If you love music, it makes sense to have a device dedicated to it. While it’s certainly possible to listen through your smartphone, it’s an incredibly complex device that’s trying to do multiple things at once. Audio performance is important to smartphone engineers, but it’s hardly the top concern when compared against everything else a modern smartphone is responsible for: operating system performance, multiple radios, adaptive refresh rates, complex camera systems, running apps at once, notifications, and, of course, call quality. This is also reflected in the components and, well, the lack of a headphone jack. A DAP, on the other hand, is designed entirely around sound quality. They often feature high-quality DACs (digital-to-analog converters) and higher output power. These improved components make an audible difference in sound quality, improving clarity and dynamic range, and allowing it to drive a wide range of headphones. Like a desktop computer, removing the audio processing from the electrically noisy circuit board of a smart device can also remove a potential source of interference.  Ultimately, one of the key reasons many buy a DAP is to invest in a portable “foundation” for their listening experience. Investing in a dedicated portable audio player is rarely “necessary” in this day and age, the same way it’s not necessary to buy the $899 Bluesound SOUNDBAR+ when you can buy one of the best soundbars under $500 and get many of the same features, unless you’re specifically slowly working up to a full music-centric wireless surround sound system. Rather than purchase a tethered DAC that will let your phone do the heavy lifting, a DAP becomes a touchstone to the audio hobby that’s personal to each listener.