Hi everyone,
First, thanks for checking out this post. So, here's my situation. I happily have and use Etymotics ER-4P headphones, with a first generation ipod shuffle (the long white one) for portable audio. I've been really happy with that combo for a long time. HOWEVER, as 1st gen shuffle owners know, the USB connector part completely dies after about a year of heavy use, and it becomes unusable. I've been through like 4 or 5 of them over the years. So, my latest one, which I bought on ebay about a year ago, went down yesterday. Today I used my 2nd gen shuffle as a replacement, but my God, the sound is just so bad. Intolerable. And the 3rd gen shuffle isn't even worth discussing at all, right? So I was about to bid for another new 1st gen shuffle, when I thought I'd do a little research and see if there are any alternatives. Of course there are the bigger ipods, and as I've learned from reading through posts on this forum, there are some highly regarded "Cowon"'s. However, I really want something pretty small, and without a video screen - yet with great sound of course. So, I've noticed that another frequently discussed portable player is called the "sansa clip". It seems small, and yeah theres a tiny little screen but I can deal with it. So I suppose my questions are
How's the sound from the Sansa Clip, and might it compare favorably to a 1st gen ipod shuffle? (which I've always thought has very good but not excellent sound.)
Is it able to get very loud? (the 1st gen ipod shuffle gets very loud, much louder than the 2nd gen. shuffle... which I like.)
Besides the sansa clip, is there another great, small, screenless/essentially screenless competitor which I should be considering?
When I the "S+" mentioned in these forums, is that a nickname for the sansa clip, or some other player?
Out of curiousity, how does the sound from the sansa clip compare to the big ipods (including the nano, which I guess I should consider...), and the cowon players?
Thanks, any advice at all appreciated. Really. Sorry if my questions sound like I'm writing from Neptune, but essentially, I am (Japan), and I haven't really heard of any of these players before.
