Finally replaced my 160GB iPod Classic

Aww... they grow more like people every day 

I suppose once your SD card is full, you can insert a new one to replace it?...  

There should be a portable music player that would come with a replaceable SSD.

progbethyname wrote: Well my prog acquaintances. You owe these I pod players nothing! It is time to make the switch and refine your music experiences. A DAP along with a decent pair of headphones can go a really long way. If you guys decide to get a DAP there are 2 very important things that you do in order to utilize your purchase correctly. 1) your music sources. Do away with MP3 files. They are data squished tin can files. They are garbage and please trust me on that. Put nothing but ALAC FLAC or my preference WAV on your device at the very least. 2) good headphones! It's the old saying. Crap in and crap out. Please don't throw sh*tty ear buds into the headphone jack on your new device. Buy a good pair of over ear headphones. Anyway, If these steps are met you have a pretty damn good music listening experience. Their are lots of companies that supply great DAPS and headphones, but I will of course leave it to you to do your research and see what suits you best cause a lot of Headphones offer a variety of different sound signatures....example. Some like neutral while others like more low end punch in their sound. As for DAPS. The amp inside the device along with the DAC chip will offer different sonic characteristics. Anyhow. Choice is yours. You just have to ask yourself how much do I love listening to music and what do I want to get out of it? In my opinion, clarity and accuracy is a great start. Enjoy gang. I hope to hear about the gear you all decide on some day soon. --Nicholas

Nicholas, my boy, you know you are preaching on the desert, don't you ?
Although I (longtime now) went the route you recommend, FLAC and all that, I reckon people in their vast majority opt for the easy/lazy way.
 Guess Neil Young may be sorry now for being too hopeful about his HiRes movement impact, the masses seem to be content enough with their mp3 to bother (and who am I, pretending to know better?)
But I support strongly your suggestions, that our friends here can benefit from reading .
Cheers
 

Well my prog acquaintances. You owe these I pod players nothing!
It is time to make the switch and refine your music experiences.
A DAP along with a decent pair of headphones can go a really long way.
If you guys decide to get a DAP there are 2 very important things that you do in order to utilize your purchase correctly. 1) your music sources. Do away with MP3 files. They are data squished tin can files. They are garbage and please trust me on that. Put nothing but ALAC FLAC or my preference WAV on your device at the very least.
2) good headphones! It's the old saying. Crap in and crap out. Please don't throw sh*tty ear buds into the headphone jack on your new device. Buy a good pair of over ear headphones.

Anyway, If these steps are met you have a pretty damn good music listening experience.
Their are lots of companies that supply great DAPS and headphones, but I will of course leave it to you to do your research and see what suits you best cause a lot of Headphones offer a variety of different sound signatures....example. Some like neutral while others like more low end punch in their sound.
As for DAPS. The amp inside the device along with the DAC chip will offer different sonic characteristics.

Anyhow. Choice is yours. You just have to ask yourself how much do I love listening to music and what do I want to get out of it? In my opinion, clarity and accuracy is a great start.

Enjoy gang. I hope to hear about the gear you all decide on some day soon.

--Nicholas

I love my 160gb iPod Classic. I use it everyday and have for now many years.

noni wrote: How come DAP's are sized to the SD card,  surely it's according to the size of the card.  Why can't you a 256GB card  instead?

It's just the way it's designed. Also, DAPs are very portable and light weight, so the micro SD cards fit well with their builds. Also a lot of SQ is crammed into DAPS with the amp/DAC that are installed in them, especially for their size.
You also risk making the UI buggy if you cram anything above 128g's at a time. It lags a bit.
Just do 64g increments. It's worth it. :)

And I am also glad you are considering a DAP.
They are light years ahead of an I pod but for SQ only not functionality.
The i pod UI is still the best.

Another family of DAPs which may be more on the economical side is the FiiO product line.  I have the entry level X1 model and have no complaints at $99 (much better sound than my iPod touch).  It has a similar wheel as the classic, uses micro SD chips up to 128GB, plays most all hi res formats (no DSD).

lol less than half the storage space for $500 list is not a replacement

Triceratopsoil wrote: My ipod is about 9 years old and on its deathbed, dreading the day it snuffs it because I know there's no good replacements on the market

my 9 year okd 64gb iPod classic is hanging on too. I keep it in the car (90 minutes commute a day) and use an iPod touch the rest of the time. It's fine but the classic is still my favorite. I will be sad when it goes.