Top 3 Best Sounding Mp3 Players

[jingalala]

Dear Friends,

Which are the top 3 best sounding MP3 players on earth?

BUDGET-NO LIMIT

[esumitkumar]

hmm i can say these are the best but u also have to take very gud earphones to feel the real power of player :

1. IPOD
2. IRIVER

[1235Sam]

i think u should better look in forums like head-fi.org there u will find lot of sound quality experts

as per my knowledge cowon d2 is the best sounding mp3 player buts others features arent that great.ipod are not the best sounding mp3 players.but i heard their new versions(which released last week) have very good SQ and they are best sounding ipod yet

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...b-16gb-32gb/P0
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...tion-8gb-16gb/

so if price is not an issue then go for 32gb ipod touch 2g.but u will have to wait till oct 8 for its launch

[krazzy]

Cowon, Sony, iRiver and Creative make the best sounding players (not in any particular order). Samsung, SanDisk, Microsoft and Apple form the best of the rest.

[jingalala]

DUDE,
I totally agree with you that ipod is not the best sounding MP3 player.I also thought that COWON D2 is the best but what would you have to say about KENWOOD HD30GB9.Heared that it's SQ is superior to Cowon and others including Zune, Creatives, Samsungs, and iRivers.......

[1235Sam]

Originally Posted by jingalala

DUDE,
I totally agree with you that ipod is not the best sounding MP3 player.I also thought that COWON D2 is the best but what would you have to say about KENWOOD HD30GB9.Heared that it's SQ is superior to Cowon and others including Zune, Creatives, Samsungs, and iRivers.......

yes ipods were not the best sounding but they they still have highest market share coz 95 percent people would be happy with ipod sq.it requires an audiophile and headphone like shure to identify best sq.in that case cowon's were the best

but as i told u earlier apple have made a big stip forward this time.even audiophile who have tested new ipod said that new ipod are sound awesome.

never got chance to hear zune,kenwood etc.they aint available in india

coming back to your topic if u want best possible SQ on earth buy cowon d2 and Ultimate Ears UE-10 PRO Headphone($900)

headphones play very important role for better SQ.if u see there isnt much difference between SQ of creative,cowon,apple etc(yes cowon are the best but only slightly).So ultimately headphone is the deciding factor

[desiibond]

1) Cowon
2) Sony
3) Creative


ipods were good few years ago but now they just suck. pathetic sound quality and limited video format support. It sucks when you have to convert every single video to mp4.

[VexByte]

You can also try for Philips GoGear range.

[moshel]

Originally Posted by desiibond

1) Cowon
2) Sony
3) Creative


ipods were good few years ago but now they just suck. pathetic sound quality and limited video format support. It sucks when you have to convert every single video to mp4.

i would like to make a little change to that list.

1. cowon
2. sony
3. Creative/Sandisk (fuze & clip specifically)

althought the most important part is played by the headphone/earphone.

hey anybody got any idea when zune is going to release in india?

[desiibond]

^^ Yep having a decent earphone/headphone is as important as having a good mp3 player.

[Third Eye]

Originally Posted by desiibond

1) Cowon
2) Sony
3) Creative


ipods were good few years ago but now they just suck. pathetic sound quality and limited video format support. It sucks when you have to convert every single video to mp4.

Where is iRiver and B&O.

[desiibond]

^^ What are they

[moshel]

here is a picture i found on the head-fi forums showing the players ranked as per their sound quality.

P.S. can someone post the image in the thread, I dont know how to do it.

[ico]

^^^ Use http://imageshack.us

Download the image to your computer and upload it there and then post it here using the vB code they'll provide.

BTW I'll also rate Cowon at the top.

[1235Sam]

Originally Posted by desiibond

1) Cowon
2) Sony
3) Creative


ipods were good few years ago but now they just suck. pathetic sound quality and limited video format support. It sucks when you have to convert every single video to mp4.

dude it seems like you have been paid by anti-apple community to post ridiculous comments against apple.yes cowon,sony,creative sounds better than ipod that doesnt mean ipod SQ is "pathetic" or "it sucks".

btw for your knowledge new ipods sounds much better than earlier and they are now almost equal to sony,cowon creative.
proof?
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/si...thread-361975/
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...b-16gb-32gb/P0
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...tion-8gb-16gb/

[desiibond]

^^ Why the hell should I listen to someone who relies on ilounge (pure made-for-apple) to say that ipods are as good as the top players.

