I’ve been super hyped for this for a long time, as the Fosi ZH3 is one of the best bits of audio kit I’ve ever bought, so this was an instant order on day one.

It arrived today so thought I’d leave a quick impression post.

I was planning on doing a more in depth review, but given the sound quality I’ll keep it short.

I mainly use my ZH3 as a desk setup, and either the Hiby R4 or Snowsky Disc as my main DAPs.

TLDR

Super nice design and size, let down by the sound quality.

DESIGN & BUILD

The build quality of device is fantastic. Full metal case, really nicely made with signature Fosi orange for the power button.

The jog wheel is a mechanical rather than capacitive, with a central click button. While it functions fine, it feels a bit gritty when rotating, so not as smooth as I was expecting.

UI & UX

The screen is pretty low resolution, but it is super bright. Navigation is basic but quick to do what you want and navigate, and with the on brand orange highlights.

So it’s basic but does the job fine.

There are a couple of REALLY annoying things though.

Browsing by artists lists them alphabetically as you would expect. But browsing by file/folder it doesn’t organise them alphabetically, so it’s a bit of a nightmare to find things, and then tracks in folders aren’t listed in track order, even if the file names start with the number.

As I mainly use my daps by folder this is really annoying.

The next one is the fact the screen times out really quickly, but to unlock it you need to rotate the dial to fill up the time on the lock screen orange. Fun little detail the first time you do it, but then it gets annoying as it takes about ten rotations finally unlock it! And there doesn’t seem to be an option in the settings to alter this.

SOUND

This is where it really falls down for me. For price comparison I’ll inly compare it to the Snowsky Disc.

In short it sounds pretty rough and lifeless.

I listen to flacs, mainly a lot of electrosoul, neuronfunk, dnb, jazzy electro and glitch hop etc. So I’m a massive bass head, and mainly use 7hz Diablos as my main IEMs.

In short it’s seriously lacking in bass and low end. Seperation and detail just aren’t there either. The only way I can really explain the sound - in a completely untechnical way - is ‘crunchy’ 🤣 It all just sounds a bit of a compressed mess, and almost like you’re listening to to super low res files, to the point it’s almost a bit distorted.

Basically I was expecting a lot more from Fosi, but sounds like your bargain basement cheap £20 ali express mp3 players.

The built in EQ modes also all sound shite - and there’s no custom EQ to try and tweak it.

CONCLUSION

In short, it’s a really nicely made case and gadget, let down massively by the sound quality and a few little ux quirks.

For the money the Snowsky Disc blows it out of the water, and so does my phone even dongleless. Such a shame as I’m a huge fan of the brand, and the product design side is great.

If you’re not bothered about low end you might like it, but for me it’s sadly a miss.

The battery life last 4-5 days of heavy use (3-5 hours using flac files with normalizer on), it has all the media buttons (Play/Pause, volume, next and previous track) and it supports synced lyrics. Is also small enough to easily carry around while the screen big enough to use comfortably with my thumb without issues. Overall a great improvement for me over my previous DAP (Oilsky m308)

Any other accessories you could recommend for this?

I have been spending the past few months with my Surfans F20 and here are some of my quick takes , real world impressions on this lil' iPod-like retro DAP.

The price, $100 for a Hifi player is still a reason why its an absolute classic in the budget community. The audio output is way cleaner than it has any right to be, making my local FLAC tracks effortlessly handled.

Unexpected bonus: It can be used as an external USB DAC for my PC and laptop. Eureka! 🎧

Actually, the main reason i still daily drive my Surfans F20 is the form factor. It has this gorgeous click/wheel-button layout, giving you that retro feel. It's actually really easy to pocket and a lot smaller than my phone. Convenience of carrying it outside was superb, its just like carrying an old PSP or iPod.

Im a GenA, so the only devices with million physical buttons i can tolerate are console controllers and Joy-Cons, Haha. The F20 really strike that sweet spot between retro and modern.

The design is just so good! Happy with this one.

Any other accessory recos please?

Sony DMP Z1 + Vannuys case

Sonix Player ported to the Tempotec Variations V1 isn't talked about enough! It absolutely rocks! I also love the continuous refinement that the dev is making, chef's kiss.

