Advice for a new MP3 player?

Quote:

Originally Posted by straygray 

Hey there,

I'm looking to purchase a new MP3 player, and this seems like the place to ask for advice. Honestly, I'm just looking for something that does music (in as many formats as possible, I suppose, even though I don't usually use FLACs, OGGs, etc.). I could care less about apps, video, etc. If possible, I'd like to grab something around $100, but my price range is a little variable. Really I just want to find something that plays very high quality music and that's going to last. I've been using the Sansa Clip for about two years, and I had to replace the thing twice.

Any suggestions?

Welcome to the Head-Fi forums!

I don't know personally since I don't own them, but a LOT of Head-Fi users will readily recommend the Sansa Clip+ or Sansa Fuze media players. They both support high quality formats and I have read that they have a very nice sound signature. The Clip+ has a small screen and you have to scroll through your lists with the click of a button, so if that doesn't suit you (which I'm assuming isn't too much of a problem since you've been using the Clip), the Fuze is a better choice since it has a larger screen and the UI scrolling is done through an iPod-esque scroll-wheel.

Both can be found for under $100 and both also have a slot for a microSD card if you want to expand your media player's memory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by straygray 

Thanks for your prompt response. I'm sorry, I don't think I made myself clear. I'm actually rather dissatisfied with Sansa players in general. I probably just have bad luck, but like I said, it seems like they break all the time. So I'm looking for an upgrade to a better kind of player. I was think about perhaps a Cowon iAUDIO 9?

Ah, yes I think a lot of people here can recommend the iAUDIO 9 as well.

Another media player that some people might recommend, a new product from Cowon, is the C2. It has the basic Cowon icon layout homescreen and the well renown BBE+ sound enhancements/EQ. It's pretty similar to the older D2/D2+.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by straygray 



Do you think one or the other is better in terms of sound quality?

Sorry, I couldn't tell you as I don't own a Cowon device myself (yet). Generally, I think most of the Cowon products sound about the same.

I was actually just reading this article from anythingbutipod.com. It's got some interesting tid-bits.

"The sound quality that makes it to your ears is only as good as the headphones that actually spits out the sound and while the sound quality of the player does matter, it shouldn’t be the deciding factor if your headphones is a $40 pair of Koss PortaPro or something else cheap."

Quote:

Originally Posted by straygray 

w/r/t headphones, I'll be using Sennheiser HD428s, which seem very well reviewed. Do you have an opinion on these, or any recommendations?

If you like rock, Grados do in fact rock. If you like the Senns, you might want to look in to hd555s. You can easily do the foam mod..making them basically 595s(just use the search engine). Last time I saw, they ere like $80ish on amazon. Ive heard the Fuze can take more of a beating than the clip, but then again, it depends. My friend has had his Fuze for over 3 years now and seems to be fine being tossed around in a gym bag. Hope that helps and welcome to headfi, sorry bout your wallet!

Quote:

Originally Posted by straygray 



Are the HD555s notably better than the HD428s?

Ive never listened to the 428s but people say that they have better clarity and soundstage. Although its unfair to compare a open vs. closed phone. I'd wait for someone whose heard both to clarify things for you.