getmusicbee.com
General => Beyond MusicBee => Topic started by: phred on September 30, 2018, 04:32:04 PM
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I'm looking for a mid-priced DAP (under 200 USD, but will consider slightly higher if the specs justify it) to replace my FiiO X1 II, which seemed great when I bought it (for 100 USD) but has become disappointing. FiiO did release a couple of firmware updates that fixed a few of the problems I and others were dealing with, but other issues remained unfixed. And now word is that FiiO has discontinued support.
So the search begins for another, yet reliable, player and I'm reaching out for recommendations. I am -not- an audiophile, so high-end audio specs are not necessary, although I don't want it to sound like my music is playing underwater through a tin can.
Mandatory specs include:
- reliable bluetooth (in addition to a wired headphone jack)
- SD card capable (256gb)
- playlists
- shuffle
- no proprietary method for transferring music to the device
- good battery life (10+ hours)
- variety of audio formats (although I mostly have mp3 at this moment)
I would prefer not having a rotating scroll wheel as that was one of the poorly designed aspects of the FiiO.
Ok folks ... what have you got for me?
Thanks.
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no suggestions but http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/ might also be worth checking out
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Just took a very quick look at that site and it should be helpful. Will spend more time on it later today.
Thank you Steven.
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Looking to jump-start this topic. The site referenced to Steven looks like it has been abandoned.
I did settle on the FiiO X5 and while it was good to start, it's rather sluggish now. What I liked about it was that it had 'dual-mode' in that it could run its own OS or an Android OS. But the Android OS was v4 (maybe v5.) It is very, very slow. And the more tracks I add the slower it gets.
I'm looking for a mid-priced DAP (under 300 USD, but will consider slightly higher if the specs justify it)
So the search begins for another, yet reliable, player and I'm reaching out for recommendations. I am -not- an audiophile, so high-end audio specs are not necessary, although I don't want it to sound like my music is playing underwater through a tin can.
Desired specs include:
- a modern day Android OS
- WiFi
- Bluetooth would be nice but not mandatory
- SD card capable
- ability to load playlists from MB
- shuffle
- no proprietary method for transferring music to the device
- good battery life (10+ hours)
- MP3 and FLAC at minimum
Looking for specific recommendations, or decent websites that offer reviews/comparisons. I do know about HeadFi.
Thanks.
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I'm looking for a mid-priced DAP (under 300 USD, but will consider slightly higher if the specs justify it)
So the search begins for another, yet reliable, player and I'm reaching out for recommendations. I am -not- an audiophile, so high-end audio specs are not necessary, although I don't want it to sound like my music is playing underwater through a tin can.
An idea !!
With a small budget in mind.
If, as you claim, you're not and audiophile, you could do worse than a using a more up-to-date 'used' Andriod phone, that takes a big MicroSD card, that may benefit from using a portable headphone Amp / DAC combo, like a Dragonfly, as long as you have reasonable headphones.
Keep us informed with what you end up using, with a mini review please.
Regards: Freddy
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you could do worse than a using a more up-to-date 'used' Andriod phone, that takes a big MicroSD card
A valid suggestion, Freddy (Phreddy?)
I do have a 400gb card in my Samsung S8 but the reason I don't like using it as an audio player is that the battery life drains very quickly. When not using GoneMadd on my phone, I'm recharging every two days. With it in use, I can barely get a day. Hence the preference for a stand-alone player with good battery life. Even with the drawback of carrying a second device around. Typically I only use the player in the car and when traveling long distance.
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Typically I only use the player in the car and when traveling long distance.
Pretty much the same for me, when in the car, the phone is connected to the charger, so no loss of power, and sound via 3.5mm into car radio input via cable thus no need for Blue teeth (which I'm informed can drain the battery). The only time I bother with an overnight charge, is after listening from a sunbed all day 8)
I hope I have negated the need for you to spend any money, so project well within budget or do you have that itch to just buy something new anyway?
Freddy / Phred / Either / Or
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I don't really have an itch to buy something new, but I wouldn't hesitate if I found something to my liking. I did see a Pioneer XDP-300R last night that just about has everything I want but for two items: it runs Android 5.1.1, and it's about 600 USD. I did see something that had Android 6.x but can't remember what it was at this point.
My current FiiO has 5.1.1 and the general consensus among FiiO X5 users is that the OS is what gives it its sluggish response time.
So for the time being I'll try using my S8 and see what the battery drain is. Personally I don't like to charge it until the battery is below 5%.
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Or perhaps a dedicated smartphone for music?
If you disable all wireless communications, and find a model with a decent battery and a not too big, non-hi-res display I would guess it should last very long on a charge?
I have no Android experience, but I read good things about LG phones in regard to audio quality.
Perhaps find a used one? That shouldn't break the bank.
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Or perhaps a dedicated smartphone for music?
If you disable all wireless communications, and find a model with a decent battery and a not too big, non-hi-res display I would guess it should last very long on a charge?
I have no Android experience, but I read good things about LG phones in regard to audio quality.
