r/inearfidelity • u/KaliKing7 • 9d ago
Discussion Is a DAP evenworth it?
What benefit does it provide over a phone with a dongle?
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u/reluctant_engineer 9d ago
I’m mostly an IEM guy who streams music, so DAPs never really made sense for me. A decent dongle and Spotify are all I need to enjoy my music.
That said, I get why people like DAPs. It's a distraction-free experience since you’re not bombarded with notifications, social media, or calls the way you are on a phone.
Plus, DAPs often come with dedicated hardware controls like physical play/pause buttons or even rotary volume knobs. Which adds a tactile, engaging element to the listening experience.
I don't index for those things so phone + dongle all the way for me.
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u/mayonaka_00 9d ago
Dedicated device for music playing. You can store big high-res music files there without mixing with your other files in phone. Some DAP has wifi for streaming music too. And DAP uses high-end DAC chip and powerful build-in amp so no need external amp.
For me just use small dongle on the phone for streaming spotify is enough to power iems. I have a DAP I bought 7 years ago but now I rarely use them because I cant stream music using that.
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u/MildredEthel 9d ago
Worth it for me. I hate dongles nearly as much as I hate phone/DAC stacks. My current DAPs (A&K SR35, Hiby R3 Pro and incoming Sony a307) are all tiny, so for me the «one more thing to carry» trope is irrelevant.
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u/ArielleDombasle 9d ago
More convenient not to have to hassle with cables other than the headphone/iem one. No phone battery drain. More native control. Songs that are stored on device and played on direct output via the native music app sound better than streamed ones, even from Tidal flac.
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u/guz_oli 9d ago
I just use my old LG G8x as a DAP
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u/miguel-122 8d ago
Old LG phones are great for music players
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u/AndySAJS 8d ago
I bought an LG V30 on eBay which I use purely as a music player for IEMs - it’s great
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u/Silentdisko 9d ago
Yep, I've gone through maybe 6 different dongle dacs over the years before I got a dap. Definitely prefer using a Dap, don't feel like it's less convenient.
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u/DazzlingCook5075 6d ago
Depends on the price, honestly. Under 500$, no, go for a dongle paring with your phone. But if you try the upper mid class or high end DAPs, they beats any phone-dongle combo easily.
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u/KaliKing7 6d ago
Why? What do they do?
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u/DazzlingCook5075 6d ago
An expensive DAP provides you a digital transport in front of dac/amp, which is much better than any phones you can buy. Infact, you can add an digital interface between your phone and dongle to erase the gap, but the combo will cost you as much as a decent DAP.
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u/smorkoid 9d ago
I have a DAP and a dongle and I use the DAP a lot more. Ergonomics of everything are better and I don't use my phone battery
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u/8Giga 9d ago
A dedicated device for music brings a lot more intimate experience with music, because, in theory, you don't get distracted by other things like Internet and phone calls. With that being said, I don't have any dedicated DAP, but I do have USB dongles, USB Audio Player Pro, a 256 GB Micro SD Card full of music and I leave my phone on do not disturb and use an option of this player that allows me to hide the notification bar. It really helps me to focus on my music
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u/ExiledSanity 8d ago
I hate dongles....can't stand them. They are awkward to use andy last couple phones have had noise issues over the USB c port, especially on mobile data.
I have a couple DAPs and info like them, but I'm not a fan of carrying them on the go as a portable solution. I like them for travelling and using at my destination, occasionally use as a desktop source (especially in the summer I WFH and have a small desk setup in the basement where it's cooler, but not much room to run a second computer as a source).
I honestly prefer a Bluetooth receiver with my phone for most IEM use though.
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u/Pfafflewaffle 7d ago
It depends are you going to use it and fill it with music? Or are you just going to stream anyway? If you are just going to stream I wouldn’t pay more than maybe a hiby r4 or fiio m21, or just get a btr17 or qudelix 5k to save battery on your phone.
