[jiddu]

Hey guys, straight forward question I guess.
 
Reason I ask is because I've not needed a DAP in a long time but do so again, I checked electronic stores and DAP selection is much worse than a few years ago which I'm guessing is due to "do it all" phones like iPhone or Blackberry that everyone is carrying.  Thinking it over having 1 device instead of 2 is good, except the phones I've tried in the past really really sucked at mp3 playback, not just in SQ but also functionality.  Maybe the iPhone is better but those things are huge, and I won't use a product that requires "special software" (itunes) to transfer music to your device, plus no EQ = no good for me.. not to mention the pricetag and my local telcoms requiring expensive data plans along with the phone. 
 
I don't have very high standards for portable audio but I do have a minimum, my dead samsung yp-t10 for instance sounded great and had a customizeable EQ not just lame presets it also did simple drag and drop file transfer.  This is roughly all I require from my player, I even got used to the touchscreens and id3 tag bullcrap instead of browsing (and randomizing) by folder structure.  I'm just not sure about these mp3 phones, do they sound any good and do they work like the old daps used to?
 
Or do I just pick up a sony mp3 player or whatever I find and call it a day? 

 

[Angelopsaro]

I am not an expert and i havent heard alot of mobiles. The only thing iam sure is that when i bought my nokia 5530 i got it after i read reviews and benchmarks telling its SQ is equal to dedicate mp3players. When now that i have a cowon j3 i am 100% sure to say that the sound is no way comparable. Its a lot better through my J3. A lot cleaner, wider soundstage, and more real.

 

[jiddu]

Yeah I had that nokia too untill it fell in the toilet, didn't exactly make me ditch my samsung before that incident either.
 
Screw it, I'll just get a dedicated player.  Was looking at the Cowon players but they seem pricey except for the i9 which I've read is a crippled s9 or something.. I'll look into it though.

 

[v3nom]

iPhone with LOD?
 
Never heard one, just throwing out a suggestion.

 

[Ricardo Dawkins]

Get a Nokia XpressMusic branded phone.

 

[tds101]

My iPhone does fine double duty as an mp3 player,...

 

[Angelopsaro]

On the contrary i heard that samsung galaxy 3 is excellent music player. Maybe its the same case as my nokia 5530. But then i heard that it sounds better than samsung glaxy s. It also has good battery life and it has a good price. Check it out if you want.

 

[tds101]

I've also heard the Galaxy S series has great SQ, but I've never had the pleasure of trying one out tho.

 

[Zephyron]

Using a rooted Samsung Galaxy 3/Naos/Teos/Apollo here. I prefer its synergy with the Klipsch Custom 3 moreso than I do compared to the Cowon D2.
 
Problem is, the phone's too small, maybe replacing it with a Galaxy S once the dual core flagships are in full force in the market and force the older single core flagships to plummet in price.

 

[Failed Engineer]

If you have no need for a data plan (which most smartphones on most carriers will require), then I would just get a dedicated player. Not any dumbphones I can think of with good music capability.

 

[ricedemon]

I came from a Sony Mp3 and an S:flo2

MY Sony broke and my s:flo2 is being sent to Hong Kong for repair.

I'm using my blackberry bold 9780. To my surprise, its non fatiguing to my ears and actually sounds better than the Sony and S:flo2.

The thing about the S:flo2 I dont know how to get a frequency response that gives detail and bass with non fatiguing highs.

Anyways.. to the Blackberry.
 
When you connect the Blackberry you have the option to connect to the Blackberry software.. or just use it as a harddrive and drag and drop.

I'm currently using Shure SE310's, with the blackberry I get sound that is nice sound separation and detail. I'm hearing details and separation I've never heard before. The battery on the bold is awesome to me, I can listen to music for 12 hours straight while searching facebook/twitter occasionally (like 20-40 times a day) and still have battery till the end of the day.

The only downside to the sound is the bass (which is why i just ordered the UM3x).
 
Another problem is the volume control. The volume control isn't fine tuneable so if you increase the volume it jumps by quite a bit. I think theres probably only 8 divisions between loudest and muted. Other than that its pretty good music player. The volume buttons on the outside act as Next/Back song if you hold the button and increase/decrease the volume if you tap the button.

I dont know what you want in a player so if you have any questions about a feature feel free to ask.

Its weird that i like this phone as a music player because GSMArena says the sound quality sucks.

 

 

[phillevy]

I recently got a Google(Samsung) Nexus S and the last thing I intended to use it for was as a DAP. Now after installing the Voodoo sound kernel it is beginning to totally replace my X-Series walkman. Astounding sound - louder also along with ability to play all my old ogg files and playlist on the go functionality. This has really surprised me!