Ain't she a pretty one?

Here's yet another review on this little DAP. I got it expecting it to live up to its $70 price tag (US price, delivered from Fosi)---I expected nothing more from it. I've owned some pretty high end DAP's over the years, some costing me over $500++, and all we're Android based. I sold off all of them. When Android phones matured over the years, any touch screen based DAP was in all honesty a waste of money to me, my phone easily supplanted them all.

Fast forward to now and I realized that I missed the simplicity of Apples iPods, they were basic, sounded good enough, and itunes was bloated but useable, I had an insanely huge collection of tunes back in those days. I've since gotten an equally massive flac collection numbering in the thousands and I wanted something to play them on that was simple to use and portable, but didn't go over $100, maybe closer to $50 if I could pull it off. My only real requirements were an interface that could be mostly operated in my pocket, no touch screen of any kind (again, my phone will always beat any DAP for that) and it's got to sound good which in my experience means it needs a decent DAC. It doesn't have to be perfect, there's no such thing at any price in the DAP world, be honest folks, you know that.

This leads me to the Fosi Neo. It checks all of my modest boxes, all of my flac files play back just fine. I'm using it as a strictly Folder based player, easy to navigate and as simple as it gets to set up. The 256GB limit is more than enough for any type of travel useage, no one really needs to carry their entire music collection around everywhere, and having too much of it will be a nightmare to navigate on the move anyway on a non touch screen player.

I like the simple interface and learning the button presses to get to all of my music took under 10 minutes. Super simple. Outside of an hour I had this in my pocket and it's working just fine, not a joke. The EQ settings aren't the best, but then I'm not looking for sonic perfection here, just "good enough", as in everything I'm playing sound great through my favorite portable headset the KOSS KPH 40's. Electronic, Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Classical...all of it sounds fine. Could it sound better? Of course, an adjustable EQ would be nice. But as this isn't some Chinese throw away from some no name company, I'm sure custom firmware will be forthcoming. But you do not need it to have a perfectly functional, easy to use, low cost DAP. Add into all of this the quality feel and build of the Neo and you've got a winner here. If you want better, spend more and buy it. Easy peasey. For the cost, Fosi did a good job and you wont regret the purchase if your requirements are the same as mine.

Oh, and let me answer the inevitable questions already asked and answered so many times on here already.....Is the bass thin? NO. It's no bass heads delight, but it's not at all thin, period. Gapless? Nope. IS THE Q2 BETTER??? Duh, of course it is, for the amount of money they want for that thing it BETTER be, period. The Neo does not in any way shape or form compete against this DAP. Anyone who thinks it does needs help, seriously 😉 You want a Q2, buy one and move on.

For the love of music.
Why?
No why!
🤣🤌

UPDATE IN THE COMMENTS

Original Post:
When changing tracks, there is a slight gap between the songs. Definitely very short, but noticeable nevertheless. For referene:
-The gapless setting is turned on
-Turning the gapless setting off makes the pause waaay longer, so the setting definitely works.
-I've tried it with both the original firmware and q2pod, made no difference.
-So far I've just tried it with 320kbps mp3s, I dont have any flacs on hand for albums with smooth transitions from song to song. But as far as I'm aware the mp3s should be more easy for the device to process anyway, right?

So to anyone owning the Shanling Q2 and/or similar DAPs:
Is there something wrong with the device or am I just having unreasonable expectations? I kinda expected the gapless playback to be truly gapless the way it is on my phone, laptop, or when listening to music on cd for example. Are there other DAPs in this price range that achieve this?

Got a sweet deal on a Sony WM1AM2 on eBay, for $300 best offer. The listing was shady with potato quality pictures and poor description. I took a chance with offering $300. Lo and behold, the seller accepted! And then, no response to my messages, nothing for 3 days. I submitted a cancel request, and after 2 days they sent me a message with a box with tracking. It showed up today, with boxes and everything! Looks almost brand new. High gain option available as well.

So now I am wondering what IEM should I pair it with? I mostly listen to 80s rock, pop, italo disco. Favorites are like Modern Talking, MJ, and similar. What will you suggest? I can go maybe $300 max on a set of IEMs if its really great.

Also, what must have accessories you guys recommend for this walkman? Like case, screen protector, anything else? Or just roll it as it is?

Quick update on my setup: recently hooked up the Surfans F20 as an external USB DAC for my PC.

Thought I needed third-party drivers and reached out to CS, but they told me the F20 can work on Windows driver-freely. My PC just recognized it natively just like connecting with a mouse.

The next problem is Wnidows. Naturally, stock Windows audio is a burden for critical listening. The resolution keeps 48 kHz at beginning. Set up Foobar2000 (WASAPI Exclusive) to bypass the system's automatic resampling. Windows truly was never designed for audiophiles, but once bit-perfect output is locked in, the F20 sounds surprisingly clean.

I am satisfied with the result, and think, how I can make the game audio and sounds via this external DAC. And there is still a problem in this combination. I can't turn on or down the volume on Windows, but the buttons work. Maybe I need an professional DAC? Any suggestion?

