Does your mp3 player really matter?

I'm guessing it's just a preference.

jaieger, I think Sonic is right, but also, some people like to use devices that can be loaded with non-stock firmwares, and they also like some of those players for their abilities to play different audio codecs that iPods cannot play, with stock firmware.

If you're happy with the Nano, stick with it! I have a Zune30 as my main player that I love because of the music playback UI, even though it's not really stellar in any other category. If your headphones are easy to drive, there's no reason you should be worried about what you have.

The built in amplifier makes a difference. People still use Ipods for high-end audio use, but they tend to use the red wine "Imod" to get the best sound possible from the line out of the Ipod.

some players have a lot less separation, a lot of coloured sound, bass/high end roll off etc from their headphone output. If you search around on the forums, you'll find a lot of discussion on this.

E: But a lot of people can't tell the difference. If you're happy with what you have, thats great. I would also recommend to you, Rockbox. Best thing I ever did for my ipod

You still may like to, it can't hurt to widen your knowledge of the market - iPods are heavily marketed and are largely the reason they're so well known (and bought).

You may find a cheaper, more functional and better sounding mp3 player. You never know - the fuze has a very nice feature set, price and the very functional wheel navigation (IMHO) has been improved over the iPods. It's the one I would give an honest try first. I'm still in love with my gigabeat though I own an 80gb classic worth probably twice as much, but I still prefer to use the F60.

The fuze gets a good rep on these forums for having a competitive edge to other players in terms of SQ, as well. Do some searches, you'll find the information you're after.

yes,it matters a lot imo if you care about the sound. most of the players on today's market sound pretty much reasenable, but some of them sound much better. ofcourse it is a matter of taste, but if you search you will see that some players gets more attention among audiophiles for their sound.

I have a Sansa E series and a Clip. I use it only when I go walking and for air travel, times when I want tunes but great sound quality isn't a must. I prefer Sansa because of their price and firmware. Drag-and-drop is easier to deal with than iTunes.

we have afew players in the house and the nano is the thinest sounding player ive ever heard ,below my stone plus ,my daughters 5.5g classic would be next then my ex cowon d2 is better by a long margin.
having said that I sold the d2 on hearing the sflo2 ,this thing is THE bargin of the decade imho it destroys the d2 on complex music layering and pure energy
btw the testing was done unamped with px100 and ksc75 plus amped with my hfi780s

Yeah I'd say it makes a difference. Compare a Creative Zen to a Sansa Clip playing the same file and you will find the Clip's sound has more clarity and not just by a small meaure. Just like in an amp or dac, the chips used, the other components of the circuit used and the circuit design itself is going to dictate subtle but still important differences in the end sound.

Some players have amps that put out more power than others too, which will make a difference with some headphones.

Further, some players offer features which make a clear difference to listening - such as equalisers and sound enhancements. Some equalisers are crap (Cough - Sansa) and most sound enhancements are too, but Cowon uses superb BBE sound enhancements that really are worth it, and Rockbox has an accurate equaliser that is very useful if you have a set of phones that is perfect for you except [insert wish for a little less mid-treble, little more sub-bass, less mid-bad here].

Then there is line out. While I am not a big fan of the ipod sound sig, one admirable thing they do have is true line out which, if you are using a headphone amp, will make a measurable difference to the end quality.

Beyond actual sound there is a lot in what other features the player offers that affects the listening - such as gapless playback. I will never again buy a player that can't do gapless again.

Beyond that there are things that change the ease of music management, such as MSC mode and folder browsing which give you much greater control over your music collection and how you navigate and organise it.

So yeah, a player does make a difference.

well i just did a test to find why me turbines are sound as amazing as others say

i used to plug them into my iphone 3g and now i tried plugging it directly into my computer's asus xonar stx and it sounds about 150-200% better like as if theres alot more detail, more bass and the mid/highs u can actually hear properly

pretty sure it wasnt due to the amp, cos i tried using my fiio e5 with the iphone too still sounded ****

so this has prompt me to buy the sansa clip+ ill let u know how much diff that is to a crappy iphone source

There's a cost/benefit issue. My setup--Fuze+16G card--cost me about $80. That'll buy half an iPod of similar capacity, maybe.

I agree on most of the points you made, however a regular iPod does not have a TRUE line out, it's more of a glorified headphone out. You have to get an iMod to get a true line out. Other players that have the Line out stock are the s:flo2/T51 and the iRiver (HDD).

But yea just to recap on what others are saying, some players have a general sound sig to them. Sony players are known for being a little warm compared to iPods. The differences between flat SQs from various players varies slightly but it should be taken into account when building your portable rig.