mark88888
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2010
- Posts
- 621
- Likes
- 639
Hi all,
So, I just got a Sansa Clip+. I'm using a pair of Etymotics ER-4P phones with them. I think the combo sounds great, but on some songs I'd like a little more kick in the bass, a little more volume. (sorry I don't know the audiophile way to put it. I just want the volume to go to 11, you know...) So, I went to an electronics store looking for a portable headphone amp. I was able to test the sound of the clip+ and ER-4P phones with the Fiio E3 amp, and the Audio Technica AT-PHA10 amp. (I'm in Japan, I don't know if that one is available anywhere else?) Anyway, I wasn't impressed with either. To me, the Audio Technica amp sounded a little better (and it was $10 more expensive, not a big deal...) than the Fiio, but the sound through both amps, to me, wasn't good. Using the Clip+, ER-4P and no amp, to me the sound is very clear, and pretty strong. I can hear a good amount of distinction and space between in the instruments (soundstage?). The treble is crisp, the bass is a bit weak on some tracks where I know it shouldn't be, but regardless it thumps a little bit and it's well defined and clear. With the use of the amps... I dunno. Yeah the sound could get slightly louder and it wasn't distorted, which is good... but it sounded washed out to me compared to the sound with no amp at all. I heard a little noise on some tracks, the bass was louder but not as defined and pleasant to listen to, and I also felt that the soundstage? was reduced - like all the sound was more in 1 sheet coming at me, rather than distinct instruments. To me, the amps made the sound a bit like it was being played through a megaphone with r pillow covering it, if that makes any sense.
So I'm wondering... a lot of people have posted that they like to use the Clip+ with a portable amp, the Fiio E3 in particular. Am I just hearing something different, or is there something I should adjust? Or is this what I should expect from a relatively cheap amp?
Is there something else I can do to pump up that volume to 11? I haven't installed rockbox, is there a pre-amp (or, er, something) in rockbox that will increase the volume without distorting the sound quality at all? Can the equalizer in rockbox make the sound louder without degrading it, or help the bass? (I tried the equalizer in the sansa firmware options and thought it was horrendous. The presets are a little fun though.) I tried to play around with the replay-gain/pre-gain options in the clip+ firmware (menu), but didn't notice any effect, is there a way I can set it that will increase the volume of many songs without decreasing the volume of any? Essentially, I think the sound coming out of the clip+ is excellent and doesn;t need any change other than getting a bit louder. Or...? Um... Any thoughts appreciated.
So, I just got a Sansa Clip+. I'm using a pair of Etymotics ER-4P phones with them. I think the combo sounds great, but on some songs I'd like a little more kick in the bass, a little more volume. (sorry I don't know the audiophile way to put it. I just want the volume to go to 11, you know...) So, I went to an electronics store looking for a portable headphone amp. I was able to test the sound of the clip+ and ER-4P phones with the Fiio E3 amp, and the Audio Technica AT-PHA10 amp. (I'm in Japan, I don't know if that one is available anywhere else?) Anyway, I wasn't impressed with either. To me, the Audio Technica amp sounded a little better (and it was $10 more expensive, not a big deal...) than the Fiio, but the sound through both amps, to me, wasn't good. Using the Clip+, ER-4P and no amp, to me the sound is very clear, and pretty strong. I can hear a good amount of distinction and space between in the instruments (soundstage?). The treble is crisp, the bass is a bit weak on some tracks where I know it shouldn't be, but regardless it thumps a little bit and it's well defined and clear. With the use of the amps... I dunno. Yeah the sound could get slightly louder and it wasn't distorted, which is good... but it sounded washed out to me compared to the sound with no amp at all. I heard a little noise on some tracks, the bass was louder but not as defined and pleasant to listen to, and I also felt that the soundstage? was reduced - like all the sound was more in 1 sheet coming at me, rather than distinct instruments. To me, the amps made the sound a bit like it was being played through a megaphone with r pillow covering it, if that makes any sense.
So I'm wondering... a lot of people have posted that they like to use the Clip+ with a portable amp, the Fiio E3 in particular. Am I just hearing something different, or is there something I should adjust? Or is this what I should expect from a relatively cheap amp?
Is there something else I can do to pump up that volume to 11? I haven't installed rockbox, is there a pre-amp (or, er, something) in rockbox that will increase the volume without distorting the sound quality at all? Can the equalizer in rockbox make the sound louder without degrading it, or help the bass? (I tried the equalizer in the sansa firmware options and thought it was horrendous. The presets are a little fun though.) I tried to play around with the replay-gain/pre-gain options in the clip+ firmware (menu), but didn't notice any effect, is there a way I can set it that will increase the volume of many songs without decreasing the volume of any? Essentially, I think the sound coming out of the clip+ is excellent and doesn;t need any change other than getting a bit louder. Or...? Um... Any thoughts appreciated.
