[rock&rollfrenchfries]

my earbuds that i use are shure se420s. but i may upgrade to something with a little more "zazz" in the future. im not a collector obviously. i try to find my taste and stick with it.
 
in the meantime i have these shures which happen to have the characteristic of craving a high quality source and rewarding you with a nice amount of "zazz". and having a good portable source will be good for any future sets of iems that i may purchase. also may help me reevaluate the shures in their own right.
 
anyway source wise ive had my sansa e260 for at least 5 years now. and its still going strong. but i realize that the sound quality could be better. even as amped with the caffiene ultra. definitely helps but not quite what im looking for.
 
what i want to know is what the best FLASH drive based players are as far as sound quality. it will surely be dropped at least once or twice. must me somewhat tough. this is pretty much why i say flash only. also cannot be very bulky.
 
also has to play .flac music. whether or not that means running rockbox. i can do that.
and needs a capacity of at least 20 gb or more. i can shufle things around with that much space but any less is getting cramped with flac music.
 
of course the price can't be too outrageous. lets just say under $300  even though i probably wont even spend that much.
 
though you can entertain me with any suggestions you want.
 
thanks for listening

 

[Anaxilus]

Clip+ youre done.  Light, durable, flash based, has a clip, FLAC, rockbox.  Nothing else out there would be better for a bike.  If you want an amp get the Fiio E5, it has a clip also and just as tiny.  I believe the Clip+ is a sonic upgrade from the e260 FWIR.

 

[rock&rollfrenchfries]

pocket sized is ok... sound quality is most important. doesn't have to be a tiny little guy. just not like some of the bulkier hdd ipods and stuff.
 
normal portable size is fine. full interface and decent equalizer (now there's a challenge) are also preferences.

 

[tds101]

Sansa Fuze w/RockBox installed. The EQ is top notch, and it's got the SQ and decent capacity (expandable as well, so your microSD cards are still good) to satisfy. Plus it's not too big or small, and it won't break the bank.

 

[Hero Kid]

Throwing my support in for the Clip+. It is not the BEST sounding player, but at the price point and the features it has... for what I think you'll use it for it will be more than adequate.

 

[David]

I'm a big fan of the Clip+, but the idea of listening while on a bike just horrifies me.
 
Not in a hand-wringing nanny-state Health & Safety whiner way - More in an "absolutely pertified if I can't have absolutely every Spidey Sense out there and tingling to avoid becoming a Peterbilt hood ornament / frisbee" way.
 
Also, I like to hear the engine do its thing...

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I'm a big fan of the Clip+, but the idea of listening while on a bike just horrifies me.
 
Not in a hand-wringing nanny-state Health & Safety whiner way - More in an "absolutely pertified if I can't have absolutely every Spidey Sense out there and tingling to avoid becoming a Peterbilt hood ornament / frisbee" way.
 
Also, I like to hear the engine do its thing...

A lot of US bikers also ride cruisers and choppers, not just crotch rockets.  Granted I don't know what the OP is using but what you just said is like asking a Bentley driver to be in tune w/ steering feedback and road feel.  I do hear you though, I prefer lightweight cars that will kill me if I screw up.  Good music can also put you in the zone as well....

 

[Punnisher]

I think that iems and driving is a bad idea. Same for bikes, if not moreso.
 
Honestly you can't trust anyone on the road. Otherwise I'd probably own a motorcycle myself.

 

[the chemist]

Quote:

I think that iems and driving is a bad idea. Same for bikes, if not moreso.
 
Honestly you can't trust anyone on the road. Otherwise I'd probably own a motorcycle myself.

+1

 

[PWilson]

Quote:

I think that iems and driving is a bad idea. Same for bikes, if not moreso.
 
Honestly you can't trust anyone on the road. Otherwise I'd probably own a motorcycle myself.

Quote:

+1

Right. But you don't own bikes. Riding with iems is fine.
 
My D2 has served me well. It fulfils most of your criteria: Has held up well even though I've dropped it on concrete a couple of times. It's small enough not to be stabbing you in the hip every time you move on the bike. Plays FLAC (though not gapless). Upgradable capacity with SD (full size). And I like the sound out of it.
 

 

[Hero Kid]

Tactile buttons would probably suit the environment more than a touch screen.
 
Also it's not our place to tell the OP not to listen to music. If he/she asked if we thought it was safe for he/she to do so, that would be a different story.
But they didn't. They asked what player we would recommend for them to purchase, so anything outside of that probably is in the best interest of the topic.

 

[PWilson]

 
Quote:

Tactile buttons would probably suit the environment more than a touch screen.

Well, I pretty much never ride without gloves, so it'd always be a gloves off, player in my hands affair. I tend to just put an album on and leave it though. S'pose if you didn't wear gloves, tactile buttons would be good.
 

 

[David]

Sorry, didn't mean to suggest I was telling anyone to do anything. Just that I was frit, ma.
 
I'd personally unable to multitask music, traffic and an '86 GSXR11 slabsider which is pretty much trying to murder you all the time as it is.... 

 

[Hero Kid]

Yeah me either. But its a different story cruising around the countryside. Each to their own, but environment plays a big role for me.