[Questhate]

Hey guys,
 
Newbie here that's mainly been lurking for the past couple of months absorbing as much information as I can. I've been using a Sony MDR-V6 for years, but have recently just been exploring other brands and sound signatures. In the past month, I've bought the Ultrasone HFI-580 and the Grado 225i. 
 
I already know that I'm not going to ever have these huge dedicated rigs (I hope). All of my music-listening is done on the go, rather than sitting at a dedicated listening station. My rig will always be some sort of DAP and maybe a portable amp at most. This is the reason why I decided to go for cans that are easy to drive. 
 
Well my iPod 160gb is about to give out soon, so I need to decide on what to get for my next DAP. I need a HDD based player with tons of capacity, because since I don't listen to anything on my laptop, I want to have as much music with me as possible. I've always heard the Cowon X7 is the way to go for best sound, and are better at driving easily-driven headphones. And since portability is important to me, then I like the idea of having one device rather than an ipod+amp. However, if an iPod+E11 is going to be significantly better sounding than an unamped Cowon X7, then I'll definitely want to consider that.
 
So, I guess my question is, given my headphones, will the iPod + E11 amp be that much more of an improvement over the Cowon X7 to justify having a bulkier setup, or will the Cowon X7 be able to drive my headphones to the point where I won't need it? I'm thinking since my headphones are easily-driven anyway, the upgrade in sound with an amp won't be that pronounced. Any thoughts you guys can give would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks!
-Marvin
 

 

[Mad Max]

If you don't care about your player being neutral, grab the X7.  It will be slimmer but wider and longer than an ipod + amp.  Better video quality, too.
 
Otherwise, ipod classic + E11.  I think that would be a better all-rounder.  I don't know how good the E11 will be, but even the X7's amp won't be on par with a decent external amp at controlling headphones, so ipod + a really good amp is generally a significant improvement and will make you happier if you want good sound.  =]
I'd recommend ipod + amp.

 

[Audiophile1811]

If you're looking for good sound only, maybe you should buy a Hifiman HM601, HM602, or a Nationite S:flow2. 
However, if you want an entertainment package (videos, photos, apps, music, etc.) I'd go with an Ipod and the E11.
Good luck. 

 

[Questhate]

Awesome. That's what I suspected, but just wanted to confirm. That's for all of the help guys. 
 
-Marvin