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The Everlasting Players...running on AAs or AAAs only! - Page 3

post #31 of 54
6/11/07 at 1:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by threebeers View Post
I also have an old Archos Jukebox Recorder and a more recent Toshiba Gigabeat F series, both Rockboxed. The sound off the Archos is far superior, very powerful, but as noted above it is limited to MP3s.

Based on my Archos/Gigabeat and Sanza/Zen experience I am guessing that a similar thing is happening to mp3 players that happened to PCDPs near the end of their run--companies are using cheaper components with higher battery life/lower output at the expense of quality sound.
This is quite amazing....makes me wanna purchase a Jukebox Recorder right now. You said: "far superior, very powerful". Those are very bold words you chose.
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post #32 of 54
6/11/07 at 2:53pm
I, too, like AA/AAA-powered players for certain circumstances (for example, my company has recently announced that employees can no longer connect digital audio players to their desktops or laptops -- which was very convenient for recharging players with built-in batteries).

I have an iAudio 5 (currently out on loan), a Creative Zen Nano and my latest buy (and my first iRiver player), a 2GB iRiver T60, which seems to be more powerful than I would have expected ... the "prism" shape isn't a deal breaker, and I'm quite happy with it.
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post #33 of 54
6/11/07 at 11:52pm
How would you rate the T60 vs the Iaudio 5 ?
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post #34 of 54
6/12/07 at 3:58am
"How would you rate the T60 vs the Iaudio 5 ?"

Hmmm ... I found that, for me, the iAudio 5 sounds first-rate with its 13 mW per channel and 95dB signal-to-noise ratio ... and of course, it can be tweaked endlessly. I'm not crazy about having to use two rocker buttons to navigate, and the screen is quite busy. I do think that it is a little more solid than the iRiver T60. I haven't used many of the impressive features.

The T60 has 18 mW per channel and has easier (for me, anyway) controls. It sounds first-rate, too. Despite its prism shape, it's more pocketable for me. I think it's interesting that, a little over two years after the 5 came out, my T60 has twice the capacity and more power, for less than half the price I paid for the iAudio. I'm listening to "Up From the Skies" by Jimi Hendrix on the T60 right now through Sennheiser PX100's ... pretty nice. For what it's worth, the Creative EP630's and the T60 combine to play LOUD -- I might have the player's volume set at 16 for the Sennheisers, while 8 or 9 provides the same volume with the Creatives.
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post #35 of 54
6/12/07 at 4:02am
Does the T60 handles WAV files ?
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post #36 of 54
6/12/07 at 8:49pm
"Does the T60 handles WAV files ?"

Apparently not -- "just" MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA and ASF. The impressive Samsung T9 might play back WAV files ... but it has a built-in battery. [Edit: No, the T9 does not.]
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post #37 of 54
6/12/07 at 11:58pm
The sony NW-E107 series gets 72hours off of one AAA, And I've gotten longer off of high quality AAA's.

And I find the SQ better than my iPod.
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post #38 of 54
6/30/07 at 11:57am
Seeing how Lithium ion polymer (Li-poly) has a higher energy density than NiMh, I'm confused as to why the AAA powered players have so much better battery life. I guess the Li-poly powered players are using really tiny batteries to cut costs? Otherwise it doesn't seem to make much sense.
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post #39 of 54
6/30/07 at 12:36pm
so much better battery life? which players are you looking at? most of the AAA players are rated for between 10 and 20 hours of playback (with the exception being sony's NW-E100). that isn't significantly more than players using built in batteries.

in addition, cutting costs isn't the only reason to use smaller li-ion batteries. it also makes the players smaller and there is not much demand for players that last hours on end.
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post #40 of 54
6/30/07 at 1:24pm
The point being, I'd either go for a AA / AAA powered device, or a li-ion device with a high battery life.

Most devices on the market today seem to be neither. That is they are li-ion with a low battery life (<20 hours typical).
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post #41 of 54
6/30/07 at 1:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HybVis
I'm confused as to why the AAA powered players have so much better battery life.
is the incorrect point i was replying to.

there are a number of devices with very long battery life. what other features are you looking for?
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post #42 of 54
6/30/07 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zip22 View Post
is the incorrect point i was replying to.

there are a number of devices with very long battery life. what other features are you looking for?
OK. Here is my ideal feature list:

--AA/AAA battery
--power/recharge through USB
--USB drag and drop with no drivers
--FM radio
--and obviously, sound quality

Budget of $100. This works out to be £70 - £80 here in the UK, becuase we have a crapload of tax and import duty to pay.

The iRiver T60 has almost all of that, except the power/charge through USB. That bit is almost essential tho, since I'll be using it a lot in the office, and I can keep the thing powered/charged while I'm using it.

I read somewhere that you can only transfer files on the T60 at full battery power, which sounds bad to me.
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post #43 of 54
6/30/07 at 2:17pm
i don't believe there are any players that allow you to recharge AA or AAA batteries in the player. there are too many simple ways that could go wrong.
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post #44 of 54
6/30/07 at 2:19pm
--AA/AAA battery
--power/recharge through USB
--USB drag and drop with no drivers
--FM radio
--and obviously, sound quality

__________________________________________


Is there any player that uses AA/AAA batteries and can be charged through USB? Isn't USB charging for built-in (internal) batteries only?

Why not use rechargeable AA or AAA batteries (as appropriate for a given player) and set up an external battery recharger for the batteries? When a battery runs down, take 45 seconds and pop in a new, freshly charged battery.
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post #45 of 54
6/30/07 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaBreaHead View Post
--AA/AAA battery
--power/recharge through USB
--USB drag and drop with no drivers
--FM radio
--and obviously, sound quality

__________________________________________


Is there any player that uses AA/AAA batteries and can be charged through USB? Isn't USB charging for built-in (internal) batteries only?

Why not use rechargeable AA or AAA batteries (as appropriate for a given player) and set up an external battery recharger for the batteries? When a battery runs down, take 45 seconds and pop in a new, freshly charged battery.
No, there don't seem to be any.

But there are players which do not use the battery whilst plugged into the USB port. This means you can listen and transfer files without draining the battery. This can only be a good thing
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