Comparing J3 to PC + DAC + Amp

[meanwhile]

How well does the J3 do? Or to put it another way, how much money would I have to spend to get a substantial improvement in sound? (I'm asking here because I'm interested in a first-hand comparison between the J3 and desktop hardware.)

[WalkGood]

Depends on what desktop hardware you have. If you have a good PC/DAC/Amp with good software & plugins it should preform better.

[Satellite_6]

non-portable audio > portable audio. You don't need to spend a fortune either.

[meanwhile]

Originally Posted by Satellite_6

non-portable audio > portable audio. You don't need to spend a fortune either.

Suggestions..?

Hmm - looking at your head-fi page, your desktop set up costs about the same as two J3s. So I would expect that it beat - but how big is the difference?

[Satellite_6]

Originally Posted by meanwhile

Suggestions..?

Hmm - looking at your head-fi page, your desktop set up costs about the same as two J3s. So I would expect that it beat - but how big is the difference?

Ye have a point there, but even my EF2A ($200) sounds better than my Cowon - a bit more detailed and a much better soundstage. I'm not sure I'd recommend it though tbh, your probably better off w/ something solid state. Anyway, the headphones are the most important thing.

EDIT: build an O2 lolz. That's what I'm going to do.