The Best DAPs of 2024

DAPs are, essentially, something between an iPod Classic and smartphone, but it’s that intersection that makes them really interesting. While some retain a level of functionality closer to the old iPods, others combine a music focused design with the interface and convenience of a smartphone. 2024 had a number of strong releases across different price ranges, but which one is the best for you?

Best $500 Digital Audio Players

In terms of price to performance ration, two of the best players on the market sit right around $500. The iBasso DX180 is our top overall pick in this category for a number of reasons. In terms of the “smartphone” component, DX180 matches top of the line players from other brands in performance, and its Android OS was the best we’d seen yet from iBasso when DX180 launched. As usual, you’re able to easily install a variety of apps – both for listening to music and anything else you’d want to do. In terms of sound, the natural, detailed delivery hits the mark, and provides strong synergy with a wide range of headphones and IEMs.

If you’re looking for something that’s more like an evolution of the classic iPod, the Cayin N3Ultra is a dedicated, barebones player, with no apps, but incredible sound. While it's not as refined as the Astell&Kern SP3000T, it uses many of the same components as that flagship level DAC. The feature set includes tube mode and other amps options, along with portable DAC/Amp functionality that lets you hook it up to your phone or another DAP to get the incredible sound without worrying about not having your apps.

Best Digital Audio Players Under $2000

For just under $1000, the iBasso DX260 offers quite possibly the best price/performance ratio on the DAP market right now. The 8x Cirrus Logic DAC configuration provides an absolutely insane level of resolution, delivering a reference style sound that rivals flagship players in detail  retrieval. The user experience is excellent as well: the Snapdragon 660 SoC provides fast load times and a responsive feel for the Android 11 OS. Like DX180, DX260 lets you install a whole host of apps, or just use it as a straight player. Along with all of that, DX260 is lightweight and fits easily in your pocket, making it just about as good as it gets under $1000.

For $300 more you can get the Cayin N6iii, which has many of the same features as the iBasso DX180, but adds modular audio motherboards and upgrades the interface. N6iii’s key standout feature is the ability to swap out the amp and DAC in just a few seconds with a module that easily slides in and out of the unit. Out of the box you get the same 8x Cirrus Logic DAC used by DX260, but with a slightly more musical tuning from Cayin. For the UI, N6iii uses Android 12, with some customizations. The device is slightly larger than comparable players to accommodate the swappable motherboards, but remains reasonably light and pocketable.

Best Flagship Digital Audio Player

It’s hard to believe that despite being more than two years old SP3000 remains one of the best players on the market. With SP3000, Astell&Kern took big steps towards building players that were more capable of running popular music streaming apps and improved the UI for the core player function. This year, rather than release a new flagship player, Astell&Kern released two new revisions of the SP3000: SP3000T and SP3000M.

SP3000T takes the core form factor and design of SP3000 and swaps out the amp to offer solid state, tube, and hybrid modes. SP3000T can’t quite reach the pinnacle of detail and imaging that the original offers, but the rich, full-bodied sound of the tube mode provides a different take on Astell&Kern’s classic sound. If you want the exquisite sound and material design of SP3000, but with a warmer, smoother sound, SP3000T is the perfect alternative to Astell&Kern’s flagship player.

If you want SP3000’s incredible sound, but you want something more lightweight – or the big flashy players aren’t really your style – SP3000M gives you the same AK4191EQx2 & AK4499x4 DAC configuration as the original, along with the same amplification and output stage, but in a smaller package that weights half as much as the original. If you’re okay with a smaller screen and less gloss, SP3000M is everything we loved sonically about the SP3000 in a case that actually fits in your pants pocket.