[danielghofrani]

hey guys. 
I got myself a sansa clip+ and I am sad ;(
this is probably one of the weakest sounding devices I know. it has basically the same sound as the ipod nano I used to have, without the pretty looks and user friendly interface. 
I am not even going to buy fancy headphones. with the Sony MDR-J10 that I am using right now my laptop beats the clip by a far margin NO CONTEST. 
people saying the sansa clip+ sounds good are either biased because of its small size and low price, or they have barely listened to any live instrument at all. I have been playing live music since I was 9. I can't really accept this level of performance. 
I can really care less about the size, battery life, features, etc of a device, it is all about the sound for me. 
I will be returning the sansa. I am sad ;(

 

[ZARIM]

Sony X1060 sound quality( is amazing) much much better than Clip+ and new Cowon X7 is also spurb sounding DAP.

 

[Bennyboy71]

Jesus, how long's it gonna be before someone sensible mentions the Cowon J3?
 
Oh, I just did.

 

[shoenberg3]

Yes, I second the Cowon J3. It can also do much more than a Sansa Clip.

 

[modular511]

Well, I can't believe noone mentioned using a decent quality LOD cable and an ipod.. As well as the ALAC codec. Still it would be cheaper to just go with a cowon really. And the Sansa People also like it cuz its small size so carrying it with an amp is just fine, But it needs good headphones,a Decent amp, plus Music with  decent quality (320kbps+ is what I use generally.) But I personally use an ipod classic, a pa2v2, As well as Hifiman re0's. It's plugged in using An LOD cable.

 

[Inks]

Get a Hifiman 601 or an S:flo2, both are proven audiophile players (though I do give the slight nod to the 601). This is considering you don't care about their other flaws. 

 

[dave-the-rave]

 
Quote:

KneelJung wrote:
 
Question: since the Clip doesnt have a dedicated line out arent you essentially just amping the signal of the headphone out of the clip? What does the amp do other than more volume and IMO the Clip gets plenty loud enough on it's own so I guess I dont really see the point.
 
Working with you on your question.  When I first started out on this sojourn, maybe a day or two ago, I had a similar question.  Through much effort on the part of those who frequent the forum, many tried their level headed best to help me see the light.  They weren't able to help me see the light but now that I'm older and wiser, I'll try to do the same for you, as yes, I have seen the light and it's a colorful one.  But remember, in the end, you're the final arbiter and it's your choice whether to respond to what I'm sharing or not.
 
The easiest analogy is a car motor's cost and the engines efficiency in pumping air.  Do you want an old beater to replace a blown engine, or do you want a screamer to do some drifting in?  After all, in the final, they're all just a motor in an engine bay.  The amp is the same.  The amp doesn't "just" make things louder.  Better amps keep frequencies separated while making things louder.  With a cheap azzzz amp, you have loud noise.  With a quality amp, you have loud music.
 
Most cheap amps or amps supplied in a DAP, will easily do the mids but you'll have muddied or muffled bass notes and you'll have congested or compressed (clipping) highs as the amp won't have enough torque to get you there, let alone enough horsepower to keep you there.  Think dynamic range.  Now, think of an engine at max RPM with too little carburetion: choke, choke, choke, choke at fifty-five hundred RPM's.  You can have the finest engine design in the world but too small of a carburetor and well, you get the picture.  It's the same with an amp.  You won't have the dynamic range, even at low listening levels, so your bass notes will load up and become muffled and your highs will become compressed, or clip and make your poor ears bleed, in a bad way.
 
Personally, I'm looking at a couple of suggested all-in-one DAP's so I won't have to add an additional amp as I too want to keep it simple.  So please, don't think that I'm trying to sell amps as what I'm trying to encourage is affordable sound quality and a quality amp, whether in the form of a quality DAP or a separate amp, will help you obtain that goal.  And like the best engine in the world and a lousy carburetor, if the amp's not there, then the best earphones in the world are going come out sounding second best or worse.  Mid-range pricing for all-in-one DAP's that I'm currently considering:
 
Cowon J3 or a Nationite S:Flo2.
 
Now for the final arbiter part.  Some people are happy with simplicity and bloated bass notes accompanied by compressed or clipping high notes.  It's free choice and free will when one decides to make the choice regarding keeping a few bucks in their pocket or keep their ears from bleeding all the time.  Remember, on this issue, you're the final arbiter of what I wrote in response to the question: quality sound, mediocre sound and how long do you want your ears to bleed for.
 

 
Hope I did a decent job in answering your question.
 

The above is correct except for one flaw: What signal is the quality amp amplifying? If the source unit has a LINE OUT, then the outboard amp can amplify a clean signal produced by the source. But if there is no LINE OUT jack, and the outboard amp is connecting via the headphone jack, then the outboard amp is amplifying a signal already made "dirty" (muddled/poorly amplified) by the built-in amp of the source unit. Capisch?
 

 

[Bennyboy71]

the purist 'no amp without line out' argument is pretty spurious when dealing with a player that has such an outstanding headphone stage as the J3.  I couple my Cowon with the Headstage Arrow and Hifiman RE262 iems and I'm floating with pleasure.
 
Don't believe the eggheads - line out is not a line in the sand for portable amps.