[ExpatinJapan]

I have a thread in the headphones section
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/499742/advice-on-next-player-and-headphone-purchase
and one member kindly suggested I post this question in this section.
 
Which combination should I choose and why?
At the moment I am leaning towards Cowon J3 with ATH-ESW9 headphones (with a urge to own the ibasso T3).
This will be strictly for listening to music (such as Radiohead, Coldplay, Cat Power), no videos and commuting on a train. 
 
Cowon J3
Cowon J3 + ibasso T3
iPod 5.5g
iPod Classic + T3
iPod 5.5g +  P3

 

[Hero Kid]

I'm interested why you are so keen on using the T3 as opposed to some other portable headphone amp?
Also is the "ibassoP3" a typo?
 
As for the J3/J3+ Amp vs iPod .55g/iPod 5.5g + Amp to me it comes down to capacity.
Do you want a large library, possibly all lossless or are you fine with say 32gb (higher or less) of some lossy format?
Either are fantastic players and the sonic differences in SQ would be minute.
However if you plan to use an amp (and you seem pretty dedicated on using one) the iPod would have the edge if you used a LOD over the J3's HO.

 

[Averruncus]

Cowon J3 - Awesome, have one and love it!
Cowon J3 + ibasso T3 - Awesome, amp won't add much though IMO. Never tried the T3 though....
iPod 5.5g - Might as well get a J3, SQ good but not as good as J3 with JetEffects turned on. Better UI though.
iPod Classic + T3 and iPod 5.5g + ibasso P3 - Never tried the T3...

 

[Hero Kid]

Yes the Cowon J3 has the mighty Cowon EQ (JetEffects) but don't forget you can Rockbox the 5.5g giving it a completely customizable (I think even 24 band) EQ.
The Rockbox EQ would surpass if not tie the Cowon JetEffects .

 

[ExpatinJapan]

``Also is the "ibassoP3" a typo?``

 
sorry I thought thats what you referred to in the other thread, what is P3 (pico?).
 
**
 
I have only had about 600 songs for about 3/4 years, I don`t see myself expanding to a huge amount, would rather just have good quality of what I like rather than quantity- I see myself re-recording my music to a better quality.
 
*Cowon J3  is 32gb and I can also get a micro SD 16gb (any larger?).
 
Why the ibasso T3?, just smaller than most (and I don`t want FiioE7), size is good, not too bulky. Thats all.

 

[Hero Kid]

600 songs. God that seems a small amount. Are you sure you will even be needing a 32gb J3 let alone 16gb microSD card?
I say buy the J3 (You decide what capacity) and go from there. I personally think you'll be happy with it and if you still feel something is lacking then consider looking at a portable amp.
It is a real beauty of a player

 

[ExpatinJapan]

If I have I Cowon 32gb + a bit more I can visit friends houses and copy and paste, and copy and paste LOL

 

[Hero Kid]

Haha win indeed. Probably technically illegal but win all the same.
Do you personally or have access to CD's or other ways of getting higher quality music?
You should hear a big difference if you start using 256kbps mp3 as opposed to 128kbps. Effects start diminishing up into the 320kbps and more so when you get to FLAC but if your ears are up to it you might be able to notice a difference. So if you can try increasing the quality of the music you are playing, it'll be a big help in achieving a SQ gain.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Do you personally or have access to CD's or other ways of getting higher quality music?

 
*In Japan video rental stores also rent out CDs for low rental fees so I have access to many, many CDs (crazy huh!?!!) and I plan to replace all my bad MP3 files with beautiful quality files. Also one of my friends has a huge CD collection.
 
Just noticed Sandisk  has 32gb micro SD cards also. That would bump the Cowon up to 64GBs.

 

[Hero Kid]

^ God I'm jealous. I either download my FLAC tracks (illegally) or buy the CD (normally second hand) and rip it myself. Both methods are expensive and time consuming :/
I suggest you use XLD and if you want I'll get you a good guide to set it up and rip everything into FLAC or ALAC. Once you've got it lossless you can transcode it to a lower quality for use on portable devices and the likes. At least that's what I do.
 
EDIT: And yes Sansa have a 32gb microSD card but it's rather expensive. If you can afford it and want the extra space go for it but it might be more practical to go for a cheaper 16gb card (or two).

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Yes tell me about XLD and I will use it.
 
I will get a Cowon J3  32 GB model for starters, and then when it gets full just buy a 32gb to expand it - Is my plan.