As I said in an earlier entry, I was looking at buying a Digital Audio Player to act as the spiritual successor to my iPod Video.
Today, as if to convince myself of the idea, I once again brought my iPod with me on my commute.
After two or three months of almost exclusively using my Redmi Buds 6, I was truly greatly surprised by it. I missed the clear separation between the instruments, the ease in which I could choose to follow the lower tone of the bass or the most bright guitar riffs without it getting stepped over by the rest of the track. It's one of those things you don't believe you need until you have a taste of them.
The iPod did struggle when I raised its volume to around 70% (Mind you, I'm using the Custom Firmware "Rockbox" to be able to push the device to its limits), sounding harsher both at its mid frequencies and at the low highs (Those latter ones being the most irritating). I do suspect that might be the IEMs' fault, as they are 24Ω and should be quite easy to drive.
I am, in consequence, certain that I'd like a proper DAP. One that can
- Play FLAC lossless audio
- Easily drive any headset I buy in the forseeable future
- Play music via Bluetooth (Preferrably via LDAC or a similar codec)
- Hold more than 30GB
- Be comfortably carried anywhere and is of reasonably nice build quality
Following those requirements, I believe I have landed on the perfect DAP for me: The FiiO Echo Mini.
Let's break that naming (and decision) down: FiiO is a brand that makes various HiFi audio equipment. From amplifiers to DACs to dongles and, as conveniantly as ever to me, Digital Audio Players.
They've got some high end players reaching >500€ which boast all the bells and whistles to ever grace the shopping list of an audiophile, but they have also got some more essential ones. I caught wind of them from a friend of mine, who informed me of their existance after I complained to him about the prices of the former options. He pointed me towards a series of more budget-oriented products.
FiiO Has basically four "budget" options: The Echo Nano, Which is a stick form-factor DAP meant to mimic the iPod shuffle 1st Gen and is a pretty good option but has almost no UI and lacks Bluetooth support, The Disc is way more expensive and mimics a CD player. It has all of the features including Hi-Res audio over bluetooth but operates using a touchscreen. I dislike both that and its overall form factor. Then There's the Echo and the Echo Mini, both of which aim to emulate a cassette player. The mini is the only one that fits in my budget, so I am forced to pick that one.
The Echo Mini's Bluetooth lacks LDAC support, but it is able to transmit using the SBC codec, which is... Okay. It does play FLAC at full resolution when wired, using dual DACs at a max power of 250mW. It's Hi-Res audio certified, so I'm not worried about its sound quality. It holds a MicroSD card (I bought the 8GB anyways, but that's not very much). From reviews, it's small, has a decent battery life and a pretty nice build quality even though it's mostly made out of plastic. All in all it costs 65€, so I can't complain.
It will arrive in about 15 days. Do expect a review!
