[justaguy93]

I know this is a tough subject because everyone has their own opinions on what sounds good so I'll quality this question in a second. Basically I'm trying to find what large capacity players would have the best sound quality out of what is currently available.

I started out years back with a Creative Zen NX, upgraded that to a Zen Xtra, and then upgraded that to a Zen Vision M. At the time that I bought the Vision M I felt like it didn't sound as good as the xtra, but since everyone online just raved about the M I figured I was imagining things and decided to stick with the Vision for the better size, features, and usability.

The problem is since then I really miss the sound quality of the xtra. Music just seemed to have a better depth to it and the soundstage seemed much wider. The Vision M sounds okay but music just doesn't have the presence that it did with the older zen...if that makes any sense

Is there anyone out there who has owned the xtra who knows where I'm coming from who might be able to recommend a newer player that they've been happy with? I love the Vision M features but when it comes down to it I'm getting back to the point that I just want something that is easy to carry, will hold lots of music, and sounds good.

 

[Norman Hunter]

Microsoft Zune 80 gig HD player --- I love it. P.S. I have had Creative HD players in the past i.e. Creative Xtra , Creative Touch, and Creative Zen Micro as well as a Dell Pocket DJ (actually made by Creative).

 

[faichiu]

Try Kenwood player if you have money.

 

[Silwad]

I'm not sure if I would recommend a Zune. I have the first generation player and I compared it to my aging Sony NW-HD3 mp3 player and it has terrible battery life and lower sound quality. The software is terrible, you feel as if you have no control of what you put in it.

 

[justaguy93]

Do you know any retailers that carry the Kenwood?

I have heard the Zune is supposed to sound very good, despite not having an EQ. I'm very tempted to try one of those out although it sounds like in every way other than SQ and storage it'd be a step back from the Vision M. But like I originally posted if it sounds better I'd be willing to make that sacrifice.

 

[abitdeef]

Audiocubes has kenwoods, but if you have sensitive iems, beware of the hiss, costly too. I recommend sony 818, or cowon D2 both lovely sounding. The D2 being the brainy geek that plays by the rules, and the sony being the sexy girl that likes to have a lot of fun, but can be a little naughty

 

[justaguy93]

I have heard quite a bit of good in regards to the Sony units, just wish they were a little cheaper considering the storage space. Flash seems to be the future and I image in a year or two 16 or 32gb units will be common and affordable. I really wish when flash started to take over they would have all been designed with no internal memory and an SD slot as it would make it SO much easier to buy into one now and just pop a larger card in when they get cheap, or carry around several smaller cards. Cameras had that one figured out a long time ago

Anyways, I guess I'll have to go through my collection and see how little space I could get by on. I'd rather carry less music and have it sound better, but that also depends on how much less.

The Zune sure looks like the answer but people seem split down the middle on that one.

 

[shigzeo]

if the zune were not dependent on windows and wmp or whatever, i would probably have gone for the 8gb flash version - what a sexy looking player.

beware hiss of any of these portables. kenwood certainly have marketed their players well eh?

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif if the zune were not dependent on windows and wmp or whatever, i would probably have gone for the 8gb flash version - what a sexy looking player. beware hiss of any of these portables. kenwood certainly have marketed their players well eh?

I had this kenwood for a while and it hissed quite a bit with my E500's which really surprised me, because kenwood ads were talking about low noise

AudioCubes.com - Kenwood HD10GB7 Digital HDD MP3 Player - HD10GB7 -

Sounded really full though, and had a great eq. The sony sort of reminds me of it but with less hiss. I had the 8 gig zune also and it was really clean like the nano and d2, but It was messed up out of the box- the plastic wi-fi thing was loose, and the plastic around the glass face plate was cut crooked. I think a lot depends on what cans you match your dap to, I absolutly love the d2 with my shures and my senn 595's.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justaguy93 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you know any retailers that carry the Kenwood? I have heard the Zune is supposed to sound very good, despite not having an EQ. I'm very tempted to try one of those out although it sounds like in every way other than SQ and storage it'd be a step back from the Vision M. But like I originally posted if it sounds better I'd be willing to make that sacrifice.

I have both the Zune80 and the Zen Vision M, and the Zune sounds better, even without EQ. By better, I mean it has a full, wonderful sound, balanced, and wide soundstage. No need for EQ. I gave the ZVM to my wife. Not sure what phones you have, but the Zune phones stink. I gave them away. The Zune matches up well with Atrios, PK3s, PK1s, and SR-80s. But that's all I have. If using an amp with a bass boost, the 716s are a good match, so I figure Etys would also be good.

But the Zune80 is a step up from the Creatives (I also had the Zen V, and a couple of their cheap early 256MB players) in my view. I have the Sony A816 too, and it sounds pretty good, but only 4GB. I need both DAPs the way I use them.

 

[justaguy93]

Thanks for the comparison tstarn06, nice to hear from someone who has directly compared the Zune and Zen. Right now all I'm using is the Creative EP-630 earbuds. Nothing fancy but they sound pretty decent I think.

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justaguy93 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have heard quite a bit of good in regards to the Sony units, just wish they were a little cheaper considering the storage space. Flash seems to be the future and I image in a year or two 16 or 32gb units will be common and affordable. I really wish when flash started to take over they would have all been designed with no internal memory and an SD slot as it would make it SO much easier to buy into one now and just pop a larger card in when they get cheap, or carry around several smaller cards. Cameras had that one figured out a long time ago Anyways, I guess I'll have to go through my collection and see how little space I could get by on. I'd rather carry less music and have it sound better, but that also depends on how much less. The Zune sure looks like the answer but people seem split down the middle on that one.

Yes sorry, kind of skimmed through your post, If you are looking for a high capacity player, I would also recommend the zune 80. Great sound and a wonderful interface. My house got robbed a while ago and they took all my portable gear including my zune 80. I bought another one and some shure e4c iems and I heard hard drive noise on it. I never heard it on my other (stolen) zune 80 with shure e500's, so I took it back to CC and my second one had a dead display- so I got discouraged and bought a d2 and a 16 gig sd card online.

Despite that I still recommend it as a good high capacity dap, I think I just have terrible luck. I only mentioned the sony because they sound so damn nice, but only 8 gig

 

[justaguy93]

Thanks again for the replies, they have been very helpful.

It's pretty telling that no one has responded that the Vision M is comparable to the Zune or Sony in the SQ department.

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justaguy93 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks again for the replies, they have been very helpful. It's pretty telling that no one has responded that the Vision M is comparable to the Zune or Sony in the SQ department.

From what I can remember about the zen vision, very clean and dynamic with good highs and a decent eq. I hated the touch strip though. I would get whatever you buy from a BM retailer with a good return policy, that way if your dissapointed you can return it.

 

[justaguy93]

Just thought I'd throw out an update. I tried out the Zune 80gb and the Sony 816 at my local Best Buy. It was a tough call, I really liked the sound on both of them, but I wound up picking up the Sony. It'll take some used to dealing with 4gb of storage, but I figured I can use this for a year or two and then hopefully there will be some really good offerings in high capacity flash players. After thinking about it I realized that even though my ZVM has all sorts of storage and nifty capabilities I really haven't been using it in a way that requires any of that. I'll get a lot more value out of the flash player's small size, durability, and battery life. I just wish they had stocked the 8gb version.

So far the sound quality is living up to the hype, it's really outstanding.