[atomicampao]

Good day to all! This is my first post here and I would lie to ask a question.

I've been using a Sony w810i walkman phone for the past couple of months as my main source for portable music. I've been using it with a home made cmoy amp and a pair of hd 205's and i've been pretty happy with the sound so far, especially with the phone having a 5 band eq so I can adjust the sq because the hd 205's sound kind of "honky".

I have realized lately that the battery life of my phone has been slowly getting shorter and I have been thinking of getting a dedicated portable player. Will the zen v plus be pretty good? I'm looking for something not too expensive. I really love how my friends nw-a808 sounds but it costs twice as much as the zen here in the philippines. I also have several sansa models (E260 and 270) to choose from except for the Clip, dang.

I'll be listening to a bunch of different stuff from rock to jazz, blues and classical. Thank you so much for any help you guys can give me.

Btw, I used to own a 2nd gen nano (gift) and gave it to my girl friend because of the quite poor sq. Will the zen sound better?

 

[x-kevin]

Probably not, Sony's generally sound pretty good!

 

[atomicampao]

thanks x-kevin. From the looks of it, I should just wait for a good deal on a sony portable player or just get a new battery for my phone. It's just that some of the posts I've read here in head-fi suggest that the w810i's sq is not as good as a dedicated sony mp3 player.

 

[x-kevin]

I definatley agree to that... I am getting an S818... (i think thats the model).

They seem to sound pretty good, if I find any deals I'll post them here!

 

[atomicampao]

thanks man! good luck with your up coming purchase. i'll be keeping an eye out for one of those, too.

 

[yslee]

I do think getting a new battery is not a bad idea. It's probably the cheapest option too!

 

[hardnrg]

I used to have a W810i, and the days I forgot to charge my X5L and had to use it to listen to music with... MAN, it sucked... the sound quality and EQ are so much better on the X5L... even my iFP-899 before it had a far superior EQ that worked very well...

The W810i EQ doesn't seem to do much at all, maybe +/- 3dB, or does it even go negative? All I remember is hating myself for forgetting to charge up the X5L...

I think even my PSP has better sound quality.

Definitely look into a dedicated player...

 

[atomicampao]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm really nowhere near an audiophile when it comes to appreciating the sq of media players but i think hardnrg has a point when he/she said that my phone has far from optimum audio performance. I would really like to purchase a player that is at least "pretty good" and, if possible, has an eq so i could tweak the sound a bit.

Among the players that I have mentioned above, which would you prefer? My choices are rather limited where i'm at. I am also considering the 30 GB zune. Is it any good? Thanks again guys for all the help!

 

[x-kevin]

If you get a Zune you will be content, however I don't think the Zune I used had a custom EQ.. though I may be wrong!

Personally, I'd get one of the new Sony's or for real audiophile quality go for a Cowon, maybe one of the iAudio's!

 

[Sparky191]

I use my w810i sometimes for music. While my A818 is obviously better, the w810i isn't so bad that I couldn't listen to it. I wouldn't be an audiophile either. But I think you'd enjoy a A818 or even a A618.

 

[Ricardo Dawkins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by x-kevin /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you get a Zune you will be content, however I don't think the Zune I used had a custom EQ.. though I may be wrong! Personally, I'd get one of the new Sony's or for real audiophile quality go for a Cowon, maybe one of the iAudio's!

Zune has 7 EQ presets. not custom.

 

[x-kevin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricardo Dawkins /img/forum/go_quote.gif Zune has 7 EQ presets. not custom.

lol ya thats what I thought. you mentioned you wanted an EQ so maybe a Zune won't be the best option.

personally, I don't care whether it has an EQ or not, if I EQ a song I do it on my computer before putting it on my player

 

[Navyblue]

I used to listen to a SE K810i and now got the Sony NWZ-A816. The difference is there, but IMO you hear more difference by swapping phones.

I don't know how is the price in Philippines. I ordered mine which is on sale from Sony | NWZ-A816BLK 4GB Walkman Video MP3 Player | NWZA816B | B&H . Even with shipping halfway across the globe to Singapore I am still getting a good deal compared to local price. And in some cases, I get about 50% savings, especially with the exchange rate now.

 

[atomicampao]

Thank you all for your replies! I've decided to purchase a Zune 30GB and the new Sennheiser cx400's. IMO, they match up very well together, so much so that I didn't need to use the EQ of the Zune at all.

I haven't read many reviews for the cx400 but for an amateur audio buff like me, I'd say they are some of the finest IEM's I've listened to for the price. Excellent, controlled bass; very detailed and warm-sounding mids and highs- very musical phones. On the other end, the Zune has a very clean signal even if it's a hard drive player- powerful, clear and crisp and pretty wide sound stage.

Thank you again guys for all the help! Head-fi FTW!

 

[woopididi]

have fun with your new equipment.