Perhaps find a used one? That shouldn't break the bank.
Also good info. I did see something about LG phones being decent, but my experience with LG is not good. A number of years ago I got my first LG product - a DVD/BluRay player and returned it within a week. Last year I replaced my 5 year old, dead, Samsung TV with an LG and can't wait to get rid of it. Perhaps their phones are different/better.
I don't know if I have an additional phone to use as a dedicated music player if I'd need a carrier plan strictly to use WiFi. Something else to look in to.
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So for the time being I'll try using my S8 and see what the battery drain is. Personally I don't like to charge it until the battery is below 5%.
Galaxy S8 Battery Capacity = 3000mAh
Battery Life Good for min 500 charges.
MP3 playback (AOD on): up to 44 hrs
MP3 playback (AOD OFF): up to 67 hrs
Replacement only £20 ($25).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Mkp3wdwu4
Freddy...
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I don't know if I have an additional phone to use as a dedicated music player if I'd need a carrier plan strictly to use WiFi. Something else to look in to.
In my experience you do not. I've continued to use decommissioned cell phones for other purposes with just Wifi and they've worked just fine.
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Perhaps interesting, your Fiio X5 and an LG smartphone compared:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZUvPQ6SN5I
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...I did see a Pioneer XDP-300R last night that just about has everything I want but for two items: it runs Android 5.1.1, and it's about 600 USD.
Trying not to p on your bonfire sir, and I know you shouldn't buy sound equipment by it's appearance, and the number of LED's and buttons, but the Pioneer XDP-300R wouldn't win any beauty contests, and at 5x3x0.5 inches a bit of a brick and not much smaller than my DAC, plus you could buy a budget Hifi setup for that price. ;D
However, I can confirm a solid and good quality build from Pioneer if my 1978 SA 706 Amp was anything to go by!
I'm not being much help am I ??
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I'm not being much help am I ??
That's not true. First - there was no way in hell I'd buy the quoted Pioneer mainly due to price. And it -is- a monster in size. But I agree on Pioneer's quality from earlier experiences with their HiFi and Stereo equipment.
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Perhaps interesting, your Fiio X5 and an LG smartphone compared:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZUvPQ6SN5I
Thanks for that link. In summary, based on when the video was made, the FiiO X5 beats just about any phone that was available at the time of producing the video (2017.)
At this point I think I'll try my S8 as a phone/audio player for a week or so, and then either use the X5 or look for a used phone.
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I don't know if I have an additional phone to use as a dedicated music player if I'd need a carrier plan strictly to use WiFi. Something else to look in to.
In my experience you do not. I've continued to use decommissioned cell phones for other purposes with just Wifi and they've worked just fine.
Good to know. I'll factor that into my one week evaluation. Thanks.
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Have you looked at the M9? It's more locked down than the X5, but faster.
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Thanks Critterman. I just looked at the M9 specs and see that it's running a more recent version of Android than the X5 (v7 vs v5.1) and the price is at the top of my range. The thinking right now is to convert all music playing to my S8 phone. But this could be the replacement. I also like that it can take a 2TB card. Not that I have one, but that's impressive.
FiiO says the M9 has a "highly customized Android OS." And lists some streaming apps that (I think) are built-in. Do you happen to know if I can install other Android apps on it? Specifically GoneMad.
I see you're still using the X5. Do you use it in Android mode with a music player app, or do you use the FiiO music app under the FiiO OS?
Do you find it sluggish at all? That for me is probably the main reason I'm looking to change.
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FiiO says the M9 has a "highly customized Android OS." And lists some streaming apps that (I think) are built-in. Do you happen to know if I can install other Android apps on it? Specifically GoneMad.
Yeah, whitelisted apps only, no Play store and limited sideload. Here's the whitelist: https://fiio.com/newsinfo/91534.html (https://fiio.com/newsinfo/91534.html)
I see you're still using the X5. Do you use it in Android mode with a music player app, or do you use the FiiO music app under the FiiO OS?
Do you find it sluggish at all? That for me is probably the main reason I'm looking to change.
The X5 III is sluggish as a hippo in quicksand due to poor memory management and a junk chipset. I only use the FiiO music app or Tidal from the Play store on it. An M11 is currently in transit to me, though the Play store can't be used due to Google not wanting to support older versions of Android. At least one can still sideload, though not all apps can be sideloaded as they rely on the Play store. But, the M11 supposedly does what I need it to and is reportedly not sluggish at all. If you want app freedom above all else, a good Android phone is your best bet in my opinion as well. The only advantage to FiiO products is good audio quality for the price. You can always add a DAC/Amp to an Android phone if BT is good enough for you and you want better sound or more power.
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The X5 III is sluggish as a hippo in quicksand
HA! I'm glad to see it's not just me that feels this way.
the M11 supposedly does what I need it to and is reportedly not sluggish at all. If you want app freedom above all else, a good Android phone is your best bet in my opinion as well. The only advantage to FiiO products is good audio quality for the price. You can always add a DAC/Amp to an Android phone if BT is good enough for you and you want better sound or more power.
