Audiophile portable system

[Rossy836]

Hi there,

I've finally decided to make an investment in portable audio, as more and more i am unimpressed by the quality of my portable cd player and headphones. I enjoy quite a large variety of music types and as such i need a system that can play my music, and impress me. My budget is quite a large one, so short of custom mold headphone, i'am happy to buy anything that may be highly recommended.

Currently the mp3 player that intrests me is the cowan iaudio x5L 30gb, as it should provide just enough room to fit most of my music on in ogg vorbis and apparently sounds fairly impressive. Since this will be a system i will mostly listen to at school i am unsure as to whether an amplifier is really worth it, though the headroom total airhead amp seems like it could be a good investment.
Lastly for headphones i think the westone um-2s may be a good choice, as they seem to be more subtle than other IEMs, which in some pictures appear to stick out a lil bit.

Please could you point me in the right direction and advise me whether or not this is a good portable system to listen to, or whether i should look at some different equipment.

Thanks in advance (hopefully), Ross

 

[atart]

perfect, i say go for it, the x5 can be seen as a slightly bright sounding player, and the um2's are regarded a slightly bass heavy phone, and when the two balance each other out, the resultant sound is pretty darn good, unless you listen to a lot of classic music (for which i would switch the um2 for the Shure E4) go ahead and you'll be very pleased with the combo.

good luck,

cheers

 

[LFC_SL]

Hows abouts Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro earphones?

I listen to everything but classical, so require a level of bass

 

[atart]

as he said in his initial post, the UM2's are the most inconspicuous pair of phones around, the cable slides behind the ear and enters the canal from the top, it fits almost perfectly in the outer cup of the ear, on the other hand, the super.fi pro isnt as well ergonomically designed, yes its still portable, but they stick out at angle from the ear, i wouldnt know how much exactly, but if you check out the super.fi manual on the ultimate ears website, they have a picture of it at the bottom, you be the judge

as for level of bass, the super.fi and the UM2 are rather similar, i've only auditioned the super.fi for a short while, but from what i heard and what im hearing now in the UM2, the westone may have a tad bit more in terms of quantity, again, subjective from person to person.

cheers

 

[Filburt]

For an amp, you may want to look into something like a MINT or PIMETA. I've found those to be very nice for portable use. They're DIY, but I imagine you can find one built for you in the amps for sale forum on occasion, or maybe someone can make one for you by order. I'd do it but I'm a bit busy ATM for that sort of thing

As for portable audio quality, I honestly find these vintage Philips/Magnavox portable cd players (as well as my Sony D-335) to just blow the modern DAPs (such as even the X5) out of the water in terms of audio quality. However, you don't get the same sort of convenience, obviously. One of the models, the AZ6816, does appear to have some form of shock protection. Although, I won't know for sure just what kind it is until I receive mine in the mail probably next week.

If you're open to minidisc, the Sharp MD-DR7 is pretty impressive in terms of audio quality. However, it isn't as convenient as an mp3 player in terms of loading music.

 

[kugino]

if money's not a limiting factor, may i suggest an iModded iPod with ALAC files into a ray samuels hornet with your choice of headphone. depending on what kind of sound you like, you could go with a lot of different headphones.

 

[Veggie_Musician]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atart perfect, i say go for it, the x5 can be seen as a slightly bright sounding player, and the um2's are regarded a slightly bass heavy phone, and when the two balance each other out, the resultant sound is pretty darn good, unless you listen to a lot of classic music (for which i would switch the um2 for the Shure E4) go ahead and you'll be very pleased with the combo. good luck, cheers

I think UM2's suit clasical music better than E4c. The shures can sound thin on some orchestra recordings.

 

[Rossy836]

I was just wondering also if anyone has an opinion on the samsung yh-j70. It has a 70gb hard-drive and 25 hours playback time, but i'am unsure as to how it sounds like in terms of quality compared to the X5.

 

[Veggie_Musician]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rossy836 I was just wondering also if anyone has an opinion on the samsung yh-j70. It has a 70gb hard-drive and 25 hours playback time, but i'am unsure as to how it sounds like in terms of quality compared to the X5.

wow 70 gig Im getting one of those!

hehe the samsung only comes in 20 or 30gig

Sound quality I hear is a tad better than sony HD5 - which is considered one of the best sounding DAPs out there - only its crippled by the software!

 

[Embio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veggie_Musician sony HD5 - which is considered one of the best sounding DAPs out there - only its crippled by the software!

Matter of oppinion. I've advised 3 of my friends to go the Hi-MD route, and 3 to buy a HD5 over the last 2 years, no complaints about software, even when asked

ps. I dont work for sony

 

[nikongod]

any player you want with a digital out into a dac/amp.

simple.

i like the archos av-320 for mp3 (it sounds spectacular even unamped, and straight fromt eh ehadphone out) or perhaps the iriver ihp-1x0 but this is hissy with some headphones.

after that it is the mater of getting a suitable dac/amp system. there are a few out there.

 

[Bull Moose]

I would say definietely go with the x5 UM2 combo since I've had that since sept 30 and have loved every minute spend with the two. I mean you have to go into buying an mp3 player knowing that its not gonna sound as good as an mp3 player, but I think the x5 is damn close in terms of sound quality. The UM2s bring music to life like I've never heard before. Bass is punch and deep and the mids and hights are great as well IMO. Some will say go for the shure e5c, but I mean i listen to all kinds of music like yourself and the UM2s have handled it all very well. I remember the first time I heard Days of the New self-titled debut album with the UM2s. I remember the huge smile I could feel forming on my face because it just sounded so good. Plus you can even play movies on the x5. I mean how freakin cool is that? Granted its not a PMP, but if boredom sets in a school or somewhere else you could be watchin episodes of Family Guy while waiting!

Some people will say that the x5's interface is not user friendly. In all honesty, if you know how to use a computer, you should be fine. It took me very little time to figure out the x5 and it's software and I'm not even that great w/ computers. p.s. If you go for the UM2s, make sure you get tri-flanges and mod them into bi-flanges. Most will agree this brings out the best sound with these headphones. Hope this helps!

 

[LFC_SL]

@ Bull Moose,

All your advice has done is tempt me into spending more money! Curse this damn forum...

 

[atart]

i agree, i used the comply's with the um2's for the first week, found the sound a bit muddy, went ahead and tried the tri-flange to bi-flange mod by snipping off the top flange and some of the stem, the sound is cleaner than before, trebele extension has improved (slightly). highly recommend the X5 and UM2

cheers

 

[Rossy836]

Hi again, thanks for all the advice. I think i'am going to go ahead with the X5 and UM-2 combination.
Lastly though does adding a portable amp to this combination really make a huge difference, and if it does, which amp would you recomend?