So I just got the 3rd Anniversary Edition Player delivered today....
Well, my first impression is that it is smaller than the pictures indicate. The build quality seems to be great. I love the silver colour, and the thing reminds me of a slightly chunky cigarette lighter. It has a very sparse user interface, and is not entirely intuitive to use.
The sound....
Well I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. It does sound good, but not as good as the reviews say. It seems, to my ears, to be on the warmer side of neutral. Using the unit with the Shure 1440's produced a thicker and warmer sound than these cans usually do. The Shure's didn't sound as sparkly and detailed as they do when paired with other players. Other players I own (eg- Voodooe'd Galaxy S, and iHifi 812V2) have a sound which rivals this player, and they cost half as much. I was expecting a more "slamming" and dynamic sound.
I also happened to receive my V-Moda m-100's in the post at the same time. Ironically these sounded very well balanced and pairs well with the player. The m-100's sound more bass-focused, and less mid-centric when used with other players.
Mind you, these are all initial impressions straight out of the box. I'm not a huge believer in the beneficial effects of "burn-in" for audio equipment, but I hope the sound improves with time.
