[ctguitarguy]

ive been reading many of the threads and the top three seem to be cowon,sony, and sansa brand wise. ive debated the 2nd gen ipod touch,which looks interesting. the sony models seem to be generally accepted as having the best audio. any thoughts? memory has to be at the very least 16 gigs. i have a ton of music so space is a factor.

 

[krmathis]

You can't go much wrong with an RWA iMod imo.

[size=xx-small]Picture from the website:[/size]

 

[beep]

Just trying to learn, but with an iMod aren't you putting the cost of a player into an inferiorly built machine?

 

[qusp]

if by inferior build you mean current best sounding player then yes it 'inferior' it depends on what you want and how much money you've got to spend, because to get the most out of an IMOD/DIYMOD you need to pair it with a decent amp. but really unless you want all the extraneous bell and whistles of some of the newer players.ie. wifi, bluetooth, touchscreen, games etc. then IMO it is most definitely the best sounding player on the market. it does what a dap should. It plays music and video with a minimum of fuss and it sounds fantastic doing it. i'm not sure that you know what the IMOD thing is about?? am I right? in a nutshell the modified ipod ie: the IMOD/DIYMOD through a streamlined lineout produces the cleanest lineout signal of any DAPO currently available. I know that I still get surprised at the SQ that comes out of mine most days. Of course that may have a little something to do with the rest of my rig as well. in essence the IMOD/diymod allows your other gear to shine. of course it can become rather pricey and not a little larger than a simple DAP->IEM solution, but to me the gains are worth the pains.[size=large]

[/size]

 

[beep]

I've read about the iMod, I'm just not sold on Apple's build quality.

 

[qusp]

oh well you think what you want but i've still got 2 of the 4 ipods that I ever bought. my nano 1G still works great and thats years old. this DIYMOD isa 5.5G so its years old too. the 3G ipod that I used to own but gave to a friend still works no problem. see where i'm going. I've never had anything have to go back to apple. in 20yrs of using their computers. I use avery one of them until its too slow for me to cope anymore and I upgrade.I dont understand your issue. apple has some of the best if not THE best industrial design in the industry. so much so that it has a number of imitators. apple the company has a few issues as far as its anti competitive marketing. but thats not what we're talking about. what exactly is your problem with the build quality

 

[walkingman]

The term best industrial design is rather subjective, don't make it out as fact.

For example I personally think IBM/Lenovo makes the best business class notebooks on the market, but I understand that not everyone likes the black bento box design.

As for reliability, some people still have their original Xbox 360, while some has had ten of them RROD. Sometimes people get lucky and others don't. Just chill a little bit.

 

[beep]

Just seen and heard of alot of iPods failing and having problems IRL.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beep /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've read about the iMod, I'm just not sold on Apple's build quality.

Thats personal preference.
Which certainly don't mean that the iMod, which is based on an Apple iPod, are inferior built.

I have had/have a total of 5 iPod's, and not had a single issue with any of them. My currently daily player are a 2 1/2 year old 1G iPod nano, still running on its stock battery.


On another note, the OP asked for the "best players for audio quality". No mention of build quality or value for money...

 

[beep]

I know. I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beep /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just seen and heard of alot of iPods failing and having problems IRL.

yes well that might have something to do with the fact that there are millionds and millions of ipods out there of course there will be issues amongst them. my personal experience has been flawless.. and god how many times do you want me to bloody say IMO in one post??. I dont use it once and you tell me off for it. and apple has won award after award for their design so actually it is rather more fact than opinion. although it is IMO. and just as I thought. you actually dont have any personal experience of issues you have just picked up some apple bashing on the net and passed it on as your opinion

 

[beep]

Not on the internet, just from friends, people i know. You might be right.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beep /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just seen and heard of alot of iPods failing and having problems IRL.

Well, with so many iPod's sold its no surprise that some of them fail.
Its been over 1 1/2 years since Apple sold their 100th million iPod -> 100 Million iPods Sold

I doubt any other portable player out there have sold in such numbers, and hence the number of broken units can't be compared.

 

[ctguitarguy]

well i will say im a bit weary of HD based mp3 players...they are mechanical and ultimately hard drives fail.... additionally it appears the best reviewed mp3 players in terms of audio fidelity seem to be flash based...so yea im just looking to see what current models are the creme of the crop for audio quality.

 

[max-9]

Best sounding ?..Imo..
Cowon.
Ive got Ipods
Archos
Rios
Etc..

My Cowon X5l...3 years old , Still the best sounding player I own.