Best Portable Audio Solution 2013, and mp3 player vs phone Options

[leon11]

Hi there, Im looking to buy a new portable music player (but not apple). I also dont want a volume-capped EU product (im in the UK), so I need to be able to buy it from elsewhere...or the device needs to be able to be flashed or modded to remove the cap!
I am a bit of a perfectionist and would like some nice sound to help inspire my work!


I have done a fair amount of research but it is still a tough choice, and would love to hear peoples thoughts or advice!

I am currently attracted to the Sony z-series (mainly the Z1050 / 60) which I can still get on ebay from japan (uncapped)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-Walkman-NW-...=item3a7db9eba3

this seems like a lot to pay for something that I cant make calls on though! I understand that it is the amp which bumps the price up.
but...is this kind of player not obsolete now?



And this is part of the brief I guess...my phone is a bit crap so I was thinking that maybe some of the new phones may be good enough for my audio needs.


- I read samsung have good audio, for one...and that many of today's smartphones compete with cowans players for examplem in terms of sound quality

- And ive also seen the new HTC range with 'beats' audio...although I know that the beats brand is somewhat of a gimmick..
HTC one http://www.handtec.co.uk/htc-one-v-black.html ...which I may be able to flash or mod to remove the cap.

- I have always liked sonys products and have also considered an xperia J ...or even an old w995 etc! Apparently the sonys also have a 'warmer' sound.

- I will also be getting some decent headphones (been looking at the IE9's etc...but will cross this bridge when I have a player in mind )

videos and web browsing are less important to me. I would also probably be disabling any wifi ability as I dont think the frequencies do your body any good.

On this note...has anyone ever looked at the frequencies headphones produce?!



any help appreciated...thanks for reading

[kritip]

The "clip" on my clip+ broke, and the background noise accessing the memory/CPU access was a killer for me so I never used it other than in the car. I have just given it away to a friend.

I have a HTC One X, but battery life is an issue when you couple it with the daily calls, wifi, browsing etc. So I'm also on the hunt again.

I hate to say it, but the size, battery life and weight of the iPod Nano is looking really good to me. The downside I can see are: Cost + iTunes!

The cost I can handle, if it sounds decent....I can't find anything with a comparable size, battery and capacity..

iTunes.....arrrggghhh, it's awful

Any similar alternatives anyone can think of (and no, not another clip )

[saratoga]

I have a HTC One X, but battery life is an issue when you couple it with the daily calls, wifi, browsing etc. So I'm also on the hunt again.

Does playing music actually impact the battery life much? Since the phone still has to be physically on most of the time even in its low power state, it has a lot of idle cycles that could probably be used for decoding audio.