[ddtdave]

Thanks for your help.
The headphones are 32ohms and 100db/mw so should be OK...you said that the M3 is more capable of powering these too?
A technician at Fiios UK supplier stated that the M3 had no chance without an amp.
Someone else advised that the X2 was probably the best option for a reasonable set of on ear portable headphones. Just missing a way to carry that during the gym at present so thought a sansa might do it. I have a very old little Cowon at the minute which has no where to locate or means to amp my RHA either.

 

[JK1]

Thanks for your help.
The headphones are 32ohms and 100db/mw so should be OK...you said that the M3 is more capable of powering these too?
A technician at Fiios UK supplier stated that the M3 had no chance without an amp.
Someone else advised that the X2 was probably the best option for a reasonable set of on ear portable headphones. Just missing a way to carry that during the gym at present so thought a sansa might do it. I have a very old little Cowon at the minute which has no where to locate or means to amp my RHA either.

Yes, the Fiio M3 does put out much more power than the Sandisk Clip players. 32 ohms and 100 db/mw should probably be okay with a Sandisk player, but is likely to be better with the Fiio M3. Some headphones though are very difficult to drive, even though they are 32 ohm 100 db/mw. Which headphones are they?
 
"A technician at Fiios UK supplier stated that the M3 had no chance without an amp."
 
That doesn't make sense to me. The Xduoo X2 does put out more power than the Fiio M3, however the Xduoo X3 browses by folder only, and only has 10 hours of battery life.

 

[ddtdave]

Thanks again
The headphones are RHA 950I on ears

 

[JK1]

Thanks again
The headphones are RHA 950I on ears

This review indicates that the RHA-SA950i is harder to drive than its impedance and sensitivity seem to indicate. Keep in mind that each headphone does vary differently in impedance as the frequency changes. I guess the rated impedance is at 1000hz.
 
"The RHA SA950i's when paired with the regular iPod are weirdly a bit harder to drive than I expected. When turned to max volume, the RHA's get to a volume loud enough that I would say is the highest safe volume to listen to. But I know that some like it louder(not recommended) and that the 'loudness' of it pales in comparison to what is usually the norm with other headphones. So yes it is a bit harder to drive than regular portables, but at 100% iPod volume, its as loud as I would recommend. So for those out there with an amp already, and like to listen to older recordings that don't use up the entire noise floor. Use an amp, otherwise, I leave it to your decision on the usage of an amp or not."
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/671203/rha-sa950i-review

 

[ddtdave]

I splurged on an M3 in the end....it sounds amazing and drives headphones much better than I expected.

 

[Berkovajazz]

Tried Jam in the shop. From design and built, this is the best SanDisk Clip Player. Look and feeling is really nice. Perfect screen, works very fast, good tactile buttons, lot of colors. 
SQ is subjective, but i'm -+ hater of Sansa Players. No details, boring digital sound. But Jam was much more fun, has interesting instrumental separation, not so detailed again and not fast, but can be very good for not hard and fast genres. SQ is on par with a lot of good smartphones. So if you are not speedmetal fan, your phones are not power hungry, this is a very good player in such case.

 

[Berkovajazz]

Let's go more. 
Bass - very good. It is detailed, punchy and rather deep. 
Mids - ok, without miracles, but really good as for non-audiophile 500$+ DAP. 
Treble - short. It is exist, but it is not too long. 
Soundstage - depends of the phones, but basically decent. 
Character - from neutral to little warmth. 
Speed - middle. 
Vocals - really good. 
Genres - not perfect for very hard speed metal tracks. 
Tested with different types of phones in different environment. 
Miracles: Final Audio IV sounds -+ the same as on Colorfly C4, yes, synergy and not the most analytical phones, but WOW. 
Westone 20 - very good. 
Westone 10 - needs more power to show their best, so nothing to say. 
Sennheiser Momentum OverEar M2 - nice, but they need more power to show their full potential. 
Denon MM300 - very nice. 
Beyerdynamic Custom Street - very nice.
Conclusion: from my side Jam is a good upgrade in small things over old SanDisk players and now he is on par with iPods, Cowons, Sonys etc. Yes, he has not enough power to drive a lot of hungry phones, but still he is on real middle side on this parameter. Details sounds pretty good. Built quality is perfect, size is perfect, 2 years warranty.
Highly recommended! 

