@goblingumbo I am interested in it replacing my aging iPod Touch. I don't use any music streaming services, do you have any experience using it as an mp3 player?
@xxxx At the moment I don't. But I'll see if I can get some music moved over to it and try it out with some Bluetooth IEMs and also my Bluetooth dongle-DAC.
@xxxx Ok, got home and finally got to test it out. First, the stock Music app is kinda ass. It sorts everything in one big list, though at least you can sort that list by Title, Album, etc. It also doesn't look like it plays .m4a files, which pretty much all of my music is. I found some .wavs and .mp3s I was able to test it with. With my cheap Moondrop Space Travel earbuds, it sounded ok. You're pretty much limited to the DAC in whatever you're using to listen to it, since it has no headphone jack out. Hooked my dongle-DAC up to it, and it sounded great, but did warn that using it (it's a non-powered unit) would drain the battery fast. With good Bluetooth and downloading a better music app (I can get around in Android, but I don't know any Android apps or anything), and popping in a good Micro-SD card, I think you can get away with using it as a DAP, if you want one that has a good (if e-ink) screen and can do other things. If you're just looking for music, I think you might want to check out some cheaper dedicated DAP's like a HiBy R3.
@goblingumbo Thank you so much for the detailed test of the device. I have a DAP right now, but it is only that and doesn't work for podcasts. I usually use wired headphones so I know I would need that a USB-C to 3.5mm. I also don't know Android and everything I have is .m4a. Thank you again for testing it all out and reporting back. I am so grateful!
@xxxx Anytime! So I did some searching, and it seems like PowerAmp is the goto hi-res audio player. It's got a 15 day trial, and is ~$5 to buy. I downloaded it, and it was able to play 44/1020 ALAC files with no problem, it should handle anything you throw at it: FLAC, m4a, etc. I tested it with my $15 dollar Apple USB-C to 3.5mm with some 32 Ohm headphones, and it could drive them. I had to get the volume almost max to get them loud, but it could drive them. Using my Questyle M15i dongle-DAC, I almost blew my eardrums out at the same level because I forgot to turn it down first. 😀 The only thing was, while it was decoding the file at 44/1020, it wasn't outputting that. I know Android has a thing where it limits the output, there is some toggle or something that allows direct interface between the player and the USB DAC, but I didn't find it with a quick search. But it sounded amazing, even using the Apple adaptor on my FIIO JT1s, which - while only $50 - are some good sounding cans.