# Mp3 player with best audio quuality?



## germancomponist (Aug 31, 2009)

Hi friends,

my mp3 player is broken and I want to buy a new one.

Not with most functions but with best audio quality.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Gunther


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## germancomponist (Aug 31, 2009)

Help please!


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## JohnG (Aug 31, 2009)

maybe there are no responses because it's hard to contemplate "MP3" and "quality" in the same breath?

I enjoy listening through an iPod or iPhone but with AKG headphones. It's amazingly good, considering the tiny device playing back the music. The regular headphones that come with an iPhone are far from terrible, but of course limited in their capability.

I listen to WAV files or AIFF format, not MP3, which I don't use except when there's no other feasible option. I use iTunes for playing back but I buy CDs and load them in to try boosting the sound quality. Strings in particular sound horrible at low resolution, I find. I know there are higher MP3 resolutions but I just don't like what seems to happen to the sound.


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## musicpete (Aug 31, 2009)

I feel your pain! Since I have this little audio quality fetish and 90% of my music is in lossless formats or .ogg I spent quite some time researching a good mp3 player... Personally I would never buy an Ipod, because of the bloat-/crapware itunes and not liking to be shackled and locked in by Apple. It is good enough for many people but I dont want that.

Try looking into Cowon audio, Jens of sweden and Trekstor. Both offered good players in the past. Especially Cowon is being reverred by audio lovers. This list of .OGG capable players is also useful (many of them also have advanced features and can playback lossless files, which distinguishes them from the other crap).

Want to know how my search ended? I got a new mobile phone from my operator, which also can play mp3s (and only mp3s). I decided that for me it isn't worth to shell out THAT much money for just another gadget that can only do one thing (play music) and needs to be carried around in addition to all the other crap that ruins my back every day. So the mobile was the logical choice, even though it sounds crap. But whatever, it's loud in the cityso I often barely hear the music anyways...

p.s.: Did you know that now I am searching for a portable ebook reader. Hmmmm, the Irex DR1000 looks nice, but the price....


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## JohnG (Aug 31, 2009)

in what way is iTunes "crapware?" And in what way does it shackle anyone? 

It just plays back whatever you put in. And it's very convenient to make playlists. And it works in most new cars or can be modified to do so for a few hundred.

I realise the OP is asking about quality and that's great, but if you put in a high quality WAV or AIFF or similar file, iPods / iPhones will play back pretty well.


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## Brian Ralston (Aug 31, 2009)

JohnG @ Mon Aug 31 said:


> in what way is iTunes "crapware?" And in what way does it shackle anyone?
> 
> It just plays back whatever you put in. And it's very convenient to make playlists. And it works in most new cars or can be modified to do so for a few hundred.



Yeah...I am confused about it being called "bloat-/crapware" too. 

I think I have purchased about 5 songs from the iTunes store. Everything else on my iPhone/iPods have either been MP3s or AAC files I have made from my own CDs...or higher quality non-DRM MP3 files purchased from the Amazon.com MP3 store...which is usually cheaper for a higher quality file of the same songs and is not restricted to where you put it or what you play it back on. 

Thinking that iPods or iPhones can only use music file purchase from the iTunes store is just terribly wrong.


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## Rob (Sep 1, 2009)

hi Gunther, I bought a Samsung YP-Q2, it's nice and the earphones sound pretty good... 

Roberto


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## kid-surf (Sep 1, 2009)

I'm a Mac guy (4 Macs in this household, outnumbering 3 PC's), so iTunes is the only thing that makes sense to me.

PROS:

- My iPhone holds my music collection.

- No CDs in my car. I use my iPhone...connected to a ridiculous system.

- No stereo in my house. I use my iPhone. This way I focus on the MUSIC and not the MIX.

CONS:

- D/L are not 24 bit yet...Why? I'll pay more for them.

- If I D/L an album to my iPhone I can't drag it into my laptop. Lame.

- Needs a 'real' EQ.


There's probably more in either direction. Overall, I'm satisfied. Remember cassette tapes? Not to mention, there are work arounds to rip locked music out of your iPhone/iPod. Not sleek, but it's not something you do everyday.

I just want to be able to D/L 16 bit, and eventually 24 bit (to a device that can play back 24 bit). In the mean time, I've ripped my CDs at 16 bit. 

As for MP3, I've done a double blind test of 320 against 16, I couldn't tell the diff. Try it, may surprise you.

BTW -- I tried Amazon yet many times they don't have the album I'm looking for where iTunes does. 

At the end of the day, I'm not a tweaker. No time...


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## _taylor (Sep 1, 2009)

I just use an ipod knock off, made by Phillips.







I won't feel bad when it breaks. 


It doesn't play WAV files so all my music is compressed to 320, mp3. The highest possible. Sound good enough when I'm on the go.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 1, 2009)

iPods (and now iPhones) are great - as long as you get better headphones, as John says.

