[lamewing]

Hey folks. Long time listener and first time...errrr...nevermind

I have mind to simplify my DAP/PMP ownership and usage. First, some background. I am a 41 year old guy with hypersensative (high freqs) hearing, but absolutely no training or discrete listening skills. Lower freqs...??? I drove a truck in the army for several years so it isn't perfect. I am NOT an audiophile!!! I like generally balanced music (bass/midrange/treble), but a bit of extra bass is nice too.

I have owned (literally) all the iPods from the first 5GB model up to the last iteration (prior to September 2009). I would buy, sell, buy as newer units came out. Before that I did the minidisc scene (players and recorders - I MISS THEM) for about three years and I even dabbled with HiMD units for about a year. I tried Cowon about four times and gave up on their sound signature completely. Finally, that leaves SONY...with which I have had a 30+ year relationship of love and hate.

My Sony DAP/PMPs included the HD1/HD2 (import)/HD5/A1000/A1200/A3000/A808/A818. I have also "played with the X-series for about an hour. I tried the Zunes, but the lack of unicode ran me off until the Zune HD came out. I ended up ordering a Zune HD original, but it has yet to arrive.

I sold off all of my minidisc/HiMD after I got tired of carrying around discs. Heck, I replaced my car stereo so that I could just plug in a flash drive instead of carrying around CDs as well.my collection is 20+ years old and runs around 800+ - NO MORE!!!). I thought just using a DAP/PMP would be eaiser, but there are so many choices to make!

At this point in my life I wanted something that works easily and sound good. I don't need perfection in my sound quality, but I don't want it to sound terrible. I guess you could say I want better than middle-of-the-road, but less than true audiophile quality (too expensive).

My iPhone works well as for email/phone/text/internet/apps, but I wanted a separate player so as not to wear out the battery on the iPhone. My choices are between Apple iPod, MS Zune, and Sony Walkman (alphabetical, not listed by preference)....Currently, I own 2 Sony NWZ-A818 players, 2 Apple iPod Photos 30GB and 60GB, as well as the Zune HD (shipping).

I am like iTunes and it is easy to use Sony Content transfer to move music to the Sony models. The Zune software works fine too; no complaints and it eaisly shares the same music folders as iTunes. After years of using SonicState...you get my point.

So, transfer software isn't an issue for me. I prefer iTunes as my main software, though. Sound quality wise I would rank Sony #1, Zune #1, and Apple #3...but to be truthful, none are significantly much different IMHO.

So...
1. Do I stick with Sony, keep the A818s and then get the X-series, or hold off on the X-1060 and import or buy locally the A840 next later this month? I love Sony, but their warranty is worse than Apple and MS here in the U.S. and they ARE more expensive for what you get.

2. Do I use the iPod? The only model I like is the Touch, but it seems redundant to own an iPhone and a Touch as the same time and I don't plan on using apps on the Touch; music and videos only. The Touch is a bit larger than the others, so that is a minor niggle.

3. The Zune HD sounded nice, has a good size and weight, as well. All I care about is media playback on this player, the rest is fluff (for me). The only problem is I would have to use different software, which has some minor issues with naming songs in Japanese...it isn't quite as automatic/transparent as iTunes.

I will be using Sony MDR-V6, Sony MDR-EX90LP and Sennheiser MX500 phones with this player if that makes any difference. I don't own a portable amp, but I have checked out ALO and a few amps ( I like the P-51 and the Hornet).

So what are folks opinions? I am not worried about too many specifics, but just a general idea of why one particular company's machine is a better choice. Remember, I care about music, but I am not an audiophile. I don't know all the detailed terminology that is often thrown around the forums, so KISS (Keep it Simple for Stupid ...me).

Thanks for all the help. PLEASE...no terribly disparaging comments about any of the players!!!

Thanks in advance.

 

[roebeet]

I have a pair of the MDR-V6's and had owned a Zune 30 and a Zune HD. I think the Zunes and the V6's have a good synergy - just my opinion.

Other than that, it sounds like it would be a toss up, for you. I personally don't like DAP's that don't use drag and drop, but that's just me. I find it easier to just drag and drop into my player, and it just works - it doesn't get much easier than that imo.

 

[midoo1990]

the zune will suit you well in your situation,it sounds very very good and super easy to use software and ui.

 

[foreverfi]

In fact you are really an audiophile. You just humble with words.The age of lot of headiers are not as senior as your auditioning years.

You are right, those players you have listed represent the top brands ( models at different years.

of course the newest model of Sony X will be the best one among your list.

If you like , you can read more informations for expanding your brands ranges. You see, to the big campany, they need to design a player which can cater more wide customers, the result is something to be compromised.

It seems a principle that in the conventional audio filed, the top brands of audio device are some times made by small brands. I think the same to the DAP field.

So my suggestion for you is besides the habbit of addicted to the big brands, you can have some try to some new brands. Of course it means risk in some what.

 

[lamewing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by foreverfi /img/forum/go_quote.gif In fact you are really an audiophile. You just humble with words.The age of lot of headiers are not as senior as your auditioning years. You are right, those players you have listed represent the top brands ( models at different years. of course the newest model of Sony X will be the best one among your list. If you like , you can read more informations for expanding your brands ranges. You see, to the big campany, they need to design a player which can cater more wide customers, the result is something to be compromised. It seems a principle that in the conventional audio filed, the top brands of audio device are some times made by small brands. I think the same to the DAP field. So my suggestion for you is besides the habbit of addicted to the big brands, you can have some try to some new brands. Of course it means risk in some what.