 

[JK1]

  Let's go more. 
Bass - very good. It is detailed, punchy and rather deep. 
Mids - ok, without miracles, but really good as for non-audiophile 500$+ DAP. 
Treble - short. It is exist, but it is not too long. 
Soundstage - depends of the phones, but basically decent. 
Character - from neutral to little warmth. 
Speed - middle. 
Vocals - really good. 
Genres - not perfect for very hard speed metal tracks. 
Tested with different types of phones in different environment. 
Miracles: Final Audio IV sounds -+ the same as on Colorfly C4, yes, synergy and not the most analytical phones, but WOW. 
Westone 20 - very good. 
Westone 10 - needs more power to show their best, so nothing to say. 
Sennheiser Momentum OverEar M2 - nice, but they need more power to show their full potential. 
Denon MM300 - very nice. 
Beyerdynamic Custom Street - very nice.
Conclusion: from my side Jam is a good upgrade in small things over old SanDisk players and now he is on par with iPods, Cowons, Sonys etc. Yes, he has not enough power to drive a lot of hungry phones, but still he is on real middle side on this parameter. Details sounds pretty good. Built quality is perfect, size is perfect, 2 years warranty.
Highly recommended! 

I have the Sandisk Clip Sport which is built on the same platform as the Jam. I also have Rockboxed Clip+ and Clip Zip players and the Fiio X1 and Fiio M3 players. The Fiio X1 has better sound quality than the others I mentioned, however it is much larger and heavier than the others, and only gets around 11 hours of battery life. I use the Fiio X1 only at home. The Fiio M3 puts out much more power than the Sandisk players, but much less than the Fiio X1. The Fiio M3 is quite compact though, around the size of the Clip Sport, yet the M3 has a much larger display. The Fiio M3 lacks FM radio which the Sandisk players have. The M3 has better sound quality than the Sandisk players, but not as good as the Fiio X1. Unfortunately the Fiio M3 still has some firmware glitches, as the player was just released a few months ago. For those who want a compact player with around 24 hours of battery life, and don't need FM radio, the Fiio M3 is imo a much better player than the Sandisk players.
 
Read my review of the Fiio M3.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-m3-digital-portable-music-player/reviews/14785

 

[Berkovajazz]

I know what is M3, X1 and a lot of other sub 1000$ stuff. Problem is that i'm not satisfied with almost all "hi-fi" DAPs for >300$. All of them has issues, but the main problem is SQ issues. Yes they have much more power and that is why we have more opened sound with more microdetails, but a lot of players are making it just not pretty. Expectations are on more lively instruments and vocals, but when you are making the same volume level... nope, they are -+ the same. I'm a hater of Clip/Plus/Zip, but Jam has some small fluids to the sound and in general SQ is quite good for a DAP with a basic amp inside.  

 

[gr34td3str0y3r]

  No flac support on the Sandisk Jam is a deal breaker for me.
 
I  can't believe they dropped flac support every sandisk player I ever owned supported flac.
 
This is definitely a step back.

You have to be kidding. 
 
I was looking to upgrade from my Clip because the battery seems to not last as long. Best 40$ Flac player money can buy. 
What even plays FLAC for under $100 or $200? 

 

[fredhubbard2]

  You have to be kidding. 
 
I was looking to upgrade from my Clip because the battery seems to not last as long. Best 40$ Flac player money can buy. 
What even plays FLAC for under $100 or $200? 

 
xDuoo X2, Benjie S5 .

 

[reginalb]

What's wrong with the clip? It has a flat FR, almost 0 output impedance and quite some power.

 
I realize this is an old question, but with the latest bump, I saw it, and have an answer for you. It doesn't cost enough. See, the second biggest determinate of sound quality (just after alcohol) is definitely cost. You would have to inject the Clip+ with several hundred dollars to make them sound better. They've seen some marginal improvement in sound quality since they were discontinued as the last clear shelves, but so far they only sound like about $90 from Amazon. 

 

[Ruben123]

I realize this is an old question, but with the latest bump, I saw it, and have an answer for you. It doesn't cost enough. See, the second biggest determinate of sound quality (just after alcohol) is definitely cost. You would have to inject the Clip+ with several hundred dollars to make them sound better. They've seen some marginal improvement in sound quality since they were discontinued as the last clear shelves, but so far they only sound like about $90 from Amazon. 

Lol!!!! I found another Chinese player ($7) that sounds as flat as the clip though with only 4 hours of battery life. Problem is the price. Any audiophile mp3 player (this one plays flac wav and ape too!) has a short battery (check) and a high price (uncheck). Can recommend it to everyone. A review will follow sometime but for only $6-7 you could at least try!

 

[ddtdave]

You have to be kidding. 

I was looking to upgrade from my Clip because the battery seems to not last as long. Best 40$ Flac player money can buy. 

What even plays FLAC for under $100 or $200? 

I went for a Fiio M3 in the end....best£50 I ever spent.

 

[madmonkey]

best sounding mp3 player i have ever heard with my kz iems trully amazeing