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Cowon x7 vs Sansa clip+ ??

post #1 of 8
9/15/12 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 

Dear all

 

how do you do ? i'm new here but i used to came here & read reviews & comparisons & so on ... first of all i'm asking for help in buying my first audiophile portable source & i don't know if i'm in the right section so admins please inform me if i'm in the wrong place.

 

i'm a beginner musician (violinist) & i listen to music too much maybe as much as i breath :) & the main genres i listen to is Baroque, classical, romantic, modern, jazz ( & any other kind involves full orchestra)

 

my main music source till date is my old phone nokia n95 8gb & some panasonic earphones (don't remember the specific model) ... & right now i wanna make a big move in my listening & jump into the audiophile field ... i did some research & knew that cowon are one of the best in terms of sound quality & wanted to get an x7 mainly for the SQ that every body describing & because it will carry a lot of my flacs then for the amazing battery life & the ability to drive cans to a reasonable level (I'm planing on getting the Senny HD 598)  ... now i'm reading other posts that comparing Sansa clip + to other cowons such as j3 and says it maybe exceeding cowons in SQ without any sound tweaks (which is what i prefer to listen to music as it had been played exactly) .... so i want your opinion especially if some body have the two of em ... my priority is sound quality & instruments separation & of course i won't mind paying less $$ for a better SQ

 

so please help which is better in terms of SQ & instrument separation (un amped & without EQ) the Cowon X7 or the Sansa Clip + ( considering i'll be using sennheiser hd 598 or hd 518)

 

 

 

thanks & best regards :)


Edited by Meshail - 9/15/12 at 12:53pm
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post #2 of 8
9/15/12 at 1:09pm

As good as Clip+ is, it is really great only in its price range. The moment you start comparing it with devices at a higher price, the Clip+ is left behind. Always remember, that most comparisons say 'for its price'. And since the price is low, the competition is not great compared to Clip+. 

 

Buy a Cowon X7 if that is your choice and never look back, I do not believe you will want to campre it to the Sansa. 

 

For classical, you could also look at Sony A860 series as it offers great clarity and good imaging that is important in the kind of music you like.

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post #3 of 8
9/15/12 at 3:05pm

I have a Clip+ and an iPhone 4 and have had the iPod Classic for several weeks, I prefer the SQ of the Clip.

 

After reading so many posts comparing the Clip+ Vs. other DAPs (aside from some $800 DAPs, such as the DX100)   and PMing many experienced Head-fi'ers, as well as a couple of sound engineers it has become clear to me that the Clip+ is as good or better than than most out there, even Cowon.

 

The noise floor of the Clip is very quiet, has very low impedance output and is neutral. In fact one sound engineer considers the Clip his benchmark for comparing other DAPs.

 

Meshail, I recommend buying a Clip+ from a brick and mortar or on-line (Amazon) store, try it out and if you're not satisfied, return it.

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post #4 of 8
9/15/12 at 7:25pm
Quote:
which is better in terms of SQ & instrument separation (un amped & without EQ) the Cowon X7 ( considering i'll be using sennheiser hd 598 or hd 518)

Cowon X7.

Clip+ doesn't have the power you want or separation. (check my profile to see I own a Clip+ and Cowon players)
Edited by H20Fidelity - 9/15/12 at 7:28pm
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post #5 of 8
9/15/12 at 10:08pm

For output power and battery life,  a Cowon is certainly an upgrade over a Clip+/Clip Zip.....no one would deny that.  For straight up sound quality without  EQ or enhancements engaged, at an equal volume, the difference between them  is very small. I ended up trading my Cowon players away, because I wanted to try other players.....I have held on to a rockboxed  Clip Zip as my on-the-go player, and it is great for that. It is not my primary player any more though.

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post #6 of 8
9/16/12 at 6:52am

The Clip+ isn't lacking in sound quality, it is lacking in battery life, and ability to drive high impedance headphones. These issues can be dealt with though. A usb battery pack will make up for the short battery life. The Clip+ can play while being charged by a usb battery pack. If you already have plenty of AA nimh batteries, the $18 Tekkeon mp1580 would be a good one to get. Otherwise the $30 Veho Pebble XT has a 5,000 mah lion battery built in. As for driving high impedance headphones, that is where a headphone amp would be useful. Even a $25 Fiio E6 would let you use up 300 ohm headphones, although it is best with headphones 150 ohms and less.

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post #7 of 8
9/16/12 at 8:48am
Thread Starter 

Thanks every body for your help i appreciate it .... i'm gonna buy a new violin so my budget is blown up (violins are really expensiveredface.gif ) so i think i'll go with sansa clip+ with the stock earphones then a while after i'll get the Cowon & the Senny

 

 

thanks again bigsmile_face.gif

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post #8 of 8
9/16/12 at 2:15pm

Get some better headphones or earphones to use with the Clip+, as the included earphones is not so good. You don't have to spend a lot to get much better sound. Even the $13 JVC HA-S160 headphone, or $15-20 Panasonic RP-HJE355 or JVC HA-FX40 IEMs offer a great sound improvement over the earphones included with the Clip+.

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