Winter has been quite mild in NYC although its currently blizzarding outside. I’ve mostly been listening to the Westone UM 30 IEMs with the Pioneer XDP-100R DAP with Shure olive tips to block out the subway and constructions sounds as I move about the city. I’ve been enjoying this setup for quite some time now and have to say that I’m quite pleased. I purchased the DAP when it was only available in Japan because I felt the exchange rate was favorable, but its not available in the states for slightly less than I had paid (which is what I get for being impatient).
In comparison to the FiiO X7, I have to say the Pioneer does not sound nearly as crisp and clear when playing Tidal. It was a disappointment and I almost didn’t keep it, but its value as a vanilla Android 5.x device pushed me to keep it. The FiiO has a highly modified installation of Android (limited), so the Pioneer has come in handy when I need to dabble in some things of the Android ecosystem that I otherwise would not have insight into since I have an iPhone.