@?dOuBtFiRe?:
Thank-you!
Here's a brief rundown on the DAPs my friend:
The Cowon X9:
Pro's: Immaculate sound, Excellent vocal reproduction, The bass is rolled off and to my ears sounds very soothing, Gets very loud and will drive most headphones without an amp, Mighty long battery life - I hardly need to charge this device, 48GB of storage space (including internal storage), Large screen which makes it easy on the eyes when your choosing songs or just browsing your music library, built like a tank with a lovely rubber back base which gives it a good grip. As with most Cowon players, this DAP will give you a ridiculous amount of EQ settings coupled with built-in audio setting modes to tinker around with and if you give it time you can actually go a good length to tweak the audio reproduction which pleases your ears, to the very bone or close to it. I can safely vouch and say I have spent hours changing one setting to another just to see if my ears can feel a difference and have been at awe to notice how good Cowon can make my favorite tracks sound with their utterly brilliant BBE+ effects. It's a slightly mythical bliss if you will but they do succeed with these settings, very much.
Con's: Clunky UI, Resistive Screen which handles like a snail sometimes until you get used to it. Cowon's known for their archaic UI and this device sadly hasn't got a revamping in that regard. Once you get past it though... and you will once the music hits your ears from this, it's a fantastic DAP to have in your arsenal.
The Sansa Clip Zip:
Pro's: This tiny thing is one of the best DAP's there is out there. I mean it's famous for a number of reasons and the primary one's are it's super nifty size and also it's fantastic audio quality. It's practically all you need if you want a separate DAP for your listening sessions or your on the go and your one of those blokes like me who never really turns to his phone to listen to music. Once Rockboxed, you get all the audio EQ settings you can possibly fathom to have although I haven't bothered a whole bunch with them. With the Sansa unlike my Cowon I keep it on a flat EQ. Like it better that way.
Con's: The only con which I could throw at it is that it's got too small a screen and that sometimes might be an issue, specially if your RB it and want to tinker and tweak with more EQ settimngs... might make your eye's all stressed and watery. Otherwise, this one's a lovely thing to have. Peachy little thing this is.
The Fiio X1:
I haven't used this for too long so I will reserve my judgement on this. But my first impressions are it sounds good with good tight bass reproduction. It's not hrsh sounding and got a slightly warmer signature to it. The Cowon X9 will surpass it though, with it's sheer clarity and with the amount of EQ tinkering you can do with it. Also, the sound just feels a tad narrower and less detailed when compared to the Cowon X9, specially when you listen to core vocals. This might be a placebo thing for my ears but to me the Cowon X9 is going to edge this when I club it up with my M50's. The M50's just love the sound signature of the X9... pure musical finesse.
However, the Fiio X1 aces the X9 and Clip Zip with it's walloping amount of storage space, that of 128GB... no comparison there.
Build quality wise the FiiO X1 is solid and with the gold edition that I got the finish on it looks absolutely exquisite. It's hard to beat the sheen of aluminum. Also, the tactile buttons and the center scroll wheel along with it's simple UI makes it a much easier device to handle than the X9 which will act as a major advantage when I use it. Compared to the X9 this one is more shiny, good shiny that is and the X9 is all black, solid stealth look.
TBH, probably the only thing I needed was the Clip Zip but then again the dark devil in me with a better audio fetish gnaws away at my brain sometimes and I end up buying another!
To zoom it down by a notch and zero in:
Sansa Clip Zip: I love it as my much adored run/ walking session rig. Fits my pockets snugly and coupled with my IEM's is a perfect little magic audio setup.
Cowon X9: Beloved rig matched with my much loved M50's. I use this the most and it seems perfectly suited for the long flights I take for work or holiday... *think* long battery life and with the M50 it blurs out the whirring of those aircraft engines almost like a charm!
Fiio X1: New member... new baby to the family of DAP's I have and is getting all the listening time now...
I got the Fiio X1 for $99 from Amazon US.
The above impressions on the DAPs are entirely my views and based on what my heart and ears felt while listening to my music collection and tracks on long evenings in the solace of my room. I'm not in anyway an audiophile or anything near an audio expert but yes I love listening to music and at end of the day when I'm done with the chores of the world a few hours of Yanni or Sound Garden helps me maintain my sanity. After all, it's all about good music and the enjoyment of such.
Cheers mate!