[vibez]

Guys and Gals,

I had the opportunity to test out the same mp3 songs on two different players (Zune 1 and Creative MuVo TX FM 256 MB, yeah the really old one!). And to my shock and horror, the creative sounds just as good (if not better, especially in the bass registers) to my ears on the same mp3s and same earphones (Shure E4Cs). The music I listened to was mostly pop, but some jazz and rock tracks were also put in. I listened for a total of 15 mins before concluding what I did (maybe listening time had something to do with it??)

I need to confirm, am I going deaf? or is the SQ of the creative very close to the Zune? Can someone honestly compare them for me? From what I hear, the Zune has very decent earphone out SQ, while there is no mention of the creative(s) anywhere near. I am planning to buy either the new Kenwood or maybe the B&O Beosound 6 player, ONLY because I value SQ above all. I need to know if I am hearing things right otherwise if I cannot distinguish between good and okay SQ, whats the point in shelling out so much dough?

HELP!

 

[selfnoise]

Well, Creative's SQ in general isn't exactly chopped liver. A lot of people really like the sound of those players. I haven't tried the Zune, though.

In general I would say that you should shell out extra money mainly if you are dissatisfied with the SQ of your current player. Just upgrading because of some theoretical future benefit might lead to disappointment.

 

[vibez]

Hmm, but then I have this 'urge' to get the best damn SQ possible without amping the portable rig, the only problem is, I dont know what 'best' is or how good 'best' can get to be since I am a relative newbie to the audiophile state-of-mind.

Thanks for the comments. But I would still like to hear whether the difference with the B&O and/or Kenwood systems is 'more' than the difference between the creative and Zune...

 

[antonyfirst]

My old Creative Muvo sounded more detailed than the Rio Karma I owned.
The Kenwood was much more detailed, and offered great soundstage. The HD20GA7 was the player that threw me into Headfi, since before it I didn't think I was able to hear differences between different players. Now I know that it was Rio Karma's fault (overhyped around here), not my ears'.

 

[ZARIM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antonyfirst /img/forum/go_quote.gif My old Creative Muvo sounded more detailed than the Rio Karma I owned. The Kenwood was much more detailed, and offered great soundstage. The HD20GA7 was the player that threw me into Headfi, since before it I didn't think I was able to hear differences between different players. Now I know that it was Rio Karma's fault (overhyped around here), not my ears'.

LOL i think you are right antony and it happened to me when i started to beleive something is wrong with my hearing because i don't hear more details in highs after using Shure IEMs for long time. But when i bought TF10Pro and then i realized it wasn't my hearing it was actualy Shure sound signature. I think if you realy want to hear the difference then bitrate and format are important too(also soundcard and the software you use).

 

[vibez]

so, to put it plainly, you all think that its correct of me to believe both the DAPs SQ is same..and that the kenwood or B&O would sound 'obviously' better?

 

[bigshot]

I wouldn't assume that the other models are going to sound obviously better until you compare them.

See ya
Steve

 

[vibez]

Okay, thanks. Just for my satisfaction, can any of you tell me if I am correct in identifying both the players' (Creative and Zune) SQ being very close to each other?

 

[vibez]

bump

 

[antonyfirst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vibez /img/forum/go_quote.gif so, to put it plainly, you all think that its correct of me to believe both the DAPs SQ is same..and that the kenwood or B&O would sound 'obviously' better?

All I can say is that the Kenwood players I have had are much better than my Creative MuVo, especially with low end cans. I can't say anything about the B&O, apart from the fact that I read it was a rebranded (and repriced!) Samsung Z5.
For what is worth, Night Surfer has had both Kenwood HD30GB9 and Samsung Z5, so he can provide a comparison.