Audio DAP Confusion:HM-601 Vs S:Flo2 Vs x7(?)

A

apextwin146

Adept
I need to buy a DAP soon since i am fed up of my Itouch 2g.
My Music comprises of the following

Music File Type
Flac
320kbps

Music Genre

Trance - 10%
Ambient - 30%
Rock and allied stuff - 60%
I am not a basshead neither do i like shrill trebles.

Here are the players that i have shortlisted

HM-601
S:FLo2
Cowon x7

I cant find solid impressions for the X7, It seems that this too suffers from laggy & buggy UI but i have no Idea about Sound Quality. The only reason i want to get an x7 at an 18K pricepoint is that it has an 160gb HDD and Ability to play Flac.

I am leaning towards S:Flo2 since it has an quite Nuetral & Transparent Output so it would work well with most IEMS.
 
Yeah the only gripe with S:Flo2 is its UI.
I am not a heavy DAP User as in i listent to music while working or travelling,so i really dont fiddle around with my DAP and its different options/Settings. All i need is that it supports Playlist(not on the fly creation :p) and Album search & play. I think it does those two things :)
 
IF its Navigation the HM602 wins hands down.

Though the UI is not Flashy ...its DARN FAST and bug free.

No bells and whistles though. Just Good music !

Wait for My review on them ( if you can )..My exams are going on thats why, it has all been put on hold !
 
I've had a chance to try Strategy's DAPs and I like S:Flo2 better than the HM-602. The UI is little finicky with a mind of its own. But once you get used to it, its manageable.
 
Vasishta.Sushant said:
I've had a chance to try Strategy's DAPs and I like S:Flo2 better than the HM-602. The UI is little finicky with a mind of its own. But once you get used to it, its manageable.
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Yeah Strat got HM-602.But that is for 18K in India which is outside my budget.
I am looking at Hm-601 which is slightly inferior version of HM-602 which you tested, HM-601 + RE ZERO ~ 12K from Lynx currently.
Bty sushant was the HM-602 bulkier than S:FLo2? I mean would you be able to travel with HM-602 in your pocket?
 
It is like 2.5 times the width of SFlo:2. The form factor of S:Flo2 is perfect. Just the size of Ipod Touch. The build quality is better. I like only the DAC section of HM602. SFlo2 is really good for the price.
 
Yeah that was my concern too. S:Flo2 has a nice fit to it and it can be easily carried around. HM-601 is a monstrosity from a Size perspective which reduces its mobility rating. HM-601 has a poor build quality and the components used internally are sub par, even plating is poor from what i have read, but what contradicts this is its low failure rate.
HM-601 has rolled off Bass too :(
 
apextwin146 said:
Yeah that was my concern too. S:Flo2 has a nice fit to it and it can be easily carried around. HM-601 is a monstrosity from a Size perspective which reduces its mobility rating. HM-601 has a poor build quality and the components used internally are sub par, even plating is poor from what i have read, but what contradicts this is its low failure rate.

HM-601 has rolled off Bass too :(
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Plating Poor ...bad build !:S

no atleast on the exterior its good. they feel cheap in hand .but has a great build. solid .

Sushant: i think you are mistaken as you tried them with the RE262 ...they both dont paid well . I am in delhi will try to meet you son ..then you be the judge.

BF1983 said:
Strategy please confirm which DAP you like better SQ wise !!! :p
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whats with ":p" :annoyed: .

The HM602 overall is a lot better Player for music . yeah, sound quality and otherwise.

Sound, As said before ...the HM602 are choosy of the Headphone/IEM they are paired with. the Mids are forward and warm.

HM602 wont paid well with the IEMs/HPs like ..RE262/Shure/SM3 ....all those which have forword Mids.

THese are in no ways flat FR players ..there is a roll off at both ends ..its never rolled off compleately.( so wont dissmiss a treble / bass head )

THe line out form HM602 is of Desktop quality. THe soundstage is great while still mid centric ( somewhat ) ..but not choosy of the device its paired with. the choosy nature of HM602 comes form the AMP section.

THe amp is Powerfull enough to drive HPs ( yeah it drove the AKG K702 at loud enough levels .beyond what i listen ! )

S:flo 2

Yeah these are good ..but i would rate the HM602 better with "ease of use."

Sound,

these are very good ...almost flat ( tad on the warmer side) roll off not noticeable on both ends.

As these have a Flat FR...they pair nicelly with any device.

the line out is clean and detailed. But i would rate the HM602 better with the sondstage it portrays ...this one is also good with soundstage though.



IF you find a good match for HM602 ( like the FX700 , TF10 also must match it superbly ) its SQ is a lot better than Sflo ( with the same IEM/HP )



Remember both have around 8-9 Hrs of battery life .

