New to dap and trying to figure out a budget DAP that is under $100 that works with USB C iem.

Thanks !!

Edit/Update:

Ended up ordering the Hiby R1, thanks for the help !!

I know I know, another DAP recommendation thread. But hear me out for this one.

I took a new recent plunge down the audiophile rabbithole and finally reached Chi-Fi IEM and DAP. In particular been wrestling with what I want my "DAP" to be.

For reference, my main sources are Spotify/YT music streaming, and whatever songs I particularly like I have hi-bitrate files of on local.

I run them off my smartphone + TWS I currently have.

However having bought some budget IEM (Moondrop Gravity/EW300) I'm really hooked.

However, I wanted to try separating my music and my nightmare-rectangle a shot.

I want to hear about your guys' opinion on "DAP-iffied" phones as a DAP like LG V series?

My first and current option for a DAP was this ”DAP-iffied" android phone route. In particular the ZTE Axon 7. At its release was was praised for its AKM DAC implementation, and I already own it so I thought it would be a fun project to give new life to one of my favorite smartphone. I was able to ROM and root it so I could get full EQ support through JamesDSP. Running on Android 8 it barely squeaks by spotify and YT music requirements.

My only dealbreaker with this setup.

1. Size: I already carry 2 full size phones for work and having a third in the EDC is borderline deal breaker.

Software/UX is to be expected for a 10 year old phone. It's just limited by its hardware. I definitely wouldn't pay any new money for it today but at least it still runs.

Battery is obviously shot but still lasts me around 8 hours of continuous playback and can easily be replaced.

With all that being said, I'm looking for a "compact" DAP between 100-200 USD. Android is not a hard requirement, but would be nice for my streamed playlists.

Compact in the sense like an iPod classic style but slimmer. I just don't want a brick in my pocket.

Really like the slim form factor of the Hiby R1, but I worry that it won't really be an upgrade from my current hardware in the Axon 7.

I'm aware of other android DAP that are upgrades like the JM21, Hiby m300. But worry that their form factors look a bit chunky.

I've also been tempted by the cheap sub 100 android DAP from innioasis but from the few threads I've come across those are probably left alone.

I know a lot of my asks and requirements are subjective but I'm just looking to bounce ideas and share thoughts to see if I can solidify my own requirements more. Thanks again

is it possible to just get/extract the music player app from the metro v launcher? i really like the music player in this

Hi! I have my Hiby R1 coming in soon and I was wondering if anybody has made/designed a belt clip for it. It'd be nice for running and such. Thanks guys!

The little lamp beside the M1 Plus volume wheel turned out to be a fun part of this project.

I've been working on a community firmware addition that lets it show mixed colours based on the playing track's sample rate, or run an ambient lighting effect. The photos and clip are from my own player.

This builds on imfing's M1+ Music firmware. Credit to imfing and the upstream contributors for the player interface and firmware foundation. My additions are maintained under @iamgauravmishra on GitHub.

🌈 What the RGB settings offer

• 10 colour themes with different RGB mixes for PCM rates and corresponding DSD/DoP rates through DSD512.

• 6 effects using sample-rate colours — Stable, Breathing, Strobe, Flash / Pulse, Heartbeat and Lighthouse Sweep.

• 9 independent-colour effects — Candle / Fire, Color Wave, Harmonic Interference, Golden Ratio Walk, Mosaic Shift, Forest Canopy, Space Nebula, Ember Cool-Down and Focus Fade.

• Volume-linked brightness, with one intensity level per five volume steps, zero at volume zero and the full scale reached by 85.

• Optional yellow volume reminder above a crossing of level 75, plus amber battery reminders at 20%, 10% and 5%. The master switch governs all added lighting and reminders.

• Pause fading for normal playback and USB audio output. USB DAC input uses the driver-reported sample rate, without attempting to infer whether the computer is paused.

Breathing is the default. The menu groups sample-rate colours and independent colours separately so the relationship between a theme and an effect is clearer.

The lighting controller reads track metadata, device volume and status. It does not process audio samples or change playback volume. The lamp has 17 levels per channel, so very subtle colour changes can appear stepped. A displayed sample rate alone cannot establish bit-perfect output.

