Nationite S:flo 2 MP3/FLAC player with awesome specs!

adityavj

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looks good! this may be the cue for me to upgrade from my presistoric transcend MP3 player. Of course I don't have much use for a portable player, but this just seems like compelling value.

This is the same DAC that is used in the Cambridge Audio 650C as well as the Rega Apollo. And one per channel sounds excellent. Don't know about the op-amp or the head-amp, does anyone here know anything?

For 6000 odd bucks it sounds awesome.
 
If you could have a good dock for it, it might be a great VFM source for playing FLAC files through lineout. One reviewer said that it sounds comparable to and even better than his $130 iBasso D2+ USB DAC.
 
The bug list on the product page is a turn off. Now if only Rockbox would announce firmware for this player :licklips: then I would grab it!

Cheers
 
I guess you can expect them to be resolved swiftly...since mp4nation.net is branding and selling these. They also provide the firmware and they've been providing frequent updates.

Rockbox would seriously rock on it tho
 
Does it have TV out ?I dont think it has.with mkv support it would be great.
 
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no TV out, and yes, it would have been great with mkv and rmvb support, but for 6k i guess it's still a steal if it does what it says on the tin. I'm looking forward to some actual reviews in the wild.

Does it have TV out ?I dont think it has.with mkv support it would be great.
 
no TV out, and yes, it would have been great with mkv and rmvb support, but for 6k i guess it's still a steal if it does what it says on the tin. I'm looking forward to some actual reviews in the wild.

It does have .mkv and .rmvb support, check out the initial link I posted.
 
This looks good - the 16GB version is probably the way to go, but I'll wait for the firmware updates.

  • Cranky what is a firmware update?
  • Also does this unit have a digital out so I can connect into external DAC?
  • How is this device different from an Apple Ipod?

--
helium
Amp: Lyrita SET 2A3
Speakers: Vintage B&W DM4
Source: LG DVD + Beresford DAC
Cables: Lyrita's I.C & cables
 
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The below extract is is what cranky explained to me and I thought I should display it to the forum members so that it may guide them aswell.

Thank you very much cranky for your time and your sincere efforts:signthankspin:

.......
No portable player has a digital output to connect to a DAC. There is *no* way to connect it to a DAC, you have to go straight into the line input/aux input of a preamp or integrated.

The iPod can do it with a specialised dock. The only one I know is the Wadia. There may be others. A lot of AVR manufacturers have docks too, but they mostly use analog.

There are three parts to a portable player. Storage capacity, user interface, and digital to analog conversion. The three are not linked to each other. You can have a 1GB player with excellent SQ, and you can have players with brilliant SQ but terrible interface, and you can have players with an excellent interface and average SQ.

DAC part has got nothing to do with file formats - that is about software support, the digital to analog conversion is done in hardware. The iPod cannot play FLAC. The S:Flo can play everything. Both are identical in the control hardware (not the DAC part, that is different). There is a software called Rockbox for iPod, you'll have to research it. It basically voids the Apple warranty and changes the firmware to something more customisable and it can play FLAC as well. Sound quality will still not be as good as the S:Flo 2, and stability will be a little worse than the stock Apple firmware, but it will work.

No player I know of will expose the digital output to the user - it assumes that headphones will be the primary mode of listening, some (like the S:Flo) also provide a higher quality line out for audiophiles (the iPod also has a line out, accessible from the dock connector). This is a fixed level output. The volume control of the player has no effect on it - just like your CD player. The preamp or integrated needs to control volume.
 
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T
No portable player has a digital output to connect to a DAC. There is *no* way to connect it to a DAC, you have to go straight into the line input/aux input of a preamp or integrated.

.

Just to add, iRiver had a model with a SPDIF out..that was way back i 2003-4 i think they discontinued the model..
RedWine audio i believe had a mod of SPDIF out for Gen 3 Ipods...
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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