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Yes, another "which would be better" threads...

post #1 of 18
3/31/11 at 10:16am
Thread Starter 
Sorry for this (then why post??), but I've searched, read, and gone back and forth so many times that I'm more confused than when I began.
Will be picking up some of the SleekAudio SA7s when they come out and want something (much) better than my iPod mini to play my lossless audio files on - (currently using the Sure 500 phones)
Have looked at the various Cowon products (differences in SQ? Would the E2 be an upgrade?) as well as the HM-601/602-
Don't need/want to play videos-so I don't want to pay for that-
Would love a few comments to nudge me in the right direction-thanks!
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

FiiO E5 Headphone Amplifier
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post #2 of 18
3/31/11 at 11:48am
what size are you looking for? It kind of depends on how much music you plan on taking around with you.
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post #3 of 18
3/31/11 at 11:52am

I say Fuze/Clip+ or Ipod rockboxed.

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post #4 of 18
3/31/11 at 11:58am
Thats what I was going to recommend, but the ipod classic/touch cant do rockbox. You would need to find 5th gen or previous, and a spinning hard drive will add noise to your sound unless you do digital output to a head amp like the fiio e5 (ipod cable to miniUSB needed)
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post #5 of 18
3/31/11 at 12:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrimants View Post

Thats what I was going to recommend, but the ipod classic/touch cant do rockbox. You would need to find 5th gen or previous, and a spinning hard drive will add noise to your sound unless you do digital output to a head amp like the fiio e5 (ipod cable to miniUSB needed)


actually...the classic can be rockboxed now.... its it beta status but most people find it pretty stable

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post #6 of 18
3/31/11 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the responses - 4gb is fine for this machine
SQ is the most important thing here-
What I'd read said that the headphone amp on the iPods is subpar compared to others - and it will need to be mobile so an external amp won't work for me.
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post #7 of 18
3/31/11 at 12:16pm
I take it you did not take 30 seconds to google "fiio e5". You would have found that it is an ipod shuffle sized headphone amp. Furthermore, if you are using an ipod with digital output, the amp in it is completely ignored as the ipod just sends digital data out of its butthole rather than vomit analog data out of its headphone jack.
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post #8 of 18
3/31/11 at 12:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrimants View Post

I take it you did not take 30 seconds to google "fiio e5". You would have found that it is an ipod shuffle sized headphone amp. Furthermore, if you are using an ipod with digital output, the amp in it is completely ignored as the ipod just sends digital data out of its butthole rather than vomit analog data out of its headphone jack.


actually its not digital anymore...since it was through the DAC (digital analog converter) its just not using the internal amp and going to an outside amp.  if you want portable then either fuze or clip with a nice sized microsd.

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post #9 of 18
3/31/11 at 1:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
I take it you did not take 30 seconds to google "fiio e5".
You're right - portable audio isn't my forte (Home A/V is) - thanks for the tip
reviews seem mixed on the e5, but it's a small investment to see if my current mini can be made acceptable...
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post #10 of 18
3/31/11 at 1:33pm


Delete


Edited by labrat - 9/16/11 at 2:45am
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post #11 of 18
3/31/11 at 2:26pm

the only portable way to get a digital signal from the ipod is through cypher labs algorhytm solo i believe 

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post #12 of 18
3/31/11 at 7:49pm
I'm sure there are other ways than just that. http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/HP-P1.shtml for example.
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post #13 of 18
3/31/11 at 7:58pm
Thread Starter 
Looks cool, but not for $750!!
I really appreciate the input here folks - since everything I've read says that the iPod mini (gen 1) has the worst headphone amp in the entire family, it seems that the e5 would benefit it most off all. I ordered one today and will report back on my (personal) findings in a couple of weeks - thanks again!
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post #14 of 18
3/31/11 at 8:02pm
If I were you, i'd get the sansa clip+ or fuse+, and cnet has a huge list of which mp3 players had great frequency response curves (or should i say lack of curves)
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post #15 of 18
3/31/11 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrimants View Post

I'm sure there are other ways than just that. http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/HP-P1.shtml for example.


i stand corrected....there are 2 ways to get a digital signal

 

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