[tattare]

has anyone here compared these setups in the $200 range and can help me narrow down my search?   Another sansa clip went kaput (bad battery) on me tonight at work and I need a quick replacement.  Sorry Fiio x3 I'm not going to wait for you to release.
 
After some quick browsing it looks like the 2 current flavors in this price range are the Colorfly c3 + C&C BG & Cowan X9 but id also like to know how it compares to hifimans budget line and maybe I missed something else in this price range
 
 
I prefer flac files and the two headphones I use the most at work are my Denon D1100's and my HiFiman RE0's to get me through a 8 hour shift.
 
 
Thanks,
Tat

 

[H20Fidelity]

I have the C3 / BH combo & I've also owned HM-601.

Although HM-601 is warmer in tonality it cannot keep up in resolution or detail next to the C3 / BH combo, Soundstage is much wider on the combo as is instrument separation superior. The C3 / BH will lean towards cool in tonality, not too much though opposite of the Hifiman, To put it bluntly, the C3 / BH combo will give you the best sound quality out of your choices & although I haven't heard the X9 I've owned enough Cowons to know their limitations.

However, when you pair the two together (C3 . BH) they can be rather weighty, nothing to extreme but certainly noticeable, either way the rig is easier to handle then HM-601 which only gives you 8 - 9 hours run time. You will get 16 - 18 hours from C3 and over 80 hours from the BH so charging is much lesser choir.

For $200 to get the rig together you really can't go wrong with the BH's run times and features paired up with the Colorfly. I sold the HM-601 and kept my rig, that was well after selling my Cowons. And I was focusing only on upgrading.