[analogdog]

I've been a cowon fangirl for years and was toying with upgrading from the s9 to the z2. In the meantime, I stumbled upon the sansa clip zip and WOW! Rockboxed it and I'm pretty impressed with the sound but the size of that screen is gonna send me to an early grave.
 
Does a player exist with the sound quality of cowon and sansa that has some substantial playlist capabilities and doesnt cost more than the z2? Also, are sony and cowon the only great sounding players with android? (Sony is out because of the volume cap.)

 

[Sefelt103]

Welcome to the forum analogdog. I'm not really a fan of Cowon players and sold my S9 shortly after purchase. Cowon players are great for those who like adjusting their sound but perhaps less successful in terms of pure sound quality. The Z2 seems quite good if a little expensive at over £200 in the UK. It differs from other Cowons in that it doesn't have an enormous battery life. Colorfly's C3 is a fairly low cost player from China that you might consider. There are a few players that use Android, the rather expensive iBasso DX100 comes to mind. The quality of your source files and the earphones/headphones you use and how much inconvenience you can put up with also determine a persons choice of player.

 

[analogdog]

Forgot I posted this lol.

Thanks for your reply but I'm pretty happy with the sound quality of the cowon, not happy with lack of playlists. In not an extreme audiophile, so file quality and all that are in one ear and out the other. My only criteria are good sound, easy playlist setup and decent price.

I will probably eventually end up with the z2 but I'd love to know that there's at least one alternative. I've just grown tired of fighting with cowon.

What else is there besides ibasso with android?

 

[julian67]

What else is there besides ibasso with android?

There are the Samsung Galaxy S players (not phones). They have very good battery life and are reputed to have good sound quality (I didn't hear one myself). Short discussion similar to this one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/664022/good-cheap-mp3-player-with-app-market

I noticed on Amazon USA they have just been marked as "discontinued by manufacturer" but are still available to buy new so perhaps the price will tumble.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

There are the Samsung Galaxy S players (not phones). They have very good battery life and are reputed to have good sound quality (I didn't hear one myself). Short discussion similar to this one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/664022/good-cheap-mp3-player-with-app-market

I noticed on Amazon USA they have just been marked as "discontinued by manufacturer" but are still available to buy new so perhaps the price will tumble.

Here's the best price you will find, most likely...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281045440453?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_2168wt_919

 

[analogdog]

Thank you guys! I'll check it out

 

[Aevum]

careful with the galaxy players, the first gen were manufactured during the Galaxy S2 period, meaning you get yamaha dacs instead of wolfsons on some, i have one (which has been passed on to my mother) (the 5.0) and it sounds like ass.

 

[julian67]

The names differ in different markets but here is an image of one of the older players:




and one of the newer players:

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

careful with the galaxy players, the first gen were manufactured during the Galaxy S2 period, meaning you get yamaha dacs instead of wolfsons on some, i have one (which has been passed on to my mother) (the 5.0) and it sounds like ass.

I think that's  an exaggeration, unless perhaps you are pairing it with IEMs (which I don't use).

 

[analogdog]

Yeah, I was reading that the 4.2 is the one with wolfson. It's worth a shot but I'd definitely have to listen before 
making a decision. Cowon is the only brand I know I can purchase blindly. I'd love to do a side by side comparison. 
 
I guess when it comes down to it, speaking of file quality, I'd like to be able to listen to spotify and have it sound decent.
It's just horrid on its own, although I have only listened on apple products. sounds like a clock radio on the iphone and ipod.