ABX test it

I'll have to search for a microSD card which I can format with FAT32 for the update - but I'm very excited about #1 and #10. Those have been bugging me for a while now :)

Quote: I might not be the one that this question is directed towards to, but I'm very satisfied with the m903. Not looking back :)

3MB is the format it came with. High resolution god-tier of cover art. Big enough for even 4k displays... if I had one. I have a few songs with somewhat large embedded cover art, they all take 2-3 seconds to load - each. The folder with the 3MB+ covers took over 8 seconds per song.  ...

Quote: Have you tried to reproduce any of my problems? For example with huge (3MB+) cover art. Or skipping many folders in turn by using the short+long-press left/right (mine freezes when I do that quickly). I'm only using FLAC btw.

Sorry, no, mine doesn't. I had to remove all covers because they were causing 8+ second loading times. Some songs still have large covers so that each song loads for a couple of seconds before it starts playing. Skipping entire folders often results in a complete lockup of the device. I...

So I got my Clip Zip now and rockboxed it - however it runs even worse than the Clip+. It freezes constantly and locks up, I've also had loud and nasty errors when it crashed. Hooray.  

Who knows, maybe the drivers are better now - I got mine back when people used to brick it with the firmware update that they later pulled. Still, I tested 3 units and I absolutely loathe the Xonar Essence One as a result of my experience with it.  

The drivers are quite bad (seems the same with every ASUS soundcard). The dropouts from ASIO are most likely a driver issue. The channel imbalance and sometimes complete drop-out of the entire midrange in a song (until I power cycle the unit) are what caused me to return the unit and get...

I'm going to rockbox it either way. I was thinking of buying a 32GB Class 10 Transcend or SanDisk directly from Amazon, where I'll also get the Clip Zip from.  

Quote: Let's just say that the Clip+ with 8GB has tried my patience enough and I'd like faster transfer speeds - especially since I'm only dealing with FLAC and I do plan on filling that 32GB card.

Quote: It is not relevant when playing, but it is when filling it with data (which is where an USB card reader would come into play to get faster write speeds). :) I was looking at 32GB cards as a price/capacity tradeoff.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'll most likely get a Clip Zip and a fast 32GB microSD card (which I'll fill with an USB card reader). I'm hesitant to get another Clip+ due to the problems I'm having with mine, even though it seems to be a hardware issue. I don't want to get another just...

Quote: I did multiple ABX tests and scored significantly high, so at least I can hear a difference :)

I'm having these issues with rockbox. Playback skips after ~1 minute, also seems to vary on battery level. It is a bug that some users have noted - http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/12208 Perhaps I'll just try to get another 8GB one and hope for the best.   I do prefer to play through the...

Quote: Well, the storage is a bit limited, the navigation on the tiny screen rather painful and it constantly skips during playback (with loud and nasty noises). Without rockbox I wouldn't even be able to use folders properly :\ That's not something a new Clip+ would fix.   Also, an...

Hi,   My Sansa Clip+ is worrying me. The battery has seen better days, playback skips regularly (using rockbox) and I am afraid that the memory has developed some bad sectors. I'm therefore considering to replace it.   I use it mainly for listening to music in quiet or semi-quiet...

I too was quite astonished by what a Rockboxed Clip+ can put out. Neat little thing (aside from the audio and skipping glitches when using rockbox).   Regarding your USB DAC setup: I'll throw the following theory into the mix: Not every DAC is running asynchronous over USB or...

Quote: You might have to RMA it. This is a common behaviour of the XEO.

I'm now considering the Grace Design m903, does anyone have any objections or things I'd need to know about this unit?  

Quote: You'll most likely have to RMA it. Firmware updates of the XEO tend to brick it.

Since I'm looking into something similar myself, I'm personally leaning towards the Grace Design m903. Async USB up to 24/192 and volume controls for each output.  

With mine it skips the first half second of a song and there is an audible pop every time playback starts/stops/pauses  

Try turning it on only after you've booted your PC. Or cycle the inputs once. Wiggle the volume control... That usually helped with mine. Or just get rid of it (sorry, I'm currently pissed at the XEO).   When it works properly, it provides rather fast sound, which can seem very harsh at...

Beware of firmware updates. They tend to brick it. The update program may say "PASS" but all you'll get is a funky, non-recognized, electric powered brick.   I'm on my third one now and I'm sending it back. I have not yet in my life seen such a broken device. The drivers are atrocious...