Wanted to ask for any tips. Got the shanling q2 with the custom firmware. I tried bluetooth but I'd rather have my earphones connected. I have mostly mp3 files. Wanted to know what wired earphones to get? Currently using someone earphones but I want to use premium earphones for better audio. Any suggestions?

hey y'all I'm still pretty new to this but would like to get my first DAP. I'm just tired of paying for spotify. Ive done some looking nothing too crazy but i see a lot of people talking about the Hiby R4 or the R1. but if you have any recommendations for DAP or IEMs let me know

After having this for months, this R4 DAP completely replaced my Xperia 1 III as my music device, btw. The ESS DAC is still a little bit harsh as I know since I used to have a few LG phones which also have ESS DAC (V50, G6). An advantage for it as an android unit is I can use my exfat SD card without needing to convert to FAT32. I'm using Kefine Klanar / Dunu Talos as my main wired IEMS. The thing that I do not like the most is the filter options of Hiby music not working as the way I want like UAPP, and somehow the Chinese / Japanese and Korean song go to the top of the playlist / tracklist instead of the alphabet name. I still can install Messenger as an emergency case but Twitter on the other hand, didn't recognise this device and told me to install the official app, but it was ridiculous because I downloaded it from the GG Play store.

Overall, I quite like the device, btw.

Hi everyone!

I own an Oilsky G88 running Android 12, and I'm interested in upgrading it to a newer version of Android or installing a custom ROM.

I've seen the Android 15 custom firmware project for the Zaqe P30, as well as discussions about the Blueshark R04 platform shared by the Zaqe P30, Famue BF32, and Oilsky G88.

Before trying anything, I'd like to find out whether anyone has successfully done any of the following on an Oilsky G88 specifically:

• Installed a custom ROM or a newer Android version.
• Ported firmware from the Zaqe P30 or Famue BF32.
• Unlocked the bootloader or obtained root access.
• Dumped or backed up the original G88 firmware.
• Found an official stock firmware package or scatter file for SP Flash Tool.

My device reports Android 12, MediaTek platform mt6765 / hardware mt6762, and eMMC storage. Its bootloader currently appears to be locked.

I have a Windows PC with ADB and MTKClient set up, but I haven't flashed or modified any partitions. I'm trying to find a safe, recoverable path before proceeding.

If you've experimented with the G88, I'd really appreciate any information, links, backups, or advice. In particular, I'd love to hear from the author of the Zaqe P30 Android 15 ROM about whether G88 compatibility has been tested.

I'm also experiencing a recurring "Quickstep keeps stopping" error on my Oilsky G88. Quickstep appears to be the default launcher or part of the launcher system, and the repeated crashes make me wonder whether this is a firmware bug or a compatibility issue with the stock Android 12 build. Has anyone with an Oilsky G88 experienced the same problem or found a reliable fix?

Thanks!

I also bought an aux for my car. Lady looked at me crazy in the store when I asked for aux earbuds and a aux cable.

Wondering if someone has had a similar experience - I went for the upgrade but was disappointed. The touch screen was clunky, I struggled setting up most settings (simple things not working like they should), and the battery life was poor. Although physically I loved the shape, style and weight of the device, it sadly turned out to be not the right DAP for me.

My F20 on the other hand… long battery life, fast navigation with rockbox, quick start up, straightforward setup. It feels more reliable!

Maybe I’m not an android person. Not sure what would be a real upgrade from the F20 that keeps all the things I like about it but improves the experience overall - open to suggestions. Yes, I’m happy with what I have but I like thinking about working towards the next level!

If anyone really loves the pro+, I’d love to hear how you made it work for you.

My old player was on it's last legs and I was just about to set up an old iphone as my new player (which I may still do for fun) but really glad I decided to pull the trigger on this baby. Love the weight and form factor. UI wasn't the best so I just installed Rockbox and did a little mod to get my bluetooth back and now it's perfect. Yay for new devices and tinkering.

Also made a trip to the local book/music store to celebrate. Happy camper here.

Hey guys, like the title says I just got my Walkman a26 from Japan and I love it, I had previously gotten the Sansa fuze + for a very good price still in the box and I loved it but being new to DAPs I didn’t know the batteries go bad on untouched and just overall legacy mp3s.

The Sansa barely holds charge if any but I did some digging and found the Walkman A series and it was pretty similar to the fuze + with a few changes that I was okay with, I just got it today and it works wayyyy better than my fuze +.

Honestly for the price I got it for I could’ve gotten a newer DAP but I love the buttons, the classic MP3 look and the no WiFi, I got into DAPs cause I hate subscriptions and doing a million things on my phone so I figured just have something for music when I go camping or anything else where I can’t or don’t want to use my phone. Only thing that sucks is I can’t install rockbox.

Hi im fairly new to this community. Im looking for a dap budget around 1000 usd -1500. What DAP should i get pls help

The dodocool DA106 is still a nice player, and I was messing around with Claude to see if I could tweak the firmware a little. This is based on version 3.0.8.