I've since read that the M9 has a few Android apps that have been white listed by FiiO and those are the only ones that can be installed. Naturally, GMMP isn't on the list. I don't know if it will allow direct APK installations. Doesn't really matter at this point.
I would be interested in hearing your impressions of the M11 once you take it for spin.
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I would be interested in hearing your impressions of the M11 once you take it for spin.
I'll try to remember to share them with the class. I started with an X5 II, realized I wanted more functionality so I went to the X5 III, found that had the function I wanted but was just too slow and is plagued by memory issues that the X7 was not, so now I'm essentially going to the X5 IV in the M11 ;D
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Does anyone have any experience with Shanling music players? Specifically the M0 and the M5s. Two very different beasts, but both look like they might work for me.
I'm willing to remove 'android' and 'wifi' from my earlier list of requirements. Updated desired requirements are:
- ability to take a 512gb sd card
- ability to perform a one way, USB sync from MB
- ability to play playlists created in and transferred from MB
- shuffle
- good battery life
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Do you need album artist tag support? You never mentioned but I thought it might be important.
FYI Fiio M9 and M11 doesn't support it. And if I remember correctly, none of Shanling's do as well.
With my way of organizing the library, lack of album artist tag support means any album with featured artist will be broken up into multiple pieces.
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Do you need album artist tag support? You never mentioned but I thought it might be important.
FYI Fiio M9 and M11 doesn't support it. And if I remember correctly, none of Shanling's do as well.
With my way of organizing the library, lack of album artist tag support means any album with featured artist will be broken up into multiple pieces.
Thanks SkyZippr. I've searched the 'net and can't find any mention of whether the M0 does or doesn't support Album Artist. So I have emailed them. They're very response and I had answers to my two previous emails within 24 hours. So I'm hoping the same holds true with this. I shall report back.
While I do add Album Artist to any album I'm tagging, I don't think it would be a deal breaker for me. The only place it might be a minor problem is with the 197 albums where Album Artist is "Various Artists" - albums that are for the most part, compilations. And I can always find them by looking for the Album.
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Shanling confirmed that Album Artist "is not currently supported." I have asked if they plan on adding it in a future firmware release. We'll see.
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Everybody has different preferences, so my choices may not be for you. But wife and I had two fairly high-end LG phones from 2013 that we loved, but as the years passed and the Android OS was no longer being updated, we had to change phones. Although we loved the phones, the battery life was just so-so, especially as they got older. The last Android update for those phones was 4.1, which does prevent many new apps from working.
I took the smallest of the de-commissioned phones (only 4GB internal memory) and configured it without a SIM card (no phone support) as my mobile audio player. My preferred app is Rocket Player, and it will play constantly for more than a day without any power connections - after a recent 8-hour trip, the battery was still over 70% (and that was with the audio cranked to Max for feeding the car radio from the headset jack)! Not having any phone service configured makes a HUGE difference in how long it lasts. And everything on the phone still works perfectly on any Wi-Fi connection.
Although I really like the Rocket Player, it does not have any casting support, so when I want to play music to my Chromecast Audio devices or other wireless receivers, I use the Hi-Fi Cast app. I never use Bluetooth, as I consider that audio quality is total crap.
The beauty of using a de-commissioned phone as a player is that you can use any app that will run on your OS - if you do not like the features of one audio player, try one of the hundred other options. My new Moto X4 phone has phenomenal battery life, a very fast CPU, and huge amounts of storage, but I still prefer to use a separate device as an audio player. And you do not need high-end hardware to make a good player.
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An M11 is currently in transit to me, though the Play store can't be used due to Google not wanting to support older versions of Android.
I am not sure what that quote means - my old phones are only running Android 4.1, and they are still completely supported on the Play Store. SOME of the newer apps say they will not load, or they give a warning because the OS version is too old, but that is an app-specific thing, not related to Google or Play Store support as far as I can tell.
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Do you need album artist tag support? You never mentioned but I thought it might be important.
FYI Fiio M9 and M11 doesn't support it. And if I remember correctly, none of Shanling's do as well.
That's a good observation and fair warning.
(I was also considering a Shanling)
I would never have guessed one of the most basic and essential tags would not be supported by modern players.
I'm now glad I didn't immediately respond to your post, expressing doubts about your statement.
(damn, I gave my overly suspicious mind away now)
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The beauty of using a de-commissioned phone as a player is that you can use any app that will run on your OS - if you do not like the features of one audio player, try one of the hundred other options. My new Moto X4 phone has phenomenal battery life, a very fast CPU, and huge amounts of storage, but I still prefer to use a separate device as an audio player. And you do not need high-end hardware to make a good player.
Thanks Mauser69. Someone else in this thread suggested using an old LG phone. But it means (for my use) carrying around two phone sized object. And even though the Shanling M0 doesn't (currently) recognize Album Artist, I ordered it today and will have it tomorrow. Mainly because of its small size, low price, and there's a thirty day return policy so if I really need Album Artist I can return it and keep looking.
Expect a 'first impressions' report tomorrow.