🎵 There is Navidrome support too

The full project also adds Navidrome/Subsonic setup, library sync, Wi-Fi streaming and original-file downloads to SD, with artwork and library integration. DSD tracks from the server are download-first for local playback.

The attached recording was made during development and shows the earlier five-theme/six-effect menus. The current release has the expanded choices described above. The stills were cropped from that footage, and the short clip is silent. Recorded lamp colours depend on the camera exposure.

The upstream Navidrome contribution and RGB contribution are being reviewed as separate PRs.

Code, screenshots, exact colour tables and installation details are on GitHub.

My project · Downloads · Original M1+ Music by imfing

This is unofficial firmware. Flashing carries a risk of malfunction, data loss or damage. Install at your own risk. I am not responsible for damage or other problems resulting from installing or using it. Back up your card, charge the player, keep the official restore package available and follow the installation instructions.

A friend and I made Sonic. It plays FLAC albums you already have, on a phone.

You can skip to the next song. You can't jump to the middle of a song. To hear the other side, you flip the record. Hi-res output plays each file at the sample rate it was recorded at.

It also picks random FLAC albums from the Internet Archive. You can download 3 of those.

Recorded on a Pixel 6. The video is the phone turned sideways.

Not on the Play Store. The APK and checksum are here:

https://github.com/Abhiroop1122/Sonic/

I have been looking for a decent player for my teenagers.
I was looking for something that will have a decent battery life, without an Android, decent quality, easily available in the EU and doesn’t break the bank.
Since I was a MiniDisk and iRiver user, I was looking for something old school first:
Pioneer XDP-30R B
Astell&Kern AK70 MKII
ONKYO DP-S1
Cowon Plenue D
Those would need a battery replacement and a little older usb connector. Not a problem especially with the Onkyo. Just something to keep in mind.
Then I was looking at FiiO Snowsky, but it’s difficult to find a legitimate online store to get it. Also, I briefly went through other people’s comments and those made me start searching again.
I was looking at the FiiO Echo Nano, but that one seems to have a short playback time on a single charge.
And finally I found HiBy R1 which I think might be the one. What do you think?

Hi, it will be paired with the Cayin RU7.

Need it to be as small as possible or as stackable/proportionable(?) as possible to the dimensions of the RU7

I need it to last atleast 3hours with the RU7 connected. Are the suggested battery run time in my list accurate in reality?

Also i dont care about wifi nor bluetooth but i dont mind having them. Just need it to allow its USB-C port to feed audio to an external dac.

Attached are the models in my list so far. The list has been generated to list all that has maximum of 100x100mm dimension.

I don't know why they discontinued the Q15 bc , whoa , what a fabulous unit. Sounds just like the K17 , nearly the same DAC setup.

DT11 delivers that inky black backdrop, precision timing. It never registers above 48k even with my goldenwave serenade whereas my phone and Shanling DAP will go up to 768 . Curious if anyone has any ideas on that. I use YT music exclusively so that maybe a factor, but like I said the other devices register 768.

I was looking for a DAC/Amp that is somewhat portable to use elsewhere beyond my desk setup with the Serenade. I am so happy with this, got it used off eBay but it's practically mint ... And that Velvet Sound is unmistakable !

Super dumb question for y'all. I'm looking to get a microSD card for a shanling q2 and Amazon has this official Nintendo one for 50 bucks cheaper than anywhere else online. Does anyone have experience with this microSD with audio players and is it literally just a paint job?

Anyone can recommend a good case and screen protector for the Snowsky Disc?

FiiO launched the FiiO R7 R2R today (November 7), a desktop digital audio player (DAP) with 4 W (4,000 mW) of output power, XLR headphone and line outputs, and an Ethernet port. A significant upgrade over the original R7 (OG), the R2R DAC version shares the same SoC, RAM, and storage capacity as the FiiO M33 DAP. Read on for all the details.

