Their naming is terrible too, especially now that they have Android players in addition to their player-only models. I do like the sound of “reliable, tried, and trusted” though.
I’ll look into the Cayin more for sure and figure something out soon. I’ve got a fair bit of travel to do next month so I’ve gotta get this all sorted out. Again, thanks a bunch!
ah thats right, the a105, I think that’s the only android walkman they have so far, haven’t tried it yet though
Edit: and the older zx series I think had android but that was pretty handicapped in terms of android so I would hesitate to really call that an android player
So after getting a more expensive player, I do know one thing for sure: the Hiby R5 is pretty excellent! 
I sure made a great purchase last year! If you’re looking for a $250-500 DAP, can’t recommend it enough.
I ended up going with an iBasso DX220, as well as a couple of the amps to try out. The Cayin @M0N recommended was a very close second, but it was a pricier proposition with their solution, and I liked the idea of a little tube in my DAP. And, well, it’s been kind of a mess at times.
The main issue is that it doesn’t really offer much better sound quality than my R5 with my IEMs. It does perform better, but the difference is honestly pretty minor to my ears. When using the stock amp on the DX220, it was really a draw. What saved the DX220 was the AMP9, which uses Korg Nutubes (i think?) to turn the DAP into a tube amp of sorts. It’s pretty cool: you can see the green tubes glow through the glass and if you tap the amp, they ring.
You only get 3.5 single ended then, but everything gets this warmer and more organic feel that is subtle yet effective. With AMP9 technical performance, there is an improvement in soundstage and some dynamics can be a bit punchier, but that’s it. Even with AMP9, it’s a pretty minor jump. Now, I’m still using it because everyone claims it needs hundreds of hours of burn-in, with them going so far as to include a burn-in cable, so they probably mean it. And it does sound quite nice, don’t get me wrong.
The downsides are pretty brutal though: It’s twice the size and weight, it has less battery power and runs uncomfortably hot. It’s between two and three times the price. It’s slower and laggier than the R5. To top it off, I have an issue now where the first couple seconds of nearly every track gets skipped, no matter what player I use it on.
I’m not giving up, though. I am determined to see this through, to find out once and for all if these DAPs can actually offer me anything, or are my ears not good enough for this?
There are a couple of options I’m looking at. I kept doing some research and found a couple more candidates that are interesting. I ordered a Sony WM1A that should be here in a couple of days. I was curious about Sony’s unique way of making their DAPs, plus a ton of people have been raving about them for years, and it also seems that people have been going pretty crazy with custom firmwares for them in the past few months. The lack of streaming native on the device is a big downside, but I’ll see how big a deal it is once I get it. I just needed to try it, and Jeff Bezos won’t be too mad at me if it goes back.
The other interesting one is the Astell&Kern SE200. It’s pretty new and doesn’t have a ton of buyers yet. It has two separate DAC and AMP chains, one with an AKM and one with an ESS. It’s kind of overkill really, but apparently the AKM DAC is the same one A&K put in their TOTL $3,000+ DAC, and they sound really similar. Both DACs can both be used at the same time, which is a plus. It also looks fantastic. But, it’s pretty pricey and basically requires a case (sold separately of course) so you’re out nearly 2 grand. 
Hmm interesting, just wondering, how long have you had it for and have you been trying to compare it to the r5 in ways during listening?
With the tube it is pretty beneficial to give it some time to burn in
That is an intermittent issue with the ibasso daps, but I hear if you restart them sometimes that can solve the issue, also check to see if your firmware is up to date
Curious to see what you think of it
I’ve had it for about ten days total. The tube amp probably has about 100 hours on it, and the unit itself a couple dozen more. A lot of that has been burning in, but I’ve slowed down some because the unit gets quite hot, to the point that I’m kinda getting worried about it playing and charging at the same time.
I’ve been using the players exclusively at times for extended lengths, as well as doing direct A-B testing a couple of times.
Yeah, I figured so. Apparently everything needs several hundred hours of burn in with this thing.
I did both and I’m on the latest firmware. The issue was occurring on every player, wheter Android players or the simplified Mango OS.