advice on mp3 players

RareEntitee · 13 May 2010 at 16:02

was thinking of investing in a new mp3, i got gifted a 32gb ipod touch which was fun from its host of applications, web browsing and the convnience of digital music and video on demand to download but im looking for somthing a bit more serious for my music.

was lookin at either cowon s9 or the new j3 or either getting a zen or zune hd?

any advice or tips? reason being i found a sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet deal on a pair of shure se530s for £75 and need a player to give them justice

Cycrow · 13 May 2010 at 16:36

if u want a good sounding mp3, the creative zen x-fi 2 is nice

AMG · 13 May 2010 at 18:47

you could get the X FI2 but its not the best PMP (it is classed as that)

its great for its price through I got my mum one althrough my sister nicks it often enough

have you ever considered a samsung P3?

no point in getting a zuneHD as the software don't work outside the USA yet. I did notice there was a preview on cnetuk for that

the best options you got is the S9, X1050(sony walkman) or the P3....no idea what J3 is give us a moment ;p ah I see its a cowon

Abooie · 13 May 2010 at 20:06

I absolutely adore my Zune HD and I even have a US zune pass now.
With the Kin and Windows 7 series phone being released in the UK later this year (both with Zune an integral part) I'm looking forward to 'going legit'.

You can try the Zune software for free: http://www.zune.net/en-us/products/software/download/default.htm

RareEntitee · 14 May 2010 at 02:06

the j3 is new from cowon, and ive heard they are the preferred choice of a many many audiophiles. it supports an amoled screen and a decent interface and style...but i'd rather have the humble, innocent view of us forum members at ocuk

moon man · 14 May 2010 at 19:56

im sounding like a fanboy(and at forty something im no boy) these days but sflo2 all the way ,twin wolfson dacs and a dedicated line out , having listened to everything else (i had a cowon d2 and have a nano plus a 5.5g classic) this blows them away ,its the dacs i think,the seperation is awesome so complex music never sounds messy or muddy, i use the line out with an amp but the sound im getting is amazing , the instruments float around my head in thier own space with their own texture and timbre never distorting other sounds, the soundstage is wide but not too wide as to lose detail, all this for seventy quid (plus £120 for the ultrasone hfi780s)

AMG · 15 May 2010 at 18:26

I m still looking for one too, just can't make up my mind oh well my road bike comes first as I want new wheels

I ll take a look at the J3 myself

Big Kev · 15 May 2010 at 20:01

For sound quality, I'd have gone for the Sony X1060 that I have, but they're not selling them anymore, so I'd go the Cowon route, or the newly released S:flo2 has been getting very good reviews on Head.fi and is a fair bit cheaper as well.

AMG · 17 May 2010 at 11:02

I m sort of kicking myself for not getting the walkman X (16Gb) when I seen it at the purples for £100, I didn't have enough moneys ethoir

*edit* the J3 looks very very nice

C64 · 17 May 2010 at 16:37

I'd consider a portable headphone amp even the cheapo e5 amp/glorified volume booster makes all my earphones sound so much better.

Punchier meatier bass cleaner mids sharper treble, no player can do any earphones justice from what I have heard you need some form of headphone amp.

A sansa clip plus and a portable headphone amp of some sort would be a good buy.

Big Kev · 17 May 2010 at 17:46

C64 said:
I'd consider a portable headphone amp even the cheapo e5 amp/glorified volume booster makes all my earphones sound so much better.

Punchier meatier bass cleaner mids sharper treble, no player can do any earphones justice from what I have heard you need some form of headphone amp.

A sansa clip plus and a portable headphone amp of some sort would be a good buy.

I'm afraid you're wrong mate, I've got a few top end earphones and my Sony copes with all of them easily, as would any decent mp3 player, so no need for a headphone amp really, just get a good player and you're fine.

C64 · 17 May 2010 at 19:01

Big Kev said:
I'm afraid you're wrong mate, I've got a few top end earphones and my Sony copes with all of them easily, as would any decent mp3 player, so no need for a headphone amp really, just get a good player and you're fine.

Yes but have you heard them through an amp connected to the mp3 player ?
The sansa clip is considered one of the best sounding players around but for me the sound quality is leaps and bounds better it's like night and day using an e5 amp and not using it.

Big Kev · 17 May 2010 at 19:59

C64 said:
Yes but have you heard them through an amp connected to the mp3 player ?
The sansa clip is considered one of the best sounding players around but for me the sound quality is leaps and bounds better it's like night and day using an e5 amp and not using it.

He's got his hands on a set of top tier phones, which should be heard with a top tier source, to bring the best out of them, like the Cowon, S:flo2 or Sony X series, if he can get his hands on them. They are built to drive any IEM with ease.

C64 · 17 May 2010 at 21:35

Yea the clip is said to drive most with ease even goldring ns1000 but for me the e5 makes them sound leaps and bounds better through the clip.Just saying don't knock it until you have tried it, I did and will never go back to using an mp3 player without some form of headphone amp.