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Which Simple DAP?

post #1 of 11
9/21/09 at 11:09am
Thread Starter 
I haven't owned an DAP since the original iPod Nano (which broke long ago) but it's a long commute to my new college and to the supermarket so I'm in the market for a new DAP. Keep in mind that I live in Japan so the selection and prices may differ.

I need something small, simple, good SQ, non-touch screen (I like to change music without looking at the screen), decent storage space (8GB ideal) and Mac friendly. I don't have an extensive music library, but I do have some FLAC files so support for that would be nice. Gapless support would be nice, but not necessary.

So far I have been looking at the Sansa Clip+, Sony Walkman NW-E040, iRiver E50 Metal and iPod Nano 5G. I think the perfect choice would be the Sansa Clip+, but unfortunately they don't sell it in Japan so I'll have to import it. The Sony Walkman NW-E040 looks nice and it's readily available here, but it's a little pricey. I really liked the iRiver E50 Metal, but the UI is a little bland and I don't think there's Mac support (?). Finally the Nano which I'm not big on, but it will work perfectly with my MacBook.

Should I just go ahead and import the Sansa Clip+? Does it have gapless playback? What are some other alternatives to the above?

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post #2 of 11
9/21/09 at 11:11am
The Sansa Clip + is a great choice. It's built upon a really solid base (Original Clip) and is reputable and almost revered amongst music lovers who own it. On top of that..it's not that expensive, and it's rugged.
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post #3 of 11
9/21/09 at 11:43am
The Clip+ says in the manual that it is gapless. This weekend I listened to Abbey Road (the new remastered, heaven!) in FLAC. The medley had no gaps. So, it should be gapless (at least for FLAC files).

p.s. While I used to be a big iRiver fan, I don't know what they've been doing lately. I heard they're even dropping the great Clix2. Sansa seems much more responsive.
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post #4 of 11
9/21/09 at 11:51am
clip+. the clip was already a great dap (nice and small and portable and good sound). with the addition of the ability to expand using microsd, it's awesome. i got a 4gb clip+ (~$45) and a 8gb microsd ($17) recently --> 12gb in a small package, great sound for just over $60.
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post #5 of 11
9/21/09 at 1:20pm
Thread Starter 
Wow, shipping to Japan for an 8GB Sansa Clip+ from Amazon is almost the same price as the 8GB Clip+ itself
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post #6 of 11
9/21/09 at 1:20pm
another vote for clip+
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post #7 of 11
9/21/09 at 5:55pm
+1 for the clip+
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post #8 of 11
9/22/09 at 4:28pm
clip+
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post #9 of 11
9/22/09 at 5:36pm
Clip+ and it is also gapless for MP3 (checked last night myself with Holly Cole's "It Happened One Night" live CD, in 320k.

I love this machine. 24GB with a 16GB card. Amazing. And I have owned 1, 2, 4 and 8GB Clips (still have the 1). The Clip+ is genius.
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post #10 of 11
9/24/09 at 3:25am
The Sony E040 isn't listed as drag-and-drop compatible, so it's probably not compatible with the Mac. Other choices would be the "overseas model" Sony players that are sold in limited locations in Japan, they'll do drag-and-drop. The Sony players I've used have a small quirk, they often don't eject properly in OS X, you eject and they connect again right afterwards.

The new Sony S640 will do drag and drop, but may not hit the stores for another month? And it's not that "simple". The iriver E50 should be usable on the Mac, but I agree the look and feel is a little meh. The iriver T5 might be too simplistic and sound quality is unknown.

If you don't mind the cost of importing, you might want to stick to the Clip... is that stating the obvious? sorry :P
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post #11 of 11
9/24/09 at 4:48am
Quote:
but may not hit the stores for another month?
IIRC, cheapest 8GB model should come out in the early october, so he should just wait for a couple of weeks.
Recommended price for S644 is JPY14k.
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