High Resolution Portable Hi-Res Player | Audiohum

Portable Players

All of us who love music love to enjoy it with the highest quality, as faithful as possible to the original reproduction. There are more and more alternatives to listen to music online and without a doubt the devices that offer the best sound are the Hi-Res portable players.

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€1,449.00
In stock

RUARK AUDIO R410. All-in-one integrated system with streaming and optional CD player. 2 x 60W

"All-in-one" system with streaming and optional external CD player

Compatible airplay, spotify connect, tidal and dlna from pc or nas

Built-in fm/dab/dab+ tuner

Internal apt-x wi-fi and bluetooth receiver

usb-c port

Power 2 x 60 w for speakers

€2,199.00
In stock

ASTELL & KERN SE300. Portable Player.

Dual Internal DAC 32 BITS / 384 KHZ

Audio streaming via Wifi

Compatible with Tidal

Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity

Internal memory: 256GB (expandable with micro SD 1TB)

Internal battery: 12h

Balanced TRRS 2.5mm, 4.4mm and mini jack 3.5mm output

What is a Hi-Res portable player?

A Hi-Res portable player is a device capable of processing Hi-Res content and offering the user an experience and a result that is very close to reality.

They include compatibility with different sound formats, the most common being ALAC, AIF and WAV. They provide the ability to connect to certain streaming music services like Spotufy or Tidal and connect with other Hi-Res devices like speakers or headphones to extend and enhance the user experience.

Guide to buying a portable Hi-Res player

To choose a good portable Hi-Res player you must take into account some characteristics of the device itself:

Supported formats: Minimum must have support for FLAC; ALAC, AIFF and WAV which are the most popular

If you offer the option to connect to internet services, you must support those you usually use, such as Spotify, Tidal or similar

Output connections to be able to connect speakers or headphones of different types as long as they also support Hi-Res sound

Price: The price of players with Hi-Res support is usually higher than that of a normal one. If you like to enjoy the highest quality, the investment is worth it in the long run.

How do they work?

A Hi-Res portable audio player is nothing more and nothing less than a portable audio streamer. Like its living room version, the digital audio player can play files stored on it or accessed through a network (home, Internet). In models with network connectivity, web radio stations and streaming services are already integrated. The conventional streamer will be connected to an amplifier and a pair of loudspeakers, while with a Hi-Res portable audio player, given its mobile nature, it will listen through headphones. Consequently, the headphone outputs of these devices are especially well designed to ensure that all headphones perform in the best possible condition.

Some portable audio players are equipped with an analogue and/or digital audio output in parallel with the headphone output, which allows them to be connected to our Hi-Fi system. In that case, its functions are identical to those of a classic streamer.

Frequent questions

What is Hi-Res sound?

Hi-Res sound is high-definition audio. The one that is reproduced with the highest fidelity, making the listening experience identical to the original recording.

The Digital Entertainment Group, Consumer Electronics Association, and Recording Academy officially define High-Resolution Audio as: “lossless audio capable of reproducing the full spectrum of sound from mastered recordings from sound sources with higher resolution than a CD (16-bit/44.1kHz)”.

Hi-res audio refers to music files with a high sampling rate and/or bits deeper than CD, whose resolution is 16-bit/44.1 kHz.

The sampling frequency is the number of reference points per unit time of the analog sound wave that are taken to convert the sound into digital. Thus, you can have sampling rates of 16 bits (CD quality), 24 bits or 32 bits.

Going from 16-bit to 24-bit makes us notice an improvement in audio quality. Hi-res audio files generally use a 24-bit 96kHz or 192kHz sample rate. You can also have 88.2kHz and 176.4kHz files.

Today, there are also 32-bit resolution files, taking Hi-Res audio quality to a new level.

Aspects to choose a Hi-Res player

To choose a good portable Hi-Res player you must take into account some characteristics of the device itself:

Supported formats: Minimum must have support for FLAC; ALAC, AIFF and WAV which are the most popular

If you offer the option to connect to internet services, you must support those you usually use, such as Spotify, Tidal or similar

Output connections to be able to connect speakers or headphones of different types as long as they also support Hi-Res sound

Who should use a Hi-Res player?

Hi-Res sound players are recommended for those users who are able to enjoy all the details and nuances of their favorite audio tracks. For those who are passionate about enjoying music with the highest quality, as faithful as possible to the original reproduction.

If you don't just listen in your listening room, a Hi-Res portable audio player will allow you to enjoy your music anywhere.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Hi-Res portable player versus a smartphone?

Despite the fact that many smartphones today allow you to play music in high resolution, Hi-Res portable players offer certain advantages over these devices.

1. Hi-Res players have dedicated DACs.

Hi-Res portable players are made exclusively to reproduce high-fidelity audio and that is why their hardware is superior in terms of quality and quantity to that of a smartphone. 

The portable players feature DAC chips that natively encode higher bit rate files and support Hi-Res audio.

What's more, they not only include high-performance DAC chips, they also feature powerful amplifier chips, high-precision crystal oscillator clocks, and much more.

Hi-Res portable players can easily decode files up to 32-Bit/768kHz, or DSD up to DSD256 natively with MQA decoding support, while a smartphone displays background noise with CD-quality FLAC files.

2. Android interface on Hi-Res portable players

The usability of today's portable Hi-Res players has been greatly improved by the addition of the Android system to their interface. This allows us to install streaming apps such as Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz on the player; It is an advantage because it offers similar functions to the mobile, but with high-resolution sound and different options to connect headphones.

3. More connections and possibilities to enjoy Hi-Res music

Hi-Res portable players have two or three output ports. Most include an unbalanced 3.5mm port and a balanced 2.5mm port. Some newer models also have a balanced 4.4mm port.

In addition, they support two-way Bluetooth connectivity that supports high-resolution codecs, including LDAC, APT X HD, and more; something only high-end Smartphones can provide, but without the UAT Bluetooth codec, a feature available on some Hi-Res players.

4. Better amp and bigger storage

A Hi-Res portable player can power more demanding headphones compared to a smartphone. They also have a lower noise level, which is very important for sensitive headphones.

As for storage, smartphones have a storage capacity that is used to store all kinds of files: photos, videos, applications, music... However, a Hi-Res portable player has dedicated storage for your high-quality audio tracks. fidelity.

And finally, with a Hi-Res player there are no typical inconveniences that harm the music listening experience, such as the music stopping every time you receive a phone call or when a video from your social networks appears.

For personalised advice and even to test the most suitable portable player with your hi-fi equipment, please contact us without obligation.