DAP discussion thread

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by zerodeefex, Oct 8, 2015.

  1. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    I'm not as well versed on electrical theory as most folks here, so I'm sure many can shed better light on this than me, or correct me if I say anything incorrect...

    However, quick charging comes with its trades offs. The primary drawback of fast charging is shortened battery longevity. Not per charge, but the overall life of a battery. Cellphones typically have about a two year life cycle these days, though as the market matures, this may increase. This makes it easy to implement fast charge if you only expect a device to last two years. A device such as a DAP will have a longer expected life cycle and you should expect the battery to last for most of that life cycle. I'm not sure how long a good lithium battery is supposed to last, but a sealed lead acid has a life of about five years, and I expect to get the same out of a lithium battery.

    (Edited to remove inaccuracies, which was a bit of stuff.)
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2017
  2. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Quick charging mainly does damage by excessive heating. Current lithium batteries have a typical charge cycle rating of 800-1000, so if you charge daily it will last you about 3 years before the battery hits 80% of design capacity - i.e., battery life shortened by 20%.

    Edit: Lithium batteries also hate being fully discharged, or going to 100% (most phones aren't actually at 100% when they say they're 100% fully charged. Not sure about DAPs.). Charge when possible, Lithum likes being energized now and then, rather than going flat to full. Purportedly going between only 20% to 80% is the best for extending longevity, although I'm not too sure about the physics behind that.

    Heat reduces that rating, and most fast charging solutions rely on using high voltage low amperage to allow for fast charging (or rather high watt input) over even shitty cables, but something like Oppo/OnePlus VOOC/Dash Charging or Huawei's recent efforts in the Mate 9 uses low voltage high amperage by having separate battery cells, so each actually don't get very high current, but the sum is high (4A in OnePlus, 5A with OPPO) so it becomes troublesome as the charger and cable is specialised. So you can charge normally with normal cables, but fast charging is more locked down with those. They also move voltage regulation to the charging brick so the phone (and battery) itself is kept cool.

    Samsung Fireball 7 fiasco is not related to fast charging at all. Remotely. Just bad design choices.

    QC4.0 and newer tech are moving to the granular negotiated Voltage high amperage models similar to VOOC. I believe you can do something similar with the latest USB-PD specs, but I haven't really been keeping up with that. You will still require an e-marked cable, which is costlier since it is built to higher standards than normal USB C cables.
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2017
  3. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    I knew someone would be able to shed better light on it than I!
     
  4. TRex

    TRex Almost "Made"

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    What do you think of the sound?
     
  5. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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  6. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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  7. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    The M1 makes a lovely USB transport. It works with just about any portable DAC/amp that you throw at it. It plays gapless on 24/96. It takes a 200GB exFAT card without missing a beat. The UI is simple and responsive. It's really a steal at that $125 it's going for. Currently listening to mine right now...

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Geek Wave ghetto edition
     
  9. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    That's the same setup you had at the NYC meet right? Cheers
     
  10. eastboundofnowhere

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    Damn you all…and Massdrop. Joined the drop for the M1 as a backup since I already have one(different color, yeah). Ignoring its' virtues as a transport, the M1's small size has really made me do a 180 on what I really need out of a portable and may spur a purge on most of my portable gear. It pairs with my andromeda just fine, sends a nice signal to my blu tooth speakers and actually fits in my pocket…and it's cheap. What's not to like, considering the price anyway. Pretty much enamored with it since I would like to dedicate 100% of my money on the home system moving forward. My only complaint is that the andromeda's are verrry nice and I do kind of want to get the best out of them.
     
  11. totoyuen

    totoyuen New

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    Hello!

    I'm looking for a compact DAP of the best sound quality at a USD500 budget.
    My current iem is Andromeda and I listen to mostly metal.
    Are there any recommendations?
    Are the Hifiman Supermini and the AK70 any good?
     
  12. Dash

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    Fwiw, I found the ak70 underwhelming. I am using the Cayin n5 currently and I am currently content. I have been less than impressed with the android daps. The x7, i5, xdp.100r all had some issue.
     
  13. Warrior

    Warrior RIP 2021

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    I agree, didn't care much for the ak70. The Fiio X5iii seems to be getting high praise right now, although I haven't heard it. One of my favorite daps is the Cowon P1, but it's a little higher than your budget at $699.
     
  14. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    That's one place where the WM1A and similar win hard- not just a beefy battery, but an ultra-efficient class D output, so they get around the stated 30 hours*, and only take a few to charge. It's very convenient.


    * They quote all sorts of figures for FLAC vs other stuff, and I am sure balanced uses more etc., so I forget, but it's lots.
     
  15. Warrior

    Warrior RIP 2021

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    Sonys are absolute beasts with their batteries. I had mine burning in on balanced for 8 hours at work or so, only 1 piece of the bar went off. I haven't timed it yet, but I think I'm getting 20+ hours playing mostly flac and some high res.
     
  16. DigMe

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    Probably over 10 years ago I had this little lipstick-sized mp3 Walkman that had integrated noise-cancellation where the software processed in the unit and worked in conjunction with a special headphone connector. I seem to remember that having pretty darn good battery life for it's size and what it did even back then.
     
  17. Warrior

    Warrior RIP 2021

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    I remember having a few old school mp3 players, they were miniscule and also had tremendous battery life as well. I had this one player, had to be the length of my thumb and only a little bit wider, damn thing worked so well.
     
  18. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Basically any modern DAP with audiophile pretensions (asides from Sony and lesser Cowons) is going to have pretty bad battery life thanks to Class A being the FOTY.
     
  19. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I'm looking for a DAP around $500 or so that has a neutral signature with good air and treble. My jh13 pro has plenty of bass so I'm hoping to find something to complement it. I'm somewhat considering an x7.
     
  20. ibzrg1570

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    It's still included in the low/mid tier DAPs and on their smartphones via 3.5mm TRRRS.
     

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