations anyone? Cheers

Cambridge GO, recently bought it for my travels and it is excellent. I lost the charger, contacted Cambridge and they sent me a free replacement. Best support ever.

Richer Sounds

 

[stuartC]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm thinking about portable external speakers to connect to PC & iPod when on travels. Any recommendations anyone? Cheers

Cambridge GO, recently bought it for my travels and it is excellent. I lost the charger, contacted Cambridge and they sent me a free replacement. Best support ever.

Richer Sounds

Cheers, I'll check it out

 

[TitanTim]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm thinking about portable external speakers to connect to PC & iPod when on travels. Any recommendations anyone? Cheers

Hi Stuart,

I guess depends on your budget and whether you want a single portable unit or 2 seperate speakers, I have a Bose Soundlink which I use around the house and outside and been really impressed with it, especially the power it kicks out and good battery life, its quite a weighty unit though but beautifully made. I have the Soundlink 2 unit which has been replaced now,

https://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-and-personal-audio/speakers/wireless-speakers/soundlink-bluetooth-speaker-III/

Like all these things the choice is bewildering so I only went with Bose as I already has the TV sound bar as been impressed with it.

Tim.

 

[85genius]

have you thought of upgrading your phone. Switch from HTC to a Sony Xperia z3 won't cost you much to do as it's 2 generations old (but still a big upgrade to your HTC) you can stick a massive sd card in, the sound quality is excellent and it's one less thing to carry around