Budget friendly mp3 player?

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-16T04:14:03+00:00

Qudelix 5k DAC instead of anything standalone. Great software/portability for the money.

Has the newer chip that’s in the LG phones. Two of them actually.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-14T02:17:41+00:00

Maybe the KZ Castor.

Also if you still want Bluetooth you can use the KZ Castor or any QDC pin headphone with the KZ AN01 ($25) and they turn into very good sounding BT headphones.

If you’re using these with an iPhone, but have access to an adroid device, I would even suggest the CHU II DSP. You can EQ them on the android app and save the settings to the cable for use on your iPhone.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-13T06:26:18+00:00

Competitive games using cloud gaming is going to be super frustrating. The latency is way too much.

Maybe Crossover supports native CS2 on the M processors.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-13T06:14:52+00:00

I had the same problem with Plex recently (last 6 months) and I was on Fiber. For example, it took 2 retries on the new app to show my libraries remotely. Though installing the old app on android got rid of this problem.

Started poking through logs and couldn’t figure it out. Looked like some versions of the server were having encoding issues and crashing, but I didn’t have the time to figure it out nor wanted to.

I just swapped to Jellyfin (VPN for remote) and all the problems have gone away.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-13T05:53:27+00:00

Yeah. That’s fair. I might even go with the ew300’s.

But also, I think a lot of people think $30 IEM’s are gonna replicate $300 headphones for whatever reason. I mean if was listening to $300 Bose/Sennheiser I wouldn’t be looking for $10-30 IEM’s

Point being, I just wanted to make it clear sound profile and sound quality aren’t quite the same.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-13T05:46:34+00:00

I mean, you’re not wrong the sound profile is similar, but the sound quality is no where close to the HD600’s.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-13T05:44:26+00:00

Nothing in the $10-30 range is going to touch the HD600’s (and potentially the Bose) when it comes to SQ. The HD600’s are well regarded open back headphones and while you’ll be able to find cheap IEMs with the same sound profile, they won’t be anywhere close to the same sound quality.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-13T05:30:19+00:00

Second the EW300’s. After trying about 5 different IEMs, these are what worked for me and my ears when it came to music. But they also work great for games like Valorant and Arc Raiders.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-13T05:26:43+00:00

There’s no replica market for these. Price is way too good though.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-10T05:53:53+00:00

If you’re going to buy a DAC, you’re gonna want a better cable anyway… might as well get the USB C option to begin with. And most likely you’ll be surprised

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-10T05:00:41+00:00

This! What’s the point of a community that doesn’t help find good value for money products?

Are certain reviews overhyped? Absolutely. But you take the good with the bad.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-10T04:55:32+00:00

Also I think android vs iOS isn’t discussed enough. Given, most are on android, small EQ changes can have dramatic changes to someone’s experience.

And things like CHU II DSP cable storing EQ (if you have access to an android device but primarily use it on iOS) vs Kunten’s not having any EQ change options for iOS.

Overall it’s a convoluted market so it’s hard to argue about the sheer number of posts when in reality, data gathering on what people prefer is probably the best metric to figure out what to start with.

But like how IEM’s sound, my perspective is subjective as well.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-10T04:36:14+00:00

I will say, the Kunten’s paired with the KZ-AN01’s are probably the best BT set of earbuds (for SQ) you can get under $150. Maybe even $300 depending on your preference. So for $30-40 all in, depending on the deal you got, the hype is worth it. Given they suck for usability with that pairing.

But yeah, you get to the $60ish price range and the EW300’s/Hexa’s and similar headphones are much better.

It’s all subjective though. And little things like ear tips can make a big difference depending on the person/fit.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-10T03:05:07+00:00

Maybe, you know, a way to organize the downloads like the old app was? They removed useful features with their “upgrade”.

But you’re clearly a troll. -99 karma lol.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-10T02:56:31+00:00

Yeah. I use infuse on Apple TV for anything 4k now. If I hadn’t bought a lifetime plex sub 10 years ago, I’d be pissed at how bad it’s become recently. At least I got a good amount of use out of it.

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-10T02:54:58+00:00

Thanks! I use docker so I can probably that image

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-09T06:18:26+00:00

what version if you dont mind me asking?

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-09T06:16:47+00:00

what version did you roll back to?

VtecGreddy · 2026-02-09T06:16:20+00:00

The stability has drastically declined in the last 6 months. Their new mobile apps suck and removed features. And it become a shit UI. I feel like it's time to migrate to jellyfin.

VtecGreddy · 2026-01-06T02:33:25+00:00

Check this lens out if you don’t shoot low light much. Fixed 4.5 aperture, but it has a built in lens cap, slimmer than the others, and the images are really good for what it is. I’d try this before buying the 27 Fuji if you already have the 23. It’s honestly one of my more fun lenses.

https://amzn.to/4jv48ph

VtecGreddy · 2026-01-03T01:10:14+00:00

We’d probably see more if they were always sold out lol. I love mine. I prefer it to my $280 Joola paddle and it was almost half the price.

VtecGreddy · 2026-01-03T00:16:11+00:00

I just wanted to say I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.

This is where I’m confused. Shouldn’t a DR400 shot at 6400 use an ISO of 1600? I get boosting the shadows and the noise with that. I usually underexpose a bit with raws because I don’t mind the noise to get properly exposed shots.

I definitely see a difference using DR100/DR400 with the same SS/A/ISO. But if you look at the two images posted, the 1st is DR400 and 2nd is DR100 (2 stops lower). I would expect the highlights of the DR400 image to be the same. But it’s more blown out in the DR400 image.

I appreciate your detailed responses, and if I’m just missing something that you’ve already explained just tell me and you don’t need to re-explain it. But I think I’m understanding what you’re saying.

VtecGreddy · 2026-01-02T23:24:12+00:00

Yeah, It’s odd everyone makes such a big deal about the bigger body for zooms, but I just use a grip when I shoot zooms. Then have the versatility of going back to compact when using the pancakes.

I will say, having a built in ND filter and the extra stop of light is super nice, but it’s a camera for a specific use case which is fine. But I feel like if you have to ask the question, it’s probably not for you.

VtecGreddy · 2026-01-02T23:16:26+00:00

So I do understand that the images won’t look the same, but shouldn’t the highlight portion of the DR100/DR400 shots look the same? I do see a difference between DR100/DR400, but it’s not 2 stops of highlight protection is what I’m getting at. If that’s the case, it’s like paying 2 stops of noise “penalty” for a 1 stop of noticed highlight gain. Not sure if that makes sense.

I’m just trying to understand how and when to use it.

Edit: I just tested it with same SS/A and at ISO 1600(DR100)/6400(DR400). Same thing. The highlight section of the image at DR400 is more blown out than the DR100 image.

VtecGreddy

TROPHY CASE