Sansa Clip+ or Cowon i9 or iPod Nano or Sansa Fuze+ or...? (Need a replacenent for my iRiver iFP)

[FuzzyLlama]

Hi all,
I've been using an iRiver iFP-899 for nearly 6 years. It was a perfect little DAP,with unbeliviable SQ, powered with simple AA battery (so I could still play my tunes while hiking in some God forsaken mountains, provided that I have a backpack filled with AA batteries), easy to use without looking and small enough to fit in my pants. Unfortunately, it is slowly dying in my hands

 
I need a new player. The most important thing to me is the sound quality. I am not an audiophile, but I can hear the difference between my old iFP and (for example) new iRiver T60. I need something which wouldn't be a downgrade from my current rig.
 
I don't need fancy big screens, video playback, touch controls and such. I need an audio player small enough to fit in a jeans pocket, with decent battery life and price below 200€ (for the sake of international price variances let's assume that the maximum I can afford is an iPod Nano 6G). Also I need at least 16GB of storage space.
 
I've done some research and I came up with some candidates:
- Cowon i9 - Some say that the SQ of this player is flawless. The only problem I've got with it is the proprietary USB cable (evil!) and the fact that...
- Sansa Clip+ - it is so cheap and yet some say that the SQ is as good as in other, more expensive players (such as i9). Is it true? On the other hand, the battery life on this DAP sucks. Because of that...
- Sansa Fuze+ - some say that it sound as good as the Clip, is only slightly more expensive, has a MicroSD slot and better battery life. Maybe this is the player I should get? Or maybe...
- iPod Nano 6G - I can't find any decent review that would cover the SQ (and compare it to the other players on the market). It is goddamn expensive, but the form factor is appealing... But is it worth the price?
 
Which one I should buy? Or maybe there is something else on the (european) market I didn't notice?
Dear Board, please help!

 

 

[JojoDanker19]

  HELP US!
I subbed becuase I am in the same boat!, so saves making a new thread!

 

[R3SET]

I would get the Sansa Fuze+ or a Sony. I resently bought the Clip+ but the screen/interface is too small, so rather would have the Fuze+ instead for sure. The sound should be the same, the sound is OK to me but quite a bit colder than my Sony so i only enjoy the clip+ with warm sounding earphones. I personally prefer the Sony Walkmans so maybe thats another option to explore. No experience with the new nano. Good luck. 

 

[zest]

I own Fuze v2 and iAudio 9, they both have proprietary cable, iAudio 9 has a lot of settings, especially in EQ, Fuze v2 can run Rockbox (Fuze+ can't actually). To me Sansa Fuze sounds warmer than the Cowon player.

 

[darknessproz]

Those who say the clip+ has comparable sound to high end players are kidding themselves, while a great player for its size/price and capacity, i honestly don't find it much better in terms of pure SQ when compared to a itouch. That said, it IS a great player, and i love mine.

 

[Achmedisdead]

The battery life is better than the HifiMAN players though

 
Quote:

- Sansa Clip+ - it is so cheap and yet some say that the SQ is as good as in other, more expensive players (such as i9). Is it true? On the other hand, the battery life on this DAP sucks.
 
 

 

[FuzzyLlama]

I've just got to listen the new Nano and I'm convinced - I don't want one of those. The sound was OK, but compared to my iRiver it lacked the 'punch', all the juicy bits were missing. And it's simply too expensive. 
 
 
 
Quote:

I honestly don't find it much better in terms of pure SQ when compared to a itouch.

 
Oh come on - the iPod Touch is considered to be a very good DAP. If you think that the Clip (which cost 5 times less) sounds "not much better" than it, I'll take it as good news.
 
Does anybody know if the BBE thingy included in i9 is any good? 

 

[bulwnkl]

This is a timely and interesting topic, as I've narrowed my choices to essentially the 2 Sansa and one Cowon products listed here!  My criteria are pretty much the same as yours, FuzzyLama.  I want high sound quality, and I also need to be able to play OGG and FLAC files.  I don't care to buy an Apple product and re-load it with RockBox, though.
 
Have you made a decision yet?  I'd be interested to hear what it was, and what you think of it!  Thanks.

 

[shigzeo]

I've owned the Fuze and Clip v2 and if those are good gauges to the newer Clip+, then I'd say go for the clip. The fuze hisses more than the clip, albeit the level is quite low, and it lacks volume buttons, so you have to control volume through the slide wheel (the wheel is also known to gum up). The clip should last a LOT longer than the Fuze, too, since its parts are simpler and it relies on mini USB, not proprietary cable. I am known to hate the Fuze though. However, I only hate it after using it next to the clip, a nano 1G and several other small players.

 

[alaap988]

hey i am about to buy a sansa fuze+ in a few days
 
i wanted to know the comparision of sound of sansa with the ipod
also that i use sennheisers mx 200 thinking of gettign the cx 200 II street
 
and again is the sansa fuze compatible with lyrics like the ipod
does it display it ?

 

[meaned]

Hey I just got mine a few weeks ago and I am starting to really love it. Yeah the UI is sloppy but the battery life is great expandability rules, and the SQ is wonderful when amplified with a 'walking wolf' Altoids box to the Sennheiser 590s or grado 60s, wonderful range. I only use it for music. no other bs necessary.
 
I am wondering how you are doing in the longer term?
 
Guillermo
http://statework.blogspot.com