Newbie needs help SL or SP

First ... this is a repost... I "replied" to someone with the following questions, then realized that I should have started a new post. My appologies for the double posts. What I originally wrote follows.

Hello I am very new to ALL of this! Pardon me if this is not the right place to post this. I am looking to by an mp3/4 player for a friend. I have been looking for weeks. Was set on getting the Creative Zen, but got turned off by the bad reviews. Stumbled upon Chinese miniplayer sites accidentally earlier this week and have spent many hours everyday since trying to learn about the different players. I really do not much about any of the technical stuff I keep reading about. I want something simple. Now, I see that the SL is relatively new. I can get a good dea (after a mail in rebate of course) on an SP model. What I am trying to find out from those of you in the know is, for the extra 30-50 bux (depending in gbs) is it worth getting the SL over the SP? I am just reading/learning about firmware and all... and am just wondering what is more practical. Are there many significant changes that warrant spending the extra money on the SL? Thanks for your feedback!

The main thing about the SL is that it's thinner which makes it more portable, the sound-hiss which was a little problem for some with the SP seems to be fixed -or at least better, screen seems to be a tad better, it has a brushed metal back so it doesn't scratch as much as the M6 SP. The battery time seems to be reduced a bit tho.

If you don't care about your player being a bit fatter, then go for the M6 SP.

But I think that I would choose the SL. As it is newer and all.

one thing i'm sad about is that the SP's screen's colors were much nicer than the SL's. SL's colors are much colder.

Originally Posted by nice2know_u

one thing i'm sad about is that the SP's screen's colors were much nicer than the SL's. SL's colors are much colder.

Didn't know that. Ah well, you can't go wrong with either of them. :D

The bass settings for the SL also changed right? SL's bass of 8/8 is comparable to SP's 5/15, or so I've read.

Battery:
M6SP rated battery life is 36 hours since a few firmware updates ago. I remember vividly because I was surprised that its rated 1-upped my Cowon iAudio X5L's. SL is 26 I believe.

Sound:
With no EQ, the SL has a slightly more detailed midrange than the SP does. The SP, however, has less subdued highs than the SL. The bass on the SL is quite a bit sloppier, missing the punch and authority that the SP's bass commands. The SP's bass boost is also quite a bit more advanced (highest setting is way higher than the highest SL setting). The SL is said to hiss a little less, but the SP never hissed for me anyway.

Screen:
The SP's screen isn't quite as bright as the SL's, but the SP's color reproduction is far superior.

Body:
SL has power switch integrated to the touchpad and takes longer to load. The SL is noticeably thinner, and thin is in. The SL's screen is negligibly larger, and the brushed metal backplate of the SL is not as prone to scratches as the stainless steel SP's. The SL seems to be a bit sturdier.

Originally Posted by Mythristical

The bass settings for the SL also changed right? SL's bass of 8/8 is comparable to SP's 5/15, or so I've read.

i don't agree with that. i use the same amount of bass (3) on my SL as i used on my SP and it's quite the same amount.

also SL's output volume is higher than the SP's.

Originally Posted by under

Sound:
With no EQ, the SL has a slightly more detailed midrange than the SP does. The SP, however, has less subdued highs than the SL. The bass on the SL is quite a bit sloppier, missing the punch and authority that the SP's bass commands. The SP's bass boost is also quite a bit more advanced (highest setting is way higher than the highest SL setting). The SL is said to hiss a little less, but the SP never hissed for me anyway.

The SL still has the 10-band EQ if that's what you're talking about. But i think you mean how it sounds with the EQ disabled. As for the "punch", i don't think it's true, the SL has more than enough of it. Also, bass boost settings higher than 5 start distorting on the SL especially if you upped the bass on the EQ a little, and i don't see a need for more even though i am a bit of a bass head.