You could also look into sansa clip+ and Colorfly c3

Hippo is more lively and fun while Colorfly is towards clean and clarity IMO. Hence to me feels like c3 brings out the best in ba driver earphones.

Nano is probably the best option since girls put more preference to design and looks than sound quality. Unless she's an audiophile ofc

why not just go to Jaben to try them out?

i might be willing to sell mine for RM300 including the silicone case and screen protector if you want =P
Less than 2 months, like new condition.

yep, its a pure audiophile dap. I prefer the clean clarity and neutrality of the C3 over the X3, so i'm still undecided if i should sell the C3 or the X3 =P

FiiO X3, AK100, AK120 can play both ALAC and FLAC

from what i read, SQ is good, reliability not so

first what's your budget?
and only headphones? no IEMs?

Yes, but the AK120 is ridiculously overpriced unless you have loads of money to spare without worries then it's okay.
But the build quality and design is without a doubt the best out of most audiophile DAPs. Wish i had the cash to get one

If SQ is more important compared to the UI/features/functions, then you can look at Colorfly C3 > Sansa Clip = iPod
Headphones there are 2 types, open or closed cans. For open you will be able to get more depth and soundstage, but isolation won't be as good as closed, and others around you can hear yours songs too.
Closed has better isolation, but less depth and soundstage.

Since you are looking more towards monitoring, you can research more on Beyerdynamic/Sennheiser/Shure models.

This post has been edited by Lego Warfare: Aug 8 2013, 01:40 AM

haven't tried the C4, but the C3 is very affordable with better SQ than sansa and ipod. But i've seen many preferring the DX100 than the AK120 though, but i won't comment on them since i haven't tried the DX100.
The AK100 output impedance is around 22? Not suited for most IEMs as they are around 16, but then again numbers doesn't mean anything
FiiO X3 is almost comparable to AK100 and less than 3x the price which is really reasonable, but build quality and aesthetics doesn't come close to the AK100. So tempted on the AK100 just on the basis of looks lol

No no, what I meant is that in the end your ears will be the better judge instead of numbers. While the impedance in AK100 is a mismatched with a number of IEMs, I've seen some people preferring the sound they hear as it sounded more neutral and less warmish to them.
Ofc numbers would matter in a sense that the sound the DAP produce is what was intended by the developers instead of a mismatch that would alter what you hear

@matalie - if you place SQ more importantly don't disregard the C3 It is a very neutral, clear and detailed DAP.
IEM has more isolation as the sound is directly in your ear canal. So separation and clarity is definitely towards IEM.

@E1 - AKG
To me the SQ for both C3 and X3 is quite subjective though. Clarity and details to me C3 is ahead of X3, while X3 is ahead in dynamics and soundstage.
C3 feels more neutral while X3 is the warmish type. If given an amp, I'd feel the C3 would be ahead of X3. Definitely best bang for buck DAP despite its horrible touch buttons and simple UI.

iPod classic would be a decent choice if you want big capacity for that price.

Sorry I don't have the classic, only the nano
But pretty sure there is a difference, but how big the gap is subjective depending on the person.

Well you said you wanted big capacity and decent SQ, i think the classic suits your requirements. They have the biggest capacity in that price range and their SQ is decent.

i think all of them have rockbox capability already? heard the zip is stable now too

That depends. What are you using now? Just Note 2?

No they don't. I own a note 2 and X3, and I can say the SQ in the X3 is noticeably better but the the Note 2 isn't that far away.

only 1 comes to find which has them all... sansa clip/zip =)

you can check Sansa Clip, Colorfly C3, FiiO X3, DX50, HM602 and the likes.