The original F20 Pro was one of my go-to DAPs, and now the Pro+ has effectively replaced it. Surfans addressed most of my complaints while keeping the price the same. There are still compromises IMO: the screen remains small, the wheel could be used more consistently throughout the interface, the case gets in the way of gestures, and charging is still very, very slow.

For new buyers, I would choose the Pro+ over the original, even if the F20 Pro is cheaper. If you already own the F20 Pro, I would not rush to upgrade unless the screen is a major frustration for you. The audio hardware and sound quality are unchanged.

If you have any questions about the F20 Pro+ that weren't answered in my video review, feel free to comment, and I will try to answer them here.

Link to my video review: https://youtu.be/sCuMAP_7Sn8

Disclosure: Surfans provided the F20 Pro+ for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and Surfans had no say or input into the review.

Pros:

• Excellent sound quality with a clean, largely neutral presentation
• Low noise floor that works well with sensitive IEMs
• Enough power for most IEMs and many headphones
• Sharper, taller screen makes Android and music apps much easier to use
• Improved volume wheel with tactile rotation and a clickable center
• Better-feeling physical playback buttons
• Solid CNC aluminum construction
• Android 12 with Play Store access and support for third-party players and streaming apps
• Reliable dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with LDAC
• Around 10 hours of local playback in my testing through the 3.5mm output
• Strong overall value at $149.99 USD

Cons:

• The 2.8-inch screen can still feel cramped, especially for those with larger fingers
• Scroll-wheel navigation is limited and does not carry through to most apps
• Included case interferes with gesture navigation
• No USB DAC or Bluetooth DAC mode
• Slow charging, taking roughly three hours
• Built-in music player is very basic
• Limited customization of how the physical buttons behave

Key Specs:

• Price: $149.99 USD
• Connections: 3.5mm single-ended output, 4.4mm balanced output, USB-C for charging and data
• Output power: 125mW per channel through 3.5mm, 500mW per channel through 4.4mm, both at 32 ohms
• Wi-Fi: Dual-band, 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• Bluetooth: 5.0, with SBC, AAC, and LDAC
• Music Streaming Support: Yes, through compatible Android apps
• File Playback: FLAC, WAV, ALAC, MP3, AAC, and DSD through compatible players; support depends on the app
• Maximum PCM Sample Rate: Up to 32-bit/384kHz, DSD512
• Internal Storage: 32GB
• Expandable Storage: microSD, up to 1TB
• Battery: 2900mAh, rated for up to 10 hours of playback
• Display: 2.8-inch IPS touchscreen, 480x640
• DAC/Amp Chipset: Dual ESS ES9018K2M DACs, 2x OPA1612 and 2x RT6863 amplifiers
• SoC Chipset: MediaTek MT6762
• RAM: 4GB
• OS: Android 12
• Dimensions: 106mm x 57mm x 16mm
• Weight: ~170 grams

Additional Notes:

• Physical playback controls can work with the screen off when the physical keyboard toggle is enabled.
• My unit needed firmware 1.01 to resolve Google Play sign-in issues. Updating Google Play services also resolved app purchase-validation problems.
• Third-party launchers and sideloaded APKs are supported.
• There is a playback-button mapping issue discussed near the end of the video that concerns the original F20 Pro's firmware, not the Pro+.

You can compare its specifications with other players in my DAP database.

Beginner set up by the way.

Sony NW-A306
Linsoul TANGZU Wan'er S.G

What do you guys think?

I want to ditch my spotify subcription and I have a tons of old cd's. I got something like 130 euros and I want something good and something that can last five years or so... And if I can scrobble on lastfm it will be a blast.

I first wanted walker because it looks like an iPod with rockbox, but I've read mixed reviens about the wheel and the bluetooth stuff (I prefer using bluetooth when I'm not home). The Hiby looks fine, though, but I'm afraid of the touch screen and durability.

Do you guys have an idea for me?

