You said you'd choose the H1x0 as a line out device with an amp "everytime". But this is pointless, you'd get better quality just using the headphone output without the need to carry a whole extra on a lot of newer devices.
Perhaps you can move from assertion and into explanation and illustrate how to get better quality into an amp by using a headphone out that doesn't measure as well as the line out? Some facts or data would make a refreshing contrast to blunt assertion.
http://outpost.fr/rmaa/iPod_Classic-D2000.htm
Even if you don't like me or don't like iRiver, the Hxx0 players still have a really good line out.
I think you need to calm down and stop taking people disagreeing with you so personally.
The figures you link are for 24-bit not 16-bit and so are not a sensible or reasonable comparison. Of course a 24-bit path has more dynamic range than a 16-bit path. But here's a thing: 100% of red book CD audio is 16-bit. And almost every track ever ripped or downloaded that has a 44100 Hz sample rate is also 16-bit. Even most 48000 Hz audio out there is 16-bit.
And I think
you need to calm down and stop taking people disagreeing with you so personally(™).
Failing that you might consider simply engaging on a more human and personable basis and, at least notionally, setting aside personal vendor or hardware likes/dislikes and similar.
The iRiver H**0 players have a headphone out that can uncontroversially be considered tolerable to very good depending on the headphones attached. If you use highly sensitive but very low impedance 'phones it may only be tolerable - if you use 'phones of high sensitivity but moderate impedance (over 16 ohms for example) then even the headphone out is very good indeed.
The
line out is
unambiguously and
measurably very good indeed.
I have no idea why you want to repeatedly conflate and confuse the separate line out and headphone out sockets on these players, or why you seek to make a comparison between one player's separate line output and another player's (sole) loaded headphone output.
The headphone out and line out are not even the same physical sockets. They are not used in the same way. They do not measure the same. They do not even remotely sound the same.
I do understand why someone using IEMs of very low impedance but high sensitivity will consider the iRiver Hxx0 as only acceptable or fairly good (I am not deaf and do own several low impedance IEMs). But if you attach some really good headphones (I often use Sennheiser Momentum circumaural which have 18 ohm impedance) you quickly discover that even the headphone out is not so bad (feel free to consider my "not so bad" as a generous understatement).
The
line out is actually very, very good indeed, measurably so, audibly so, and demonstrably so.