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Searching for a good mp3 player

post #1 of 6
1/15/10 at 2:14pm
Thread Starter 
ELLO! My English not very good, but I try.
I am currently looking at three DAPs, but I am having trouble making a decision.

My top three choices are:
1)AMP3
2)Sony Walkman X
3)Cowon S9

I have a 8GB 2Gen Itouch right now, but am searching for a dedicated audio player, and thus am looking for the DAP with noted best sound quality. Unfortunately, the box-ishness of the AMP3 is a turnoff for me, but I will seriously consider it if it can be thought as sonically superior to the other two choices.

I think I do like eq and tweaks (which made the S9 into the list)
and like everybody, a full-bodied warm sound.

My usual genre of music includes: Chinese Classical, Choir, and occassionally Metal.

My budget spans to roughly $350 and I do not own an amp.
My current headphones are the ATH-ESW9.

I = my friend, he is shy so I do this for him.

Thank you for any feedback.
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post #2 of 6
1/15/10 at 5:37pm
I can only comment on the AMP3, which I own. I'm very pleased with the sound quality overall, but IMHO it is a narrow niche product. It sounds great with well-matched 'phones (higher impedance, lower sensitivity). My favorites are my Grado SR80 and Beyer DT770. With lower impedance, more sensitive 'phones you'll get hiss. The Grados are spectacular with the AMP3 to my ears.

Also, the UI is very crude. I mean really crude. Also, the firmware is buggy and demands some patience. I've had to reload the firmware because my unit simply died.

I think of the AMP3 as the anti-iPod: no slick features, great sound.

I've really enjoyed my AMP3, but it's not for everyone.

dana789
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post #3 of 6
1/16/10 at 4:48am
I own the iPod touch 3rd gen and Walkman X1060 with westone UM3X. I will start a thread in a minute I hope about what to upgrade to as I am probably selling both The X is very warm sounding, a laid back dark sound with quite a lot of bass. I prefer the iPodtouch's presentation, a more detailed, 'colder' sound. The Touch with a portable amp is very nice but I hate carrying it around with me, so I sold it. Try to think of it like this:

X1060: Tubey sound, using copper wire, less depth to the soundstage.
Touch: Solid State sound, using silver wire, better instrument seperation.
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post #4 of 6
1/16/10 at 5:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bop View Post
ELLO! My English not very good, but I try.
I am currently looking at three DAPs, but I am having trouble making a decision.

My top three choices are:
1)AMP3
2)Sony Walkman X
3)Cowon S9

I have a 8GB 2Gen Itouch right now, but am searching for a dedicated audio player, and thus am looking for the DAP with noted best sound quality. Unfortunately, the box-ishness of the AMP3 is a turnoff for me, but I will seriously consider it if it can be thought as sonically superior to the other two choices.

I think I do like eq and tweaks (which made the S9 into the list)
and like everybody, a full-bodied warm sound.

My usual genre of music includes: Chinese Classical, Choir, and occassionally Metal.

My budget spans to roughly $350 and I do not own an amp.
My current headphones are the ATH-ESW9.

I = my friend, he is shy so I do this for him.

Thank you for any feedback.
I can't compare those since I only own the S9 which I think is pretty good for a dedicated music player. The sound quality gets a significant boost if you use a custom EQ to calibrate with your headphone (There are some good user made settings here too: Special COwon S9 EQ Settings & Tutorial | The Naked Life ). So, if by chance you get to try the device, I'd highly recommend you play with the settings before giving the SQ a judgment.

You might also want to look into custom made interfaces since I think the default ones are rather plain. -> S9 UCI Themes & Stuff - iAudiophile.net Forums
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post #5 of 6
1/16/10 at 12:07pm
so sansa clip+?
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post #6 of 6
1/16/10 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dana789 View Post
I can only comment on the AMP3, which I own. I'm very pleased with the sound quality overall, but IMHO it is a narrow niche product. It sounds great with well-matched 'phones (higher impedance, lower sensitivity). My favorites are my Grado SR80 and Beyer DT770. With lower impedance, more sensitive 'phones you'll get hiss. The Grados are spectacular with the AMP3 to my ears.

Also, the UI is very crude. I mean really crude. Also, the firmware is buggy and demands some patience. I've had to reload the firmware because my unit simply died.

I think of the AMP3 as the anti-iPod: no slick features, great sound.

I've really enjoyed my AMP3, but it's not for everyone.

dana789
I totally agree with DANA 789's opinions.

I would like to add a sentence, that to consider AMP3 need courage
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