[Ethan211]

I'm looking to pick up my first DAP [currently borrowing my wife's nano all the time] and I'm wondering what would be the best choice for SQ if I'm not planning on getting an external amp and/or DAC; I'd rather not spend more than $200, but we'll have to see how that goes, and HDD players are OK because I think I'll mostly be using it at home without moving around too much.
I realize there are already a dozen threads about which player gives the best SQ, but I'm starting to get the impression that a $250 external amp is more-or-less considered standard equipment around here, and I don't think I want to go that far in my pursuit of listening happiness [I know, I know, all newbs say that right before they go spend a full paycheck+ on gear... paintball's the same way.]

I was also wondering if you guys think that, if I won't be using an external amp, I'll be wasting my time and unnecessarily limiting my choices by making non-wav lossless playback a requirement; I also have a pair of Shure e2's that I don't really want to spend any more money replacing, but I know you can buy some really ridiculous headphones if you want to, so I'm not sure if the people who find a noticeable difference between high-bitrate lossy and FLAC are the same ones who've spent over $1000 on their portable audio setup and have the crazy professional headphones.

Thanks for your help,
Ethan

 

[rockin_amigo14]

an HDD player that has good headphone-out sound and less than $200:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A0750865

I think it sounds great. Like you, I don't want to lug around an amplifier. Straight out of the headphone jack is how i like it. I have the Zune and I think it meets those standards. However, I'd recommend upgrading from those E2c's. I'd say the Mylar X3's are worth looking at, but DAP's are my area of interest, no headphones. You'll have to look in the headphone forum for that.

 

[Computerstud]

Damn it....when I read the title I knew the zune would come up....
x2 on the zune....

 

[neoufo51]

Since you don't seem to mind the capacity of the Nano.

Meizu M6

 

[Ethan211]

The Zune, hey? The only things I've really heard about the Zune is that the SQ is solid, it doesn't come with FLAC support, and there's a whole bunch of BS DRM issues.
Any opinions on just how necessary lossless is with the level of equipment I'll be using? I'm starting to doubt I'll be able to hear a difference, but that's really just a guess since I've never listened to anything better than what I have right now, which are just random napster/kazaa MP3's with pretty modest bitrates.

 

[wgr73]

I also would choose the zune.

 

[Shizelbs]

Can't go wrong with the Zune. I am constantly suprised and impressed by the unamped audio quality.

 

[Murugesh]

I would suggest you to look at iAudio X5 or X5L. This player is known for its best headphone out SQ. It may not be sleek and handy like iPods but SQ- wise these are much better. Some of the features are

-preset & custom EQ
-long battery life
-in-built FM receiver
-voice recorder
-FLAC compatibility

 

[sai-bot]

In accordance with what Murugesh said I'd also recommend an iAUDIO X5 - though I don't know how much you currently have to pay for them. Due to being discontinued, you might be able to get it at a reasonable price. But be warned: I would consider the quality of the line out as crappy. So you'd better never buy a portable amp