Are you getting paid by ilounge??

Go to ilounge to shout "apple, apple, apple".

You never ever heard anything on non-ipods and you come here commenting on others comments.

[ring_wraith]

I'm going to say:

1) Sony
2) Cowon
3) iRiver

That's mainly because the Cowons tend to have a very cold, analytical sound signature whereas the Sonys have a warm, lush more fun signature. iRivers are a nice mix of both.

Originally Posted by 1235Sam

dude it seems like you have been paid by anti-apple community to post ridiculous comments against apple.yes cowon,sony,creative sounds better than ipod that doesnt mean ipod SQ is "pathetic" or "it sucks".

btw for your knowledge new ipods sounds much better than earlier and they are now almost equal to sony,cowon creative.
proof?
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/si...thread-361975/
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...b-16gb-32gb/P0
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...tion-8gb-16gb/

Don't know about the latest gen, but at least the previous gen touch sounded BAD! Flat out BAD! I honestly wanted one thanks to the awesome UI but when I heard it, I was like, "No way I'm blowing 15k on something that sounds like my Radio!"

[jingalala]

GUYS,
Where can I get an ORIGINAL COWON D2 in bangalore?

In CROMA,RELIANCE DIGITAL OR EZONE OR elsewhere!!!

[sam9s]

Ok here is my take........

With bundeled earphones.....

1. iRiver
2. Cowon
3. iPod

with sennheiser earphones....

1. iPod
2. iRiver
3. Cowon

Creative Zen sucks with bundeled as well as sennheiser. Dont even talk about samsung, philips, scandisk........

[choicefreedom2000]

creative, sony and sandisk and sony are best top 3 mp3 player.

[a_k_s_h_a_y]

Originally Posted by jingalala

BUDGET-NO LIMIT

ok i am readying a team of engineers to build you the best MP3 Player in the universe..
so when we can i get the advance payments ??????? so that i can poach engineers from creative and apple and others and get down to work...!! ! hv fun !!!

[jingalala]

Originally Posted by a_k_s_h_a_y

ok i am readying a team of engineers to build you the best MP3 Player in the universe..
so when we can i get the advance payments ??????? so that i can poach engineers from creative and apple and others and get down to work...!! ! hv fun !!!

DUDE,
Do you want me to become a bankrupt like LEHMAN BROTHERS

[ring_wraith]

Originally Posted by sam9s

Creative Zen sucks with bundeled as well as sennheiser.

What's your source on that? This is the first time I've ever heard anyone saying that the iPods SQ beats a Creative's.

[sam9s]

Originally Posted by ring_wraith

What's your source on that? This is the first time I've ever heard anyone saying that the iPods SQ beats a Creative's.

I am only talking about Creative Zen that too model zen v 1 GB.... Not sure how others would sound but keeping the general scenario we can presume that the rest should also sound the same.

Also iPod sound quality really suffer when you listen them with the bundeled earphones and thats what most people do and so report an avg sound which is why I also placed it at the third position. BUT iPod's sound quality drastically impoves once you plug in some decent earphones, preferabaly sennheiser . With sennheiser iPod really shines giving awsome ballance of bass treble and mid range.

Same did not happen with zen, no doubt the quality improved but not to that extent that it deserve top 3 spot. iRiver sounds way better then zen.......

[desiibond]

^^ FYI, Creative Zen is in the most clean sounding players that are available in the market right now. And it was not tested by freaks using headphones.
The test was done by connecting Audio Precision ATS-2 Audio Analyzer to the headphone output jack to reveal details such as the MP3 player's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), total harmonic distortion (THD+N), frequency response deviation, maximum power output, and stereo crosstalk.

[karmanya]

@sam I beg to differ, Even with a pair of senn PX100's, my Ipod 30 gig is blurry and distorted at times. Near full volume the sound starts to crack.Though this could also be cause my Ipod is like 5th-hand(My mum's boss, my mum, my dad, my sis and now me) and very old
My top 3 would be
1. Cowon
2. Iriver
3. Sony

[sam9s]

Originally Posted by desiibond

^^ FYI, Creative Zen is in the most clean sounding players that are available in the market right now. And it was not tested by freaks using headphones.
The test was done by connecting Audio Precision ATS-2 Audio Analyzer to the headphone output jack to reveal details such as the MP3 player's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), total harmonic distortion (THD+N), frequency response deviation, maximum power output, and stereo crosstalk.

