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Portable Hard Drive based Player with Digital out and LossLess Compression?

post #1 of 9
12/9/03 at 7:57pm
Thread Starter 
To dream the impossible dream?

I guess I can only hope for the RockBox team to support LossLess compression with Archos Jukeboxes. I have a Jukebox recorder and it has coaxial digital output.

I have a crazy plan to have a tranportable rig using LossLess compression in a hard drive based player (OK, a laptop would work, but that's too big) and using a digital output to a DAC/Amp. Hmmmm, like say a Grace 901?

OK, I know that is not the best source, but I'm talking the ULTIMATE transportable rig. Not something you can carry in your pants pocket, but something easily transportable in a bag or backpack.

-Ed
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post #2 of 9
12/10/03 at 5:44am
Thats exactly what I do. I have the archos recorder and the sosenuto-1 (Portable DAC + amp) and use that at work with my ety's. But the music is compressed, like you I crave for a lossless player with digital out. I am just hoping archos listens and decides to add lossless compression on new models.

BTW Rockbox can't add lossess formats, including Wav as they don't have any control over the chip in the arhos which is designed only to decompress and process mp3s.

Wordsworth
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post #3 of 9
12/10/03 at 6:01am
While lossless is something I think many of us here want, the lack of many people out in the real world (or really even here) using uncompressed files (which are already supported on most HDPs), seems to suggest it's not a major desire. Space and battery life are concerns with either. I hope the Karma is the first of many to support FLAC, etc., but we'll see.
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post #4 of 9
12/10/03 at 7:19am

Re: Portable Hard Drive based Player with Digital out and LossLess Compression?

The iRiver iHP series has a digital out and supports .wav files.

With .wav you'd only be able to store about 60% of the music that you'd normally be able to with a good lossless compression format like .flac, but that's not bad -- still a large number of albums. If you wait until the rumored 40GB version of the iHP (rumored to be out soon after Christmas), you'd be able to fit about 60-70 CDs. Probably more than good enough... I know I rarely have more than 15 CDs that I listen to regularly.
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post #5 of 9
12/10/03 at 9:36am
I use my Archos with a Benchmark DAC1 to play mp3's (256k) in the office. Very nice setup and uber convenient.

But for uncompressed files, I guess the iRiver is the only option for the moment.
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post #6 of 9
12/10/03 at 12:58pm
Quote:
Originally posted by jpelg But for uncompressed files, I guess the iRiver is the only option for the moment.
For the record, for uncompressed, almost everything is an option (except I believe the Karma, which instead has lossless FLAC). Zens, NJBs, iHPs, iPods, etc., they all play WAVs or AIFFs.

EDIT: Oh I misunderstood. Your linking it also with the request of a digital out. Sorry.
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post #7 of 9
12/10/03 at 3:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by wordsworth
BTW Rockbox can't add lossess formats, including Wav as they don't have any control over the chip in the arhos which is designed only to decompress and process mp3s.

Wordsworth
CRAP! No wav either?! Grrrrr.


-Ed
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post #8 of 9
12/10/03 at 9:54pm
I think a portable DVD player, that has optical out (most do) and can play back files off a DVD-R would also be a decent alternative. But I'm definitely in market for an iHP-120, and I will probably get one (or its successor) as soon as I finish the rest of my portable rig (PPA + DAC daughterboard).

Actually, even compressed music will sound acceptable when you use a better source. I'm sure people with good sound cards would agree.

The best combination is probably to use part of the unit's storage capacity to store compressed music, and the rest for the pure wav files. That way you get most of your music with you, as well as the most important pieces in full quality.
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post #9 of 9
12/10/03 at 10:01pm
Thread Starter 
The trick would be to find a portable DVD player that plays FLAC or Monkey's AUdio, eh?

-Ed
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