The 10 Best Hi-Res Audio, HD Music Players, MP3 Players, and DAP’s 2024
The Rise of the HD Music Player (DAP for Audiophiles
Why use a digital audio player (DAP) in 2024?
Following the rise in popularity of the hi-res audio player (DAP) in the past few years, audiophiles have a lot of options, and it's getting hard to keep up with all the new devices hitting the market.
Many of you want to know who has the best HD music player (DAP). Many of these Audiophile players have caught our eye, and the range of features you can now get in a portable package is mind-boggling. Plus, if you use some of the best headphones in the world, you don't want to bottleneck the sound with a bad DAP.
With ever more competitive pricing, choosing the right one is complicated.
We wanted to make things a little bit simpler, so we created this top 10 list of the best hi-res players we could find. We have tested everything we have listed here, and if there is no full review, there will be one live on the site soon.
Quick Links: Best MP3 Players of 2024
What DAP’s Do We Use?
Many people have been asking, so I will tell you that this is the DAP I am currently using (Updated February 2024). I am not saying it is the perfect music player for everyone, but it is for me now. It sounds incredible.
I also use many other units for testing, but that is the one that has seen the most playtime over the past few months.
On the go, when traveling or commuting, I use a lot of different players, but I do prefer something smaller and use a Bluetooth DAC/Amp; right now, the one I use is the iFi Go Blu, and it's worth considering if you are looking for something small.
Of course, it goes without saying that what is right for me might not fit your needs. I could happily listen to any of these players listed below every day.
15 Best Hi-Res Audio Players and MP3 players for Audiophiles
1. Ibasso DX320
Specification:
Battery: 10 hour (claimed - 8 hour tested)
Chipset: Snapdragon 660
RAM: 6GB Ram
Connectivity: 3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced
Pros:
Fantastic build quality and screen
A snappy, polished performance
Class-leading sound
Switchable Amplifier
Cons:
Price (Although this is subjective)
Battery life is shorter in real-life testing
Review
As I mentioned above, the Ibasso DX320 is my high res music player of choice these days, and it replaced my already excellent DX300. It strikes a nice balance of features and price, especially when compared to more pricey options from Astell & Kern that don’t necessarily sound much better.
This unit sounds ridiculously good and delivers on both the power and transparency fronts, which are important when pairing it with capable HiFi equipment and headphones.
Whatever IEM or headphones I throw at it, the DX320 never seems to lack power, and that is very important to me as someone who reviews a wide variety of hard-to-drive gear. Speaking of reviewing and testing, that means I switch headphones a lot. I am less reliant on carrying external adapters because it includes three jack connectors (2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced and standard 3.5mm).
I also love the big screen and smoothness of the Android operating system.
I have never had it crash or lag on me; the Snapdragon 660 chipset, while not the flagship, is ridiculously overpowered for such a device; even when sifting through a microSD card filled with 500GB of music, it’s rock solid. Ram is a healthy 6 gigabytes, and internal storage is an admittedly small 128 GB.
There has to be one drawback, but of course, it’s the battery life. IBasso through the kitchen sink at this DAP and understandably, the draw on the battery is immense. While the company claims 10 hours, I got between 7-8 in real-world use.
2. Fiio M17
Specification:
Battery: 10 hour 8 balanced (claimed) - 6.5 hours tested
Chipset: Snapdragon 660
RAM: 4GB Ram
Connectivity: 3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced and 1/4 inch stereo
Pros:
Class-leading sound quality
Desktop DAC and Amp sections
Full High-resolution codec support
Cons:
Battery life is bad
Its more transportable than a portable music player
Review
Although I use the iBasso DX320 daily as my mp3 player of choice, if I were to switch to another, it would be the Fiio M17. For me, the sound quality is so good on both. Everything else comes down to personal preference; I have always been an iBasso user, so I stick with them. In a practical sense, both are elite and, in my opinion, the two best DAP’s you can buy in 2024.
What impresses me most about the M17 is how Fiio managed to cram so much desktop componentry into such a small package. The ES9038PRO DAC is found on full-size desktops and Hifi components, but the house (in collab with THX) amp also packs a punch.
Codec support is all there, including MQA 8 and DSD 512, which we like to see as many audiophiles will pair integrate this player into their full HiFi system.
Now, the issue here is this a DAP, well, yes, of course, but if I had one, I would see myself using it more as a transportable solution, taking advantage of its power system. While the componentry is good, it’s not as portable as the DX320.
The battery life is bad, especially when used in balanced setups. I found 6 hours was more realistic in my testing, so you must ensure you have the patience to charge it, as it takes over four hours from dead to full.
The Fiio M17 is an exercise in lunacy, a way to see how far we can push the hobby, and Fiio has certainly pushed this one, as for every bit, it’s crazy, but it’s equally brilliant.
