Give me a portable audio solution to get from Santa

Azza

Azza

Azza

Caporegime
Joined
6 Dec 2005
Posts
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Location
Birmingham
Sadly my Sony NWZ-S639F is dying. It doesn't like shutting down properly, and usually comes back on after a few seconds, so in the mornings it's practically out of battery, which even on a full charge doesn't last very long any more. Shure SE110s are pretty knackered as well now, so I need something new and who better to get me something new than the big man!

I don't mind spending £150-£170 on IEMs (£200 at max if they're worth it) as long as I've got something to plug them into that'll make them worth the money and I've been really thinking about a Sansa Clip+ and getting a 16Gb memory card for it and maybe a FiiO amp to go with it.

I'm not too fussed about size, watching videos on it or what ever because I can use my phone for that, or if I'm going some where, I'll probably have my laptop or tablet on me any way. I don't really have a budget, but it'd be a couple hundred £, not really asked for anything from him this year, so this would probably be my only real gift and either IEMs or the mp3 player I'll buy myself.


Any solution suggestions and specifically recommendations for IEMs?

Thanks. :)
 
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Azza said:
I've been really thinking about a Sansa Clip+ and getting a 16Gb memory card for it and maybe a FiiO amp to go with it.
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i'd go for a 32GB card myself - only 26 quid for a sandisk one on amazon. they've dropped in price massively recently. a few months back when i was looking at a 16GB card for 15 quid, the 32GB cards were 55 quid. :eek:
 
Shamrock said:
That is a decent budget for IEMs. What sort of music do you generally listen to? With higher-end IEMs it is more a case of finding one with a sound signature that suits your preferences rather than which one has "the best SQ".

This thread may help you out...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-205-iems-compared-j-phonic-k2-sp-added-11-13-11

On an unrelated note I'm selling my Earsonic SM3 v1.;)
Click to expand...

I honestly listen to a lot of varying types of music. I've got a lot of rap/ hip-hop stuff, some DnB, mash up stuff, Linkin Park to Jimmy Eat World.


marc2003 said:
i'd go for a 32GB card myself - only 26 quid for a sandisk one on amazon. they've dropped in price massively recently. a few months back when i was looking at a 16GB card for 15 quid, the 32GB cards were 55 quid. :eek:
Click to expand...

So they are! 32Gb card it is then.



There's so many to choose from! I've got the following so far...

ACS T15 - flange tips putting me off a lot, despite good reviews.
Shure SE425 - higher end of the budget.
Westone UM2 - again good reviews, just bass a bit soft, dubbed as being 'safe'.
Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 - The old pro as it were, but again high end of the budget.


Then there are Minerva Mi-1's, would it be a bit silly getting these just because they would be a perfect fit? I doubt I could afford to get the Mi-2s, sadly. :(
 
I wouldn't worry to much about an amp till you've tried your player and iem's together. The clip+ should do them justice if it sounds any thing like the original clip (worked rather well with my se530's.)

Unfortunately can't comment on your choice of iem's, I've only had experience with shure's old range, but as shamrock's pointed out head-fi is a great resource for owners experiences.
 
Jumping straight to customs could be risky. The fit shouldn't be a problem if you go to a decent audiologist, but if you dislike the sound signature you are stuck with a pair of custom IEMs that are difficult to sell since they only fit your ears!

That HF thread I posted has a review of pretty much every IEM worth looking it.
 
Azza said:
I've been really thinking about a Sansa Clip+ and getting a 16Gb memory card for it and maybe a FiiO amp to go with it.
Click to expand...

Had a sony mp3 player that just stopped booting and couldn't flash it with newer firmware and after contacting sony support basically got told they dont care mp3 players arn't covered by their warrenty (Will never buy sony again because of that) but picked up a Sansa Clip+ after reading a few reviews for about £30 and had a few micro SD cards.

Will be putting Rockbox on it when I get a chance which is supposed to make it even better but for the cash with a decent set of earphones can't fault it for a straight up mp3 player.
 
After reading quite a few reviews and that thread on Head Fi I've narrowed it down to. In order of what I'm thinking I'll go for.


Westone UM2s - £189.99

HiFiMan RE-272s - £169

Vsonic GR07s - £129.99

ACS T15 (universal) - £149.99

HiFiMan RE-262s - £99
 
Just seen the Sansa Clip+ 8Gb with free 16Gb card deal on Play, so going to order that now! :D
 
I have a Clip+ but kinda still prefer my A818 mainly because it has better battery life, and better controls. But otherwise the Clip is better. The radio on the clip is dire though, don't buy it for that. I expect the S639F has a decent radio. The Clip+ has been replaced now by a new model the Zip. Theres also some new Sonys too, like the NWZ-A865.
 
Hopefully my Sansa Clip and the memory card arrive today. Since they got dispatched on the 12th & the 13th.

I usually get things at most within 3 days from Play, so this is rather unusual having to wait this long to be honest! :(
 
Best setup I've had is Cowon J3 with my Brainwavz M3‘s, my new Sony S series and Clip+ come close though
 
I was going to say that on a budget, Klipsch S4s are very good for their price.

I have replaced my aging SE110s with them, and they are great, if a bit bass heavy, but that just took a minor EQ tweak on my phone to sort out.

Moot now as you have bought far superior ones, enjoy!
 
How good are these Sansa Clips? I've had a quick look at they seem pretty cheap!

I'm assuming they work best when paired up with some sort of portable DAC/amp?

Sorry, audio noob here!
 
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