Pic related was when Apple got rid of the GOAT Wolfson DAC for the Cirrus Logic one though, the 5th gen Matte Black/White was the last good iPod.
LG flagships since the V10 are pretty good portable music players as well, the ESS Sabre DAC is great, even with LG's garbage software implementation. V30s are dirt cheap nowadays, throw in a microSD and you're set. Battery won't beat the iPod though
The one thing that sucks total ass about that is that you are stuck with unintuitive and half assed controls that get outclassed by androids by miles. It's a lot faster to go from playlist to playlist with an android phone. That with wireless headphones and a zippable pocket for your phone, and its perfect for traveling around.
just get some fiio or sony hi-fi with way better dac and amp
or get any iPod Classic up to 5th gen that had a good dac
i got ipod myself when i was tired of streaming shit, having local music libary is nicer. I'm planning to mod my 4th gen with 128gb or 256gb card
icuck
>headphone jack breaks
I was doing some surface research on the difference between the DAC in the 5th gen vs the 6th gen and it just amounted to autistic audophile jargon. But I haven't actually heard a 5 gen personally, if I can be arsed I'll see if I can get a cheap one on ebay and see if there is actually any real difference
I never really owned a "classic" iPod, but I've had a first gen Nano, a 3G and a 3GS, which was the generation where they ditched the Wolfson DAC. Massive difference.
And speaking of Wolfson, the first gen Galaxy S and its variants like Captivate/Vibrant (minus the later ones where its whole different phone in the same chassis instead of the same phone in different form factors) is another great DAP. Removable battery, microSD slot, great Wolfson DAC. Its a bit more work than the iPod and the LG, and since its old it might be hard to find some of the files to root and install the right audio driver, but otherwise it sounds excellent and is fairly small.
Redacted? Gimme a clue
Can confirm the Wolfson DAC is GOAT. Own an iPod Video (aka. IPod Classic 5th gen) which I bought 2nd hand specifically for the Wolfson DAC. The Wolfson DAC was apparently designed by some Scottish audiophile genius autist and it was supposedly used in pro Hi Fi gear including brand name CD players and amps worth thousands. Dunno why Apple dumped it, stupidest move ever.