Difference of SQ in MP3 players

[Micronian]

At some time or other, I've listened to mp3s on these players:
-Creative Muvo N200
-the first iPod Video
-Nintendo Play yan
-Mpio FY800

Aside from the ipod, none of these players I consider "high end", and still none of these ever stood out when it came to SQ, except when I've plugged them into a large stereo. It was only there where the ipod convincingly outpowered all of the others--and I was actually relieved that it did, since it costs 3x more than the others. However, by just listening on earbuds, differences are so tiny I don't even bother to differentiate. That would probably drive me nuts!

The one exception though, was the Kenwood MGR-A7 that I bought last month. Though I haven't listened on the ipod in years, this player is by far the best mp3 player I have ever heard. And because I don't actively look out for the subtle differences in players, it's all the more remarkable that the sound quality could be so clearly ahead of the others.

 

[3X0]

In a blind test from the headphone-out, I would not be able to differentiate between my iTouch, iAudio X5, or Meizu M6 regardless of the headphones I use (and I've tried a few higher-end options with them and the results were the same). However, I can detect noticeable differences between the three and my Nokia N95s (which are both noticeably sharper and brighter sounding, to the point of sounding thin) and Macbook (noticeably better on all fronts, especially fullness). The differences between the three mp3 players are slightly more noticeable when amped.

Sound signatures and subjective perception definitely vary, but I feel technical variations between players of a similar class (i.e. iRiver, Cowon, Apple, Microsoft, recent Sansas, Trekstor, etc.) are often questionable.

 

[Stereodude]

Well, when a unit has hiss and other operational noises (backlight and memory reading) it's not too hard to hear a fairly obvious difference.