“I’m Really Getting Into Listening To Music.”

I’ve seen a friend (@mintyfreshka) look into getting a DAP after I got into the worst consumer hobby out there. So I thought to write this up mostly for him, as this is probably the biggest money sink someone could get into without some guidance on how to approach it.

“I’m really getting into listening to music.”

Semi-educated advice on portable Hi-Fi from a casual perspective.

First thing: don’t get into hi-fi. It’s a dumb hobby.

To be more clear; there is a claim that audiophiles don’t really listen to music, rather they are listening to the equipment they are listening too. That is very accurate after seeing discussions on forms regarding “best equipment” and what not. And personally, I also believe that discussion goes both ways; Hi-Fi nerds are not too different from Analog purists. At some point it stops being about the music and more about how the way it’s being listened too. Not that there isn’t merit to that discussion, rather it’s a very easy way to discourage oneself from even considering seeing what the space brings to the listening experience. In essence: the focus of even considering hi-fi equipment in the first place shouldn’t be the equipment itself. Or initially, at least. Really, the first step is to look at one’s own listening habits.

Stop music streaming (or streaming of any kind, but that isn’t the point-)

Surprise, this is secretly a post about how algorithms are the devil and streaming services are a rip-off. Building a library of music, physical or otherwise, should be the first priority; less about media ownership and more about having the files on hand that isn’t hosted on a companies' server. And no, the type of files being saved don’t matter much. There are better videos on this topic, but to put it succinctly: A (320kbps) MP3 file is subjectively not different from FLAC. Yes, there is more information retained in a FLAC. And if the FLAC particularly is one of those scary 24bit/192+kHz files, there is little chance someone would notice unless they have sensitive ears and scary expensive equipment. If fidelity is the priority and nothing else; go to a live show for a local band or something.

Speaking personally; the library of music I have has been built up though osmosis. Buying CDs from thrift stores, files off of iTunes and Bandcamp, going to the seas. I haven’t lost any of these files yet, and I don’t ever plan too. Although the question is where I keep these files is another question.

Don’t buy an iPod.

More so, don’t grab a dedicated device for those MP3s yet. If a phone still has a headphone jack, it can play music. Or use a pair of Bluetooth headphones. I really want to emphasize how easy and cheap it can be to listen to music without being tethered to the internet. A second-hand iPod or a cheap MP3 player can be easily be bought, then placed into a desk drawer after a month of novelty. Personally, I enjoyed my music just fine on my phone. Some android apps like Poweramp really juice up audio files as much as one can from their phone.

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The rest of this post is going to be a further discussion on equipment; specifically regarding wired headphones. And while Bluetooth headphones are more than serviceable; a wired connection means the girl reading this doesn’t have to charge her headphones to use them.

So, what wired headphones should one get?

This is more an example of what to grab, and ignore the aftermarket cable; a lot of IEMs on AliExpress are excellent if one knows what they are looking for. And if someone doesn’t, the Salnotes Zero 2s are fantastic for their price. Notably, these are tuned by a YouTuber; but they know what they are doing, so they are actually good. The best way to describe them is that they answer the question: what if Skullcandies were good? These have a nice weight at the low-end and have very clean mid-tones; I haven’t regretted getting these since I started using them. 

The first generation of these are good too, and slightly cheaper; but they are very sharp in the high-end frequencies. I had these for a while and didn’t use them much because the high-frequency response really hurt after a while, even at a low volume. Besides that, they don’t really have much weight at the low-end but are perfectly flat all around save for the extra bright high-end. Great for Jazz and anything with wind instruments.

Both are roughly $30-35 CND on Amazon or AliExpress.

“But what if my phone doesn’t have a headphone jack?”

Yeah. 

No, I’m very serious about this. Apple’s 3.5 mm to X adapter is arguably the best value for anyone that isn’t installed in the hi-fi space. Even some hi-fi nerds agree (technically). There are non-apple ones available on the market on Amazon, but I specifically recommend these for those who live in the Americas for how easy it is to acquire. Literally walk into a Best Buy, even a Staples/Office Max will have these in stock for phones with USB-C and Lightning ports. To address a slight issue with them; they can make headphones slightly quiet. And can be worse if It's bought in the EU; the output voltage is cut in half due to regulations. Again, alternatives can be found on AliExpress

This is the point where I would stop giving advice; as a decent pair of IEMs or any good headphones and Apple’s stupid dongle is probably the best way to listen to one’s music library from their phone. There shouldn’t really be anything stopping the guy reading this from enjoying his music. Well, except for the occasional notification or call that interrupts the music. There are settings in most music players to stop notifications from interrupting the music. Turning on do not disturb can work too; although one would have to remember to turn it off after listening to music.

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Okay, maybe buy an iPod.

A second device can do wonders for distraction free listening, and most second-hand phones can stand in for a MP3 player. Someone else put it best, but abstaining oneself from buying more crap is generally good thing. But I also think carrying around another phone is kinda silly, especially if the girl reading this is using it as a means to disconnect herself from that damn phone. Like me. I hate my phone and would like to move my library away from it. 

I don’t have much personal experience with iPods aside from the Touches I have had in my drawer for ages. From what I have seen, there is a wide market of modded iPod Classics for those who don’t want to deal with the hassle of modding it themselves. Unless someone reading this is living in the future where iPods are now a luxury collectable. Great thing that there are MP3 players out there that aren’t related to Apple.

There are a ton of Digital Audio Players on the market; many of which would make someone wince when looking at their price. Many of these will try to market how they are “Hi-Res Audio” certified or can run a multitude of audio codecs. The things to really look out for is the kind of Digital Audio Converter it’s using, the Amp chip that it’s paired with. If the guy reading this is wondering what the difference, they make are: Hi-Fi nerds have done the research and can be found out with a quick web search.

After doing some searching and listening to the nerds, here is what I use at the moment:

There are many DAPs like it, but this one is mine.

The Snowsky Echo Mini is a great device for $70 CND. First, it’s one of the few non-andoroid based DAPs on the market. It can’t connect to the internet or whatever, but like that’s the point of a device that isn’t the damn phone. Second, The feature set is fantastic for its price. It’s got a pair of DACs for each ear, allowing it to send lots of juice out the two ports it has; one 3.5 mm output and a 4.4 mm balanced output. The latter is what I got the aftermarket cable for, as the balanced output outputs almost 3v and gives me way more headroom for volume. An added bonus is that it can play DSD/DSF cause the DAC it uses can decode it; not sure where I can get DSD/DSF files worth listening too or who even offers those these days.

This is really at the end of the advice I can personally give; past this point is where we get into the significant amounts of diminishing returns. More expensive DACs offer in-device EQs and additional ports for those who really want to dial in their sound, and headphones can really reach insane prices even before getting an expensive amp to power them. In the end, the most important thing is to enjoy the music and to not fuss if the equipment being used the best. 

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