[blitzraider]

I'm looking to get a mp3 that is relatively portable with the best SQ out of my options. Assuming money is not an issue (meh, when is it not an issue lol), which one should I pick?
 
I'm looking at these so far.
 
Cowon
iAudio 9
J3
 
Sony
X 1060
The new A series
 
Thanks guys
 

 

[Tiges]

I own sony x and all I can say its great player, sq is exellent, cowon s9 is good as well but go for sony, you won't be disappointed.

 

[tds101]

I love Cowon & Sony both, so I'd say they're equal IMO. The Difference is the release of the LOD for the Sony's, and I'm waiting for mine to test. Cowon only, sadly, does HP out. Sony then has the edge (IMO).

 

[Hero Kid]

I'd say the Cowon J3 has just hit the nail on the head as far as PMP/DAP's go.
I'm putting my vote in favor of Cowon.

 

[blitzraider]

Little bump

 

[zenpunk]

Cowon S9: great sound, flac and ogg support, gapless , customizable sound, choice of UCI, great AMOLED screen and videos formats support, very long battery life.
Sony X : great sound.
J3: same as S9 +sd card support.

 

[TCD1975]

I prefer Sony MP3 Walkmans. Not only do they sound great, but they have bug free and easy to use interfaces.

 

[Desertway]

Can someone tell me if the Cowon players have podcast support? I can't find a mention in the product descriptions. Thanks.

 

[RuiPP]

I would choose Cowon. For sure.

 

[Rip N' Burn]

I have the Sony X and the Cowon D2.
 
For a more detailed and colder sound with a narrower sounstage, go with the Cowon.
 
For a more musical and warmer sound with a wide soundstage, go with the Sony.
 
My Samsung P3 has the best of both worlds in my opinion. It is detailed, musical, and produces the widest soundstage out of all my daps.

 

[HONEYBOY]

The sony X1060 is a very musical and thoroughly engaging player. One caveat though, is that it's a warm player so depending on your inclinations it might not be for everyone.

 

[classakg]

Both are nice IMO. Sony players are known by his sound quality. 
On the other side, Cowon uses higher powered amps...great for driving headphones perfectly. 

 

[SLO7_MACHIN3]

i'm also going to buy a player soon and have decided it's going to be either the cowon j3 or the sony X. I haven't chose yet because 1) i don't know how's the interface and touch responsiveness of both, 2)  sony's lack of sd slot, 3) for what i've read the sony doesn't need that much EQ tweaking compared to the cowon, and i don't know if i want to spend much time equalizing every time i use the player, i like plug n play. These are the main reasons, things like wifi, video(this i don't really know, it will be my first pmp) i don't care much.
I have yet to see pictures of both, but judging from the dimensions they seem to have similar size

 

[a_tumiwa]

i love the sound of S9 and X1000, but i prefer X1000 

 

[129207]

For pure SQ i'd choose the Sony X10xx or Nationite S:Flo2. For a great allrounder I'd choose the Cowon J3 (or Samsung P3).