Using Ipod Classic. A marvelous rubbish bin!

Sold Creative x-fi2 because it was not what i think it was. Apparently the crystallization function in x-fi (in my ears) is the same as HTC smartphones with "beats" audio option enabled. Just tuning the EQ to "powerful", ie the V-shaped curve. Lagipun, I really dislike waiting for the micro-sd card to load everytime I wanna play songs from there.

Kbps is a very very general guideline. Normally music quality cannot just be determined by the specs like file format (mp3/flac/aac) or bitrate (1411kbps) or bit depth (16 bits/24 bits). Those are general indication, but mainly the most important thing is the mastering. Meaning how good the song is recorded and processed from the studio.

If you're going to casually listen to songs, like on the train, in the bus, walking, exercising, then there's no need to emphasize on sound quality as your brain doesn't really focus on the song. But if you are going to listen to good songs in a quiet environment and a relaxed mood, then maybe you can get a better quality player. But truth is, most players sound almost the same in a certain price range. Not really night and day difference.

Sony is famous for producing cheap quality players. Ipod sound quality is very good also

Anyone knows where can I find Cowon Mp4 players in Malaysia? Is really looking forward to buying a high-end below 1k player. Hopefully rm500 left right.

FLAC-able.
Clean sound. Folder option available.

Thanks!

brader, u really... haha. yaya, cheap la. I still think 1k is very much, until i saw the news release of HM901

Btw, if possible, I don't want to line out to external amp liao. very bulky and high cost. thinking of getting a super portable player. Not sure go which way. HM801, or C4, or DX100, or i dono... Primary mission: Drive IEM or portable headphones. Full size reserved to home desktop.

hellfire8888 brader, if u got say earlier, I might jump ship liao...

E1 - AKG Got people demo it already? How's the impression?

><!
Waiting for payday

Please state price. And your prior mp3 player (if any) so that we would not recommend "downgraded" mp3

Many factors beside SQ. Basically, Sony mp3 player allows more DSP features like bass boost, etc.
Ipod Nano is on-the-go player. Doesn't really sacrifice SQ.

However, if you wanna play "Line-Out" feature from mp3 player to amp (by passing internal amplifier of the mp3 player), sorry, latest gen ipod nano does not offer it anymore. Sony mp3 still can.

I totally understand your fear of not "listening" to everything, fearing that what you got is not true to the music.

Well, lemme give you some encouragement by saying, there is no IDEAL sound for everyone. While most people I know prefers neutral sound, there are people who prefer more bass, or more treble (brighter, feels like more detail), or more anything. It's totally up to you to say which one you like, and nobody has the right to say you are wrong. Heck, even my brother like +5 bass -5 treble the way he likes his Beats LOL

Anyway, i checked your Sony S Series, and Sony does offer several DSP which may enhance your listening experience if you're using less than stellar headphones/earphones. Well, for starters, you have Clear Stereo, Clear Bass, and DSEE DSPs to make your songs more pleasure to listen. Compared to Apple IPods, it has fixed EQ choices, which may or may not be your cup of tea.

Well, if you're the kind of person who prefers to leave the settings to default, actually you can leave those Sony DSPs "ON" and still able to rock most of your songs, if not all, and if you don't really nitpicking. Besides, the latest Ipod Nano has lost its unique feature, the Line-Out port, which most audiophiles would love to have in order to let their external amplifiers in total control of the music player. Sony still has it, however, I can't tell you if it's true Line-Out or otherwise as I don't have that kind of data with me currently.

Anyway, it all comes down to personal preferences. If for me, maybe I save up for iPod Classic (which is going to be discontinued soon), or going for Sony F-Series which can be found in the garage sales (Sony Stores have them too, albeit more expensive by Rm400+/-)

Then i don't see any problem with that. So far it's a good deal for the features you wanted.
Remember that since it's portable, the SQ won't matter so much. It's not night and day difference, especially you're listening to music outside, which greatly handicapped the SQ of any player/gear unless it is tightly sealing your ears. Anyway, you won't be critically listening also, which makes the SQ of any player "quite" redundant as your ears ain't having so much time to focus on the music itself.

I know it works. I just don't know if it is true line-out or just pseudo line-out like previous versions of iPod.

Clip Zip when rockbox has lots of features which normal MP3 player doesn't.
For eg. Bass boost, treble boost, parametric EQ...
It's like android platform, where you can customize a lot of stuffs to suit your taste.
And of coz, it can support almost all common audio file.

I don't know about other players la.
If you too lazy don't wanna customize, go hippo biscuit or sony DAP. They provide instant "special" sound.

W/o customize, sansa clip zip is just average. After rockbox, you can unlease a lot of potential on this player. Main weakness is not enough power for full size headphones. IEM/earphones okay.