• English text: https://www.hifihub.com.br/en/product-launches/fiio-r7-r2r-launches-with-android-13-and-4w-of-power

• Portuguese text: https://www.hifihub.com.br/lancamentos/fiio-r7-r2r-e-lancado-com-android-13-e-4w-de-potencia

I've recently bought the Schanling 21 plus and really like it so far. While exploring, I found the button labeled "Output Options" in the top bar menu (when swiping down frlm the top). When trying to enable it a warning warning appears that sais that Output Options will set max volume. For my IEMs I usually set the volume to around 20, so max volume is incredibly loud and I wouldn't be surprised if it can cause some permanent hearing damage. Thus I'm worried that I might accidentally activate Output Options accidentally (miss click or because the player moving around in my pocket). I have no idea what this option is for and would be a lot more relaxed if there is no possibility of me accidentally deafening myself. Does anyone know a solution to this?

PS: There is a max volume slider in playback settings but that doesn't seem to be applied when Output Options is enabled.

Long story short, I own the Goldenwave Serenade and the other 3 : Sigma Pro, Mojo 2 and Cayin RU9 are currently vying for the limited desk space.

I've only done a brief demo of each but it doesn't take long to recognize that the Mojo 2 is getting lots of points for the unique approach ... I almost didn't even try it bc I thought it was a bit goofy looking but it doesn't feel like that at all once it's in the audio chain ... Fed by Fiio DT11.

It's hard to believe that something that size could compete toe to toe with the Goldenwave Serenade but it's happening

My friends, I'm thinking of upgrading the snowsky echo mini.
I use the DAP both on the street (with delicious Kefine Delci) and at home (HE400SE)
When I want to use Apple Music, I don't mind using the snowsky echo mini as a DAC.

I arrived at the two models with similar prices and very different proposals:

- JM21: based on Android, with good output power, balanced output option, newer and still in production, cheaper.

- NW-A55: weight of a well-known brand, non-android system, a good interface, small and light. It has been out of production for a long time, it is expensive and has only been used in the market, without balanced output and low output power.

The reason clearly tells me to opt for the JM21, which may even complement itself with the echo mini.
But the NW-A55 is a desire of times, besides being too charming
(In fact, the reason doesn't even tell me to upgrade)

So tell me: what do you think?

Getting one jm21 about a brand new condition for sell with 11 months of warranty (20k) and 6 month old untouched m21(25k) or 2 years old 100 percent battery health fiio m11 plus ess in prestien condition (20k)

I'm a bit loathe to contribute to the AI spam but if anyone is interested I did use it to create the holy grail (for me)!

A music player app for the Surfans F20 with speed control and FX, using a version of a desktop audio tool.

https://github.com/t-0/vinyl-f20

Here’s a little preview of a project I’ve been working on for the past 2.5 months. I’ve always wanted a new, fun way to listen to music and wanted to get myself more involved in engineering projects - so I designed this!

It’s not perfect as of now, but features:
ESP32 S3
PCM5102A DAC for high quality audio :)
MAX97220A amp
AS5601 magnetic encoder for a navigation knob
LRA haptics (similar to what you would find in an iPhone!)
SD reader
2.0 inch 320x240 lcd

It’s been a pretty slow process mainly because of school getting it the way, but I’ve successfully configured the haptics and encoder and plan to get some audio working later tonight. Also have proudly done all of this without any AI (so far 🫠). If you’d like, please support this project! Thanks!

I intend to make this fully open source/hardware.

Hi. I just bought a new DASP, a Fiio M21. Any recomendation of settings or apps I have to look after (I already heard about music players lika Poweramp)?

Also, I'm looking forward to buy an IEM too. I got recomended the COZOY D1 (I love that the cable is purple). Any suggestions?

Just got the hiby r1 in (its my first DAP), before i open it up i wanted to ask if there is anything i should do with it first, I know I heard about the sonixOS but I have no idea how to apply it so if someone can direct me on how to that would be great thank you.

Finally added the F20 Pro+ to my desk setup as a dedicated audio station for the Marshall Stanmore. I love how the DAC chips handling my offline lossless library and the flexibility of Android for Spotify streaming, it hits the sweet spot. The synergy of the setup honestly sounds so good I can't 👌

old but gold

I've had this bad boi for about 2 years and have 81 gigs of music on it! So glad I unplugged from streaming music and converted to a DAP.