Portable source .. what next

[animalsrush]

I currently have a Sony X1060 32 GB. I use it with Pico slim and Westone ES5.. However i am finding the space to be limited. Can you please recommend a replacement to Sony. I am looking for something with Line out so that i can use it with amp. I absolutely love the sound quality of Sony and i want the replacement should either same or better .Also i need the DAP to be more mainstream ( so no Hi-fi man, telcast etc ) . I was thinking about the 64 GB Ipod touch latest gen .. It seems to have other features that are appealing but is the sound quality good ?. 
 
Thanks in advance for any recommendations 
 
PC 

 

[stevenswall]

Because the root of your problem is not having space on your player, may I suggest trying out www.mp3ornot.com, and seeing if you can hear the difference. If you cannot, and happen to have your music in a high quality or lossless format, I would suggest converting it to lower bitrate MP3 files for the time being.

Other than that I've never heard an iPod or iPhone that sounded as good as my Cowon with BBE and MP (oversampling) turned on. It's a subtle effect, but it's become nearly irreplaceable to me. If you feel the same way about your Sony EQ and effects/DAC, you may need to compromise. If you typically listen with everything on flat, using the line or digital out from an iPod should sound almost identical to your Sony through line out.

If you find that you do not care to use an external amp, consider the Cowon J3, which is 32GB, and can use some 64GB SDXC cards to give your nearly 100GB of storage. When I was purchasing a DAP, I wanted the one that sounded the best. I tried a Rockboxed iPod, Creative Zen, Sony Walkman (not the X series.) and finally landed on my Cowon S9, made by a company that is ridiculously consistent in getting positive sound reviews, even if the UI takes a while to work well or customize to ones liking.

 

[animalsrush]

Thanks for the detailed response .. I did try the tool and it seems i could tell the difference . For now i will stick with sony and investigate more on Cowon .. I love their products but heard quirks about settings ..