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Sansa Clip with bad SQ?

post #1 of 20
10/31/08 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 
Hi guys,

I've been owning a Sansa Clip 2 GB for a while and I don't not really satisfied with the SQ of it. I'm connecting the Clip directly to my Philips SHE9850 IEM.

I've been leaving the EQ to Normal and I find the sound too dark for me. I tried to play around with the EQ, either
1) 0 0 0 +1 +1
2) 0 0 0 +2 +2
3) 0 0 0 +3 +3

and it only worsens the SQ.

I heard that Sansa Clip is supposed to be one of the better players out there that is actually good in SQ but, could my unit be a defect?

SilverB
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post #2 of 20
10/31/08 at 8:25am
could just be that you do not like the sound of it. have you listened to other players with those phones? the phones too could be dark.

phones are the final say: the players will have different sounds but the phones are by far the most telling of sq in the end. if you don't like the sound of the phone you will not like the sound of even the best of players and amps.
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post #3 of 20
10/31/08 at 8:32am
for me, sansa clip's SQ is not that supreme.
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post #4 of 20
10/31/08 at 8:44am
The SHE9850 by itself is a dark IEM, that's probably the reason. Try listening to the Fuze with a better IEM.
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post #5 of 20
10/31/08 at 2:00pm
Clip SQ is overrated. It is pretty good, but nothing amazing.

Well the soundstage is unbelievable- but the bass is weak and it is a little thin sounding.

It is not dark however- so I would place blame on your phones.
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post #6 of 20
10/31/08 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 
Is there something I can do to improve the SQ?

How about pairing the IEM with a bright sounding amp?

SilverB
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post #7 of 20
10/31/08 at 9:32pm
Also, the EQ on the clip is bad. I just distorts the sound. Leave it off.

But you are probably better off getting different IEMs which aren't dark.

Look into what Etymotic has to offer to being with. Their sound signature is more neutral. Dark and etymotic shouldn't ever belong in the same sentence (unless you are proving a point, like me). Keep in mind though that bass isn't their strong point- unless you have a amp which can put a emphasis on the bass- then it is heaven.
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post #8 of 20
10/31/08 at 11:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnothingpoetic View Post
Clip SQ is overrated. It is pretty good, but nothing amazing.

Well the soundstage is unbelievable- but the bass is weak and it is a little thin sounding.

It is not dark however- so I would place blame on your phones.
Man you must be going deaf or your phones are really not doing their job.

bass is definitely not weak. If anything, it is too strong and also not thin at all. I find the clip a bit dark, but still very clear. Not overrated man. How many players that small that can do that much really do sound like $200 players? Not many. The Clip deserves its praise.
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post #9 of 20
11/1/08 at 11:08am
Nope, not deaf.

I should point out thought that I was comparing it to my home system, since the only other portables I have is a ipod and h130 (but I compared it to those too). And in comparison, the clip is lacking in bass and sounds thin. And that isn't an opinion- it is what I hear.

And if you think the clip is dark, you should try the iriver h120/140. It has a very warm sound, and when switching to the clip- everything sounds much brighter (but not overly so)- and again, the bass disappears almost. (using er4p's)
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post #10 of 20
11/1/08 at 12:53pm
listened to my RE1s directly out of a fuze, bass was plentiful i thought... maybe it's your earphones (er4p's)...
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post #11 of 20
11/2/08 at 5:30pm
Fuze/clip has really strong bass response for a dap.
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post #12 of 20
11/2/08 at 10:11pm
the first clips in production had a problem with sq, sometimes in tandem with a battery problem.

The newer clips since then are where it is at and have a quite accomplished sound quality by any measure you wish to test and compare it by.

p.s. the hxxx series of iriver players do not have a "very" warm sound at all, on the warm sound of neutral yes, but not very warm.
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post #13 of 20
11/2/08 at 10:34pm
i just noticed the bass is not that tight on the fuze....i might need to listen to more music to make a conclusion
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post #14 of 20
11/2/08 at 10:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dazzer1975 View Post
p.s. the hxxx series of iriver players do not have a "very" warm sound at all, on the warm sound of neutral yes, but not very warm.
Not warm- say what?


I just had to do a direct comparison with my h120 and clip to make sure I wasn't going insane. Mainly looking at treble/darkness. And my observations are:


h120 running rockbox with EQ and crossfeed off. Bass and treble settings at zero. Using Etymotic er4p. Reference album/tracks: Nils Lofgren- Acoustic Live- You/ Sticks and Stones/ Keith Don't Go. Beck- Sea Change- Paper Tiger.

Right away I can notice the sound is slightly warm (more so to be considered neutral). With the Treble settings at zero- it sounds like there is a little cotton stuffed in my ears- muffled sound. The soundstage is narrow. And Nils' guitar is missing that spark- treble isn't extending very high.

Clip with EQ off. Using Etymotic er4p. Reference album/tracks: Nils Lofgren- Acoustic Live- You/ Sticks and Stones/ Keith Don't Go. Beck- Sea Change- Paper Tiger.

Direct comparing with the h120- when switching to the clip, right away I notice the clarity of the sound. No more "cotton" in my ears. Also the soundstage is huge (deep and wide). The guitar can hit the high notes again and has that spark I am used to hearing.

Also, I retract my comments on the clip having little bass. In comparison to the h120- they are similar. Clip maybe having an edge on the iriver when not using EQ. To be fair, I said the clip had weak bass when going from my millett max to the clip- but that isn' fair.

But there is no way you can call the clip dark, and say that the iriver isn't.
Can we agree on that? (anyone?)
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post #15 of 20
11/3/08 at 4:23am
it is not that the clip is dark because of significant rolloff. Rather, it is kind of dark because the bass is so prevalent. I kind of think the Fuze is very bass heavy.
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