(As you can see, I'm pretty bad in english. Thanks a lot for reading me and for your advices!)

https://reddit.com/link/1xc46qw/video/hm537xlixwwh1/player

tempotec v1 running doom be like.

shot answer: this is a sonix fork with extra things i put on

long answer: this is a sonix fork where i added the ability to sideload programs so we can pretty much have close to infinite amount of apps for the device. all the programs and data of the apps are stored in the Sdcard so we will not have any storage limitations.

im still working on the firmware. i am making a platform for everyone to make their own apps on it. currently... the sdk is abit baron. been working on it all day.

will share the source code soon™️

Hey, everyone.

I'm trying to get back into music again after putting it on the back burner for a few years. I want to put focus on Bandcamp purchases instead of streaming services.

My ideal player would be simple
- no apps, just music
- no touch screen
- headphone jack
- can handle different file types (mp3, flac, etc.)
- over 100 gb of storage
- won't crap out on me in a year or two
- different colors or holders would be nice, but not a necessity
- under $200 would be preferred, but I don't really know the average price of audio players now

Thanks in advance to anyone who has suggestions. If you do suggest something, and have experience with it, can you tell me what you liked and disliked most about it? I'd rather know it all before buying.

I’ve been looking into getting a dap for a while and the biggest things I’m looking for are old Apple interface like the scroll wheel and the album view. The two main choices I’ve seen people talk about are getting a shangling q2 and downloading the custom software or modding an old iPod classic. I want to know given the choice of either what would be the best route. Now I thought a modded iPod would be the best but there’s a lot that goes into it. First if I’m planning on upgrading I guess the model depends bc some doing support higher storage and bigger batteries. Also I guess the shangling is debated whether it’s worth it since apparently the battery life isn’t good. My two main concerns with the iPod route is upgradability I know that even tho you CAN put more storage it might not be designed for it. Also it uses the old charger is there any potential downsides. Help me decide which route to pursue as someone who wants an apple style music player with high quality audio. I feel as though all these new DAP do to much. I don’t need a touch screen at that point it would just be a phone I guess I really like the nostalgic simple feel of doing one job good. That said a lot of shangling mods look very good and have the same feel as old iPods.

Any help is greatly appreciated in advance

Crazy things happening in the Vita modding scene. I put the PSVITAMAN homebrew app on mine, gives it a Walkman-like experience.

Edit: I meant User Interface not Operating System

How do y’all feel about sound quality vs aesthetics?

I’ve had my Hifi Walker H20 Ultra for a while now and I’m absolutely obsessed with the quality of sound I get from it. I’ve used it when performing live and I’ve played sets on the radio directly from it and so on, but I noticed I’ve started picking it up less for casual listening due its size and weight and some other factors that’ve slowly started deterring me away.

Things I love about it:
The sound quality
The scroll wheel volume control
The simplicity (no streaming or smart apps)

Things I’m worn on:
The size
The weight
Phantom button presses when in pockets (leading to me hold it while walking which is not ideal)
The aesthetics (I knew I was choosing sound quality over aesthetics when I bought it but I wish there was more customization options)
The screen responds a bit weird sometimes, definitely not extremely smooth.

I know the cons list is pretty long but I truely do absolutely adore this DAP and its been right beside me through so many genres. It’s just come to a point where I’m starting to entertain the idea of going back to my old iPod Touch. I really like the way the iPod Touch showcases artwork and is consistent at displaying it in general.

Does anyone have recs for something that combines sound quality with form factor and aesthetics? (Preferably no smart functions but not opposed entirely).

TL;DR my dilemma is Quality vs. Portability and Aesthetics. Which DAP can meet both needs?

P.S. I feel so bad admitting that aesthetics matter to me a little 😭 pls dont flame me in the comments 💔

So I've been eyeing on having a distraction less device for the gym. Daily 1-2hrs of usage with a beginner level of iems Moondrop chu ll

Ended up buying an iPod touch 5G on iOS 9.3.4 jailbroken device from the marketplace only to realise that it doesn't support FLAC format.

It's so much of a task to find ripped music from spotyflac or Monochrome ( most of the time they don't work well ) and then convert them to ALAC format one by one and sync it via iTunes.

How are people using old apple devices making it work out for them? What's the best way to do it.

