I have a Sony A729 now, and want to upgrade. The hiss is a bit much for me, but otherwise I like it for general use.
Right now I'm looking for something under $150:
With:
1) Little to no noise
2) Very high sound quality with my SM3s, looking for a wide soundstage, clean balanced output. Decent low-end, very good detail.
3) Generally okay UI, willing to forgo some design issues
4) MUST have hard-controls because I use my player a lot when i'm half-sleep, working out, and I don't want a touch-screen UI like the S:Flo2 so that is OUT.
My top choice right now is the Hippo Gumstick, but I do not know where to find it. Where could I buy that if i wanted to, the availability in the for sale forums is pretty spotty. How can I contact Jaben directly, or is there another store that sells it directly.
Other suggestions would be helpful, thanks! I'm looking for out-of-the box sound, without firmware mods (rbox).
I really appreciate it.
