^ If you go back in time, you'll find that invariably every IEM or headphone which is decent enough has been praised and made Flavor of the Month (FOTM, for short). Some of them get forgotten, only the better ones remain and still be talked about. My "trusted circle" are a few people whose sound signature tastes and preferences align with mine. So, YMMV. And none of them have a S:Flo unfortunately. So, not much use for the task on hand.
S:Flo2 may sound better than many. But, by how much is pure speculation unless I can compare them. If it performs say even 5-10% better than a Cowon S9/J3 priced at twice it's price, it's worth all the accolade it gets. But, if the SQ difference is narrower, then other factors like battery life, ease of use (UI) etc., should take center stage. After all, you can get a Clip+ for cheaper. I, personally am wary of all these chinese "audiophile players" which are said to have better SQ. For me, every day ease of use also assumes importance. I've managed to stay through numerous Windows BSODs, bugs, errors which were hard to trace... and I am kind of okay with it. I don't want the same horrible experience with a media player. Imagine a long travel where the battery has run out during half the travel time / having to live with hiss with your IEM / a buggy firmware / UI which is difficult to get around. I'd be happy to miss my last 20% SQ upgrade over these factors.
Until someday, (somehow) I get S:FLO / HiFiMan players / Amp3Pro on loan and am so impressed with the SQ that I am willing to live with all the limitations, I'll prefer normal non-audiophile, ordinary SQ, decent branded players.
. Of course, there are a few whom I trust and whose opinions matter to me.
![Amarbir[Lynx-India]](/data/avatars/m/7/7577.jpg?1512390518){kind=avatar}
