I accept that, but what pushed me over to the 'dark side' was the anythingbutipod review. Abi is hyper-critical of most of what comes down the pike (Clip and Clip+ being about the only exceptions), and he is a self-confessed 'rabid fanboy' of the V1. I actually seek out reviews from folk who have a track record of 'putting the boot in' to manufacturers, even at the risk of no longer receiving review samples, and some of Abi's DAP reviews are scathing - when he ends a review like this, I sit up and take notice:
The ZO does what most other portable amps aren’t able to do: it indeed makes the sound subjectively better. It has no detrimental effects on the source audio, and it is able to beef up any signal if one wishes so. This is more than can be said about much higher priced ‘audiophile’ amps that are hyped in certain circles. The ZO might not have a brushed steel chassis or overpriced boutique capacitors and opamps – but contrary to those products, it actually affects the perceived sound quality in a positive, audible way – besides the usual increase in loudness.
the ZO is the first one that adds a veritable wow factor to the sound. No, not the awful SRS WOW kind – a real WOW, coming from the guts, that makes me grin uncontrollably.
http://anythingbutipod.com/2011/06/digizoid-zo-portable-subwoofer-review/
If DigiZoid paid Abi for that review, they most definitely got their money's worth. Read his reviews of the Arrow 12HE and the Pico Slim for examples of his normal 'measured' style of reviewing portable kit.
He was the reason I ended up with the Clip+ and the J3. These are products I would not of bought, thing about the ZO is, sounded great on paper but the fact sharper image where selling it, never gave me a cozy feeling that it actually worked, since SI always seem to sell cheaply made products that never last.
