Portable Digital Player, iPod or ?

Apologies. I am sure this has been asked, but a search took me down many fruitless paths.

In short I am looking for a decent quality player that is portable, and has an easy interface with cars or home, and has a lot of storage space. Content will be mostly HQ 320bit MP3, but some FLAC and better may be added depending on space. I have an old iPod touch that is only 32GB and full. I have an Android phone with a cheap 512GB card, but my phone does not easily interface with much. If Apple had an sd slot for 512GB and larger cards, I'd probably get one, but the touch is limited to 256GB. Plus they are expensive..

I like the Apple interface. iTunes has it quirks, but for the most part, I like the setup. I like that it's compatible (interface and menu) with many different devices (older cars, AVRs, TVs, BluRay Players etc.), and there are a number of different connection options that are not too expensive. From what I recall many devices can access the digital stream, so it could act more like a HQ storage device.

My iPod touch is a decent stand alone player. I don't use it for "critical listening. I also like it as a 2nd device for music playing. I can leave it hooked up to whatever, but still carry my phone around.

Much of the time the sound quality is not that important, but it would be nice to connect it to my or someone else's equipment and be able to play a digital flac file without going through the internal DAC and using RCAs.

Any recommendations on a player, or is Apple it for ease of connectivity?

Comments

  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    They have portable dac \ amp you can hook up to the droid.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 2,987
    Check out Shanling DAPs. They take microSD cards and can play every format except M4P...can even play DSD.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
  • gyosa
    gyosa Posts: 675
    Iphone coupled with a dragonfly black is what I use ....
    Full mqa decoder for Tidal ......

    Bk
    Parasound A21 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Polk SDA 1c’s ( my first love .. ) , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 42” - BEDROOM

    B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Yamaha wxc-50 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL

    PS Audio Stellar S300 , Eversolo DMP-A8 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Salk Supercharged Song towers ( difficult choice between these and my family if I had to choose ... 😩 ) , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN RIG

    Cambridge Audio 851n - sitting in the closet , for now

    Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sharp 65” TV - PATIO

    DAYENS AMPINO ( thanks Verb ! ) , KEiiD streamer ( this was only 60 bucks ?? ) , Polk atrium 8SDi’s - KID’s BEDROOM
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    Use Apple Lossless for iPad music. I used my iPad as a music source for my stereo for a few years.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
  • HT- Samsung PN50B860/Integra DTR 30.3/Rt55 Fronts
    Rt35i Surrounds/Cs1000p Center/SVS BP1000 Sub
    2CH - B&K MC-101 pre/B&K EX-442 amp/NAD 2400 amp
    Polk SDA1C, Polk Monitor 7, New Large Advents and Polk RTA 8T
    BR - Yamaha CR800/Polk monitor 5
  • vcwatkins
    vcwatkins Posts: 1,993
    I use this phone as an inexpensive Roon endpoint, but it could be used as a player and wifi streamer. Very good DAC for a phone.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DL11YRX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    dd4n60mvbn78.jpg
    Beach Audio: Rega RP6 (mods) - AT33PTG/II - Parks Budgie SUT - PSAudio NPC * Eversolo DMP-A6 * Schiit Yggy * Joule-Electra LA-100 mkIII * Pass Aleph 30 * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 2.3tl (mods) * PSAudio PPP3
    Beach Study: Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra & Pre Box S2 * Pass ACA * DH Labs SS Q10 * Brines Folded ML-TQWT RS 40-1354 * PSA Dectet
    Beach Master: WiiM Pro * Dayens Menuetto * Zu Libtec * Dynaudio Audience 50
    Beach Den: Bluesound Powernode 2i * DH Labs SS Q10 * Zu Omen DWII * Richard Gray RGPC
    Town Study: WiiM Pro * Chord Qute (Pardo) * Elekit TU-8600 * MIT S3 * Revel M22 * Beyer DT-990 * Shunyata Hydra 2
    Town Den: Music Hall mm5.1se - Denon DL-103r - Jolida JD9ii (mods) * WiiM Pro * Cary xCiter * Rogue 99 Magnum * Schiit Aegir * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 1.2tl (mods) * Dectet * Bottlehead Crack - Senn 600
    Town Porch: WiiM Pro Plus * Sunfire Sig II * Canare 4S11 * Magnepan 1.6 * Dectet
  • vcwatkins
    vcwatkins Posts: 1,993
    Here's a Darko video on the LG v30. His take is also as a Roon endpoint with display. But since it has a better DAC than most phones and a 3.5mm jack, you can output analog to a home or car stereo, or listen with wired or wireless headphones. MicroSD up to 1tb. Multi-use flexibility and low cost ($138) appeals to the cheapbastahd side (okay, three-quarters) of my brain.

