[Chuckwalla]

I am currently looking for a new portable. I currently am using a fifth gen ipod, 30gb with rockbox. I am looking to get something to replace it. One that I saw interested me was this:

COWON America

My first question is, I see that it has 16 ohm output. Now I am not an expert on this, but I know the ipod has 32 ohm out. Will my grado SR80s sound any different with this?

My second question is, what would you guys recomend as a replacement? I would like around the same amount of space, more being better, for under $300. Cheaper being better obviously, but I am willing to pay for quality.

Thanks, I would appreciate input.

 

[my.self]

personally, have a zen vision M and i thought that after my ZVM breaks or w/e i kinda want a cowon A3. to me, the features to the cowon A3 seems so appealing. and its under 300$ =). but of course, this is only happening after my ZVM breaks. i really dont want to waste money on a new DAP when my current one works perfectly fine.

and...about ur ohm thing, im no expert on the technical stuff either about the whole "ohm" but i think it has something to do with volume..um..i think the higher the ohm, the louder ur volume needs to be and the lower the ohm, the less volume u need. I AM NOT 100% SURE. i am just trying to help u out in any way possible, if anyone does actually know the whole "ohm" business, please explain and correct me. o yea, to me, i think ur sr80's will be fine.

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

ohm is about headphone matching for good volume levels with out maxing out the player..

 

[tds101]

A 16 ohm headphone requires less power to drive, it's more sensitive. But, it's also less efficient, so an impedance adapter, or an amp, is sometimes required to get the best sound out of a portable player. As for the link, the O2 will drive these headphones just fine. They're 32ohm, just perfect actually, as the O2 is 32mw per channel. This translates to decent driving power for the cans. An amp is always a plus, though I've only tried a crappy "Boosteroo", and I've got a budget Fiio amp on the way. And TBH, it's not a necessity.

 

[Chuckwalla]

Thanks guys I appreciate the help.