Do you think people sitting at Apple are dumb and would'nt have tested, the product with the technical gibrish you present... sounding as if only you know the meaning plus would'nt have they bothered to compare the product on the same scale as well.....???

Ultimately it boils down to the end user consumer and how most of the people percieve the sound, which is why iPod has the max market share.....

Originally Posted by karmanya

@sam I beg to differ, Even with a pair of senn PX100's, my Ipod 30 gig is blurry and distorted at times. Near full volume the sound starts to crack.Though this could also be cause my Ipod is like 5th-hand(My mum's boss, my mum, my dad, my sis and now me) and very old
My top 3 would be
1. Cowon
2. Iriver
3. Sony

dude seriously if your iPod is sounding blurry and distorted then either something is wrong with your iPod or your listening..........no hard feelings and since its a 5th hand.... something must be wrong with iPod itself)
Near Full volume????????....... oh man now I am sure why iPod sounds distroted.........with sennheiser you cant even bear listening to a few notches above half...talk about listining near full volume..........
believe me get a new current gen iPod and then see the difference......

[desiibond]

Do you think people sitting at Apple are dumb and would'nt have tested, the product with the technical gibrish you present... sounding as if only you know the meaning plus would'nt have they bothered to compare the product on the same scale as well.....???

Ultimately it boils down to the end user consumer and how most of the people percieve the sound, which is why iPod has the max market share.....

hmm. The posts in this forum show how much quality Apples new ipods have.

There is a little bit of truth that you should know about the ipod's market share.

majority of ipod sales are in USA.

Take this scenario:

1) You bought ipod in the year 2003.
2) You buy music online at iTMS due to the 99c price tag and due to the ipod-itunes ecosystem.
3) By end of 2 years, you have bought 500 songs, 50 movies, 10 tv shows.
These will not work in any other player and hence you have to stick to ipod until you feel that those songs are no longer necessary.
4) So, now since you have huge locked content playable only on ipod, naturally you will stick to ipod though you know that there are better players available from other brands.


you are asking karmanya to get new get ipod???? Why don't you get new gen players from Creative or Sony or Cowon and know what music quality is!!!

Do you think people sitting at Apple are dumb and would'nt have tested, the product with the technical gibrish you present... sounding as if only you know the meaning plus would'nt have they bothered to compare the product on the same scale as well.....???

After finding the loss in audio quality in recent ipods, after looking at feature less iphones prices 3times it's worthy price, after looking at grossly overpriced mac's, yes I do think that people sitting at Apple are dumb enough, never listens to public, don't bother to compare the product with other products.

PS: This topic is about best sounding mp3 players and not about ipods and Iball's

[krazzy]

Oh trust me on this, iPod's market share has nothing to do with it's sound quality. Most people only buy iPods because it is perceived to be cool to own one, or because their friends have it or because they just don't know that there is better stuff out there. Most of these people don't know what Apple is or ever heard about them. For them iPod = mp3 player.

Truth is that nearly every major company has surpassed Apple in terms out audio quality, whether it is the Cowon, Sony, iRiver or Creative. Also Apple seems to be least bothered about the sound quality of it's players. Their only criteria while creating the next generation iPod is how much more slim they can make it and how much more they can make people spend on the iTunes store (the new Genius feature is a fine example of that). Most of the times a newer generation has only marginally improved audio quality. Sometimes there is no improvement at all. If they cared so much about audio quality they would've atleast provided a proper manual equalizer to adjust the sound to ones choice.

I'm not saying that iPod's sound bad. They sound pretty decent. But if you think that they sound better than Creative or any other manufacturer, then you are very much mistaken. No matter which headphone you add, an iPod cannot beat a Creative player. Sony and Cowon are in a much different league altogether.

[desiibond]

^^^Ejjactly. Recently one of my friends said that he bought a new ipod and when I saw it, I was dumbstruck.

IT'S ****ING CREATIVE ZEN!!!!!


Thats' the knowledge of most people here about mp3 players.

PS: He is more than happy to have Zen (he recently saw how ipod nano 'fatty' is) instead of ipod but rues why he didn't get this: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665366458