I still haven't found a DAP I liked as much as the iPod. I'm VERY picky about my sound quality; IMO you can get away with lossy if done properly. I rip to lossless now, transcode to AAC @ 320Kbps and find the results musically satisfying. The iPod isn't perfect but for portable use it sounds very good. It's certainly better than many DAPs and if you're looking for truly high quality you can mod it and use an outboard amp. That combo should sound better than any other DAP available. A bit unwieldy but it'll work. I haven't done it yet but am still considering it. I have a 4G ipod hanging around still.