Best performing MP3 player at the moment

[Frederik S]

Hi All
As the topic says I'm looking for the best performing MP3 player on the market today in terms of audio fidelity. It would be nice if the player supported one or more loss-less formats like FLAC or the likes.

I've been thinking about getting an iPod 6th generation along with some Etymotic headphones, but I'm not sure about the new generation of iPods is a good buy in terms of audio performance.

Please help I'm a bit lost when it comes to MP3 players.

 

[KennyT772]

The iPods do not support many formats in terms of lossless etc. I have heard the creative zens perform well and have good support but I am not certian. Do stay away from the iPods though.

 

[Frederik S]

Hmmm... Anyone listened to the new Microsoft Zune?
It looks really nice, but does anyone know who it performs

 

[Metal-Head]

I have a Zune.

I love it, I don't care what people have to say about Microsoft....

 

[DR.Death]

ho big are u looking for like 30 or more of less then 30

 

[Frick]

I have a Zen Vision: M and I'm very pleased with it. My speakers aren't that good, so I can't tell you how great it is, but it has way better sound than my old iPod Mini..

 

[wazzledoozle]

Cowon players support the widest range of formats. (MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV)

They are supposed to have excellent audio quality too, I've seen a lot of 'audiophiles' swear by them.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

Cowon players support the widest range of formats. (MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV)

They are supposed to have excellent audio quality too, I've seen a lot of 'audiophiles' swear by them.

+1 to this... my friend researched it, bought one... hez an audiophile btw, it is the best I have every seen, pure quality.

 

[warup89]

Current COWON user here, i own an A2 PMP and i must say im impressed by the audio quality, The Iaudio X5 will fit you perfectly since its mainly made for audio

 

[anticlutch]

I own the iAudio X5 and the iAudio T2, and I can tell you from experience that these are quite possibly the best MP3 players I've ever had. My iPod couldn't touch my Cowon players from a mile away in terms of quality and overall satisfaction.

I do however, urge you to look for something other than the X5 if you *have* to have the latest stuff. My only complaints with it is that it's kind of hard to watch videos on it because the screen is small but it's primarily a music player so it's not too much of a concern for me. Try considering the A2 and the D2 players... the A2 is, in my opinion, the best player in their lineup but the D2 is for those who need multifunctionality and a small size. The X5 is geared primarily towards the people who listen to music more than they watch videos; the T2 (which I own) is for when you can't be bothered to carry around a bigger music player and just want to have an ultra-portable MP3 player.

All Cowons come with a customizable equalizer, mp3 and bass enhancements, and support for many formats including OGG and FLAC.

edit: I forgot to add that you should also check out the iAudio 7... 60 hours of playback time is freakin' awesome

 

[Frederik S]

Alright so far I have narrowed my search down to the following devices: Cowom iAudio 7, Creative Zen, iPod. My only problem with the Cowon is that the biggest capacity is 16 GB I would prefer something bigger like 30+ GB, but at those capacities the Cowons are simply too expensive.

 

[Conti027]

i say Zune all the way

 

[panchoman]

the sansa's are good, friend has one, its preety cool

 

[Shizelbs]

If the amplifier section of the new Zune is like the first series, the new models should be excellent for music playback. The amp in the first Zune is great. Far superior in terms of sound quality compared to another well selling portable audio player.

 

[Frederik S]

Any one tried both the Zune and the Cowon and if so which one sounded the best?

 

[JrRacinFan]

We personally own a Creative Zen Extra. Landed a 30GB model for $100 on fleabay about 3-4 years ago.

Definitely one fo the better buys I have made. If your looking into decent sounding with wider support of files look at most of Creative's mp3 players. Very good.

Cowon just cost too much for how much space you get. That is the only drawback with them.