3. Fiio M11 Plus
Specification:
Battery: 11.5 hours (claimed) - 10 hours tested
Chipset: Snapdragon 660
DAC: Dual ES9068AS
Connectivity: 3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced
Pros:
Most feature-rich DAP for the money
Massive support for high-resolution audio codecs
Portable and pocketable (just)
Cons:
Operating system, when tested, needed polishing (may be resolved via firmware updates)
Review
For a long time, Fiio has been in control of the cheap DAP market, but in recent years, they expanded their line and are considered one of the best music player and amp manufacturers on the planet. The M11 Plus is the company’s latest mid-priced offering, and it's probably their best price to performance.
The M11 Plus supports various high-resolution audio formats such as DSD: DSF: DFF, PCM: APE: Flac: WAV: AIFF: ALAC: WMA: PCM: MP3: OGG: ACC.
This music player packs a heavy punch for its size and price and competes with many of AK's entry-level models on sound. The interface is less refined, but it's still a hell of a bargain. Just look at this spec list.
11.5hours battery life/ 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm headphone outputs / Two-way LDAC Bluetooth / Two-way Type-C / USB Audio/DAC / SPDIF output / QC4.0 quick charge / 2.4/5G WiFi / DLNA / WiFi file transfer / FiiO Link / Apple AirPlay
That's a heavy hitter.
4. SHANLING M6 Ultra
Specification:
Battery: 13 regular - 10 hours balanced (tested)
Chipset: Snapdragon 665
DAC & Amp: Quad AK4493SEQ DAC & Dual OPA2211 Amps
Connectivity: 3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced
Pros:
Immensely powerful for its size
Very polished hardware
Best value for money high-end DAP
Cons:
External DAC function had issues on release (may now be resolved with firmware fix)
Review
Shanling has been working away on refining the M6 line for years now, its the company’s mid-range MP3 player, and it just keeps getting better and better. The original was so good it was my go-to DAP, and just recently, I replaced my iBasso DX240 with the ultra and have been loving the performance in the small and familiar package.
Quad DACs and dual amps drive this bad-boys sound portion, while the hardware is driven by the outstanding snapdragon 665, which is even a step up from the more expensive HD music players on this list. That means it’s one of the most stable and smooth user experiences I have had on one of these devices.
Sound quality is second to none when paired up with capable headphones it produces a vibrant, detailed, and true-to-source material sound. Codec support will help as this has 16x MQA and DSD512 baked in.
Battery life is also really good if using a 3.5mm jack, I got 13 hours of playback and 10 when using balanced, which, when you consider the size and power ratio, is very good.
5. FiiO M11S Hi-Res MP3 Music Player
Specification:
Battery: 13 hours
Chipset: Snapdragon 660
DAC Chipset: ES9038Q2M DAC
Connectivity: 3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced
Pros:
Best all-round DAP of 2022
Polished experience (Hardware & UI)
Loads of power
Cons:
Screen is only 720p
Review:
The Fiio M11S is a beast of a digital audio player (DAP) for its price and gives many of the features of the more expensive models without cutting out the important stuff.
It has one of the best battery lives on test, and that’s even with the size being manageable by actually being pocketable. It uses the powerful Snapdragon 660 chipset with Android 10 that Fiio’s engineers have tuned, and it’s very smooth and stable.
I like that they have given me multiple balanced options, as I can switch between my full-size cans and IEMs without using a dongle, and the power it produces is immense. I never felt like the power was lacking.
The sound is very transparent, almost to the point of being dry, so I suggest using them with some cans that have a little warmth to them.
Overall I think the best thing I can say about the M11s is that it is a very well-polished product. It does a lot right and very little wrong, which is probably why you don’t ever hear criticism of this player from its owners.
6. Hidizs AP80 PRO-X
Specification:
Battery: 13 regular - 10 hours balanced (tested)
Chipset: Ingenic X1000
DAC: Dual ESS9219C DAC
Connectivity: 3.5mm & Balanced 2.5mm
Pros:
Small and Portable
Big performance able to drive powerful IEM’s
Combination of touchscreen and physical buttons
Cons:
Battery life is too short
The angular shape is divisive
Review:
Now we get into the portable and affordable stuff, and what better way than to introduce the Hidizs AP80? This diminutive DAP packs lots of high-resolution goodness for your music, such as extensive support for audiophile-grade codecs like MQA 8X, LDAC, and Aptx; it even has DSD support but is limited to 256, which is to be expected given the size.
The internals are solid, too, and while they saved a little on the Ingenic chipset, it doesn't seem to impact the performance, even when scrubbing through large music libraries on the external micro SD slot. The really good thing is that the budget was allocated to give us dual Sabre DACs and lots of power from the amp section.
