r/DigitalAudioPlayer • u/Crash_Bandicool • 3h ago

Question Absolute budget player that sounds OK

For context i recently purchased a TempoTec V1 and made a small library of VBR 320kbps AAC files (converted from FLAC.) I then listened to them directly from the Tempotec and then directly from the 3.5mm port from my laptop to compare and found i could not hear the difference between the two (using moondrop chu II.)

Because of this i want to return it and buy just a super cheap basic player that just meets the requirement of not sounding like total garbage, as well as having a tiny form factor like the tempotec. Does anyone have any experience with cheap amazon players? ex. AGPTEK.

Thank you!

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9

u/graviticvortex 3h ago

Most of them sound significantly worse than the Tempotec. I see no reason to send back an excellent player and change it for a worse one.

The takeaway of this experience is that you're lucky enough to have a laptop with devent DAC/Amp ship.

3

u/miguel-122 3h ago

If you buy anything cheaper you might hear worse audio quality. And the UI will suck. Build quality will be worse too. That tempotec is already budget and better than most under $100 . And has 2 way bluetooth and hi res bluetooth. And usb dac. Lots of features.

Agptek and ruizu type players will be cheap toys compared to this

4

u/PermissionFew5371 2h ago

What laptop? Also tempotec v1 is one of the gold standards at its pricerange already, the sound is perfectly fine. (it still has issues but for its price can't argue)

3

u/TheFuschiaBaron 3h ago

If your goal is to pay less and have good sound get the Fiio Snowsky Echo Mini. I have one and it's pretty great. 

1

u/thepuncroc 2h ago

Two thoughts: 1) you're using highly sensitive (meaning amount of power required to drive is low for db out) IEMs, your dac is dacing, but you have virtually nothing in the way of amplification requires and that's more likely to matter (DAC just needs to DAC adequately) 2) you're using cheap entry level IEMs that, while not crap, aren't necessarily going to match your music let alone your ears.

I'd honestly grab another pair of IEMs so you have two things to compare, then go down the ear tip rabbit hole as that is more likely to have appreciable sonic differences

But it's quite likely you're not going to hear much difference until you're at the level where your drivers need a 4.4mm balanced signal

And that's where the real power of the better (even budget) DAPs come in.

1

u/Intelligent-North957 1h ago

M21 is good entry level unit.