OK, I have completed my comparative analysis. I must say, that the Sansa Clip, for it's size and it's
price, is one hell of a player. I was amazed at the output, and the ability to encode .flac files (new version
comes standard with .flac...no need for Rockbox).
However, when comparing the Clip to the HM-801, it's like a number one rated college team, playing
against a solid professional NFL team. In it's own right, it's amazing that a UI, rechargeable battery, an amp circuit,
encoding abilities, and media storage (in this case the + came standard with 2Gigs onboard), it is a marvel
of modern science. Perfect for the gym or while jogging. But holding a candle to the 801? Not going to
happen.
At first listen, one will be astonished at the Clip's output. It is clear, has balls, and goes pretty far into both extreme registers.
When you first walk into a Bose store, you think, "Hey, that Wave Radio sounds pretty good". It fills the room with sound
and musical notes. But when really reviewing the output, one notices that there is a huge gap somewhere between
200 Hz and 1000 Hz. Same with their Acoustimass systems. But the average consumer is perfectly happy with that.
We are not "the average consumer". When comparing the 801 and the Clip, the first thing missing that you notice is depth.
And headstage. On paper, the readings are desirable, but to the discerning ear, it is instantly noticeable that there are layers
missing. That's where op amps and DAC chips play their role.
If you listen to a 128kbps, you can listen to the song, maybe even tap your feet to it, but it is the equivalent of AM Radio.
I would sum up the Clip as more of a 256kbps file, but it skips a lot of detail that the 320, or .wav, or Lossless file captures.
The same exact flac file, played on both machines, using my JH-13's, instantly revealed a good deal of lost detail on the Sansa.
If I were jogging in the park, or clanging weights at the gym, the Clip is a perfect player. But if I am sitting in my quiet room,
comparing the 2 units, the difference is day and night. If you can't hear the difference, then consider yourself lucky. Number one,
audio is not your favorite passion, and number 2, you have just saved yourself a lot of money.
Is there a rolloff in the upper register of the HM-801? On paper, it seems obviously so. But when looking at the bigger picture,
which is the total experience of your music listening session, the 801 has more meat, and sounds more realistic to being in the
room or the concert hall, listening to the music being played live. I believe that this aids to creating the midrange, but that is my opinion.
The upper portion of the highs, that shows a roll off on paper, adds to sibilance and I believe that over emphasized bass or highs, can
mess up the detail of the midrange. There's only so much room in a file which creates "the bigger picture". However the 801 was designed
by it's engineer for whatever reason, using the existing components, and to my ears, it was done right. A circuit is like a recipe, and it takes
all of the ingredients to work in harmony to create a masterpiece, and I believe that the sound output of the HiFiMAN is just where I like it. YMMV.
The mids are sweet. They convey air and separation between the instruments and vocals, whereas the Clip is a little sloppy and everything is
sort of stepping on top of each other. The bass on the Clip is surprisingly good, but it is more subsonic, visceral on the HiFiMAN.
There's bass, and then there's BASS. The 801 has better bass, at least, to my liking.
If given no choice, could I be happy living with a Sansa Clip loaded with flac files? Absolutely. If I could gain even just 10% better output
by spending $400 or $700 would I do it? Isn't that what most of us do, here at Head-Fi? Diminishing gains on higher assets. As long as
my family is taken care of, yes I would. Without that 10% (in this case, it's more than 10%), there would be no need for discussion here
on Head-Fi. We'd all just motor along with our iPods and iBuds listening to iTune downloaded 128 kbps files like the average music listener does.
Heck, I've seen friends walking down the street, each with one headphone in their ear, from the same headphone. They're happy, but that's
not my thing, and I don't think that anyone reading this thread would have that "be their thing" also.
Is the Sansa Clip a good player for the money? Without a doubt. Is the HifiMAN HM-801 much better in real life and not on paper?
Hell yeah.
