[akash neagi]

I'v finally decided to change my portable player setup.....
For some time now I have used my S3 and I really like it but I think its time to get something better.....
I actually prefer it to the iphone 4s and the ipod nano 4g......
But over all of these I like my Sony S tablet, the first one...
I use a XBA-3, HD439, SRH840 and MDR-1R,
but mostly my XBA-3.....
I'm also gonna get a portable amp with it, I was thinking the C5 maybe?
Mind you I live in Sydney and I don't like buying stuff online but, if I have no other options then I will......
 
I have looked into the following players:
 
iPod Classic 160GB http://www.apple.com/au/ipodclassic/specs.html
iPod Touch 5th Gen http://www.apple.com/au/ipod-touch/specs.html
Sony F805 http://www.sony.com.my/product/nwz-f805
Sony NWZZ1050B http://www.sony.com.au/product/nwz-z1050
 
I like something balanced, and has a built in eq as I like to eq my music........
Good bass line, I'm not a bass head but I still like my bass.....
I don't wanna rockbox or tamper with the iPod Classic so I will only get it if the sound quality is exceptional!!!
I know the s3 is more warm than balanced but after eqing it sounds really good.....
Please keep in mind I won't get anything till July cuz I will have to save up....
 
Any other suggestions? 
Please don't hesitate to write them down.......
 
Thanks in Advance

 

[Sefelt103]

Some questions, how much do you want to spend, can you accept a short duration battery and what type of files will you use with the player? Apple's iPod Classic is not ideal if you like equalising your sound. I prefered the 5th Gen Classic for sound although it has much less capacity and shorter battery duration. I have a 4th Gen Touch and while it has undeniably good sound quality with my Shure SE425 IEMs it seems to be lacking a little in smoothness however and it seems slightly artificial to me with more colour than I would like. Cowons are great for those wishing to adjust their sound. I didn't like the S9 I owned but if you want a long battery and pure sound quality takes second place to equalisation then they might be what you are looking for. They have a colourful sound which many mainstream players have these days. One of these days someone will design a harmonically dead player that you need to equalise to defrost it. 

 

[akash neagi]

Thanks man!
I don't want to spend more than $400.....
Battery life of 6hours music playback is okay.....

 

[Retrias]

You can try a cowon player, you can get the nice j3 for 200 bucka i think? They have a user eq and a really nice tweakable sounds

 

[akash neagi]

I was actually leaning towards the iPod touch....
One of the main reasons for so is the amount of accessories you get for apple products!!!!

 

[gnarlsagan]

Xba-3 has a 12 ohm impedance so you need something with a very low output impedance to have linear response. The sansa fuze or clip is your best option. Your S3 is likely distorting the actual frequency response if your xba-3.

 

[Sefelt103]

Quote: Originally posted by akash neagi

Battery life of 6hours music playback is okay.....

Few players have as short continuous battery duration as this unless you mean 6hrs typical use (ie. 12 hours continuous playback). Players like the HiFiman HM601, Colorfly C4 give this sort of playback time, although the C4 is more than $400. Perhaps a C3, stay away from Cowons as they have huge battery duration. I can understand why you would want a Apple iPod Touch as other products are more of a risk and none will have the support or availability that one of the richest businesses in the world has. The Touch does so many things and has to give performance in so many different fields that the idea of having a clunky 3000mah battery which powers hi-fi output music circuits for only 8 hours is not what general consumers want. 

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Few players have as short continuous battery duration as this unless you mean 6hrs typical use (ie. 12 hours continuous playback). Players like the HiFiman HM601, Colorfly C4 give this sort of playback time, although the C4 is more than $400. Perhaps a C3, stay away from Cowons as they have huge battery duration. I can understand why you would want a Apple iPod Touch as other products are more of a risk and none will have the support or availability that one of the richest businesses in the world has. The Touch does so many things and has to give performance in so many different fields that the idea of having a clunky 3000mah battery which powers hi-fi output music circuits for only 8 hours is not what general consumers want. 

This makes no sense.....why would you recommend against a player because it has great battery life? 

 
I'd sat to the OP get the iPod Touch 5th gen, and they may not even need an amp for it, as its output impedance lends itself well to IEMs. They can install any one of several EQ apps if they desire.

 

[akash neagi]

What I ment was that I only listen to music for a total of 6 hrs a day......
The point of the impedance makes sense on paper.....
But in real life I don't hear even the slightest bit of distortion....
Strange right?
But even if that's the case the 1r has an impedance of 24ohm and the other two I believe has 34ohm impidance so I don't think getting a reletively higher output impedance dap is a problem.

 

[Ari33]

Quote:

What I ment was that I only listen to music for a total of 6 hrs a day......
The point of the impedance makes sense on paper.....
But in real life I don't hear even the slightest bit of distortion....
Strange right?

 
You wouldn't necessarily hear distortion, it is the FR that is likely to be affected.

 

[akash neagi]

I just might get an Ipod touch and a sansa clip

 

[Sefelt103]

Originally Posted by Achmedisdead
 
This makes no sense.....why would you recommend against a player because it has great battery life?

Its more the battery size relative to the battery duration. Cowons have relatively small size/capacity batteries and long battery durations. This means only a relatively small draw is made on the battery. High grade components like a Wolfson WM8740 DAC or a TI OPA2604 amp. will draw much more current (especially in my Nationite S:Flo2 which has 2 of each.) Since consumers demanded improved battery duration but not with big lumps of heavy batteries added, compromises were made that tend to affect sound quality but minimise the draw on the battery. Colorfly C4 6 hours, HiFiman HM801 7-8 hours etc. If you want a detailed accurate sound then this usually means expensive components and more of them draining the battery.

 

[Retrias]

it doesn't really mean that the longer the dap battery is the worse the sound would be , i noticed that cowons is generally better than ipods including the non touch ipod, and besides the volume I actually liked it more than the hisound N1, just because most high end player have lower play time , doesn't mean you have to actually search for a player with lower playtime

 

[akash neagi]

what about the xperia z?????
compared to the other daps?
and how come no one suggests the walkmans????
I read that they are really good!?!?

 

[Sefelt103]

Retrias the Hisound Studio V is a classic example, over 100 hours battery from this tiny little player (also at the bargain UK price of £280.) Not a high quality player according to one review I read.