[Sander]

Hello folks,

first of all: my name is Sander, I'm from the Netherlands and 20 years old. Lately I've gotten a bit more into the whole 'audiophile' scene, so I bought a Sennheiser HD650 for at home, and I started to rip my CD's all into 320 kbps LAME mp3's

Anyway, I really miss my music when I'm on the road, so I'm looking for an mp3-player with the following specs:

- at LEAST 16 GB, but more would be appreciated
- it has to be able to play video because I really like to watch some series on the device (Family guy, south park, lost

)
- Sound quality is a must. I'd rather give up some GB's for better sound quality.

Budget: around 200 euro, that's like 250 dollars I think. So here's what I came up with:

- Apple iPod classic 120 GB ===> 200 euro here. The thing I don't like is that it's big, and I see a lot of negative comments about it's sound quality
- Cowon D2 16 GB ===> 183 euro here. Thing is that for just a few bucks more you have a:
- Cowon S9 16 GB ====> 200 euro. Rrrrreaaaly like the design of this one

- Sansa view 32 GB ===> 200 euro. Don't know about this one.
- Microsoft Zune ====> Not available in Europe yet.

I know there a lot of 'I'm look for...' topics, but since I'm new and looking for something really specifically, I decided to make this topic anyway

 

[Sander]

anyone?

 

[minjae0810]

I don't think iPod Classic has bad sound...
S9 is also a nice choice, too

With an iPod you get the convenience of iTunes, ease of use and just the nice iPod Experience

and with S9, you get customizable UI, EQ and beautiful OLED screen.

If you've never used iTunes before, and enjoy tweaking stuff I would recommend S9,
because once you start using iTunes, it's so convenient that you just don't want to buy other stuff LOL

I personally haven't used S9, but many people like it.
Its SQ is said to be good, video on S9 is better and you like the design, so I think you should go with S9.

If you are willing to use more money for SQ, you should try X1000 from Sony..
it's around 270 Euro's I think and I'm hearing good things about it. However, I have x1000 of my own, and in my opinion it's much harder to use than iPod touch..

Compared to the x1000, iPod touch is superior in everything except the sound quality, which is almost the same. iTouch 16GB has the same price as x1000 16GB, so if you are both willing to pay more and not someone who hates Apple, I recommend iPod touch

I guess in the end, it's your choice..

Also, you should search for impressions, reviews and comparisons..

 

[KONAKONA]

You also might want to look into getting an amp for those HD650s. They are notoriously hard to drive and will probably take a beefy home amp to get their full potential.

 

[Sander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KONAKONA /img/forum/go_quote.gif You also might want to look into getting an amp for those HD650s. They are notoriously hard to drive and will probably take a beefy home amp to get their full potential.

I have a focusrite Saffire ATM (I produce music), which has a dedicated headphone amp, so I think that should be enough. Or not? Cuz I wan't planning to wear those on the road

Anyway, I'm really considering to leave the video aspect for what it is and go much cheaper for more GB's. What would be my options then, in terms of good sound quality + nice handling + lots of GB?

 

[shigzeo]

the 650 still sound good enough from the belly of a portable audio player. they sound best with the proper equipment of course but they are by no means poor sounding with an ipod or a cowon.

 

[Sander]

Allright guys, this may sound stupid, but I've decided to go for the Sansa Fuze 8GB, because I heard it has good audio quality and microSD slot

+ I save some money which I can spend on a Sennheiser IE 7. Now the question: is there a point in using such high-end in-ears with a Fuze (without an amp)?