First post! Looking for new mp3 player, suggestions?

[ChroniCali]

Hello, first post guys,

I've been listening to music through my first generation ipod photo in the past and the last few years have been using my DS Lite R4 to listen to most of my music (yeah, pretty crappy SQ). Anyways, I've been sort of lurking around these forums for a while trying to get some basic knowledge on this stuff and decided to make a post, maybe to get some advice.

I'm looking for a portable mp3 player and I've already ordered the E5 (saw the post a while ago and decided to buy it too) so hopefully something that would work well with the E5.
So basically I'm looking for a player that will be portable and have exceptional SQ. I've been looking into Cowon, and the D2 just seems like too many features for me. I'm also not really interested in the Sansa lines (Clip/Fuze) either, but the I7 seems pretty good to me. (Just not sure how long it would be able to last me)
I just really want a good player with very good SQ, maybe a Sony possibly?
Two more things that are really important are the battery life of the player and hopefully a player that will last a long time? (good 3-4 years maybe?)
Being rockbox accessible would be a plus, and FLAC would be good too I guess, but I'd have to figure out how to work with that.

Anyways, thanks in advance and also I use ER6i's as my IEMs, hopefully trying to upgrade to the ER4 or UE fi 5 or SE530s

.

 

[roebeet]

I've had a few DAP's (see my sig), but not the Sony. The D2 has excellent SQ and the E5 is a good low-cost companion to it. The Clip's battery is not as good, but the SQ/E5 combo is good, as well (I'm curious why you discounted the Clip/Fuze from the get-go?). The D2 and Clip/Fuze can handle FLAC.

As for a Rockboxable player, the D2 / I7 ports are in the works but not stable, yet. You didn't mention if a flash-based player was more desirable - if so, there's really no RB candidate out there, unless you want to do a CF mod. And as far as DAP life, the first thing that will probably go on most DAP's is the battery - so, any player that has easy access to the battery is always a good thing. For the D2, there are screws to open it, but I haven't worked up the nerve to do that, yet.

 

[ChroniCali]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roebeet /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've had a few DAP's (see my sig), but not the Sony. The D2 has excellent SQ and the E5 is a good low-cost companion to it. The Clip's battery is not as good, but the SQ/E5 combo is good, as well (I'm curious why you discounted the Clip/Fuze from the get-go?). The D2 and Clip/Fuze can handle FLAC. As for a Rockboxable player, the D2 / I7 ports are in the works but not stable, yet. You didn't mention if a flash-based player was more desirable - if so, there's really no RB candidate out there, unless you want to do a CF mod. And as far as DAP life, the first thing that will probably go on most DAP's is the battery - so, any player that has easy access to the battery is always a good thing. For the D2, there are screws to open it, but I haven't worked up the nerve to do that, yet.

Thanks for the response.

I discounted the Clip/Fuze from the start because I've kind of had bad experience with Sansa in the past and, although I heard the new chip on board those produce some quality sound, I still don't see how I would hook up the Clip to the E5, since they both have clips haha. (Looks mean a lot to me too

) Also, I was thinking about the Fuze, but then again, if I were going to spend like $80 on a Fuze, I'd rather just get an I7 or something.

Yes I am looking for strictly a flash player. Is there any quality player out there right now that is confirmed to be able to replace batteries? (not AAA or AA)

And also, any other suggestions on other players? maybe like Sony or IRiver or maybe the Meizu M6 in comparison with these others?

 

[Mutineer]

Hi -- I also made my first post this week ---- Sound Quality, battery life, rugged and durable, Supports FLAC ------ sounds like the D2 to me --- why are you not so interested in it?

 

[ChroniCali]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mutineer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi -- I also made my first post this week ---- Sound Quality, battery life, rugged and durable, Supports FLAC ------ sounds like the D2 to me --- why are you not so interested in it?

Hello fellow Junior Hi-Fier,

I know this might sound stupid, but too many features?
Or its more like, I really do like the D2, but I want to see what other kind of options I have. Also, I won't be watching videos on it, I will only be using it for audio so I feel like getting a D2 would, sadly, kind of be a waste for me.

 

[roebeet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChroniCali /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello fellow Junior Hi-Fier, I know this might sound stupid, but too many features? Or its more like, I really do like the D2, but I want to see what other kind of options I have. Also, I won't be watching videos on it, I will only be using it for audio so I feel like getting a D2 would, sadly, kind of be a waste for me.

The D2 does video very well, and it's definitely a selling point for the player. But, I would say that I use my D2 for only audio about 95% of the time. I rarely use the FM tuner, the recorder or the video playback (I have my Gigabeat for video). It stands very well on just audio playback, and I think it's worth the price just for that alone.

The battery life on the D2, for audio alone, is absolutely insane. Granted, it may not be stated 50+ hours, but it's definitely a lot.

As for the Fuze vs I7, I see your point there, especially if you're not interested in video. The Clip is very nice, however - I actually clip my Sansa and E5 together now, when I run - works out well, since I keep it in my hand to move between tracks easily. As for eventual battery replacement on a flash player, the only one I know that was user-upgradeable was the Sansa E200. However, I'm sure that others can be replaced with a little patience and a steady hand with a screwdriver.

 

[Aaron5604]

Being in the market for a new DAP as well...

Why hasn't the S9 from Cowon been mentioned yet as a possible candidate? Or better yet, maybe... Why is the D2 getting way more praise than the S9, thus far?

 

[my.self]

how much space are u looking for? the I7 i hear has a very long battery life. which is a plus for u. but, it is more expensive than the fuze. and u cannot expand its memory. why arent u interested in sansa's? they seem to be very good here.

 

[Mutineer]

Aaron -- for me the deal breaker on the S9 was low storage capacity combined with lack of expansion. If Cowon had included an SD-Card Slot it would merit discussion. In its current state it simply looks like Cowon's attempt to get style conscious buyers. I really do not see a reason for it over the D2.

Also, Cali emphasized battery life and durability --- both which the D2 has proven itself on.

 

[ramstryke]

plus this board is very d2 heavy...

 

[Huxley]

From what reviews suggest they put the s9's sq above the d2 and possibly one of the best,s ony's are good players but if you run low impedance phones from it expect a lot of hiss as they are prone for it.

 

[ChroniCali]

Thanks for the responses guys.

The I7 is only $70 on Amazon right now for the 4gb, which seems like a very good deal, even when compared to the Sansa I think. I also hear the I7 sounds better than the D2, but it just sucks that there is no sd slot.

The only thing that I kind of don't like about the D2 is of the bass-rolloff that I've been hearing about. I love bass, and its a must for me. If I put on bass boost on the E5 and use like some super fi 5's or se530s, will I still get good sounding bass with that setup? If I can get good bass from the D2 still, I guess this could probably be my best bet although I'd only use it for audio.