Recommendation for New DAPs after Sony

[hurryup]

Hi, I have a Sony NWZ A815 2GB player and for some reason WAV (lossless) files sounds "flat" as compared to .mp3 format files. I'm about to get a hifi AT AD700 headphone, so I need a player to play lossless (any true blue lossless) files that doesn't sound flat playing them. I have about $75 that I can spend for the DAP and $100 for the headphone. Thanks

 

[hurryup]

Does Sansa Clip players sound flat when playing FLAC files?

 

[iriverdude]

I find mp3 makes bass sound bloaty and boomy, what you're probably hearing is the "benefit" of this on headphones since they lack the low end response of speakers.

Do you mean flat is in response, or flat is in boring and uninvolving?

 

[hurryup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif I find mp3 makes bass sound bloaty and boomy, what you're probably hearing is the "benefit" of this on headphones since they lack the low end response of speakers. Do you mean flat is in response, or flat is in boring and uninvolving?

It's hard to explain/describe. It seems as if the Sony player was designed to play .mp3s very well, and then that they slacked off on conformity for WAV or any type of lossless files. The .mp3 files sound very colored and exciting, while the WAV files sound suppressed/repressed and unexciting - as if the whole song was one tone or mono. I know for sure that it's not the quality of a 1444 kbps file, because it sounds worse than my 320 kbps mp3 files. When listening to WAV files on my computer they sound fantastic, literally.

 

[hurryup]

bump

 

[hurryup]

bump.

 

[agouti]

no need to bump twice a day, at most bump once a month.

 

[350Rocket]

bump lol