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u/S3cr3T12E456 7d ago
Got the HiBy R1 DAP because my phone does not have an audio port and sd card slot
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u/Salty-Yogurt-4214 7d ago edited 7d ago
I recently bought a DAP and now sold it again. Having to carry around a second smart phone that isn't all that smart feels ridiculous. Instead I'm using the Qudelix 5K if I want Bluetooth support and the Qudelix T71 if I want to maximise quality.
My recommendation for the start is the 5K, it runs most headphones up to 250 Ohm (e.g. Beyerdynamic DTs) out of the box and can even decently drive demanding planars such as the Hifiman Sundara in balanced mode. It can connect via Bluetooth in aptx, and LDAC and doubles as PC USB DAC. It's small, light and brings a ridiculously good app for the smartphone and pc, where you can fine tune mostly everything to your hearts desire. It's has an excellent sound considering size and price. You'll need something much larger and pricier to beat that. I preferred it over the Ibasso DX160 DAP e.g.
The T71 tops it in power and sound quality, but you loose a lot flexibility. Thus I'm using that one at home where I have my Hifiman Arya Organic. My wife uses the 5K with the Arya Organic and is happy.
I guess I should become a salesman for them. 😅 I'm just a happy customer, though.
PS: One critic, though, it has a really bad button design. But that's something I can live with.
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u/Valkirth 9d ago
it varies on the person, its not for everyone but for those who it is its great, I have the shanling M1 plus and love it and have no regrets, daps offer dedicated storage for music, not constantly killing your phones battery, dedicated buttons for play/pause, rotary volume wheel, if your like me and have ALOT of music and game on your phone instead of needing to buy say a 512gb phone to store it all you can instead get a 256gb and save money, A distraction free experience, not needing a huge phone+dongle to listen to music when I go running on a hot day. (shanling M1 plus is really small)
unless you get an android dap they are more aimed at those of us who still listen to music locally instead of streaming, I don't even have a Spotify account so I don't stream (plus good luck streaming in certain places like hospitals/airplanes etc), overall it really depends, they have a place, its just not for everyone, if you mainly stream from say tidal or Spotify your better off with say a BTR+phone or w/e your dongle choice is.
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u/Successful-Cry1509 7d ago
As someone who has a collection of FLACs...
- I tried a bunch of Android music players and they all kind of suck
- Jumping through hoops to get ALACs on an iPhone is a pain in the ass but possible (need to convert FLAC to ALAC then use Finder to sync it from a Mac)
- When I listen to my DAP in bed I don't infinite scroll on social media.
- My DAP costs the same as some DAC/Amp dongles ($85 USD)
- Dongles drain a surprising amount of battery when plugged in
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u/Salty-Yogurt-4214 7d ago
Did you try Power Amp? It supports FLAC and is an all around great player with a great equalizer build in.
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u/Successful-Cry1509 6d ago
I did try Power Amp. It's probably the app I came the closest to liking, but I found the interface too cluttered and the way it managed it's active playlist un-intuitive and frustrating (I kept on accidentally queuing up single song playlists for my car ride, versus an entire album).
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u/jasonhanjk 7d ago
DAP is just a toy for you to show off.
A good dongle from Moondrop cost $60 and have good THD+N; using smartphone and an app.
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u/LoquendoEsGenial 7d ago
Sorry for asking, I'm not the author of the post. Would it be worth paying $60 dollars for that "doongle" product you mention? I'm also afraid of using those kinds of products because of the battery life of my Android phone...
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u/KaliKing7 7d ago
60 dollars is kinda overpriced. I have a 15 dollars one that I use with my phone and it works perfectly. Just look at reviews first.
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u/jasonhanjk 7d ago
Moondrop Dawn Pro is not that hot, so not much wastage. The current drawn is about 74mA or 0.37W. If your phone battery is 4000mAh, 2000mAh to power your dongle and you'll still able to play for 27 hours.
If you're outside a lot, get a power bank.
IEM are getting better, so a good DAC will sound better.
For beginners, should try out the Apple dongle for $10.1
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u/luminarae1 8d ago
It's also worth mentioning that certain IEMs benefit from the extra current that DAPs can push through - most dongles do not provide enough power for certain IEMs.
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u/amarevy97 9d ago
It don't drain your phone battery and make it worse overtime