And thanks to everyone who offered suggestions.
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An M11 is currently in transit to me, though the Play store can't be used due to Google not wanting to support older versions of Android.
I am not sure what that quote means - my old phones are only running Android 4.1, and they are still completely supported on the Play Store. SOME of the newer apps say they will not load, or they give a warning because the OS version is too old, but that is an app-specific thing, not related to Google or Play Store support as far as I can tell.
I agree. My Fiio X5 runs Android 5.1 and I was able to get the few apps I wanted directly from the Play Store. And they worked just fine. I attribute the sluggishness not to the apps, but to the OS.
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An M11 is currently in transit to me, though the Play store can't be used due to Google not wanting to support older versions of Android.
I am not sure what that quote means - my old phones are only running Android 4.1, and they are still completely supported on the Play Store. SOME of the newer apps say they will not load, or they give a warning because the OS version is too old, but that is an app-specific thing, not related to Google or Play Store support as far as I can tell.
I believe it has something to do with Google revoking/authorizing some android hardware.
I have a (very nice and quite recent) ereader (regrettably) running on android, but store access became problematic at a certain moment in time because Google implemented some restrictions on the product/vendor.
This probably doesn't affect phones, but mp3 players and ereaders may suffer from android support/store access.
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First impressions of Shanling M0 after less than 30 minutes of use...
- It's small! I mean like real tiny. Like teeny tiny. Tiny to the point of perhaps being -too- tiny.
- Not being an audiophile, I'm happy with the sound reproduction, but I need to listen to different types of music before making a valid judgement.
- It's 100% touch-screen. Swipes and taps. Still getting the hang of them, so I'll withhold further comments on this until I figure them out. But I will say this - the device itself may be too small to me to feel comfortable swiping. There is one button which takes care of on/off and volume.
- I took my 512gb from my FiiO and inserted it in the M0 and told it to scan. There were 27,000+ tracks but scanning seemed to stop at around 2,000. My 80+ playlists appear, but tapping any of them result in "file not found." I just started a rescan and it's definitely taking longer than the first scan (and is now at 3,500) so that may solve the playlist issue.
- If I were forced to make a decision right now, I'd return it. But that's not really fair, being as how I've used it for less than half an hour. But I do have thirty days to send it back and would like to use it for a couple of days before deciding.
- Did I say it was tiny? With my next post I'll have a picture of it with a ruler to show the scale.
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Just heard back from Shanling regarding Album Artist support:
I added Album artist into our list of "features to add" some time ago, just waiting when our software team will get to it.
If it was added to their wishlist 'some time ago' I wonder how long it will take to actually see it added.
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Size does matter.
(http://i.imgur.com/0e8C7y5l.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/0e8C7y5.jpg) (http://i.imgur.com/D7UOOnkl.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/D7UOOnk.jpg)
Did I mention that this might be too small? Well, it is. I was awake with this thing until after 3am and have given up on it. It's just too small for me to use comfortably. I'm tapping wrong lines, I set it to a non-Latin character language and couldn't find a reset setting since I couldn't recognize the characters, swiping is difficult. So back it goes.
Freddy Barker, hiccup, Mauser69 and perhaps others seem to make a lot of sense with the suggestion of getting a used smartphone and using it as a player. I can find a number of used LG v20s for less than I paid for the M0. This has some major advantages:
- it's an Android OS which means I can use GMMP
- it's an Android OS which means I can use MB's wifi sync
- it's one of the only smart phones I know of that has a user-replaceable battery. Especially good when buying a used, two year old phone
- the fact that not having/using a SIM card (only using WiFi) will give me more life between charges
The M0 is going out the door today.
More updates on this continuing saga when the LG arrives next week.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone.
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Why wait? visit here today, take your headphones and a few quality tracks for an audition ::)
https://www.cellphonerepair.com/boston-downtown-ma/buy-used-devices
Good luck, Freddy
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Why wait? visit here today, take your headphones and a few quality tracks for an audition ::)
Thanks. Didn't know about that place since I'm not in downtown Boston all that often these days. The LG was ordered this morning and has already shipped from about 200 miles from me. So it could be here as soon as Saturday or Monday although its arrival is "guaranteed no later than Wednesday."
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Why wait? visit here today, take your headphones and a few quality tracks for an audition ::)
Thanks. Didn't know about that place since I'm not in downtown Boston all that often these days. The LG was ordered this morning and has already shipped from about 200 miles from me. So it could be here as soon as Saturday or Monday although its arrival is "guaranteed no later than Wednesday."
I forgot that the USA was immense in area.
Exciting times waiting for a new boy-toy-gadget huh? I hope it fulfills all of your expectations....
Freddy
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Sometimes Amazon works in mysterious ways.
I notified them that I wanted to return the Shanling. They offered me the option of dropping it off at a local store and it would be returned with no shipping charges. I printed out the return label and scanned the tracking number for my records. I dropped it off at the store and it got scanned into their system. By the the I returned home (15 minutes later) an email from Amazon informed me that they have issued a refund to my credit card.
