[the chemist]

My question is somewhat limited to my work situation. I am pretty much restriced to earbuds and IEMs. I will also be using only one ear. There are times where I will have both ears plugged but the majority of the time I will need to hear the enviroment out of the other ear. I would like to keep the source around $500  or less but I could be pushed up or down in the price point. My main concern is simply if I even need to get something like the hifiman or S:flo if I will only be listening in one ear? At some point I was even thinking of converting my files to mono and not even bothering with the data for stereo.
 
Any thoughts on a player that can fit in my pocket that will be playing iems?

 

[Sparky191]

I use buds for exactly that reason, and keep the volume low. I use a A818. Mind you I'm only listening for people and the phone, its not a dangerous workspace. If it is you shouldn't use anything. 

 

[oyster]

Go for a sansa clip+. Small & easy to use. Rockbox it , and u'll have the option of turning it to MONO for all your songs.
 
For better battery life & smoother sound go for Sony E\S series.
For great battery, classy SQ & ease of blind use go for Sony s639 (ebay)
 
For great looks & makeup go for Nano5g

 

[Hero Kid]

For a work environment as you describe I doubt you'll benefit from a better sounding source, I mean one ear with a noisy environment is hardly ideal for analytical listening. This lack of need (in my opinion) for a better source comes into play even more so depending on what 'phones you use. There is no point spending big bickies on a source if you use stock buds for example.
 
For the above reason I'm with oyster on this one, a simple cheap Clip+ will probably suffice.
 
However if you plan to use your DAP in other places as well that is a different story.
 
EDIT: Oh and a tip, don't kid yourself that you need a great DAP if the way you use it doesn't require it (eg noisy environments or crap 'phones).

 

[the chemist]

thanks guys! I tend to agree with not going overboard on this source. Most my enjoyment comes from home use anyway and its more $ that direction than my portable setup if i don't go nuts. Too bad I can't listen to it as much. I work in a chemistry lab for what it's worth.