It's been some since I haven't visited this forum. So please excuse some ignorance on later models that might have been released in the last 3 or 4 years.
The application I'm planning is also different, because it will be focused on playing rather than recording.
But I wouldn't be surprised if, with the actual quarantine situation that has stopped most external recordings in all areas, some recordists might not be already thinking or even using their units for home use. It should be fine both for the electronics and for the minds that handle them.
The matter came up because a friend of mine asked of a way to play his music at home with high quality, minimum CD quality.
He's a very demanding person, as he manufactures high quality home speakers, some of the best there is, so he never listens with headphones, which is how most portable recorders have been designed for.
Budget is a very important issue too, because we are not talking about an studio unit, with proper external outputs, like RCA or XLR, instead of 3.5mm mini-plug interface.
The first unit I started with was the Tascam DR-05X, priced at a very affordable $90 at B&H. I did already own a DR-05 in the past, which I unfortunately lost on a cab. And it was great when I had it.
Its weak point is the analog output, which for the price can't be too good. But it now has a digital USB interface, which I think might be used with an external DAC, something like a Topping D50 or something similarly priced. Both units would make a total of around $300, and for that money you can't even find a decent CD player nowadays, not to speak of a good one, like a Marantz.
So I'm coming here to listen to some suggestions on what path to take, particularly from those that are already using some recorder for home music.
Thanks!
Carlos