[discombobulation]

Sorry if this question has been asked before but...
 
is the iPod 240gb the only option?
 
My library is actually around 300gb (though some of it is 24bit/96khz which has to be downsampled for the iPod).
Is there any other player that can hold that much stuff?
 
I'm not interested in an iMod or anything coming close to audiophile quality - at least at the moment - because my wallet is crying.

 

[Maxvla]

Only way to go above 240GB iMod is going the multiple memory card route, but that's even more expensive.
 
If you aren't worried about top sound quality, how about stepping down to 320k/s or Lame V0 mp3 and halve your library down to 150GB or less.

 

[Hero Kid]

Yeah a 240gb iPod 5.5g (Rockboxed of course) is the only real option in my eyes.
But yeah I suggest you open your eyes to the world of transcodes... but it's up to you.

 

[penartur]

Quote:

Sorry if this question has been asked before but...
 
is the iPod 240gb the only option?
 
My library is actually around 300gb (though some of it is 24bit/96khz which has to be downsampled for the iPod).
Is there any other player that can hold that much stuff?
 
I'm not interested in an iMod or anything coming close to audiophile quality - at least at the moment - because my wallet is crying.

If you don't want an audiophile quality, then why're using 24/96?
Theoretically, 240GB hard drive can also be used with Toshiba Gigabeat F40/X60, with Cowon X5/M5 60GB, with iRiver IHP-140 and IHP-340 (all of these except for X60 will require an adapter). Also, 160GB hard drive and 256GB SSD can be used in nearly all harddisk-based players since 2004 (although older of these would require adapter).
Also, you can wait until toshiba announce (it should be sometime in september), it is possible that there would be 480GB thick HDD (as a replacement for current 240GB) and 240GB thin HDD (as a replacement for current 160GB).

 

[Somnambulist]

High capacity players are pretty much dead since
A) everyone is using flash memory, and currently nobody offers more than 64GB onboard
B) speculation somewhat, but not enough people bought them? Head-Fi members make up far less than 1% of the people who buy these things.
 
So yes, your options are somewhat limited. 5/5.5G iPod with that 240GB HDD you can buy (or the kit with that and a bigger battery), or what penartur has listed above. 
 
My hunch is that remote storage and access via the cloud will come about quicker than waiting for any DAP/PMP that will have more than 300GB onboard.

 

[sashava]

You can use device meant for pictures:Vosonic8870.It is not very expensive,you can swap HDD,max is:500G(for one,you  can have many HDD,unlimited storage!).
It can be used as multimedia player,good display;not so long battery life - but Vosonic can supply
you with external battery pack more then 10000mAh.I am not sure about formats,which it plays,there are many, they say nothing about lossless but WAV.
Is it worth to investigate?if you are photographer? - you will not lose!

 

[discombobulation]

Quote:

If you don't want an audiophile quality, then why're using 24/96? Theoretically, 240GB hard drive can also be used with Toshiba Gigabeat F40/X60, with Cowon X5/M5 60GB, with iRiver IHP-140 and IHP-340 (all of these except for X60 will require an adapter). Also, 160GB hard drive and 256GB SSD can be used in nearly all harddisk-based players since 2004 (although older of these would require adapter).
Also, you can wait until toshiba announce (it should be sometime in september), it is possible that there would be 480GB thick HDD (as a replacement for current 240GB) and 240GB thin HDD (as a replacement for current 160GB).

Thanks for the indepth reply, and all the other replies too.
 
I have 24/96 in my iTunes library for home listening, not really for on-the-go listening. The iPod can't even play them anyway - unless Rockboxed (or so I hear) - and I can't afford an iMod at the moment, so I figure 24/96 on the go would be moot, even if I had the storage capacity.
 
I actually own a 160gb iPod classic, synced with a mirror iTunes library of 320kbps transcodes. Recently managed to fill up the iPod classic with 320kbps transcodes, and the iPod subsequently bricked itself with the iTunes 9.2 update (well documented muck up by Apple, bricked hundreds of perfectly functional iPod classics). Either way, looking at it as an opportunity to upgrade.
 
I have not heard of anyone actually stuffing a 240GB drive into any of those players you mentioned...I'm not too much of a tech geek, and I don't really have cash to flap around unless it's been verified to work. Also, waiting for a 480GB would be excruciating, as I don't have a backup iPod - even if the 480GB is announced, I can always swap it out then anyway.
 
I can get a brand new 240GB 5.5G iPod on eBay for £205 shipped...so am most probably going to settle on it.