I use two kinds: B&O A8 (portable), and Bose QuietComfort III noise-canceling ones when I'm flying (really wonderful; they also knock out most of the plane and stupid PA announcement noise when you're not listening to anything).


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## Stevie (Sep 1, 2009)

24 bit is overrated for listening. it's very helpful/necessary for mastering and dithering to 16bit, tho.
i recently read an interview with the audio guru thomas sandmann.
unfortunately its in german only:
http://www.amazona.de/index.php?page=26 ... cle_id=476

maybe u can google translate it.


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## germancomponist (Sep 2, 2009)

Thank you all for your suggestions!

I went into a big store and have tested many players.

I bought a Sony because I was and am very impressed.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...gId=-1&productId=8198552921665366458#features

Thanks again!

Gunther


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## Hal (Sep 2, 2009)

seems expensive for a 16 GB ?
how much would a 120 GB cost ? 2000 $ !


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## germancomponist (Sep 2, 2009)

Yes, not cheap, but a goood sound.


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## synthetic (Sep 3, 2009)

How about that portable DSD recorder from Korg? Probably has very nice converters. I haven't used one, but that's what I'd get. 

Then again, wait until Wednesday to see what Apple comes out with. They're revamping the iPods. I think it's time to retire my 60GB with the cracked screen.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 3, 2009)

Keep your 60GB one for long plane rides, Jeff. Treat it as a second battery.

Also, doesn't Tascam have an MP3 player? Let's spread love around here!


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## germancomponist (Sep 3, 2009)

I have got a Zoom H4n and it is very great, also for recordings. But this one I don`t want to use on the beach next week in Greece. 

So I bought the little but fine Sony. Superb audio quality and good earphones.


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## synthetic (Sep 3, 2009)

TASCAM makes MP3 players that can loop and slow down playback without changing the pitch. I've used them for transcription and score study, the looping is very handy. The DR-100 uses very nice AKM "Audio4Pro" converters (up to 96k/24 resolution). 

There might just be a banner ad at the top of this page with a picture of it.


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## germancomponist (Sep 3, 2009)

But look what the H4n can do. 

24/96, 4 channels and multitracking, many effects, tuner, vari pitch and so much more..... .


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## musicpete (Sep 7, 2009)

JohnG @ 1.9.2009 said:


> in what way is iTunes "crapware?" And in what way does it shackle anyone?
> 
> It just plays back whatever you put in. And it's very convenient to make playlists. And it works in most new cars or can be modified to do so for a few hundred.
> 
> I realise the OP is asking about quality and that's great, but if you put in a high quality WAV or AIFF or similar file, iPods / iPhones will play back pretty well.


Hi John!

I forgot to elaborate on this...

@crapware: That's what I call any software that installs hidden services and other software without my permission or even asking for it. It may not be the correct definiton, but it's my name for it.... Back when I first "tried" iTunes it was because it was bundled into a Quicktime installation( I was not aware of that). It changed all my file associations and default media player, it installed some service(s) that were horribly hard to get rid of since they even persisted AFTER uninstalling iTunes. Luckily later Apple offered Quicktime as a separate download again, but I was already burned and switched to "Quicktime lite". Never had a single problem with that software.

@bloatware: I figured that I may give iTunes a try since it was there already. I immediatelyfound out that it only supports a stupid playlist system that is completely incompatible to my music collection (I have mostly soundtracks which I ripped from my own favorite CDs on my hd) since it didn't allow grouping by folder structure. I fought with this for maybe an hour then gave up. It also slowed my system down and seemed to sport countless functions which didn't work properly or made iTunes crash.

@shackles: Well, if Apple wants to force users of their hardware to buy only from their store and force them to being able to use only their barely working software (again: this is my firsthand experience... yours may differ) then that is their perogative. As far as I am concerned they can do business as they wish. I just don't want to have any part of it.

@"Plays whatever you throw at it": The version I tried was unable to play back .ogg, .ape, .flac, .wv and that is what most of my collection consists of. I guess we were just no made for each other.


And last but not least @Gunther: I am happy that you found your perfect mp3 player. By the way: I am also a fan of the H4n! Bought it because Troels and other on this forum (that includes you, hehe) advocated it. It's an amazing product in that price range.


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## Stevie (Sep 7, 2009)

Agreeing on all what has been written.
Quicktime Alternative is the way to go.
And speaking of software mp3 player, nothing can beat foobar2000.


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## musicpete (Sep 7, 2009)

Stevie @ 7.9.2009 said:


> Agreeing on all what has been written.
> Quicktime Alternative is the way to go.
> And speaking of software mp3 player, nothing can beat foobar2000.


"Great minds think alike", as we say in German... After going through what feels like 20 media players I stuck with foobar.


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## Stevie (Sep 7, 2009)

Yeah, a friend once mocked about that and said: 2 Dumme ein Gedanke, LOL.

And yeah, foobar is a great (free) piece of software. It plays literally every format.
Do I sense Opera as browser there...?


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