[setmenu]

My partner has just bought herself an Iriver H300, the first hard drive player
experience for either of us.
This solid little player is really nice, I like the way it simply plugs in as an
external hard drive , could prove useful on many levels.
The advantages of storing your music on a single device like this do not
need repeating here!

My usual portable music setups have been along the more hardcore lines of
pcdp + outboard dac/amp but recently I have just been listening to my
Sony 2000 player using only an amp and my ER4 canal phones.
The latter providing a very good sound without all the added bulk of the dac
and battery packs.
This drive for less bulk and weight was naturally drawing me toward
hard drive players....

So last night I decided to give the Iriver [wav files] a brief audition
listening with my Stax 4040 system.
Well without going into major detail, I thought it sounded OK but rather
hard and processed.
It proved rather difficult to just let go and go with the flow of the music.
I then connected my Sony 2000 pcdp and ,phew what a relief for my ears!
The Sony certainly has its faults [bit light in the bass for one] but on the
whole it sounded a lot nicer and it proved far easier just to
settle into enjoying the music.
Considering the diminutive size and the natural compromises that have
to be made for portable use the little Sony acquitted it self very well.

I sooo wanted to love the sound of the Iriver as I quite like the package overall.

So for the time being my portable needs are happily met with my current setup,
but the advantages of the hard drive players are inescapable.
Though unfortunately I do have the sneaking suspicion that whatever brand
of player I ultimately go for, the sonic compromises are not going to be
particularly pleasant.

But at least I will still have my pcdp setup for those times when I decide to go
out walking and listening for pleasure.

Setmenu

 

[Sparky191]

Were you playing a lossless format (WAV) on the iRiver?

 

[jpelg]

I agree with you, setmenu. My old, trusty Panasonic PCDP sounds better than any DAP I've heard playing well-encoded (256K+) mp3's. But carrying around the CDP + amp + IC's is just way too cumbersome for me these days.

As you say, the convenience factor of the digital players (which diminish if you start using uncompressed formats with less storage & battery life, btw) is undeniable. And when 'out-and-about', rather than inside under more critical listening conditions, they will do. I guess. Sorta...

 

[catscratch]

My Zen Micro isn't anywhere as good as my old Fisher PCD-5400 either. It's funny, isn't it, how every new technology takes us a step forward in convenience and a step backward in sound quality. I wonder what's next? Integrated cellphone/mp3 player/game console/camera/video/internet browser/computer that doesn't do any of these functions particularly well - and no one will care, except a few disgruntled quality junkies like ourselves?

Whatever. I'm using the Micro right now, and the Fisher's collecting dust. I guess that says something about what even people who care about quality choose when faced with an obvious practicality advantage. Or maybe it's that most of my electronica (which is what I listen to on the road) is in mp3, wma, and wave.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch I wonder what's next? Integrated cellphone/mp3 player/game console/camera/video/internet browser/computer that doesn't do any of these functions particularly well - and no one will care, except a few disgruntled quality junkies like ourselves?

Sorry to continue the tangent, but you have summed up my thoughts nearly perfectly. It's like the cell phone cameras. I actually care about photo quality, and so I have a real camera. A 0.3" out of focus pixelated image is completely worthless to me, and I would do a lot to get the camera ripped out of my phone to save me the 1/2 oz in weight.

setmenu, have you tried using the line out with an amp? Might you see it as a slightly closer match to the pcdp?

 

[setmenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm setmenu, have you tried using the line out with an amp? Might you see it as a slightly closer match to the pcdp?

I was using the line out [of both the dap and pcdp] to drive my Stax 4040 rig. [srm006 amp +404 phones]
That Iriver 'line out' seems to be the same as the headphone out [though useful for two listeners] being affected by the volume control rather than being the usual fixed output.
Unless I am missing something....

I guess with these hard drive players it is easy to take your eye off the ball
and end up immersed in the plethora of file types and related ripping software etc etc.
They are nice little gadgets to fiddle with.

But it is hardly surprising that these little boxes stuffed full of so much engineering are going to be compromised somewhere.
The problem is I just cannot imagine that the drive to improve/evolve these
devices is going to come from consumer pressure to improve the sound!

Each new flagship model is simply going to be trumpeting the combination of
yet another feature assimilated from a previously standalone product sector.

Da da da..." now with built in kitchen sink"!!!

What's the saying, 'jack of all trades master of none'

I will most probably purchase a hard drive player for use when a truly
compact portable solution is required but for those times when I wish
to purely enjoy music on the move I will stick to what I have, or until
something better sounding comes along....

Setmenu

 

[Jmmmmm]

Perhaps you should wait for the neuros III to see if it lives up to expectations as an 'audiophile dap'

 

[setmenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm Perhaps you should wait for the neuros III to see if it lives up to expectations as an 'audiophile dap'

Thanks for the link.
As the reviewer says, quite a brave move to aim for the 'audiophile crowd'.

It would nice if such a project came to fruition and achieved a player
with a top quality sound.

It looks like I shall have to keep an eye on Neuros developments...


Cheers


Setmenu