 

[basementdweller]

Another option to consider, depending on how you're using your player, would be to buy a netbook.  I've been looking into high capacity players for airports, hotels, etc and have come to the conclusion that Apple's Ipod classic effectively killed off all the competition and Apple themselves aren't interested in upgrading it further.  So, you've basically got: 120gb zune, 160gb ipod classic, 240gb self modified older ipod, relatively high capacity 64gb zune hd or ipod touch, or something that accepts memory cards and said expensive memory cards.  The best option for DAPs, if high capacity is the ultimate goal, appears to be the modified 240gb ipod, but then you are really modifying a three or four year old device that initially only got 11-15 hours of battery life when newer netbooks are getting 13 hours and have added functionality.  With the netbook you could get something like the FiiO7 for audio quality and a usb powered 500gb hard drive, velcro them both to the back of the screen and come out with something slightly more expensive and than a 64gb touch but with far more versatility...of course this is only a suggestion and of course moves you from portable to transportable but it is an idea I've been playing around with and others might not have thought of.

 

[sportster44]

Ithink everyone missed the Archos  IMT,  with cpapcities of up to 500GB. I think it would fit the bill as a non-audiophile device with high capacity.

 

[discombobulation]

I really do need pocket-portability, because I often leave home without a backpack.
 
I have an iPad (serves a netbook purpose for me), and was looking into mods whereby you could connect a USB harddrive to the Apple camera connector adaptor - ultimately the drive has to be self-powered, so that was ruled out.
 
Looked at the Archos line of players, the tablets with larger screens (7" and up) are too big to be truly portable. The 5" one is tempting, but it comes with a whole load of UI and tech that I don't really need in a portable DAP. It adds another £157 to the cost (almost double), when compared with the 240GB iPod. I would consider it if anyone could chime in on the actual UI, portability, battery life and give a brief description of the quality of sound (I don't need audiophile, but I don't want it to be abysmal! The latest iPods sounded pretty good out of the box - for what they are). Also, Amazon reviews aren't too hot for the Archos 5.

 

[penartur]

Quote:

The best option for DAPs, if high capacity is the ultimate goal, appears to be the modified 240gb ipod, but then you are really modifying a three or four year old device that initially only got 11-15 hours of battery life when newer netbooks are getting 13 hours and have added functionality.  With the netbook you could get something like the FiiO7 for audio quality and a usb powered 500gb hard drive, velcro them both to the back of the screen and come out with something slightly more expensive and than a 64gb touch but with far more versatility...

I've had 240GB ipod video. You can always purchase a new battery (usually, upgraded ipods already have their battery replaced), and i've got 24 hours of flacs and 27 hours of mp3 off a single charge a year ago. Rockbox could have been further optimized during this year, so it could be that you will get even more than that battery life.
And what netbook could provide 13 hours of battery life? Just the external 2.5" hard drive will consume about 1W when idle, so in 13 hours just the external hard drive will eat 13W*h of battery capacity, which is about half of a slim netbook battery.

 

[penartur]

Quote:

I have not heard of anyone actually stuffing a 240GB drive into any of those players you mentioned...I'm not too much of a tech geek, and I don't really have cash to flap around unless it's been verified to work. Also, waiting for a 480GB would be excruciating, as I don't have a backup iPod - even if the 480GB is announced, I can always swap it out then anyway.
 

There are such messages on rockbox forums. There is not a single reason why MK2431GAH should not work in DAPs produced after 2004-2005 that support custom hdd installation.

 

[penartur]

Also you can wait a week or two, Cowon should announce their HDD-based X7 soon.

 

[Hero Kid]

I wouldn't buy one with a 240gb HDD already in it from eBay for the following reason.It's almost guaranteed to be a refurbished iPod.
This could mean fake (and less sensitive) scroll wheels as well as logic boards with 32mb of RAM and not 64mb that is meant to be in a 80/60gb iPod 5.5g. Also fake back panels and sneaky condition classing. 
 
If you can try and find yourself an iPod that has been with the seller since new, which come up on eBay fairly regally. Then buy a Apricorn Upgrade kit which comes with instructions, a bigger and better battery and a 240gb HDD with opening tools and install it yourself. It's pretty easy. Install rockbox and you're good to go.
 
Good luck!

 

[discombobulation]

Just perused the Rockbox forums. Interesting mods, the ones that interest me are the iRiver H340 and the iAudio X5L...but in either case you compromise on UI and battery life.
In addition, you need an adaptor + the hard disk is a tight squeeze in the casing, which may or may not increase the fail rate of the hardware. It has also been said that the transfer rates are fairly slow due to the adaptor preventing use of the Rockbox disk driver (impervious to any coding optimisations). There are also comments that have said the FW is glitchy on certain devices, and I'm not fully convinced that these two devices are really powerful enough to offer a good user experience - considering that their hardware was designed with a 40GB and 30GB hard disk in mind...not a 240GB hard disk. At least the iPod 5.5G was 80GB out-of-the-box, with 64MB of RAM verified. This has been ground-tested by tens, if not hundreds of people.
 
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-iPod-240GB-Video-5-5th-Generation-Black-/190435280407?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_PortableAudio_MP3Players&hash=item2c56d3c617
 
Doesn't this seem reliable as an eBay 240GB iPod? I don't particularly mind that its refurb, particularly when almost all the parts have been replaced anyway. He claims original Apple parts, and stereotypically speaking, you're buying from Edinburgh not China lol.