The best portable audio player on the market - Page 4

 

Hey, You know, If I was you and had 1000 euro to spend and a collection completely in FLAC, you know what I'd do?

 

- tiny leather bag, or alligator skin, like a really thin laptop bag ($100),

- Sony D25S CD player w/ ALO cable ($325) ---> http://www.aloaudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_14&products_id=2

- Ray-Samuels The Predator, balanced portable DAC/AMP ($425)

- HiFiMan RE-Zero (balanced IEM's) ($100)

 

Then all you have to do is burn your FLAC to blank CD's, which is fast and easy, and take a few CD's with you per day in your leather case.

 

I have no idea how this setup would sound, I'm assuming incredible. =p

 

 

Ah, how my blood tingles.

Edited by kiteki - 9/21/10 at 3:04pm

Just an FYI, the RSA Predator is NOT balanced. And, from all the reviews I've read, the newer iBasso D4 is better than the RSA Predator (at ~1/2 the cost). And to use the RE-Zero balanced, you have to have a source that accepts that 4-pole jack. No modern player (AFAIK) has that jack. The RSA Predator does not use that jack either. And on the ALO Audio, the PCDP w/cable is $375 plus shipping. Just letting you know...

Edited by violinvirtuoso - 9/21/10 at 3:14pm

 

Respectfully, this makes no sense to me at all.  If your headphones are better than your source- they will simply tell you that.  The headphones cannot put back what the source does not provide in the first place. That said, chosing headphones that can be properly driven by your source, and that have a sonic signature in line with your listening preferences are also very important.

 

 

I also don't know about the sound, but first and foremost I think it would skip like mad when on the move. Those older portable CD players have no protection against skipping - the bumps from walking or the vibrations in a car are too much for them to handle. (This might be acceptable depending on the intended use, of course.)

The S:flo 2 is an amazing sounding portable. Best I've heard. That said, if your picky about interface then it might not be for you. I've learned to live with it's interface flaws due to the sound quality alone. Truly outstanding.

 

Second on the HI-FI Man ... also, from what I've read anyway, a very good sounding portable (at 800 dollars, it better be!).

 

Good luck.

 

violinvirtuoso -> 

 

Thanks for the update, I thought someone said there is only one portable amp that's balanced and that's the RSA Predator -shrug-.

I think the Cowon D2 has the 4-pole jack, there was a link to a picture somewhere of the stock earbuds that come with the korean version.

p.s. I'm a violin beginner. =p

 

 

Zakalwe ->

 

subway trains, busses and airplanes are all fine when it comes to track-skipping,  probably not walking though.

while the newer models are skip-proof I'm skeptical about how they sound.

 

violinvirtuoso ->

 

here it is, uploaded by head-fi user "yooss", these come with the korean Cowon D2 DMB version (whatever that is).

 

The high mW of the D2 means it doesn't require an amp, and the RE-Zero are only 16 Ohm, does this mean the RE-Zero should pair really well with the Cowon D2? *confused*

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhhh it's called THE PROTECTOR not The PREDATOR, LOL.

 

Sorry, my mistake.

 

http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/protector

 

 

The protector also costs $475.

 

I'll be quiet now though, because I don't understand how balanced amps work, I thought you just needed the protector and RE-Zero and any source available.

Just because the D2 has a high mW doesn't mean it will pair well with the RE-Zero. However, it is a good pairing AFAIK. BTW, in the picture, those earbuds have a standard 3 pole jack.

It's OK, we all start somewhere. Keep in mind the Protector does not have a DAC in it. Also, the Protector has a special jack for balanced output. You would have to reterminate your RE-Zero with something like this:

 

 

See the black plug? That is the only balanced jack that will work with the RSA Protector.

Ha no problems :}

Speaking for a majority will enver do you any favours, unless it is your job to do so.

 

 

Also I have to agree with deadhead12 and shigzeo on this (contrary fzman, to an extent) . 

If I was to set out with one grand to buy a portable rig the first thing I would allocate my budget towards was a good set of headphones/IEMs.

Spending $500 on headphones and $500 on a DAP (and amp)  will not sound half as good as ~$950 IEMs and $50 on a humble Rockboxed Clip+.

Sure having a good source matched with good 'phones is better, but that's something to prioritize later in my opinion. See my signature for further reference.

There is a lot of confusion out there about earphones. Having lots of wm means nothing for earphones - at all. The player has to be able to drive the lowest ohm swing of the earphone in order to make the earphone driver move the way it was meant to move.

The cowon d2 isn't even able to provide full resolution into 50ohm earphones. 16 is the sweet spot that shows just how many components the d2 lacks. With a 16 ohm earphone like, you'll lose bass resolution and quite a bit of stereo image. I sold my d2 because it gave me a headache with trance and low ohm earphones. An amp that can properly drive low ohm eaphones shows just how much information the d2 cannot push into 16 ohm earphones. It is quite a massive difference.