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Yeah, Amazon has gotten real proactive on the way they handle their returns. It was the one weak spot in the whole process, and with their Kohl's alliance and Amazon Lockers popping up everywhere they've taken all the hassle out of it.
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I wasn't aware of their alliance with Kohl's. And I have two supermarkets within five miles of me that have the lockers. But for some reason they wanted to charge me $7.95 to return via a locker. I have returned a few things with the lockers and never had a fee before. For free, I took it to the local UPS Store.
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Do you need album artist tag support? You never mentioned but I thought it might be important.
FYI Fiio M9 and M11 doesn't support it. And if I remember correctly, none of Shanling's do as well.
That's a good observation and fair warning.
(I was also considering a Shanling)
I would never have guessed one of the most basic and essential tags would not be supported by modern players.
I'm now glad I didn't immediately respond to your post, expressing doubts about your statement.
(damn, I gave my overly suspicious mind away now)
Actually that was why I didn't buy M9 in the first place. I was like 95% sure that I was gonna buy it, but then I went to the store and inserted my micro SD card to do a bit of a test, only to find out my entire library was broken into pieces.
Also I should probably mention that the media scan of Fiio M9 was extremely slow.
So I turned around.
Then I got home and found out that the album artist tag support has been requested since 2017 on Fiio's official forum. The X series supported 3rd party apps, but people seemed to prefer to use the stock Fiio Music Player. The buttons on the DAP never worked for 3rd party apps, I guess?
http://fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=42886
A supposedly Fiio guy said in another thread on Jan 2019 that "we will still estimate the feasibility in later firmware update", but so far nothing seems to have happened.
http://fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=43855
It's hard to believe but it seems that most of the Chinese manufacturer (Fiio, Shangling, Hiby...) tend to ignore this feature.
But then again, as far as I am concerned, early iPods were missing album artist tag support as well, up until 4th gen of iPod nano or so.
However FYI Fiio whitelisted some of the music player apps, like Poweramp and doubleTwist, on the latest version of firmware for M series just days ago.
See here: https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/275335.html
So yes, Fiio M series now kinda support album artist tag.
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Size does matter.
I think I could have lived with the small size and precise fingering...
But then I saw a review of the screen estate, and Shanling has done a rather bad job on making the most of it:
(https://i.imgur.com/qvVdxp5.png)
As you can see, it breaks text already after some 10 characters.
That's terrible.
I have an old Sansa Clip that is probably half the size, and it displays twice as much characters on it's very minuscule display.
It looks like I'm going to keep that one for a bit longer.
A shame, because the basic design and features seem amazing.
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Freddy Barker, hiccup, Mauser69 and perhaps others seem to make a lot of sense with the suggestion of getting a used smartphone and using it as a player. I can find a number of used LG v20s for less than I paid for the M0. This has some major advantages:
- it's an Android OS which means I can use GMMP
- it's an Android OS which means I can use MB's wifi sync
- it's one of the only smart phones I know of that has a user-replaceable battery. Especially good when buying a used, two year old phone
- the fact that not having/using a SIM card (only using WiFi) will give me more life between charges
I know you already ordered your "new" phone, but I will add this for anyone else interested who does not have an old one sitting around to use:
The old phone I am using as a music player is an LG Escape p870 from 2012 - that is so old that one should be virtually free if you could find one! It also has a user-changeable battery that just drops in the back. As a device, it is quite small and thin when compared to more modern phones, but one potential drawback is the max card size is 32GB.
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The old phone I am using as a music player is an LG Escape p870 from 2012 - that is so old that one should be virtually free if you could find one! It also has a user-changeable battery that just drops in the back. As a device, it is quite small and thin when compared to more modern phones, but one potential drawback is the max card size is 32GB.
Thanks. 32gb as a max card size certainly wouldn't cut it for me. And as I may have said earlier (I'm too lazy to go back and look) the ocst of the V20 was less than the m0. I don't plan on getting a case for it, so it will maintain its thinness.
Most of the new OEM batteries for the V20 have a manufactured date of two years ago. If they are indeed brand new, never been used or charged, I would think they would be rechargeable as if they were manufactured yesterday. Can someone tell me if my thinking is flawed. And if it is can someone suggest a decent brand for a non-OEM battery.
The postal service has confirmed that delivery will be Monday. But since this is the -US- postal service, it's really anybody's guess if it will really be here then.
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An M11 is currently in transit to me, though the Play store can't be used due to Google not wanting to support older versions of Android.
I am not sure what that quote means - my old phones are only running Android 4.1, and they are still completely supported on the Play Store. SOME of the newer apps say they will not load, or they give a warning because the OS version is too old, but that is an app-specific thing, not related to Google or Play Store support as far as I can tell.
In short, it's a new device running old Android (7). Google would not allow Google Services or the Play store to run on it. Devices that already had the Play store didn't have it removed.
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The LG was ordered this morning and has already shipped from about 200 miles from me. So it could be here as soon as Saturday or Monday although its arrival is "guaranteed no later than Wednesday."
