[ImperialX]

I personally don't see the need of lossless audio either, especially in portables...

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

I personally don't see the need of lossless audio either, especially in portables...

+1

 

[bowei006]

Some of us can hear the difference between 320kbps vs lossless.

But you are right. There is no point. Ive done the teat. I can actually distinguish between the two. Not because one was lower quality but because the algorythmns used sound different. At SOME parts there is maybe an audio deficency in the lossy version but unnoticeable when you are out and about.

 

[ImperialX]

 
Quote:

Some of us can hear the difference between 320kbps vs lossless.

 
Can you hear this difference if you're on the bus though?

 

[bowei006]

I can probably if given two tracks lossy an lossless do it on the bus. Im not moving so I can actively listen to music. But like I said. A PROPERLY encoded MP3 or AAC of at least 256kbps does not sound worse or have less quality. It just has a very miniscule difference to it.

 

[ImperialX]

 
Quote:

A PROPERLY encoded MP3 or AAC of at least 256kbps does not sound worse or have less quality. It just has a very miniscule difference to it.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. I've never believed that 320kps MP3s sound worse by any means, but I can believe that there is a difference.

 

[bowei006]

Yeah thats it. On SOME tracks I have noticed a slight reduction in the dynamicness of the sound for a bit like the vocals might start sparkling or the highs wont reach. But this usually happens in a split second and was hard to catch. And really. All this stuf is inaudible unless you have the ears for it and even when you do... You dont know how much effort it takes to get the difference. I spent over an hour with ABX doing this with 16 tries getting a pretty amazing score of 1%.

Basically it comes down to this. There are times when the lossy one has some quality deficiencies but it happens so fast and is so hard to tell apart that on portable gear and when you are out and about AND when you wont have a lossless version to actively compare it too. You wont find a difference worth 3X the space. At home? I say go full AIFF if you want

 

[MS1605]

approx 70% of all my music is in FLAC. I dont have the hard drive space or time to convert almost a TB of FLAC into something else. Thus the reason FLAC playback is important. 
 
The reason I was sticking with the Ipod is first and foremost there are a million accessories for it. Second reason is it has a decent UI. 
 
I know Im getting a little crazy hear but the CLAS and something RSA for an amp. I know I'm going back on what I said but I have read nothing but fantastic reviews on the CLAS. Right now I'm researching/Looking into either the CLAS and SR-71B, CLASS and shadow, or maybe CLAS and TTJV slim. The Former would be sweet but we are talking a **** ton of money. I'm the type of person that likes to buy once, cry once. 
 
Really right now I'm interested in trying to find out if the SR-71B is really worth $250 more over the shadow for a portable rig. I would love to save $250, have a smaller amp and still be set with SQ. But what I keep reading is the SR is in a league of its own for portability...
 
 
Only downside is that CLAS does not work with rockbox. So no FLAC on the ipod. This forces me to the Touch with 3rd party FLAC support. From what I am reading, Touch/CLAS/Shadow will be hard to beat when it comes to amazing sound and portability. 
 
So many many things to consider...

 

[bowei006]

I personally am not an audiophile at the moment to spend that much. I personally would have went with the HP P1.

Keep in mind that spending $700 on a portable rig is a big investement. Many people on Head Fi are done with those. Basically get a decent one to two device portable rig and spend the rest on a great desktop rig. Many hate how much premium proce is put on portable stuff and there is even a big thread on being done with portability. Just to let you know. I dont spend enough at the moment to have to worry about stuff like that though.

Your stuff is also only as good as the headphones you use them with. Also e sure the amp you buy is known to have enough power to drive whatever headphone you will be using them with.

 

[MS1605]

I would agree on this for the majority of people. What about for a Firefighter who spends more time sitting around a firehouse than his house? When I am at home im doing something with my wife and kid and not usually listening to music. I think this is a scenario where a high end portable rig may be more justified? 
 
 

 

[bowei006]

Yeah. I just wanted to let you know that many head fiers dislike portables as they start getting way too bulky and past $200 every step up is such a premium. This is just from experience and I wanted to hare my experience on here. Most dont do that. Now... Does your wife know about this hobby and purchase Many Head fiers have stories on getting the look when the wives find out .

 

[ExpatinJapan]

As has been written Many times, the wolfson vs cirrus debate is over and moot. You could rock box but the UI is not user friendly(i had my 5.5 iPod rock boxed, liked the sound, not the IU).
 
The latest iPod classics and iPod touches sound great. iTunes is fine and easy to use these days, more so If you have a macbook etc.
 
As an owner and possessor by default of iPod 5.5g, iPod touch 4g, iPod nano(given away) iphone 3 g and 4s I can say this with clarity-that they sound fine. I also have a cowon and the iPod touch sonicmaxpro(BBE) app matches the eq on the cowon.
 
Your focus should be on headphones/IEMs and matching them to the player you choose. Granted 5.5 has a slight roll off which makes it more bassy/less trebly and goes well with the more trebly headphones. The newer iPods seem to match well with headphones with a bit more bass.
 
With the latest iPod touch you can get many apps such as sonicmaxpro (The cowon BBE), equalizer, EQu, Stereophonic to tailor the sound to your preference, to name a few apps-there are more, some even free.
 
With flacplayer app you can play  FLAC on your iPod touch also.
 
*portable amps can be a nice addition, but I would spend my money first on a great top of the line headphones /IEMs. I have owned about 5 portable amps and don't use so much these days as the added bulk can be irritating.
Of course there is the CLAS/Fostex hp_p1 - but again added bulk for a slight return and $$$.
 
In short. iPod touch 64gb----Great headphones/IEM.----and use one the apps.
 
____________________
 
@ bowei006 , wow 4,360 posts in 1 year! incredible.

 

[MS1605]

Negative. She would shoot me with my guns and bury me with my shuvel... but she has a lot more money in purses than I would have in the iPod/CLAS setup..

Edit, that's a good bit to think about expatin.

 

[bowei006]

I understood what Japan means. Just like the portable rigs thread this i also the same. Its the how much does it really matter debate that goes through audio. Most of these one aide or other side beliefs be it burn in, upgraded dac, portable devices all deal back with how much the user personally thinks the increase in sound is worth. There are many audiophiles that are oh so exact and have good ears and prefer a wolfson. Most dont need one really. Its one of those things started by a select group of elitists that could hear. Had some threads on it. Others liked the difference and it went viral. Most are fine with a cirrus logic. I personally yes prefer the wolfson, but i have no qualms with my cirrus logic devices. Im not picky enough.

Believe it or not its actually 4.3knposts in 4 months. I statted activity again in early december. Post count actually does mean stuff. Generally it means you have participated enough to have learned quite a bit. Im a enthusiast techie so it came quick.

Dont tell your wife!!

 

[ImperialX]

Quote:

Negative. She would shoot me with my guns and bury me with my shuvel... but she has a lot more money in purses than I would have in the iPod/CLAS setup..

That's the wife. Easily spend $1499 on a sewing machine, but thinking that spending the same amount on a HD800 is blasphemy. I can never understand women...