[voltrex]

I am a young audiophile and i am looking for a basic setup,
 
before you will stone me please note that i have searched the forums and in google but i still couldn't find a good player for me.
 
what do i need .
-i use now a pair of AKG K518 LE.  the player must be able to power them
-i listen to classic rock, little pop and some techno.     little from everything .  
-i dont want to buy an amp or anything else.
-at range of ~$100  -   no money...  T_T . 
- no touch-   
 
i know most of the players you will suggest and here is the problem -most of them are  not existing any more.  
the sansa fuze is impossible to find . 
i own a sansa zip and it need an amp in order to power my k518 . - the headphones sound very quite.
 
i think of buying iriver e40\e300  which will cost me $90  on ebay but i didn't found any review of it and  iriver is pretty much dead company here on the forums
( i am not talking about the $700 iriver. )
 
can you suggest me a good player?

 

[Nixon]

What's wrong with buying an amp? Personally I'd spend the $100 on a Fiio E7 or E11 and plug it into the Zip via the headphone out. Best way to improve the sound and drive your headphones for the price.
 

 

[scuttle]

The default player - the one you have to have a special reason not to buy - is the Sansa Clip+. It has an exceptional DAC and amp - the amp even adjusts to heaphone impedance. It's very reasonably priced, takes a micro sd card for expansion, and its easy to use. It handles a good ranges of filetypes (Mp3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, wav) and you can load it with "rockbox" (google this) if you have specially demanding needs. Your akgs are designed to work with standard MP3 players, so the Clip+ shouldn't have a problem. If the Zip did, then either the Zip is really wimpy indeed or your definition of sufficient volume is dangerously high - I've run HD25's off a Clip and they're more demanding than most over the ear phones.
 
Btw: you can still find the original superior model Fuze on ebay if you look for refurbs. They cost quite a premium over the new model though.

 

[voltrex]

- i don't want to carry with me an amp  24\7. 
- it cost money and if i can buy a player which will work with out it . i will save some money,   
- i just read that amp don't improve sound quality by much and only good for a very hi fi headphones.
 
but if you will tell me that an amp will improve my k518  sound quality to a new level i will prob buy it. 

 

[scuttle]

Wait - is the Region setting in your Zip set to Europe??? If so, re-setting to eg USA should make them much louder - there are EU regulations designed to keep volume levels within safety limits, but they assume you are using quite efficient IEMs. If you're using hardware that needs more power, then the sound could be very muted. So check your Region, under Settings, now - you might not need a new player at all!

 

[voltrex]

Lol i did fell for it the first time i started the player and fixed it. 
so no the player set to usa. 
 
i play at mid range volume and they sound a little bit off ...    not clear sound i am used to hear from them when they are connected to my PC.
 
besides it i want a bigger display. as well.  (if i will not be able to find a better player i will try to fix the problem with my zip)
 
- i listen to my zip right now and my headphones sound very quite indeed.  not as bright sound when they connected to my computer.
maybe i have bad ears, anyway in both cases i do need a better player or an amp. 

 

[scuttle]

Ok:
 
1. The zip has the same amp and dac as the Clip+:
 
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66426
 
2. My Clip+ can drive what should be much more demanding phones than yours (HD25s were designed for Electronic News Gathering hw, not tiny DAPs)
 
..So logically there shouldn't really be a problem. Maybe you just prefer the signature of your PC. So my last suggestion is to play with the equalizer settings. (Maybe installing Rockbox first, if the Zip version is stable.) If you want brighter, then you need to turn up the treble.
 
If that fails, maybe maybe to try a pair of Philips SHE3570's - these sound great with the Clip and  Fuze, very  nearly  equalling Ety HF5s, but they're only $15-$20. They're IEMs though.
 
If those suggestions don't work for you, then it's over to someone else - good luck!

 

[voltrex]

Ha!!  Never thought to play with the eq... 
I never used him before though...  good time to start learning..
I will post later if the eq helped.
 
Still 
1. Will my zip and k518 get better with an amp..?
2 can some one give me a fresh thought about the iriver?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Ha!!  Never thought to play with the eq... 
I never used him before though...  good time to start learning..
I will post later if the eq helped.
 
Still 
1. Will my zip and k518 get better with an amp..?
2 can some one give me a fresh thought about the iriver?

(I'm a Sansa Clip Zip owner)
Surprising that your Cllip Zip can't drive the 32-Ohm AKG K518 LE
Have you tried updating your Clip Zip to the latest firmware?
 