Has the mail man been today?
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Seems like you're more excited about this than I am. :-)
No, not yet, but it's early here (9:45am) and tracking shows that it is 'out for delivery.' Which means it'll be delivered at some point today.
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Seems like you're more excited about this than I am. :-)
Almost but not quite :D
Bet you're twitching the curtains every time you hear a vehicle!
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Bet you're twitching the curtains every time you hear a vehicle!
Had I been home all day waiting, they yes. I would've been a twitching phool. But I was out all day and just returned. It's been delivered, and unboxed. There is/was about 4% battery life, but it did power up. Might not really get to try it out until tomorrow. So stay tuned.
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It's been delivered, and unboxed. There is/was about 4% battery. Might not really get to try it out until tomorrow. So stay tuned.
Good new thus far..
I'm as tuned as i'm ever going to get, just hoping it charges beyond the 4% and don't need a new battery!
And works, and sounds good, and accepts a 400gb MicroSD card ect... the suspense is torturous!
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With apologies to The Beatles, here's the next chapter in The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill.
The LG has a slight chip in the lower left corner of the frame. It's only a cosmetic issue and if I decide to put a case on it, it won't be seen at all. I hardly notice it's there, and it's not a sharp chip so I won't cut myself.
There's a slight reddish hue dead center of the screen. Since this will be a music player and not a picture viewer, I don't care. What's odd about it is that while it appears on everything, when I take a screenshot, it's not there.
It has an original LG battery with a manufactured date of November 2016, so I'm looking to replace that as soon as possible. I'm looking for battery recommendations.
I've been installing some utility apps so I can easily transfer files back and forth between the LG and my PC. And while I do have MB installed, I haven't done any syncing with it yet. But since 27,000+ tracks are on my SD card, in it went and I had music. To my non-audiophile ears, I'm very happy.
Hopefully there will be time later tonight to test out the syncing.
So far, so good.
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... To my non-audiophile ears, I'm very happy.
Hopefully there will be time later tonight to test out the syncing.
So far, so good.
That is good news for me and Bungalow Bill :D
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That is good news for me and Bungalow Bill :D
Well that didn't last too long. Just ran into a problem and it could be a deal-breaker.
When I attach the USB cable it starts charging. There's no option in the drop-down from the status bar to transfer files from USB.
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Well that didn't last too long. Just ran into a problem and it could be a deal-breaker.
When I attach the USB cable it starts charging. There's no option in the drop-down from the status bar to transfer files from USB.
The charging is normal, but isn't there an option to select MTP in one of the Android settings?
Is this to test a wired sync before adventuring into Wifi territory ?
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That is good news for me and Bungalow Bill :D
Well that didn't last too long. Just ran into a problem and it could be a deal-breaker.
When I attach the USB cable it starts charging. There's no option in the drop-down from the status bar to transfer files from USB.
What carrier was the phone made for? Quick Google shows slightly different instructions for various carriers. This is AT&T for example:
https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tutorial.html#!/stepbystep/id/stepbystep_KM1272446?make=LG&model=LGH910
Then there's this on XDA:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72014294&postcount=7
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What carrier was the phone made for? Quick Google shows slightly different instructions for various carriers. This is AT&T for example:
https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tutorial.html#!/stepbystep/id/stepbystep_KM1272446?make=LG&model=LGH910
Then there's this on XDA:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72014294&postcount=7
The phone was originally made for Verizon. My phone doesn't do what the first link shows, which is for an AT&T phone. It shows "Charging" and if I tap it, it goes back to the home screen.
Your second link showed some promise. I've enabled Developer Options and changed USB from charging to MTP. After a restart, it's back to 'charging' again. I can't get MTP to stick.
I've contacted the eBay seller and will ask for an exchange. He's got a 99.9% rating so I doubt there's going to be an issue.
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One minor update about this saga.
The eBay seller got back to me and said he offers 30 days no questions asked. And 60 days if it's a functionality problem. Well, this is definitely a functionality problem. But I don't need 60 days.
I took it to a Verizon store this afternoon and they confirmed there's something wrong with the phone as it should allow MTP file transfers via USB.
I emailed the seller and asked for an exchange. Now we wait.
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The seller not only sent me a postage-free return shipping label, but suggested I order the replacement phone as soon as he issues the refund. That way a new 60 days starts. And exchange would keep the start date as if it was the original order.
My only question is why is this seller only rated at 99.9%? He really should be even higher than 100%.
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The saga is about to reach a successful conclusion.
The replacement LG V20 arrived and the first thing I did was check to see if it could transfer files via USB. Which it could. And the strange reddish artifact on all screens isn't present on this device. It's somewhat different than the returned V20 as this has a FM radio chip and the stock app for it works nicely.
I've got GMMP installed along with the few 'essential' utilities. My 512gb card was read instantly and scanned by GMMP and it sounds just fine via headphones.
