Who /ipod/ here?

so is the clip+ the best mp3 player on the market?

no, since it's not on the market anymore

So is the quality difference between using a phone (Galaxy S5 in my case) and an iPod/Fiio actually distinguishable and worth it?
I can definitely tell that the music from my laptop sounds much better on my earphones than on the phone, so I guess it is possible, but also for other mobile devices?

Different guy than the one you're responding to but I've got an x1 and I've got everything from 192kbps bootlegs to FLAC and it works fantastic.

nani?!

it's been discontinued for quite a while iirc

Think of it this way, gamers buy better video cards to have their games perform better. Sound equipment works in a similar fashion. Different technology can result in a better and more satisfying listening experience.

I haven't heard your phone but I noticed a HUGE difference between playing music on my phone and playing it on the ipod I bought even though the ipod is from 2005 or 2006. That's because it has a better DAC than most phones today.

So I would say its a high chance its distinguishable. For me the difference wasn't subtle, it was dramatically improved and I noticed it right away.

You can find it on Amazon still, I believe.

I've been thinking about taking my Zune out of storage for bike riding. It's way smaller and lighter weight than my phone, has greater capacity for music, and I'm not calling people when I'm out riding anyways. The only downside is that I'd have to deal with the Zune software, which I'm not sure even exists anywhere anymore

That's up to you. Maybe you should try it out, although I would recommend looking into an external DAC for your phone first