[SammyH]

I'm a basshead who likes to listen to music at high volumes with thumping bass, such as dubstep, drum and bass and hip-hop.I've been using my iPhone 3G with my HD25s and they've done the job very well.
 
However since I've ran out of my space on my iphone I need recommendations on a new PMP. I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S phone, but the SQ for me...was disappointing; the bass was non-existant, and the volume was too low even after the volume hacks.
 
So I've left it to two options
 
Cowon J3 or Sansa Clip+.
 
Now at first glance this may be a no-brainer, but to be honest I only need a player that plays music, and nothing else. For economical reasons I'd rather get the Clip, but im wondering....how loud does the volume go, and whats the bass like? Also more importantly...is the J3 really worth the extra cash? Will it give me that much of an improvement over the Clip?
 
Thanks very much.

 

[limathy]

i own a J3 and the standard clip (non-plus) and honestly for bass, theres no comparison. the J3's eq/bbe etc give it a much more lively sound with warmth and bass.
 
I do love both players but the J3 is the way to go, if budget permits.

 

[Artmuzz]

I own both the Cowon J3 and a Sansa Clip+ and the J3 sounds more lively than the Clip+ that is until Rockbox is used then the Clip+ sounds just as good as the J3.



Art

 

[SammyH]

I thought as much,
 
Whats the volume like on the J3 then? Can it go excessively loud if I permit it? Not that I plan on deafening myself. What about the for the Clip too?

 

[Artmuzz]

The volume on the Cowon J3 is very good and can go loud.

Art

 

[BenAdamson]

I own a Sansa Clip+, and although it has very good SQ, the volume is very very low. It is about half as loud as my old Sansa Clip (not +)

 

[JxK]

I've found that the clip can get quite loud. When I was using the m50s with the clip, I never turned it up more than 25% of maximum volume. The clip was more than capable of driving them to earsplitting levels...

 

[Hero Kid]

Ok, I own a Clip+ and owned some HD 25s for quite some time. Not to mention I have auditioned the J3 at length, so I kinda know what I'm talking about.
 
As it has already been said above the J3 and a rockboxed Clip+ are on par as far as SQ goes, and I agree! The reason a Cowon sounds so good is its EQ and Rockbox can easily compete with that.
Now for volume. The newer version of Rockbox for the Clip+ has improved volume levels (as a result decreased battery life a bit to previous versions) and will easily drive the HD 25s to stupid levels.
 
On a noisey school bus I had both players on about 3/4 volume to drown out any niose. Sure the J3 will go louder but in reaility you probably don't need it.