There might be an issue with syncing from MB, both wired and WiFi. MB recognizes the card in the phone, but a preview appears to not complete either wired or wifi. Actually that's incorrect. It completes wifi, but it's showing that all 27k files need to be transferred. Which is not correct. Wired preview seems to never complete. I'm digging into this and if I can't get it resolved I'll post to the WiFi sync thread.
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There might be an issue with syncing from MB, both wired and WiFi. MB recognizes the card in the phone, but a preview appears to not complete either wired or wifi. Actually that's incorrect. It completes wifi, but it's showing that all 27k files need to be transferred. Which is not correct. Wired preview seems to never complete. I'm digging into this and if I can't get it resolved I'll post to the WiFi sync thread.
It can be a long and arduous journey to perfection and it seems your goal is now within reach!
Good luck :D
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All is now configured and working well. It appears the sync previews were actually working and that I was just being somewhat impatient. There are 28k files to look at when MB is gathering info on what needs to be synced and that was taking longer than expected. Once I just launched it and came back in half an hour the data was listed. I then unplugged and did a WiFi sync and the preview was quite fast with four new albums added. And the sync was completed in an acceptable amount of time.
Next (and final) test is to plug it into my car's audio system and see if it sounds as good as with headphones.
Thanks to all for the suggestions and comments.
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Thanks to all for the suggestions and comments.
Care in the (Forum) community!
That's good news.
Do you get an on-screen indication of how much % has been scanned?
Tut tut - but understandable re: the impatience :D
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Thanks to all for the suggestions and comments.
Do you get an on-screen indication of how much % has been scanned?
Not during the preview. But yes in the MB status bar when doing a wired sync. Can't remember if MB's status bar shows % during a wifi sync.
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Not during the preview. But yes in the MB status bar when doing a wired sync. Can't remember if MB's status bar shows % during a wifi sync.
Easy to get fed up waiting if/when no progress indications, especially when syncing such a large number of tracks....
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Here's what I think (hope) will be my final update to my adventure of finding a decent mp3 player...
After having the LG V20 for about a week, I took an out of town trip for about a week. The device was on, and I listened to music via GMMP for the entire three hour flight. The battery life dropped by a little less than ten percentage points. Same on the flight back. When carrying on my business, it was on for probably four or five hours every day and only needed to be charged once.
Bottom line is that I'm really happy with this solution and I should've listened sooner to the folks who suggested it.
Thank you all.
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Bottom line is that I'm really happy with this solution and I should've listened sooner to the folks who suggested it.
Thank you all.
Good to hear, happy days, so what's next then? Headphones? (AKG ✔) Earbuds? (Sennheiser ✔) maybe....
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Good to hear, happy days, so what's next then? Headphones? (AKG ✔) Earbuds? (Sennheiser ✔) maybe....
Not exactly. Not being an audiophile saves me lots of money. My headphones are SkullCandy Grind wired/wireless, used almost 100% of the time with bluetooth. And up until a couple of years ago, I never found a pair of earbuds that felt comfortable. Until I got my Samsung S8 which came with a pair of AKG buds. Since I replace that dead phone with another S8, I now have two pair of the AKGs.
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Good to hear, happy days, so what's next then? Headphones? (AKG ✔) Earbuds? (Sennheiser ✔) maybe....
Not exactly. Not being an audiophile saves me lots of money. My headphones are SkullCandy Grind wired/wireless, used almost 100% of the time with bluetooth. And up until a couple of years ago, I never found a pair of earbuds that felt comfortable. Until I got my Samsung S8 which came with a pair of AKG buds. Since I replace that dead phone with another S8, I now have two pair of the AKGs.
Extra free AKG's no too shabby! Ill try to find something else for you on Amazon....
I'm not really an audiophile per sè, but even a crusty old 128kbs mp3 can sound better with good 'cans'..
I've not progressed to blue-teeth yet, I've only just got used to cables, after years of listening to the wireless where you had to tune into a station with a germanium diode aka 'cats whisker' :D
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I've not progressed to blue-teeth yet, I've only just got used to cables, after years of listening to the wireless where you had to tune into a station with a germanium diode aka 'cats whisker' :D
Ahhh ... Were you there when Marconi sent his first message across the pond?
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Thank you all.
And thank you for keeping us posted with your quest and experiences.
It has probably saved me from buying a player I would not have ended up very satisfied with.
(the small Shanling)
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Ahhh ... Were you there when Marconi sent his first message across the pond?
Negative, as that would make me about 140 years old, but granddad may have mentioned it! ;D
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And thank you for keeping us posted with your quest and experiences.
It has probably saved me from buying a player I would not have ended up very satisfied with.
(the small Shanling)
You're quite welcome. As you know, the main reason I took a chance with the Shanling was that it was returnable. And I knew within an hour that it was going back. Small is good, but it was really unusable.
As an aside - the new battery I bought for the V20 is not an original as LG doesn't sell them any longer and a lot of the reviews for the original battery (on sites like Amazon and eBay) state that they're fakes. I got a well-rated off-brand that is ever so slightly thicker than the original. If I accidentally bump the phone sometimes the back cover pops off. I'm thinking of putting two rubber bands around the top and bottom. It may look goofy, but it's mostly in my pocket anyway.
