Rockbox it and you've got great sound in a tiny package. Give it to an amp and it's better yet, but not so portable.
After looking around at some other reviews, here are a few more details. First off, I should say that I'm a music lover, not an audiophile (yet). Although I can detect some differences - between amped and unamped sources, between the different headphones and IEMs I own for example - I don't yet have the depth of experience or language to give an extremely detailed review of this little player.
Did I say it was little? We're talking 2" x 1" here. It would be hard to get more portable. Unmodded, it's perfectly reasonable and extremely cheap. However, if you get it, you should Rockbox it for the amount of control (database, EQ, and a lot more that I haven't fully explored) you get.
What makes this stand out for me is the fullness of the sound. I don't demand overwhelming bass and the Clip+ provides more than enough for me. The midrange is forward and detailed, as are the highs.
For the price, I think it's hard to get a better small player.
After looking around at some other reviews, here are a few more details. First off, I should say that I'm a music lover, not an audiophile (yet). Although I can detect some differences - between amped and unamped sources, between the different headphones and IEMs I own for example - I don't yet have the depth of experience or language to give an extremely detailed review of this little player.
Did I say it was little? We're talking 2" x 1" here. It would be hard to get more portable. Unmodded, it's perfectly reasonable and extremely cheap. However, if you get it, you should Rockbox it for the amount of control (database, EQ, and a lot more that I haven't fully explored) you get.
What makes this stand out for me is the fullness of the sound. I don't demand overwhelming bass and the Clip+ provides more than enough for me. The midrange is forward and detailed, as are the highs.
For the price, I think it's hard to get a better small player.
1) The clip zip and plus have the same internals. I currently own the clip, clip+ and clip zip. While there is something I cannot put my finger on between the clip and clip+, the zip and + sound identical to me.
2) Where you said the EQ being confusing was "rockbox's fault". While I do agree the advanced EQ could be confusing, I really appreciate the fact that they have put in the effort to include a simple EQ and a graphical EQ. So, the user can decide what works for them.
3) I didn't exactly comprehend what you meant to say in the "Awkward navigation" section.
"Turning the device on while it’s playing": Do you mean waking it from sleep? If so, you can set it so that the first click only wakes the screen.
"The lack of buttons" : What extra buttons would you like to add, discounting the size of the player. On/off, power, volume, 4 way nav, select, play/pause, next/prev, menu.
PS1: DOOM ftw!
PS2: Take a look at the rockbox manual. There are so many functions that remain undiscovered.