Portable rig to go with Grado SR325i's

[enig]

Yes - I'm gonna use my SR325i as streetwear

(looking forward to the reactions I'm gonna get)

So now I just have to buy a portable player of some kind.
My main problem is to actually hear these players in action, since both the Iriver, Kenwood and the Cowon would have to be ordered online. This is where I hope the wast experience of Head-fi could point me in the right direction - or at least sort out some of the most obvious mistakes.



My wishlist:

- Good SQ ..gonna drive my SR325i's

- Pref. a warm sound ..(to tame the 325i's highs)
- At least 4GB ..(expansion-slot would be nice, but is not essential)
- Lineout option ..(for possible upgrade to a portable amp)
- Good build quality ..I have a knack for breaking things

doesn't need to play video.. lossless audio/mp3 use only



Candidats - so far (I'm open to suggestions):

Iriver Clix2
Cowon D2
Ipod 30GB ..(no Imod though.. too costly)
Kenwood (anyone know where to order these in Europe?)
??? <-- something completly different

 

[StevenBrouwer]

I can tell you the cowon D2 is not warm sounding. They are on the very bright side.
From what I have read the kenwood and clix are warm sounding and the Ipod not so.
If you are going to buy the Kenwood there are 3 options: Bluetin, Audiocubes and PriceJapan.

I would pick the kenwood.

On amping I don't know much, but I'd like to hear how well a kenwood can be amped, when you want to drive a HD650 with it, for example.

 

[1nf1n1ty]

but how portable is this 325i rig?...commuter?...they are open air..and let even the quietest noise...

I use my grado 325i with my zvm..and it used to sound better than my PC...but then again..im not very experienced with judging these things...So...dont take my word for it...

But definately wouldnt recomend taking your 325i out walking or on a bus or something..maybe in the back yard or a on a quiet balcony is okay...but i wouldnt say they are noise isolating...lol

 

[enig]

>>StevenBrouwer

Thanks for the heads up on the D2 .. too bad though, I kinda had high hopes for that one.

Yeah..the Kenwood is on the top of my list .. but the price (400$) is fairly high for a player I haven't heard

especially since Danish customs are gonna have a field day stuffing import-taxes on that

(which is why I was hoping for a European vendor)..
..on the other hand if someone told me the Kenwwod/325i combo was good, I think I could "justify" the expense.

>>1nf1n1ty
Yeah, Grado's leak like nothing else ..I know... I just couldn't do without that sound

- my HD600's just aren't getting any use since I got the 325's and I gave my PortaPro's away since they just don't do it for me anymore - it's that bad

 

[sarbruis]

You can probably find an iAudio M5 for not very much. I don't know if its sound is warm or not, but it's 20gb and does everything you're looking for. It's really a no-frills player, and as of about a month or so ago Rockbox is supported.

 

[milkpowder]

My portable rig for about three days goodness-knows-how-long-ago.

Let me tell you upfront. If you plan on commuting or walking on the streets with the SR-325i, it does not work! The SR-325i is far too heavy, bulky and leaky (leaks sound in and out). The cable is also far too long (not to mention thick) and you need to use a bulky converter to get the 1/4" to fit into a 1/8" (well anything more than a piece of string is bulky for portable use).

 

[atomiccow]

Being open back headphones, wouldn't you have to turn them up to ear splitting volumes to flood out the noises of everyday street commuting? Not to mention wouldn't it disturb all people beside and around you?

In either case though I'm sure its fun having people stare at you like you're some moron when you know you are experiencing true audio bliss

 

[lmfboy01]

hi,
well i own a hd30gb9 and a cowon d2, IMO, both are great players but they have distinctly different sounds. i own a pair of e500's, and a cheap-o COBY 10 dollars over-the-head headphones. i also bought my first amp, an ibasso p1 used from a fellow head-fi'er on this board.

im not sure what you plan on listening to but i like the bass on the d2 alot compared to the kenwood. the EQ is pretty solid for my tastes. some people say they dont like it, well it works for me. it does give a bit of a harsher sound but it doesnt bother me, it reminds me of nice sounds in a truck.
converting movies & stuff as long as it is xvid and at least 128k, is just as good as a laptop out.

with the kenwood, its more neutral, i think ppl here refer it to being warm than the d2. to me, the bass just isnt as good here as to the d2. the kenwood does have an EQ but it isnt as advanced as the d2.(im not sure if advanced is the word im looking for...maybe someone can help!

). for whatever reason though, i find myself listening to the kenwood 95% of the time. also no hiss whatsoever with my shures... this player is definetly one of the best sounding daps that i've heard probably just as good if not better than those high end cd players from back in the day.

now, hooking them up to cheap-o speakers, the d2 sounds really stressed at high volume levels where as the kenwood sounds like it should. they are both definetly bearable but if you know what to listen for, otherwise any non-head-fi'er wouldn't know the difference between the two.

hooking up the kenwood to a sony stereo receiver gives it moer definative bass.

all in all i like them both, to me they are completely different players and provide a different sound for different tastes. i probably wouldn't sell either of the two because of that. if i god forbid ever had to sell one and keep the other, there is no question that i would keep the kenwood. its better overall sound without the EQ. i fall asleep listening to the kenwood all the time.

- Good SQ ..gonna drive my SR325i's
hd30gb9 kenwood, why?
it has a built in amp, the higher volume you get on the d2, you may get some sort of distortion(i dont have a grado to compare).
i also dont think a higher end headphone will need an EQ anyways.
- Pref. a warm sound ..(to tame the 325i's highs)
definetely kenwood
- At least 4GB ..(expansion-slot would be nice, but is not essential)kenwood is 30 gb, the d2 at the moment is 12 (4 int, 8 sdhc) but in the near future there will be affortable 32gb sdhc cards out. - equal
- Lineout option ..(for possible upgrade to a portable amp)neither has a one but...i think the kenwood might be the closet one would get to having a line-out from the headphone jack. i've heard ppl saying with the ext out on the d2, there may be a audio line out on there as well, but that is unconfirmed, just a rumor.
- Good build quality ..I have a knack for breaking things
the kenwood wins this, its definetly sexy, you should get white if you can. its $65 more than the black from pricejapan.

sorry for this being so long and for the bad grammar


hope this helps!

 

[randerson3024]

Get a Ray Samuels Hornet.

 

[lmfboy01]

if he gets a hornet then he will have to get something with a line-out. im not sure if thats what he is looking for. these two players here sound great without the need for an amp.

 

[randerson3024]

Yes, that's true, but with the Hornet and the custom cable, you avoid using whatever crappy op-amp is in line. The quality is much better.

 

[mrarroyo]

Are you sure you do not want to consider IEM's? Like the V-Moda? Or perhaps the Koss KSC75?

 

[enig]

>> milkpowder
Damn - that looks NICE - and you were telling me not to use them outside?

..I'm at least going to try

>>lmfboy01
You evil man - sounds like you're about to make me spend $$$ on that Kenwood - from your description it seems to be just what I'm looking for.

do you know if the 10GB version sounds as good as it's big brother?


>>randerson3024 ..
I'll consider an amp later.. for now I'll get a dap that sounds great on it's own (with lineout if possible).. the cost of getting both now would be a bit much.