From the 3.5mm jack, the sound is nothing to write home about; in fact, it was almost indistinguishable from my Sony Xperia headphone jack, but when I hooked my hard-to-drive impedance Beyerdynamic headphones, I couldn’t believe how much power it was putting, our and thus driving them to their potential.
The battery life again took a hit as I got 6 hours balanced from a single charge, but recharge times were fast.
7. SURFANS F20
Specification:
Codec Support: FLAC, WAV, WMA, M4A, MP3, MP2, AAC, APE, ALAC, OGG, AIFF, DFF, Native DSD64
Battery: 10 hours
Touchscreen: No
Max Capacity: 32GB onboard expandable to 256GB with Micro SD
Pros:
Affordable
Simple user interface
Very good sound for the price
Cons:
No balanced outputs
Limited DSD support
Review:
The Surfans F20 has gained a bit of a cult following. It's a high-resolution MP3 player focusing on those who keep their music library on an SD card rather than using lossless streaming apps. It's an old-school audiophile DAP that offers much value for money and is one of the top players on our best cheap DAP list.
All major lossless file formats are included, and there is also Bluetooth output should you wish to use it. Sound quality and the low price more than make up for the lack of a touchscreen and apps. It's a spacious-sounding DAP with lots of power and a dark black background.
Finally, the last thing I love about the Surfans F20 is the tank-like build quality and tactile, clicky buttons and scroll wheel. It gave me that throwback to a simpler time when I wasn't tapping on screens and could use my DAP for what it was meant for. Listening to music.
8. Sony NW WM1ZM2
Specification:
Amp: S-Master™ HX digital amplification
Battery: 40 hours
Screen: 5-inch touchscreen
Output: 3.5mm stereo & 4.4mm balanced
Pros:
No expense was spared on refinement
The best-sounding DAP we have ever reviewed
It feels luxurious in the hand
Cons:
Very Expensive
It may be “too much” tech for some people’s needs
Review:
Stunning doesn't even begin to describe the chassis of this stunning DAP. The NW-WM1ZM2 body is milled out of copper and then gold plated, making it a premium feeling mp3 player and handsome.
When Sony goes big on any product, they go all out, and you do feel that even at the ridiculous price point, they aren't cutting corners.
The internal cabling is an all-new design with a Kimber design braid. The special FT capacitors made for the player give tonnes of power. Even the amplifier is bespoke with their own S-Master - HX, delivering rich, detailed sound into the balanced headphone jack.
A giant beautiful touchscreen adorns the front of the player, making it easy to operate and we loved the clean and tactile feedback derived from the physical playback buttons on the side. To top it off, it's another high-resolution DAP with large internal memory (256GB) and a micro SD card slot to expand it by a further 1TB to hold all your high-resolution music files.
9. Ibasso DX240
Specification:
Battery: 10 hours
Chipset: Snapdragon 660
DAC: ES9038 Pro
Outputs: 2.5mm balanced & 3.5mm stereo
Pros:
More affordable than the DX320 yet retains many features
Support for MQA 16X
1080p touchscreen
Cons:
Not a true quad DAC music player
Review:
This is the second Ibasso player to find its way onto our list, making it a great day-to-day listening device.
This is a perfect example of execution with very little room for improvement when the price is considered.
The DX240 is the little brother of our favorite DAP, the DX300, and it is a true Hi-Res experience. An ES9028 pro-DAC chip is this music player's heart, allowing insane resolution playback supporting DSD512 and 32bit/768khz. MQA is also there, so it's one of the best DAP's on the market for playing back MQA files when out and about.
Users are also treated to the ability to swap the amp units, making it a versatile player in terms of tuning and power.
It's compatible with balanced headphones through the jacks on the bottom and supports Hi-Resolution streaming via Tidal.
10. HIFI WALKER H2 Touch
Specification:
Codec Support: FLAC, APE, DFF, MP3, WAV, WMA, M4A, MP2, AAC(M4A), ALAC, OGG, AIFF, and Native DSD (up to 128 bit/5.6 MHz)
DAC: ES9219
Battery: 10 hours
Touchscreen: Yes
Pros:
The best balance of performance to price
The new touchscreen is a great update to the old model
Includes highly regarded DAC chip
Supports micro SD cards up to 256GB
Cons:
No App Support
No balanced outputs
Review:
The Hifi Walker H2 is a darling of the budget audiophile club and Walker builds on its success with the new H2 touch. It keeps much of what we liked about the original (good sound quality and portable size) but adds a touchscreen for more intuitive operation.
It has great support for high-resolution music files and a very popular Sabre DAC unit at its heart.
Update: We are currently sourcing the best MP3 players of 2024 and Digital Audio Players (DAP) for 2024 and are open to submissions and suggestions. As readers of Audiophile On, we will know we need to test a product before it appears on this list thoroughly. If there is something you would like to see in our review, please do not hesitate to get in touch via our email or social media channels.
