RWA iMod or HIFIMAN 801

Take HM801 ,you won't be disappointed. I prefer it to my whipmod combo,even though they are both great DAP. 

try to snag either one used, too. you can find them in good condition. and then there are tech differences (like playing flac etc) to consider. fwiw I love my iMod still, but for mobile hi-rez files and flac and other formats, I also find a cheap netbook with a good USB Dac works wonderfully; as I posted elsewhere, a netbook can be had for 300, and a good usb dac-amp for the difference up to the hifiman 801, so I think it's a legit alternative that also allows many other uses, though it's less trans-portable.

Or get an iRiver H140 or H120 and an iBasso D12.  Put Rockbox on the iRiver, and you're good to go.  Better software usability and format support with Rockbox than with straight iPods or the HiFiMAN.

tried again today to Rockbox one of my iPods, and it just would not work - after reformatting the iPod, downloading additional info, and attempting a few things via the Terminal commands... so it's back to the iMod for good sound, and the Netbook for hi-rez transportable flac

I hope to write a comparison of my WhipMOD and HM-801 one day, but basically these are 2 very different players for 2 very different uses.

The 240GB iMod/WhipMOD with Rockbox is an insanely versatile and high-capacity player--it'll play just about every music format, with great features like gapless playback and the ability to delete files directly on the player. If you have a massive collection of files in various formats, and you value having the ability to have a lot of it at your fingertips without having to swap SD cards or transfer new music frequently, then there really isn't another option.

For pure detail retrieval, soundstage, and realism, I think the HM-801 wins. But the HM-801 has its own problems, like short battery life, large size, and limited storage (unless you're willing to buy and tote around several SD cards). If you don't have that large of a collection, or if you're willing to copy new music regularly whenever you get tired of the songs on there, then the HM-801 might be the better option. The HM-801 superior sound quality over the WhipMOD isn't dramatic IMO, but it is noticeable, especially with well-recorded music.

A 240GB iMod can really be had on eBay for around $300? I assume these are 4th gen., since the 5th gen needs an LOD with caps?

 

hm. I never thought of rockboxing my iMod, only tried it on other iPods. there's a new project...

if you need bigger capacity, then problem solved

I've Rockboxed my iMod (RWA, 240gig retrofit) for years and have really not had any problem. Well, 96/24 2500+bit FLACs do tend to stutter for about half a minute until they get rolling, but other than that, it's been great.

hm?
 

now wait, that does not sound appetizing at all. I know stutterers are hip now after the oscars, but half a minute of stutter for each flac file? that's not an improvement, is it?

Have you tried pausing the track when it starts to freeze up? I find that my Rockbox'd Whipmod needs some time to load, and pausing for 5-10 seconds then resuming gets it to play smoothly.

Given that Rockbox resamples everything to 16/44 (unless it's already in that format), this is kind of a moot point.  For best sound quality, you should use something like iZotope RX to convert everything to redbook before loading it on the player.  Rockbox's resampler works (supposedly will even play 24/192 files with the 3.8 release that came out on Sunday), but they openly admit that the resampler is very rudimentary and does not provide optimal results.

Honestly, I wouldnt spend so much money on portable audio. Portable source quality doesnt scale nearly as well as home audio equipment. Overpaying for marginal increases in SQ seems like a waste. And if money truly is no object, why not buy both and see which one is better personally?

hm... you haven't been fully exposed yet to the head-fi virus. there's still a chance for you to get away! run as fast as you can, young whippersnapper!

 

on a more serious note, my iMod also didn't want to be rockboxed today, the reformatting just petered out... however, I recovered and updated it, and remembered that XLD is faster than Max in converting flac to any iTunes compatible format, including putting it into a playlist, and my iMod was just fed 20 gig of new material. I can hardly wait to venture out with my Headroom murse filled - iMod tethered to my trusty Tomahawk via a fat silver ALO interconnect, the UERM serving up things I usually only listen to on the computer or via speakers...

The head-fi virus? whats that? I'm just saying I have experience with a HM-601 that I've had to RMA two times now... Surely they are more careful with the much more expensive HM 801, right? Not so sure...