    One note re Roon use: when I first tried it, I was getting some noise - pops, bumps, gaps. After updating the Android OS, I had no issues.

    https://youtu.be/kboxkbkKgHY
    Beach Audio: Rega RP6 (mods) - AT33PTG/II - Parks Budgie SUT - PSAudio NPC * Eversolo DMP-A6 * Schiit Yggy * Joule-Electra LA-100 mkIII * Pass Aleph 30 * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 2.3tl (mods) * PSAudio PPP3
    Beach Study: Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra & Pre Box S2 * Pass ACA * DH Labs SS Q10 * Brines Folded ML-TQWT RS 40-1354 * PSA Dectet
    Beach Master: WiiM Pro * Dayens Menuetto * Zu Libtec * Dynaudio Audience 50
    Beach Den: Bluesound Powernode 2i * DH Labs SS Q10 * Zu Omen DWII * Richard Gray RGPC
    Town Study: WiiM Pro * Chord Qute (Pardo) * Elekit TU-8600 * MIT S3 * Revel M22 * Beyer DT-990 * Shunyata Hydra 2
    Town Den: Music Hall mm5.1se - Denon DL-103r - Jolida JD9ii (mods) * WiiM Pro * Cary xCiter * Rogue 99 Magnum * Schiit Aegir * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 1.2tl (mods) * Dectet * Bottlehead Crack - Senn 600
    Town Porch: WiiM Pro Plus * Sunfire Sig II * Canare 4S11 * Magnepan 1.6 * Dectet
  • pkquat
    pkquat Posts: 742
    lol @rpf65 That is missing a TV though. :p (in reference to a post a few weeks back with boom boxes that played and tuned in anything).

    Thanks for all the ideas. I'll do some more investigating on whats been listed.

    I have thought about an iPad. They are pretty reasonable used for 512GB, and have a good screen size, but I think of that more for home use. They don't fit in a pocket or car well.

    I have thought about possibly getting a dragonfly, but TBH for portable I am not as concerned about the quality making it to the headphone jack as long as I can easily connect digitally to other devices, and especially older devices (within the last 10-12 years). There are more and better options for new devices, but it appears there isn't much of a standard aside from Apple.

    I think that is where I am hung up some on the iPod / iTunes. Their interface is compatible / available with so many devices. I like being able to easily access songs with the native devices menu. I have seen some devices that will work with HD's, android, and Apple via USB. Usually the Apple interface and menu doesn't require any setup, and finds playlists etc. The android and HD access have either been more of a plan file menu access, or require some setup. I have not found much of a standard format for playlists or album displays that works well either.

    Maybe, I hope, I am missing something.



