iPod or Zen or ...?

I use Podworks (very cheap shareware for OSX) to transfer music off an iPod, very easy to use.

Alright, so the classic, which I would prefer to buy another one of, is now $150 more expensive than it used to be. Any alternatives with at least 60 GB that aren't a Touch?

Thanks, Apple, for discontinuing that shit right when I need a new one.

Has anybody splashed on a Fiio X5 or X3?
Any good? Are they loud enough without having to hook up with an amp? After years of listening at stupid volumes, my ears have given up the ghost
I've searched for clues out there but remain none the wiser

I have used a Fiio E17 to drive my I pod classic for a number of years and was wondering whether either of these would be an improvement
on its own

I keep reading about hacks to the iPod (classic) 5.5 gen, which evidently is the most hackable iPod, replacing the controller chip to add newer features, and mor importantly, replacing the 30gb hard drive on the thinner model with a 256 or 512GB CompactFlash card. Has anyone tried or used these?

I just got an IBasso DX50, which only has six gb of on-board storage but takes micro SD cards, which are cheap and getting cheaper. In a few years, if 2TB cards are affordable, it'll be able to hold my entire music collection. Also reads from micro USB so about £40 of extra money gets 120gb of storage. Plays MP3, FLAC, etc. Has a replaceable battery.

The sound is great. The user interface is not great. Think it can be Rockboxed, but idk.

Worth looking at.

Hey Wristy, I was looking at the Basso too. I'm stuck. It's a great quandary to have mind.
I'm wondering if the Basso is loud enough to drive my Shure 530s, without separate amp? Given my fooked ears

Which is the same question I'm asking re the Fiio X5

I'm afraid I don't know. There are three gain settings, the highest one for use with more demanding headphones, but I'm just using standard in-ears.

Cheers for that
Not showing off re my 530s btw.
It has something to do with my music obsession - most other possessions fade into insignificance and take a back seat

Players with micro SD slots are key. My rockboxed ipod classic will die someday (or I'll try to get it fitted with a ridiculous SSDD) but I spend just as much time listening to my (rockboxed) Sansa Clip Zip with one of several different 64 gb micro SD in it depending on my mood. I also have a 128 gb micro SD which currently makes a half-hearted attempt to encompass the cream of my classical library. 256 gb would do nicely.

One of these newer audiophile players has DUAL micro SD slots which is a nice idea. I can't remember the name but I almost bought it at B&H the last time I had disposable income.

Gonna look at this Basso...

I keep reading about hacks to the iPod (classic) 5.5 gen, which evidently is the most hackable iPod, replacing the controller chip to add newer features, and mor importantly, replacing the 30gb hard drive on the thinner model with a 256 or 512GB CompactFlash card. Has anyone tried or used these?

― and in his absence, she (Lee626), Monday, September 29, 2014 3:47 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm actually bidding on a 240 gb ipod classic on ebay right now. Actually, there is quite a few external/internal customization that goes along with the 5.5 gen Ipods. It's like the Ipod version of the Hackintosh.

The 240gb Toshiba hard drive works in a 6th-gen classic too

I think the thin 5.5 gen white is my fave full-size iPod though. It's THE classic iPod for me.

The headphone jack of my beloved iBasso DX50 has developed a fault. Amazon are refunding it as they have no replacements in stock. Has anything amazing been released in the last nine months or should i just get another DX50 / upgrade to a DX90?