[dallan]

Yes the system settings volume is at high and i actually do normally keep the volume on the manual to around 80%. I am getting more used to it and like i said on its own it is okay as long as i don't compare it to the line out of the ipod. I haven't tried it to the regular HP jack on the ipod because i never use that. It must beat that SQ though. If going ampless,(which i haven't done in years) I would assume the SQ would actually be better out of the Fuse hp jack.

 

[Peyotero]

Well then there's only one option for you there. Get the D2 (i've seen you were interested in one), compare it with the Fuze and sell the one you don't like

 

[dallan]

I was thinking of doing that except I am not sure if the touchscreen would really work for me. Also I hate selling off stuff so I am pretty careful usually in my purchases. Maybe I can find one to audition at canfest. Until then I will use the Fuse and be happy with its atributes.

 

[jrosenth]

I had been listening to this just with denon 700s for truly portable then adding a Move D2 and Beyer 770 2005 and a silver mini-mini and truly enjoyed it for both uses

Then my move died so I have a nuforce mobile on order - I'll report back - but with the move it was truly delightful for a portable player

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dallan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes the system settings volume is at high and i actually do normally keep the volume on the manual to around 80%. I am getting more used to it and like i said on its own it is okay as long as i don't compare it to the line out of the ipod. I haven't tried it to the regular HP jack on the ipod because i never use that. It must beat that SQ though. If going ampless,(which i haven't done in years) I would assume the SQ would actually be better out of the Fuse hp jack.

FWIW, from the sansa forum, the line out of the Fuze is exactly the same as the Hi setting at 100% volume out of the headphone jack....

Give it a try that way and be really careful about equalizing the volume settings on the amp. The louder one is going to sound better, (of course).

Also, are you listening to FLAC from your ipod or ALAC?

USG

Edit: search audiophile mp3 players on cnet.... you will see how the Clip (which has the same chip as the Fuze) is rated compared to an ipod, for frequency response .....

 

[Peyotero]

Heh check out dallans signature, this gear is not kids stuff

I bet he knows what he's doing.

Also the Fuse's lineout is inaccessible with the curent firmware (maybe rockbox will fix it).

I suspect the reason he's setting the volume only to 80% is becouse some DAPs distort when the volume is maxed. Although it's seems not to be the case with Fuse and Clip.

 

[dallan]

I just know from electronics in general that it is better to run at 50% to 75% and with the daps usually 80% seems okay. I know about the FUZE Line out and from what i have read as well the line out is not quite as good SQ as the HP jack so i didn't even bother.

On my ipod i am running ALAC responding to the question, and the main reason i got the Fuze was because ipods do not support FLAC(unless you rockbox them).

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dallan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just know from electronics in general that it is better to run at 50% to 75% and with the daps usually 80% seems okay. I know about the FUZE Line out and from what i have read as well the line out is not quite as good SQ as the HP jack so i didn't even bother. On my ipod i am running ALAC responding to the question, and the main reason i got the Fuze was because ipods do not support FLAC(unless you rockbox them).

If you are using an amplifier, then it is best to set the volume of input device (dap) as high as it allows you to without distortion. This is to prevent noise from being amplified. Also some players sound best with higher volume. Set the HP out to 100% on the fuze.

I have found FLAC not to sound as good as WAV. I have noticed a drastic difference between the two formats. I would not blame it on the fuze for not being able to play FLAC as good as your iPod playing ALAC.

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dallan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just know from electronics in general that it is better to run at 50% to 75% and with the daps usually 80% seems okay. I know about the FUZE Line out and from what i have read as well the line out is not quite as good SQ as the HP jack so i didn't even bother. On my ipod i am running ALAC responding to the question, and the main reason i got the Fuze was because ipods do not support FLAC(unless you rockbox them).

I thought the headphone out, at 100%, to be ever so slightly cleaner than the line out on my Griffin dock, (not the line out of the Fuze).... my testing was some quick A - B back and forths and the perceived difference was so slight, (it might have even been placebo), that I continued to use the dock.

My guess is that the true line out signal is as SanDisk says: exactly the same as full volume from the headphone jack.

I propose an experiment for you. Rip one song in 320mp3 and try it in both players.

