best mp3 player for sound quality
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Seirrah
Seirrah
danceMB said:
Ohhhh yes!
Look at the expensive models from Super.fi, Etymotics and Shures.
Regarding the player I'd have to say the Zen Vision M or Cowon X5. They are both good for sound and I recommend picking between them on other factors which are important to you.
Soldato
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Problem with the iRiver's Hxxx series is that they're getting a bit rare now, especially the H1xxs, not that I wouldn't buy one. Modern the Zen Vision:M is good, as is the Sony NW-A3000 (but lacks features and has crap software). I wouldn't go for a Cowon X5, they have sound which is a bit muddy. Personally I don't like iPod 5gs or their sound, but that may be dislike of the object more than anything else. As for earphones, imo Sharp MD-33s are just about the best you will get in the low end price range, for the mid price range, probably Etymotics Er-6i's. For top end, Sures, Super Fi's or Audio Technicas.
I reckon it comes down to personal/subjective taste when it comes to choosing between the X5/iRiver/Zen/Sony/5G iPods. They all add their own "signature" to the sound, as do the earphones you use. There no real consensus on which sounds best.
I love my iRiver H120, sounds better than any other player I've tried. I'm no audiophile but I did a quick comparison once with my Sony fontopia earphones with some 190kbps MP3 tracks on my H120, my brother's Zen touch, and my sister's Zen micro. I also tried my dad's Palm tungsten TX PDA, and the iRiver sounded better than all of them - a lot crisper and more clearly defined sound
. The iPod sounds a little shallow and tinny to my ears, and they all seem to get scratched and break after a year or so!
. The iPod sounds a little shallow and tinny to my ears, and they all seem to get scratched and break after a year or so!Karma has had it's day SQ wise, many people will agree that it doesn't provide the best sound output anymore.
But it still does have great format support and is gapless, and of course it's huge 50mw pch output can drive large cans, but even the 5g has cought up SQ wise in many peoples opinion.
But it still does have great format support and is gapless, and of course it's huge 50mw pch output can drive large cans, but even the 5g has cought up SQ wise in many peoples opinion.
I have as well.Eliot said:
My old Rio600 had good SQ as well. Most Rio's seem to in all fairness.
You will forever be know to me as 'Mr iRiver'p4radox said:
The old iPods did sound shallow. The new ones dont though. I found that the 5g's actually sounded better than my old H140.
And they dont break after a year or so. Victim of the media.
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BoomAM said:You will forever be know to me as 'Mr iRiver'
I'm flattered
. No really...I've not done much iRiver pimping for last few months, i'm not too impressed with their current lineup. If I were going to buy a new DAP I'd go for that Samsung YH-J70.
BoomAM said:
Well a hell of a lot of them do. This is not me being a fanboi, because I'm not - but in my experience soo many iPods break down it's unbelieveable. I know quite a few iPod fanboys and girls and even they admit that they're unreliable!
They must have been unlucky.
Because ive owned a few iPods, one of my mates has had his for several years, and i know 5-6 more people who have mini's and none of them have broken thus far.
They have the same failure ratio as any other player. It just gets highlighted more because of their popularity.
Because ive owned a few iPods, one of my mates has had his for several years, and i know 5-6 more people who have mini's and none of them have broken thus far.
They have the same failure ratio as any other player. It just gets highlighted more because of their popularity.
BoomAM said:
That is a good point I have to admit. But even the minis aren't immune from from iPod dodgy battery syndrome - I've seen 3 go down in the last month or so, all with the same symptoms. One of my mates took his back and got it replaced with a 4Gb Nano free of charge, so it's not all bad.