I've never purchased a DAP before. Here are the sources I own and used. My favorite below is the DC-Tonfa. I do also like the xbass on the hip dac. For my desktop I use JDS Labs Atom 2 stack which I enjoy prior to that I used Fiio K5 pro ess which I also liked until it died. I will be using both headphones and iems with the dap. Any suggestions for a first DAP? I was thinking about one of the R2R ones but they seem pretty expensive for first DAP.

Hi,

Recently just got a snowsky echo mini and idk why I had the expectation that it would sound better than my phone(s23) + bluetooth.

To my suprise it sounds good but not as good as my phone. My issue is that it does not sound clean on my echo but sounds much cleaner on my phone

Headphones I used are jbl bt650NC with 3.5mm aux connected to the mini

Super confused, is this expected? Do I need to set something?

Thanks

Current rotation on the desk

iPod Classic – The daily driver for full albums. Still nothing beats the click wheel for browsing a big library, and Cover Flow is pure nostalgia.

Snowsky Echo Mini – In a leather case, running a custom theme. Tiny, light, surprisingly good sound for the price. It's the one I grab when I don't want to think.

Hidizs AP30 – The newest addition, the pad and A/B buttons make navigation way more fun than it has any right to be.

If you're into customizing your Echo Mini, check out livetrack.club it's a collection of custom Snowsky themes, including the one in the photo.

I enjoy this dap so far. I personally don’t mind the UI but understand where others would be annoyed. I love that this is not android based but curious to others thoughts.
I personally do not use tidal or Bluetooth so not sure how either of those work and if they do well.

My use case for my dap is at the office or at home. I wouldn’t go to the gym or anything with this device. I listen either by shuffle or album.

A couple of tips that I followed after the battery life was atrocious for the first couple of days. I will preface I strictly use the 3.5mm. I don’t utilize the 10 band eq. I don’t really know what settings I would even use and from what I read it reduces the power output.

Turn off the lamp on the side.

Format SD Card on the device. Apparently doing so on your computer formats what is easier for it to process and by doing so the m1 plus uses more power to play your files. This is what I read. I have seen a difference in battery but not sure if it is completely related but thought I would share.

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences with your M1 and meze audio alba iems.

I am interested in exploring the R2R sound and end up deciding on getting the DX270. I asked 2 different shops and they sounded like I was asking something so old and outdated! Both are reputable shops and both says the unit in discontinued already. I know it is not really true as iBasso still has it on their site. And the unit was released like less than a year ago. What is happening with DAPs these days? Are they getting outdated quicker than phones? Or R2R DAPs are no longer a thing and brands are ditching them all together?

Current setup:

• FiiO JM21: my daily driver. I use it on the go and also as a USB DAC/amp with my MacBook. I play around with its PEQ quite a bit.
• IEMs: Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED
• Headphones: Sennheiser HD 560S (wired, open-back), Sennheiser HD 450BT, AirPods Pro 2
• Music: mostly a local FLAC library that lives on my NAS. Streaming isn’t a priority on the second device.

What I’m after:

• Non-Android. I already have Android covered with the JM21. I want something focused, quirky, and different.
• Tinkering potential is a big plus. I’m really curious about Rockbox: custom themes, PEQ, crossfeed, the whole thing.
• Something with personality. Design or form factor matters to me (I’m a designer, so yes, I’m that guy).
• It mostly has to drive the Zero:RED nicely. Driving the HD 560S would be a bonus, not a must.

What would you pick, and why? Also open to IEM suggestions! I’ve only got the Zero:RED, so I’d love to add a second pair with a different flavour. Maybe something with more bass, a different driver type, or anything that pairs especially well with your DAP recommendation. Combos welcome!

Not going to lie. This combo is mostly for the aesthetics. Shot this to test out some new lighting gear. Moondrop Space Travel 2, replaced the tips with orange ones, alongside the Snowsky Echo. I think the Moondrops sound better when tuned with the app through a phone. The Echo is a great machine, especially for album listeners.

Not sure what I’m doing wrong, I push it in as much as I can and it doesn’t lock into place.

it’s a Sandisk Extreme 128GB V30 which feels pretty standard. I don’t have a second card to try.