As i said I WILL post MY COMPARISON on both soon ...SO WAIT FOR IT
 
strategy said:
Plating Poor ...bad build !:S
no atleast on the exterior its good. they feel cheap in hand .but have a great build. solid .
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The production Values/Quality are very bad. I am sure you had seen the post by esanthosh through which he linked to a Chinese forum where the actual Build Quality of these Chinese Players was being debated with pics. Though i havent seen the players running into problems so its debatable.

The other point is that HM-602 is 18K and S:Flo2 is 9K.
 
^^ You can get the HM601 for 13k and sell off the free RE0 for 4k or so. So total cost will be 9k.

But I too am a bit skeptical about the build quality. :(

Though the low no of failures is a bit reassuring I dont think too many players got sold to come to any conclusion about poor build quality.
 
apextwin146 said:
The production Values/Quality are very bad. I am sure you had seen the post by esanthosh through which he linked to a Chinese forum where the actual Build Quality of these Chinese Players was being debated with pics. Though i havent seen the players running into problems so its debatable.

The other point is that HM-602 is 18K and S:Flo2 is 9K.
Click to expand...
And another point is HM601 is available at 12.7 with re-zero free.

rezero retails for 5.2 K in india ...you do the math. My calculation says it has local warranty!
 
@apex,

If you are choosing between HM-601 and S:Flo2, you are getting a low battery life player anyway. The choices are between local warranty for HM-601 vs the neutral signature of S:Flo2 ie., S:Flo2 will probably pair better with many IEMs.

On failure rate, you'll know only if many people admit to it failing or developing problems openly :p
 
BF1983 said:
^^ You can get the HM601 for 13k and sell off the free RE0 for 4k or so. So total cost will be 9k.

But I too am a bit skeptical about the build quality. :(

Though the low no of failures is a bit reassuring I dont think too many players got sold to come to any conclusion about poor build quality.
Click to expand...
strategy said:
And another point is HM601 is available at 12.7 with re-zero free.
rezero retails for 5.2 K in india ...you do the math. My calculation says it has local warranty!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your inputs. I was also thinking on the same Lines of selling the RE ZERO but i really want to avoid the hassle of re-selling etc.
@BF1983 - I assume you have seen the Pics posted in those chinese forums. They do raise some serious concerns about the Quality.

esanthosh said:
@apex,

If you are choosing between HM-601 and S:Flo2, you are getting a low battery life player anyway. The choices are between local warranty for HM-601 vs the neutral signature of S:Flo2 ie., S:Flo2 will probably pair better with many IEMs.

On failure rate, you'll know only if many people admit to it failing or developing problems openly :p
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying sirji.
Maybe its just me but given the choice i would buy an Nuetral Transparent Player which is compatible with any IEMs and then tweak the sound to my linking.

The HiFiMan Local warranty is debatable too here. Its not an replacement warranty, so you can safely assume that you will have to send it to Amarbir and he will ship it to HF HQ, then get it back. This will easily take more time than the local warranty we are used to.
 
BTW how are you looking to get the Sflo2 ?

yeah its better to buy a neutral payer IF you have a lot of IEMs ...but when you find a good match for HM602 ...its a lot better than Sflo2.
 
Yup an IEM that has good Synergy with HM 601/602 will sound better than S:Flo2 , but then its kinda very regimented/restrictive :p ...

S:Flo2 via Mp4nation through EMS. EMS is safe right?(bty i do knw your story and how they messed it up but then others have recieved it successfully too :p, like the second time it happened with you :) )
 
ITs insured ..ems or otherwise ...so its safe either way. Just that you must check the parcel before you accept.

the problem is customs and indian post !

I used EMS cause i wanted them fast, using ems also the Customs held it for 14 days(it returned back then.... ) EMS is quite fast but USING EMS WONT MAKE YOUR PARCEL CLEAR customs any faster than normal parcel. If they agree to send your parcel via DHL/TNT thats much better.

USing EMS it might take 15-16 days and using thir free option it might take the same ...cause the time the customs take to clear it is all that matters

HK Items take longer ( from my observation )

I think MP4 nation is having a 15% discount ( not confirmed ), if you are interested in Sflo2 order it fast !
 
So what you are saying is that Custom Clearance is independent of EMS or AirMail, which is true.I would choose EMS simply because i want tracking and want to avoid other silly Hassles like getting tea bags instead of the actual Player!

The problem with HK/SE Orders it that they come through Mumbai Customs which has the biggest Load so it gets delayed there. If you order from China,US etc then it goes through Delhi Customs which is relatively faster.
I doubt the idiots in MP4Nation would agree to DHL/TNT :(. If only i knw someone in Singapore this would have been much easier i suppose .
 
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