[alyanm]

Hah, I know what you mean!  In answer to your first question, I saw the J3 price on Amazon (Don't know if its still available).  In answer to the second, I found s:flo2 on mp4nation where they have a huge variety of players.  I haven't received it yet though, so I guess it takes a while -- they periodically order big batches from China?  I am also a bit concerned about the UI, but at that price and with the enthusiastic recommendation of many people here, I'm willing to give it a try.  I'm also giving the HM-601 a try, got tired of waiting for the S:Flo2 and I kept reading the Hifiman HM-601 review thread and couldn't stand it anymore.  I ordered one a couple of days ago!  As I understand it, the UI on the 601 is a little easier to use and the sound is a bit warmer, price is roughly $100 more -- I aim to find out for myself which one will go best with my brand new JH16s!
 
Good luck!
 
Quote:

Where the heck do you get a 32GB J3 for $220?
 
And the post that said you more you research the unhappier you'll be is 100% true.  I have no clue what the hell I should get again, there are too many choices.  Was thinking the Sflo2 but don't even know where to get one, and worried about the UI.

 

 

[rawrster]

The UI of the 601 tbh isn't as bad as I expected. I expected much worse but I was pleasantly surprised. It doesn't compare to a mainstream dap but that's to be expected. The 601 price also goes down if you end up selling the RE-Zero which is what I did. Add a 16gb card and you have a 18gb player for around $200.

 

[alyanm]

That's exactly what I have planned, may I ask how much the RE-Zero went for?
 
Quote:

The UI of the 601 tbh isn't as bad as I expected. I expected much worse but I was pleasantly surprised. It doesn't compare to a mainstream dap but that's to be expected. The 601 price also goes down if you end up selling the RE-Zero which is what I did. Add a 16gb card and you have a 18gb player for around $200.

 

[ZARIM]

I just red the Cowon X7 review by Engadget ("The saving grace, as always, is the audio quality. Put simply, we're thinking you'll be hard-pressed to find a capacious PMP with sound quality that matches what we're hearing from the X7. It's simply the best audio experience out of a PMP, bar-none.")  and it's look like amazing sound quality PMP with large capacity(160GB) and 4.3in touchscreen.

 

[s2odin]

Quote:

I am also a bit concerned about the UI, but at that price and with the enthusiastic recommendation of many people here, I'm willing to give it a try.
 

 I actually like the UI of the s:flo2.  I came from an iPod Touch and it seems easier to use.  You just have to go through the directories, as it doesn't recognize all the albums.  I like how it won't play if nothing is plugged in.  The one thing I don't like is when you want to go to another song, you have to navigate the directory menu again.  But eh, it's really not that bad, and sounds better than my old iPod

 

[jfindon]

I just watched the hand on overview of the S:flo2 and don't think the UI looks that bad at all, with the second theme they used at least.  Looked similar to the Zune's main menu.
 
Can someone explain better why you have to use directories instead of going through artists or albums?  If everything is tagged properly how can it screw them up?

 

[singh]

the UI does not look bad it feels bad to use  , its slow and unresponsive! ...look wise i have no complaints ...its just that when it comes in to my hand the problem starts !

 

[s2odin]

Quote:

the UI does not look bad it feels bad to use  , its slow and unresponsive! ...look wise i have no complaints ...its just that when it comes in to my hand the problem starts !

Yea it is definitely slow.
 
I have found it to be extremely responsive tho, like if I choose a song, I have to hold onto it until the screen shuts off before putting it in my pocket.  I didn't do this once, and the screen was on and I threw it in my pocket and every step I took, it changed the EQ =|
 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

the UI does not look bad it feels bad to use  , its slow and unresponsive! ...look wise i have no complaints ...its just that when it comes in to my hand the problem starts !

Mine wasn't slow and unresponsive.  Granted I didn't use any of the internal memory (2GB) so that wasn't a bottleneck for the UI.

 

[Ince]

I have only heard Sony,Apple,Iriver,Samsung DAPs and out of all of them the Iriver Hxxx series had the best sound quality specialy when rockboxed.

 

[jfindon]

Quote:

the UI does not look bad it feels bad to use  , its slow and unresponsive! ...look wise i have no complaints ...its just that when it comes in to my hand the problem starts !

I didn't mean actual "look", I meant it didn't seem that bad to me.  Sure it wasn't as fluid as Zunes or iPods or whatever, but I was expecting a complete buggy mess.
 
For $140 I can't really think of a reason not to get one if they sound that good.  I only have a LittleDot MK1+ amp right now but plan on getting a HeadStage eventually, I'm interested in seeing how they sound.  Maybe I'll put it on my Christmas list, but I don't know if it would get here in time since they are just getting stock in from now until the 10th.  Where do they ship from when purchased from MP4NationForums?

 

[singh]

mp4nation forums ?...get them directly form the site they ship it free(insured) to your address , if you want them fast pay extra for EMS
 
and there are not bugs in UI ( i mean no bugs that irritate me)..its the slow UI that irritates me with Sflo. in comparison i find the HM602 miles ahead! and easy to use, i hope you got my point.

 

[jfindon]

That's the site I meant, I got it confused with their forums.  So they ship from China I assume?  Then I'm sure it won't get here by Christmas, I'd have to check to see how much EMS is.

 

[singh]

they ship form HK. mine took a whooping 2.5 months ! i would recommend asking them for FedEx/TNT if you can afford them. otherwsie be prepared for a good waiting period ! ...not by christmas by any means !

 

[pejayjay]

Wow, good to know.  That pretty much means used or nothing for me.
 
Quote:

they ship form HK. mine took a whooping 2.5 months ! i would recommend asking them for FedEx/TNT if you can afford them. otherwsie be prepared for a good waiting period ! ...not by christmas by any means !