EDIT: Typos
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Hi Phred,
I am anticipating the loss of my tried-and-true iPod and iTunes, and it sounds like you put in tons of work to find the best alternative. Are you still using the V20, and if so, do you have any advice for someone wanting to basically replicate their iTunes experience?
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Are you still using the V20, and if so, do you have any advice for someone wanting to basically replicate their iTunes experience?
Getting the V20 was (and still is) one of the best decisions I've made. I really don't know much about later LG models, but two very great things about the V20 are that it takes an SD card and the battery is user-replaceable. I believe when I was researching it the specs said it could take up to a 256gb SD card. I put in a 512 and had no issues. As my collection grew, I replaced the 512 with a 1tb and still have no issues. I can carry my entire music collection in my pocket.
The aftermarket battery I bought for it died after about a year and replaced it with one that I'm still using today. And it fits better than the first one so I don't need to hold it together with rubber bands. :-)
I have the premium version of GoneMad and use MB's WiFi Sync app to sync from MB to the V20. Again, no issues. I don't use reverse (two-way) syncing. Nor do I care about song/album ratings. I'm closing in on 100 playlists that are pulled from almost 40,000 tracks and that's all on the V20's 1tb card with plenty of room to my collection to grow. When I need more space, I'll dump the Classical tracks I have on the V20 as I mostly use it in the car and/or when traveling and Classical doesn't do anything for me while driving other than put me to sleep and I'm told that's not a good thing.
I don't know if you'll find a V20 at this point in time. I got mine about three years ago through ebay. I paid under 100 USD for it. If you're aiming to use a "smart" phone strictly as a music player, you don't need a current model. Nor a wireless carrier plan. I can use its WiFi if/when I want to connect to the world.
I never used itunes other than once to get my ipod classic set up to use MB. You can see my post in the Tips & Tricks section (https://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=18506.0).
I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have. And I'm curious to see where you wind up.
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The LG V30 is still floating around. It was a great phone for audio.
It's not a user replaceable battery but I replaced one for a friend without any fire or death. It was a little fiddly though.
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I have two LG V20s and a V30. The V30 is my daily phone and has a 256GB card installed (my music is only about half of that to date, and I always need some photo/video storage space). I use it for music mostly in my car where it connects immediately with my after-market bluetooth for music and calls, but also still use it through wired and BT head- and earphones for music. I play my own music through the VLC app, and stream Amazon Music Unlimited (loads of HD offerings included now), a subscription which just replaced Spotify Premium. Note that the V series DAC virtues are only available/only kick in through a wired connection with relatively (at least) high-impedance head or earphones. The V20s are backup music players and I use them to share my music and subscription with loved ones.
NB: I now also have a HiBy R3 Saber music player that sounds even better than my Vs, especially through its balanced output, although the software doesn't compare to VLC. The larger screens are another plus for the LGs. The HiBy is also equipped with BT, but I've ignored that -only testing it briefly to make sure it worked at all. One big advantage of the HiBy is that it enhances all wired headsets and all/any- resolution files. The R3 built-in memory is only for its OS, etc., and requires an SD card to play the stored music. I have a 256GB card in that too. The HiBy is designed to work with Tidal and Qobuz as well, but no other subscriptions to date; so, mine plays only my music beautifully.
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Thank the three of you for taking the time to write your responses!
Música, I appreciate you mentioning the HiBy R3 Pro Saber. After looking into it, my gut feeling is that would be the best replacement for my iPod and the systems I've developed for using it along with iTunes. It seems very strange to me that this device never appeared on any of the lists I found discussing best alternatives to the iPod, especially since this seems like exactly what I've been looking for since the iPod touch came out: a dedicated music player (since that's all I want to use it for : ) that is reliable and manages my numerous music files well.
To everyone, I appreciate your further discussion of the merits of the V20 and V30. I'll keep those in mind as another great option if I find the R3 too frustrating.
Thanks again!
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I've recently ventured back into the dedicated DAP scenario, and initially got myself the Walkman A55. The last of the A series to sport the Sony linux ROM. And it's a very decent device. Doubles up as a DAC, and bluetooth receiver so my car, which doesn't have an interchangeable radio, nor does it have Bluetooth, is provided the later thanks to this feature on the A55.
And then Mr Walkmans firmware on the device makes it better too, with tweaked sound signatures. Bluetooth is okay, but try to use it with anything like the Sony Linkbuds, and the connection is poor. Battery life is pretty damn good on them.
A100 series however. Whilst they sport Android, and the ability to search your library in the Sony music app, it loses Bluetooth receiver, DAC, playlist mangement, and SensMe channels features among also having poor battery life thanks to Android.
Though, a new A series walkman is on the horizon.
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I've stepped up to a HiBy R5 II: Besides the superior electronics, I like the Android options it affords, the improved HiBy app, plus the larger screen. It makes even my 320 kbs files sound amazing. I couldn't resist a $90 price reduction HiBy offered through its website and Amazon (in the US, at least) late last year.