Thanks. I have tried a few others such as Sandisk (the Clip+) and Cowon (X5L, iAudio 6, iAudio 7, D2, and A2). I loved the X5L and A2 models, but Cowon dropped never updated the X5L and gave up on the A2/A3 models. The newer ones just don't interest me anymore due to the quirkiness of Cowon. The Clip+ was okay, but seems like nothing more than a gym DAP. Too small to comfortably use on a daily basis.

 

[abellaw]

I would say that a zune will suit your needs perfectly. The software seems to handle my Japanese music titles fine. The only thing is i only have a few albums from the bigger Japanese bands so i dont know if that matters.

However if you are planning to get a portable amp and it seems like you are willing to spend a pretty penny. You might wanna look into the ipod. Because i think with an LOD you will get the best portable sound.

Unless has anyone compared a zune amped to an Ipod with LOD

 

[lamewing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by abellaw /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would say that a zune will suit your needs perfectly. The software seems to handle my Japanese music titles fine. The only thing is i only have a few albums from the bigger Japanese bands so i dont know if that matters. However if you are planning to get a portable amp and it seems like you are willing to spend a pretty penny. You might wanna look into the ipod. Because i think with an LOD you will get the best portable sound. Unless has anyone compared a zune amped to an Ipod with LOD

I have also wondered how the iPod, Zune, and Sony stack up against one another when amped. Does the LOD make that much of a difference versus using a headphone out?

 

[bba1973]

Quote:

Originally Posted by abellaw /img/forum/go_quote.gif Unless has anyone compared a zune amped to an Ipod with LOD

My Zune 120 sounds pretty close to my iPod Photo (with LOD) when both are amped. The iPod has slightly more bass, but they're both pretty close. If I had a better amp, the results might be different though. My Zune sounds pretty good unamped too, but it sounds a bit better amped.

Quote:

Does the LOD make that much of a difference versus using a headphone out?

With iPods, yes. Even with an inexpensive amp like my cmoy, the LOD makes a substantial difference. Clearer, more defined, more life, just all around better.

lamewing, have you tried Rockbox with either of your iPod Photos? It's a custom firmware which beats the crap out of the Apple stock firmware (gapless playback, more EQ features, cool games like Doom, etc.). Try it, I'm sure you'll like it.

 

[lamewing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bba1973 /img/forum/go_quote.gif lamewing, have you tried Rockbox with either of your iPod Photos? It's a custom firmware which beats the crap out of the Apple stock firmware (gapless playback, more EQ features, cool games like Doom, etc.). Try it, I'm sure you'll like it.

I have heard about it and even attempted to load it onto an iPod Photo two(?) years ago. Does the firmware do anything to change the sound quality other than adding an EQ? I thought that SQ would be determined by the DAC and the HP out jack, not by the firmware..????

 

[bba1973]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamewing /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have heard about it and even attempted to load it onto an iPod Photo two(?) years ago. Does the firmware do anything to change the sound quality other than adding an EQ? I thought that SQ would be determined by the DAC and the HP out jack, not by the firmware..????

As far as I know, Rockbox doesn't affect the SQ (except for the EQ and other options). If it does, it doesn't make it worse. Firmware might be able to affect SQ (more efficient?), but certainly not as much as the DAC and such.

Rockbox really is worth a shot. Installation is pretty easy. Read the manual, be patient, and you'll like it. It's like having a whole new DAP.

 

[lamewing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bba1973 /img/forum/go_quote.gif As far as I know, Rockbox doesn't affect the SQ (except for the EQ and other options). If it does, it doesn't make it worse. Firmware might be able to affect SQ (more efficient?), but certainly not as much as the DAC and such. Rockbox really is worth a shot. Installation is pretty easy. Read the manual, be patient, and you'll like it. It's like having a whole new DAP.

I installed it about an hour ago and tried it out. Sound quality is the same and the EQ doesn't do much...minor changes, but nothing I want to waste my time fiddling with considering the limitations of the iPod Photo hardware.

The base GUI is rather antiquated compared to the new players (old and busted versus the new hotness). The base GUI feels like I am going back in time about a decade, though. Some themes are rather attractive, but most of the extras are wasted on me. I do like the battery % gauge and the drag/drop is nice. I wonder if this drag/drop will work on a Mac...it should.

I will give it a few days and see if it grows on me.



I have noticed that few folks have mentioned Sony offerings...especially their new models that come out later this month. Is Sony really that unpopular in the States these days?

 

[bba1973]

The best thing I like about Rockbox is gapless playback that actually works. If you go back to the Apple firmware, there's no gapless playback at all (and likely never will be for anything older than the iPod Video). Drag/drop and not being tied down to iTunes or some other sync method is great too. The GUI seems fine to me. It's functional, a little boring, but it works great. I use the boxamp theme, and I love it. Read the manual too. There's some neat stuff in there.

As for Sony, I don't think they're unpopular it's just that Apple is way more popular than anyone else in the DAP market. People just like the iPod+iTunes combo too well to consider anything else. I looked at the Walkmans on display at Best Buy yesterday, and they look really neat. The controls were kind of weird, but I just played around with it for a few minutes. I find it odd how Best Buy has their layout as iPods only in one section and all other MP3 players in another section.

 

[lamewing]

I just pulled out my old Sony MZ-R909 minidisc recorder....

 

[estreeter]

Get em all - its the only way to be *really* sure ....

 

[Moocher]

Given that you have an iPhone, I think a refurb Nano might be the solution. (Jeez, I really stepped into the sh** now.) It's small, light, compatible with the iPhone, and with an LOD the sound is good. It isn't the ultimate, but it's cheap, easy, and small. Note that not everything I read about the Zune SQ is positive.

I am waiting for a 32 GB nano because I want the small size, camera, and Nike stuff that my Touch doesn't have.


Mooch