  • StantonZ
    StantonZ Posts: 439
    I use an external HDD as my "FLAC" player: many systems now accept music via a USB input. I use my iPhone as a "low quality" (MP3) portable player.
    Yamaha RX-A2050 AVR (5.0.2); LG OLED77C2 4K TV
    (4) Polk Monitor 10B's w/SoniCaps, Mills, and RDO-194 tweets (R/L F/R)
    (2) Polk RC80i (Top Middle)
    Polk CS300 center channel
    Analog: B&O TX2 Turntable, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1
    Digital: Pioneer CLD-99 Elite LD, Panasonic DMP-UB900 UHD Blu-Ray
    Bedroom: Arylic Up2Stream AMPv3 driving Polk Monitor 4's w/peerless tweets
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    I picked up a FiiO X5 Gen 3 from B&H a few weeks ago on one of their flash sales for $179. So far I love this thing. I have not fully explored its capabilities with Hi Res music files yet but I can say that FLAC, and even MP3 sound better than any digital music player I hear to date. I have tried several different headphones from Grado 80e and 225i, to Sennheiser HD-650, Denon AH-D600 and iems like Denon AH-C700 and cheap JBL. All sound fantastic. I even tried connecting to my Schitt Magni 3+ for a little extra drive. It did provide some improvement in the sound of the bigger hard to drive cans but the X5 by itself does very well on its own. My only issue is the battery run time could be better but it isn't bad and I am often driving more challenging cans. The software is a little quirky but still good.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    Even sounds great with my cheap Koss Porta Pros
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • Irrenhaus
    Irrenhaus Posts: 1,082
    Hi

    I currently have the Onkyo Grandbeat. Excellent digital audio player.

    https://www.amazon.com/Smartphone-Function-GRANBEAT-DP-CMX1-Domestic/dp/B01N6ZH6PB
    I did had the FiiO X5 and that one was great also. Got stolen.

    I am thinking of getting the FiiO M11 but not sure yet.

    Cheers
    HTAVR-Pioneer SC99XPA-DR3 Differential Reference AmpPolk R-700Rear- RT150Side- RT150Center-CSi5Sub-Rythmik audio F25Player- Panasonic DP-UB9000Projector- Optoma CinemaX P2Screen- Silver Ticket Products STR Series 6 120"Audio Room 2ch rig.Cary AE-3, Onkyo M-504, Marantz SA8005, Azur 851NWharfedale - Linton, SVS SB12-NSDMinis Forum PC (streamer) and Panamax MX5105Headphone rig;Schiit JOTUNHEIM and different headphones.Samsung 42" flat screen TV.
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    That sucks that it was stolen. Makes me more protective of mine now.

    I was using it to play some HD-Track 24bit/96KHz samples through my main system and it sounds damn good.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • pkquat
    pkquat Posts: 742
    I've done some more digging in to these and AVR/Digital source compatibility. Many will do ok now when connecting to a phone, depending on how you can set your phone up to appear like an HD. The menu structures still leave something to be desired vs. the iTunes interface in many cases. Aftermarket car audio appears to be better in this market than AVR's. There are phone apps, and other interfaces for Android that work pretty well, however it appears they can become outdated for Android. An old iPod or iPhone still connects without problems, but lacks much of the additional phone an app interface capabilities. Music files and the menu are unchanged and work just fine.

    Digital players seem to have difficulty with appearing as an HD so there is a greater chance they will not interface with AVR's and other devices directly, but some have a digital out which is better than nothing, and at least you are using the same interface.

    Right now I am leaning towards two devices, a used iPod or iPhone for general music, and using my phone to store hi-res files. Sadly it is the worst of both worlds. Maybe by the time I finally commit to it there will be a breakthrough or an Apple device with a memory card.
  • bikerboy
    bikerboy Posts: 1,205
    I'm using a Fiio m5 with Sony wh 1000 m3 bt headphones. Plays most file types, small and great battery life. $100 for the player. Very happy with the noise reduction with the Sony hp for riding the bus.
    Main system: Lyngdorf TDAI 2170 w/ Pioneer 42" plazma-> Polk LSiM 703 w/Tivo, Marantz tuner, BRPTT: Nothingham Spacedeck-> Pioneer PL L1000 linear arm-> Soundsmith DL 103R-> SUT->Bottlehead ErosDigital: I3 PC w/ Jriver playing flac -> Sonore Ultrarendu -> Twisted Pair Audio ESS 9028 w/ Mercury IVY Vinyl rips: ESI Juli@24/192-> i3 PC server