Anyone use any quality portable mp3 players?

[kendachi]

the ipod classic uses a 30mW amplifier, this is one of the short cuts that apple made to increase battery life. from memory, the first gen ipods had a 50mW amp. whereas gear like cowon u3 use 60mW amps.

while amp power doesn't just define how loud it'll go (that's also due to impedances of headphones (important for good sound!), output impedance etc) it also affects the dynamic range of the sound. (differences between quiets and louds) a better dynamic range will give you clarity (also minimises ear fatigue over time at similar levels)

obviously you'll need to be playing high bitrate (and well encoded) tracks to appreciate this difference and if you're into sound quality, start looking into lossless formats (FLAC etc) or stick with wavs.

as a suggestion, check the cowon kit, very slick. if you really want to push the sound quality of low output devices ie ipods, look into headphone amps (seperate unit) such as the headroom total bit head.

i don't think i need to stress the importance of good headphones, but as a suggestion, westone and shure make excellent in-ears.

hope this helps a little.

[serox]

Iphones/Ipods have the worst sound quality going.

this is a load of shit

Yeh, why?

[thinking]

serious, i'm in the market at the moment and have listened to a few different players. No iPod has ever come close to my older Sony for sound quality, and my last rounds of tests have made me decide on a Cowon.

I don't know why people get their knickers in a twist about this? It's fairly well-documented, read a few audiophile sites...I don't hate Apple at all but I wouldn't recommend an iPod to anyone that wants top sound quality.

[serox]

serious, i'm in the market at the moment and have listened to a few different players. No iPod has ever come close to my older Sony for sound quality, and my last rounds of tests have made me decide on a Cowon.

I don't know why people get their knickers in a twist about this? It's fairly well-documented, read a few audiophile sites...I don't hate Apple at all but I wouldn't recommend an iPod to anyone that wants top sound quality.

Nice one. Can you tell me which Cowan you have tested?

Good to see some people on here actually agree:) I thought I was going mad.