Changes made are:

• Boot and goodbye screens changed to dodocool logo as it appears on the player itself
• Now Playing screen now displays track title from id3 tag in place of genre
• Now Playing screen is now pure black background
• Icons next to artist, album and (previously) genre removed and text shifted over
• Grey box around album art removed
• One typo fixed ('memery')

Note: I am not a coder. This is my first experiment with Claude. The firmware boots and works on my player, it may not work on yours. May work on IQQ C18, but not tested. Use at your own risk.

Usage: drop file into root of players internal storage and reboot.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eqbxUNldre_0RE3OTlQHkkubZhDhqpbE/view?usp=drive_link

Hi community,

Let me know if I’m posting in a wrong community. I have a question regarding the Sandisk Sansa Fuze. I found someone who is selling it, completely new, still in its box with plastic around it. My question is, is it worth it, or would it be better to
Invest in a modern player instead? Also I know batteries degrade over time, how much do you think the battery has degraded?

Hi all!

Just the title really :)
Base H2 can be upgraded to 512gb, but I’m wondering if rockbox allows for a higher capacity card to be supported.

Thanks a bunch!

-Eliksni

I am looking for a best mobile phone that I can use as a DAC music player, like only as a music player with custom rom like sony walkman or anything. Any idea which phone is the best and how to build a custom os

My first review. I paid for this myself and Hiiiman has no idea who I am. This is my early impressions after 3 hours of use, so apologies for any minor inaccuracies. I also had to rush to work so I had to take photos with my iPhone in the early morning. I will take nicer shots with my mirrorless camera later today. So ignore ignore the grain because I took these at the brink of morning.

I’m an “practical” audiophile with a Bachelor's degree in motion picture filmmaking & photography. I have a solid background in audio and video, but still analyze from a real world perspectivv rather than hyper analyze extreme depths of data and charts. So take my impressions based off of this. I also

Build Quality - It’s really nice. I was quite shocked with the build. The sides are made of aluminum metal with a matte finish. The back and front seems to be made of glass and smooth quality plastic with a glossy finish. There’s some heft to it without being heavy. Pictures taken are next to the Shanling M1 Plus.

However, the buttons feel a little mushy. The Back, Play/Pause, Forward, and Power buttons have very little play. I was hoping it would feel more tactile. The brass volume knob also rotates a bit too easily for my taste. I would’ve preferred more resistance, but volume adjustment and button inputs (track skipping, pause/play button) don't change while the display is turned off, acting like a built in lock-mode to prevent accidental nudges. So once you wake the screen back on, then you can adjust the volume levels and skip tracks. I could not find if this could be changed in the LOCK SCREEN or ACCESSIBILITY settings.

Audio quality - I tested this with LETSHUOER S12 Ultra and Simgot EW300.

Audio is subjective, everyone’s going to have their own personal preference. To me, the audio quality is good, above average, but not amazing. The lows are there and mids and highs are all “good”. Overall tuning leans slightly warm for most tracks, though I did notice the certain highs can lean a bit cool on certain songs. Clarity is not super sharp, and doesn’t have the depth as my FiiO K13 R2R DAC, but that’s not a fair comparison. This only costs $129, so it’s very solid for the price. I would say it punches above its weight,

UI/UX - Running on Android, I expected it to be very sluggish, but it seems to be smoother than the FiiO M21. Perhaps as smooth as my Shanling M1 Plus. I’m an iPhone (17 Pro Max) user, so most Android OS tends to feel clunky for me, but I wasn’t too bothered by this.

The main music app is called Hiiiman Music app. I notice when you try to exit the app by pressing BACK twice, it crashes the app (not the OS) and auto restarts the Hiiiman Music App, and then you can exit the app. Not sure why it does this. I’m pretty sure they can patch this in a future firmware update.

Since it’s Android, it has the Play Store, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc. I haven’t tested those out yet. I’ve only been running off my local files from my microSD card. I believe the maximum capacity for a microSD card is 512GB, I may be wrong.

Playback Stutter: Tracks occasionally stutter for a quick split second right at the start of a song, as well as when scrubbing forward or backward through a track. This may be a deal breaker to some. Hopefullt they patch this up asap.

Battery Life - Seems really good. I’ve only owned this for a few hours so I don’t have a precise gauge on it, but I expect this to last 12+ hours of real time use. There is a battery saver option, but I haven’t tested it out yet so I’m not sure how efficient it is.

Initial Verdict: Keep in mind these are just my early impressions after about 3 hours only, so take them as a quick first look. I know people are curious, so I wanted to share my early impressions. I’ll follow up with more detailed review after spending a few more days of use. Every DAP has its quirks, but even with the ones I’ve noted, personally it’s a really solid device. At $129, the value is damn good.

The main issues so far are that minor track start stutter and the fact that physical buttons lock out while the screen is off. This may be a deal breaker for some, but if you can look past this, it’s overall impressive for $129.