There is a pre-gain setting in the Clip Zip, try upping the gain setting.
 
You can try a Fiio E6 ($28) headphone amplifier.

 

[voltrex]

Well i am more then sure that the zip is some what broken. 
The thing is that i dont use that zip.   If i will  be using the zip i will have to buy a new one .
That zip runs in the family with senns earphones  ..  i only took it for testing.
 
 
Anyway a new zip with fiio e6 ....     i guess i dont have other option...
 
P.s. i have a broken iriver e100   (broken screen)  and when i connect my headphones they sound much stronger..
But the sq sucks  lol   ...
 
Guess the zip is faulty..
 
 
Is it safe to buy from china the amp?

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

Well i am more then sure that the zip is some what broken. 
The thing is that i dont use that zip.   If i will  be using the zip i will have to buy a new one .
That zip runs in the family with senns earphones  ..  i only took it for testing.
 
 
Anyway a new zip with fiio e6 ....     i guess i dont have other option...
 
P.s. i have a broken iriver e100   (broken screen)  and when i connect my headphones they sound much stronger..
But the sq sucks  lol   ...
 
Guess the zip is faulty..
 
 
Is it safe to buy from china the amp?

 
It's very questionable that you're going to buy an amp in your price range that will out perform a correctly working Clip/Zip with non-broken headphones. The Clip is a masterpiece of electronic design and has the advantage of huge economies of scale that amp makers really can't match (e.g. Sansa will pay much less for the same components). To understand how good it is google sansa clip graph  and go to what should be the first link (unfortunately I'm not allowed to provide this link directly; don't ask me why.) This is an analysis of the Clip+ by a professional electronics engineer who has designed a very successful headphone amp and dac.
 
Or take a look at this:
 
http://rmaa.elektrokrishna.com/Comparisons/32%20Ohm%20Multi-Armature%20-%20Cowon%20J3%2C%20Sansa%20Clip%2B%2C%20Sony%20A845%2C%20Hifiman%20HM-801.htm
 
..Flatter frequency response = more accurate sound and the Clip hammers a $700 player driving headphones with the same impedance as yours! Either something is wrong with the Zip or your taste and hearing require a brighter than average sound - in which case EQ should give you what you need.
 
Ok - does this relate to buying an amp? Well besides that you probably won't find an amp better than the built-in one of the Zip, not for driving 32 ohm cans, good amps are designed to sound neutral... So you unless you get lucky and buy a brighter than average amp, you'll still have problems. Unless the problem is a broken Zip, in which case you just need a new player. Why not order a Clip from  Amazon and return it if it doesn't sound right?

 

[voltrex]

Okay ... thank you for your deatailed summery.
In other words the fiio have the same amp as my zip...  
 
I still dont understand why people use amp with eabuds  when i dont need it with a headphones..
But i understand what you are saying and i will play with the eq..

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

Okay ... thank you for your deatailed summery.
In other words the fiio have the same amp as my zip...  
 

 
My memory is that tests (look at that link via google) show the Clip has a better amp than that Fiio. 
 
 
 
 
 

I still dont understand why people use amp with eabuds  when i dont need it with a headphones..

 
Some buds/IEMs - not many, but some - are harder to drive than my HD25s, let alone your AKGs.
 
But mostly people just cheap amps because some people are easily influenced by group think and marketing, and then the placebo effect kicks in. Online communities for hardware tend to attract people who are vulnerable to this - buying things rather than listening to music *is* the hobby for them.
 
 
 

 
 
 
But i understand what you are saying and i will play with the eq..

 
Playing with the EQ is free. So is installing Rockbox, if there is a stable version for the Zip. When in doubt, try the free stuff first!

 

[voltrex]

lOl  i did noticed that some people buy headphones for $500  and believe they can hear the difference while they sound exactly the same as a cheap headphones. 
as i said i will learn to master the EQ.      and repost with the differences .
 
thank you all for your help and support.
 
 
p.s. i have found a new original fuze which will cost me $120  and i think to buy it..
i do realize he will sound the same as my zip -  but...  

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

lOl  i did noticed that some people buy headphones for $500  and believe they can hear the difference while they sound exactly the same as a cheap headphones. 
as i said i will learn to master the EQ.      and repost with the differences .
 
thank you all for your help and support.
 
 
p.s. i have found a new original fuze which will cost me $120  and i think to buy it..
i do realize he will sound the same as my zip -  but...  

That's not worth $120 at all.