What level FLAC are you using?

USG



Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are using an amplifier, then it is best to set the volume of input device (dap) as high as it allows you to without distortion. This is to prevent noise from being amplified. Also some players sound best with higher volume. Set the HP out to 100% on the fuze. I have found FLAC not to sound as good as WAV. I have noticed a drastic difference between the two formats. I would not blame it on the fuze for not being able to play FLAC as good as your iPod playing ALAC.

Headphone jack at 100%.

Let's face it, these are portable players. They are not going to be the equivalent of a laptop>usb dac>amp.... for this reason I don't see any reason to go higher than 320mp3 and 320 sounds really good and saves you some space.

Speaking about FLAC not sounding as good as WAV, I once converted an mp4 directly to flac and was disappointed that it didn't sound as good as the mp4. I then decoded the mp4 to WAV and then into flac. Sounded just like the mp4. Go figure?

BTW, how do you feel 320mp3 sounds compared to WAV?

USG

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by upstateguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW, how do you feel 320mp3 sounds compared to WAV? USG

It depends on how revealing your headphones are and your hearing. 320 kps CBR MP3s encoded with the latest lame version sound good with my CX300. Ever since I paired my fuze+FiiO E3 (waiting for FiiO E5) with ER4S, I have decided that this combo is revealing enough for me to justify the move to WAV files only. The highs are now smooth and fluid instead of harsh. There is better soundstage and I can pickup more background noises and sounds - even recording defects.

 

[dallan]

Read all your comments, i will try at full volume, i think i did that at first and then decided to back it off a bit.

I know there is a big debate about bit rates. mp3/aac vs lossless. i can tell the difference myself-even from 320 to lossless. I used to have everything in WAV format(at one point)but found that the difference between wav and lossless was unnoticable to me for the most part if not completely. But -big but- that was not with this player so maybe i have to experiment for my self-I have to say though that the difference in SQ is more than i could imagine the difference to go from lossless to wav.

I used the FUZE today and it is okay really, i don't really have a huge complaint. Also converting to wav reverses the whole reason i got the FUZE - to play my FLAC files without having to convert them to wav.
By the way if i convert alac to flac i do do it the roundabout way - uncompressing to wav and then recompressing to FLAC, that is the way it had been suggested to me that i do it.

Thanks for the comments, input is always appreciated.

Oh by the way, the FUZE died today in mid song, sitting on my car seat as i listened to music waiting for someone. Nothing would start it until plugging it into the aux plug charger. It came to life but was very slow/frozen. I reset it a couple of times over the next 45 min - hr because the screen was just dead blank/dark and it finally came back to life.....go figure huh, musta known i was talking sh** about it.

 

[upstateguy]

Dallan

Have you compared 320 to flac in the fuze?

What level flac are you using?

USG

 

[dallan]

I am not sure it is from downloads. When i convert i think i put my settings on 2 which is out of eight next to the least compression. The converter came set on 4 middle but i changed it closer to low compression. I have not compared 320, all my 320 i deleted a while back. Turning up the volume on the dap helped a little(listening earlier on the Pico). I think it is just a sound signature thing, my ears have gotten used to it but it is still maybe like the noise floor is just higher with the FUZE or something. I have been mostly comparing it with the Lisa lll since it is very accurate and i have the same cabling that i can use to take that out of the equation.

 

[Masse1369]

Anybody else have any problems playing it in your car? Me and my wife both have 2008 Toyotas and I'm using the standard Radio Shack 3.5-3.5 cable. If you wiggle it in about half way, sometimes we can get sound. Any ideas? I've tried 2 different cables, but they are both the Radio Shack ones. I updated both of them to the latest firmware. I have an 8gb Black from Costco and I got her a red 4gb from BestBuy. I need some help. TIA...

 

[dallan]

I use a mini-mini cable Headphone out to plug for car stereo and i haven't had a problem. If you use headphones, it is the same plug. Check to see if the plugs you are using have two black lines around the metal plug itself. I think Radio shack now sells some mini cables for cell phones and i can't remember if they also have the two lines or three but they are made for the push to talk and if you try to run stereo headphones with them there will be a problem.