[WorldWithoutE]

Hi guys, first thread here

. As you can see in the thread title, I am having to choose between the above mentioned DAPs. I have thought about it for a very long time, but alas, I couldn't draw a conclusion, much less make a decision. Therefore, I would need the help of you guys! Please?

For background, I am currently using iPod Nano 3G>.22 amp>ES2 recabled SF3 which feels a little to dry. I favour a slightly warm sound and I really like a refined,clean sound for my rock music. I listen to mostly British Rock like Oasis, Coldplay, Muse, Radiohead etc. I like clarity in my mids with slight aggressiveness, bass should be tight with decent volume and punch(not too much slam) and hopefully sparkly highs. I am aiming to have a more pocketable rig, so I would not be using an amplifier but using the headphone out. I would also be upgrading to the UM2 most likely in the future.

I have tested the Sony A829 I have to admit that I liked the SQ as it sounded very full and refined. Separation and clarity was superb with a slight tinge of warmth. I could not detect any hiss with my SF3s, but I would eventually get a UM2. Would the UM2 be able to pick up more hiss?

One problem I have with the Sony is that it was unexpectedly light. Too light in fact. Sure it felt metallic but I could not get a solid feel from it and the UI was average and dull but simple. It also had a lackluster screen and looked smaller than it was.

Now, for the iTouch, I have not been able to test out the SQ of it. What I want to know is the amount of hiss and the type of SQ(Warm, neutral, cold, dry, etc) compared to the Sony and if it is as refined as the Sony. I have tested out its features and someday I would like to test out the SQ, but there are many offers for the iTouch that I so want to jump at right now!

Problem I foresee for it would be the footprint of it. It is pushing the limits of being pocketable. Also, being a touchscreen DAP, changing albums would be a slight hassle, but not its major problem. I absolutely love its screen and solid feel. Its extra features(Web, apps, organiser etc) are a very nice touch(no pun intended) to it to make it a very handy device to have. However, it loses the simplicity of an mp3 player with the added features.

Here is how I would rank the importance of features for my DAP.
Portability=SQ>UI>Screen

If the SQ of the iTouch can rival that of the Sony, I wold most likely be getting the Apple!

 

[shigzeo]

i have both the sony and the touch: both great players but i would not compare them together unless you want to only use them as players. i have the japanese version so it actually costs more than the touch for the same gb of storage, but has gapless, does atrac and records and line out very easily.

i have had the touch 1g and 2g.

the sony and touch 1g and 2g all sound good but the best of the bunch is the 2g. it has such low hiss that even a um2 would not bother you much at all. my audio technica ck10 detect it but just barely: ive never used a player with this little hiss. (however i am not sure. i have used the sansa players and zunes but only in stores).

however, i find the touch to have a dryer sound to the sony. i guess i could just call it more wysiwyg sound whereas sony is more beefy. both have excellent bass performance where the boom is less than the resolution. striking deep bass in both machines that rumbles instead of booms even with hard to drive iems like the um2, and 16ohm machines like the kenwood c711 and others.

both sound great but...
the sony hisses more than any player i remember except maybe the meizu m6 and older iriver players. it hisses massively.

that is its major drawback for me. i love that it records (and does that very very well indeed) so i use it as a tape device for shows and nature sounds.

but the touch is a cleaner sound with a wider stage, gapless playback (i don't use windows, so cannot use sonicstage to get gapless).

if you factor in hiss for iems: the sound quality is probably unanimously in favour of the touch and without hiss, a draw. one will just sound better to you and one will not.

the sony with an impedence cable of 75-100 ohm will reduce the hiss however and help a bit with the smaller stage but not eliminate totally the hiss.

the sony wins decisively in this area: pocketability. i don't wear very baggy clothes and the sony is tiny and light as you know. the touch is as thin but has a wide bearth and is longer and heavier. for that reason and that it is constructed of two pieces (amazing), it is much more solid. i have never felt a more solid feeling player unless i take it down to another level: the nano 3g (though no glass screen).

i own that one too and love it.

i vote touch. by a long shot if you use iems. the sony has so much hiss that it will bother you and has no gapless. the touch does well enough with high resolution bass to let your um2 shine.

 

[WorldWithoutE]

I have tested the Sony and I couldn't really detect any hiss. So I would guess it is more a less a draw on SQ?

One more point though. I would not be jailbreaking the Touch if i am going to buy it.

Another question, what firmware does the 2nd Gen Touch come with?

 

[Walie]

you can't jailbreak a 2g ipod tough anyway

 

[shigzeo]

the 72/82 series hisses massively. if you use stock phones there is not much hiss but if you use even yuin ok series, it hisses. any iem will hiss madly with the sony. only the latest 73 and 63 series do not hiss badly but they hiss more than the touch.

 

[morehh]

i think a72x sounds better,also be good at it's batteries.
compare with a82x.bluetooth is useless..

 

[shigzeo]

the 828 does not get better battery than my touch. my touch easily gets over 30 hours, probably over 40 but my 828 while good is a fair way from the touch.