[oyster]

So far i've been using shuffle 2g & classic 30gb(occasionally). Having heard rave comments on the sansa clip i got myself 2gb clip. Although clean sounding but it dosent have enough definition & scale as even my shuffle. Also volume on the clip is significantly lower than shuffle.So i've zeroed down my next purchase to sony a829 & nano 4g but i havent read any direct comparisons. So anyone who has experienced both these units please get me out of this delimma.I would appreciate if comparisons are based on following parameters:
Volume(even slight differences, i am using sennhieser cx 300ii)
Soundstage
Refinement
Bass(very significant for me)

 

[shigzeo]

the sony will hiss almost as much as your shuffle 2g with the senn cx300. i have the 828 - nice sounding but very very loud hiss messes up enjoyment of the sound. the new ipod nano is a nice sounding unit, but outclassed by the sony except in gapless playback and hiss.

the sony bass is lovely - you won't get the same amount of bass except in the shuffle 1g though that cannot be eq'd to enjoy the sound more as the sony can be.

 

[specialx]

Yeah, I would go with the sony if I were you. In fact, if you don't need the bluetooth feature in the a828, the s639 might be a good choice as well because you'll still have the sony sound but with less hiss.