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Would a sansa clip+ (rockboxed + lossless) be a better source than iPhone 4 (mostly AAC)?

post #1 of 34
11/8/10 at 6:28pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all. I currently using toshiba f20 + ie8. But considering it a bit heavy and bulky.



Recently got an iPhone 4 and trying to use it as a portable source. But the troublesome of using iTunes pissed me off, as well as the lack of file format choice. (I have music mostly in ape/flac and cue sheet)



I am wondering if sansa clip+ can satisfy me if I use ie8 with it. Is it capable of driving the ie8 in reproducing good sq? If it is not much difference compare to iPhone + AAC then I'd rather spend the money on getting myself an amp. Also, how is clip+ prefer comparing to the old ipod mini 2nd gen?



Btw, still not familiar with my ie8, will a decent head amp give it a significant improvement, in terms of sq?



Thanks!!
Edited by J@CKY - 11/8/10 at 6:29pm
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post #2 of 34
11/9/10 at 2:28am
Thread Starter 
Bump~~
anyone?
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post #3 of 34
11/9/10 at 7:33am

The way I see it - just persevere with iTunes and transcode everything you have to ALAC or whatever format you like.

 

I've heard the iPhone 4 also sounds very decent. No need for a Clip+ there.

 

I still use iTunes on occasion - and it's not that bad provided I'm not managing a massive amount of music.

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post #4 of 34
11/9/10 at 7:44am

inho better get an amp and lod and you ll get the most out of it wink.gif

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post #5 of 34
11/9/10 at 10:14pm

check out flac player app or buzz player...

they both support flac somewhat, see if they fit your need

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post #6 of 34
11/10/10 at 2:59am
Thread Starter 

Thz for all your inputs.

 

Is the iPhone 4's audio quality quite decent?  Anyone know about what DAC chip it use?

 

Coz I found it quite acceptable with AAC 320k, using the IE8.

Or is it my ears not sensitive or have never heard of good SQ as i do no really have a decent source before? (never have an amp before, well except for the small FiiO E5)

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post #7 of 34
11/10/10 at 4:31am

Personally I feel that the Clip+ SQ is better than any Apple iPod or iPhone. Being free of iTunes and having tactile buttons is a great bonus. I haven't tried the iPhone4 personally though, so I guess not a fair assessment. 

 

Regards to amp, I have tried my own IE8 with different amps. You can't go wrong with any neutral/bright amps, but the iBasso D4 is IMHO the best amp I've tried so far, based on a 200 dollar price budget. The T3D is a good 2nd place amp, much more portable to boot. Or you can go amp-less with a good DAP....using a Sansa Fuze, the IE8 sounds pretty damn good without amping. 

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post #8 of 34
11/10/10 at 6:07am
Thread Starter 

@Darkchaser, thanks for sharing your opinion.

 

If the IE8 is good with neutral/bright amps, i am looking forward to the Fischer Mystify. But need to do more research before buying... 

Seems IE8 is not a source picky IEM and thus i couldn't notice significant difference when using iPhone+AAC vs F20+lossless?  or is it my ears?  frown.gif

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post #9 of 34
11/10/10 at 6:44am
Thread Starter 

Well, i am really a noob in the amp world, in what criteria should i choose an amp?

I have look around for a while but still feeling a bit lose... 

 

e.g. iBasso's D4 looks good, but with $30 more they got D10 with more choice of input interface (optical vs USB, any SQ difference actually?), not sure about sound signature, quality, etc.

 

Also, i can see they all got a gain switch, can someone explain what is the use of gain switch? sorry for the silly question, but as i said, i am a noob about amp. :P

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post #10 of 34
11/10/10 at 11:12am
Meh, I think the clip is overrated because of the price it is. It has pretty good sound quality but there are many other players that just sound better overall.

For you, I would say to just encode your music to 320 lossy and use the iPhone 4. It will sound just as good as alac on your system.
Edited by Young Spade - 11/10/10 at 11:14am
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post #11 of 34
11/10/10 at 1:16pm
Thread Starter 

If i am looking for a step forward and get myself an amp, what should i look out for?

I am looking for some port amp that is capable to be a desktop amp for beginner as well.  Most likely, i would use my desktop as source and thus an amp with DAC function would be perfect. I may get a Alessandro MS-1 soon start with. 

 

Cheers,

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post #12 of 34
11/10/10 at 7:28pm
I thnk you should wait on the amp and focus on getting the best headphones you can get now; amping ok phones isn't going to sound better than unmapped great phones.

You're planning on getting the ms1s though?
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post #13 of 34
11/10/10 at 10:20pm

You'll find that the sound quality differences between the iphone 4 and sansa clip to be negligible. More importantly though, you absolutely cannot even compare them. One is a simple mp3 player with only one function - play music and audiobooks. The other is a a multi function beast. Different form factors, different price points, different intended uses, and the list goes on. Forget sound quality, and choose according to what you plan on doing with your source. Or just keep the iphone 4 and get a clip+ for the times you don't need the the added functionality the iphone gives you. It's not like the clip+ is particularly expensive - and Black Friday is upcoming.

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post #14 of 34
11/11/10 at 2:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Young Spade View Post

I thnk you should wait on the amp and focus on getting the best headphones you can get now; amping ok phones isn't going to sound better than unmapped great phones.

You're planning on getting the ms1s though?


Um... but with better phones, i still need better source to show me the difference... 

Well, i could obviously find the difference between my old UM1 and IE8, but what next?

Ya, thinking to get the MS-1i. I'd like to see opinions from you guys.  wink.gif

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post #15 of 34
11/11/10 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by J@CKY View Post





Um... but with better phones, i still need better source to show me the difference... 

Well, i could obviously find the difference between my old UM1 and IE8, but what next?

Ya, thinking to get the MS-1i. I'd like to see opinions from you guys.  wink.gif



Oh, no I understand that, I just thought you were running on somewhat limited funds and some of the money that could have been spent on headphones would be going to an amp.

Since you can though, yea definitely get an amp to help those headphones if you have the money and don't mind carrying it around. smily_headphones1.gif
I can throw you some amp recommendations if you want depending on the price.
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