[MartinDB]

I would like some advice please.

I have a Creative Zen Touch 20gb with which I am very happy. But, it is full, very full. Compounding this is that I am ripping cds at ever high bit rates (currently 320kbit/s but this is not high enough). My cd collection is entirely classical, and I listen mostly to orchestral works. The collection is quite large at around 500 cds.

I am planning to buy a new MP3 player and am torn between the X5 and the iPod. In each case I am looking at 60gb. I am not especially bothered about video, though I might end up downloading videos of my children when I get round to it. The main purpose of the player is to listen to music and the quality of sound matters - though I also care about looks and am feeling more than a tad passe with my Zen Touch! If it helps, I used Sennheiser CX 300s at the moment but switch to Grado SR 60s or SR 325s when at home. I am also interested in ripping to other, ie non MP3 formats, but this has not been possible to date. I currently rip cds using Easy CD-DA Extractor.

May I add that one worry I have about the X5 is the position of the headphone socket on the side? I have seen questions about this but no real objections. Does anyone have any experience of whether this does or does not cause any problems (my CX 300s have a right angle socket, but that doesn't mean no problems would arise)? I might well upgrade my headphones to Shure or Etymotic in the near future.

Complicating matters is that I am about to get a new laptop and have decided to switch to a Mac (the Macbook) for the first time. So, my question is, given the choice of a Mac, which of these two MP3 players should I go for and why? If it is the X5, could you please provide some comment on its compatibility with a Mac (which I believe is not a problem but that may be only for someone more computer literate than me).

There are, of course, two other options, namely (a) a different player entirely (provided it has 60gb - why oh why has Creative launched the Vision:M in 60gb yet and will it ever do so?) or (b) your choice of MP3 player is too important, so dump the planned Macbook, buy a Thinkpad and get the X5.

Many thanks.

Martin

 

[scorpian007]

The Zen Vision:M 60GB is due out soon, seriously I'd recommend waiting out for that, its an awesome player and when you see the jump Creative have made from the Touch to the Vision:M, you'll be extremely impressed

 

[Sebastianbf]

x2

 

[rlanger]

Hi Martin,

Definitely check out the Toshiba gigabeat S. I really like the form factor (it's not quite as wide as the iPod, is virtually scratch resistant and has a larger screen that you can use in landscape or portrait mode).

Also, in my experience the gigabeat sounds better than the iPod, which is one of the most important considerations.

One other thing that I really prefer over the iPod and other players with "touch sensitive controls" is the gigabeat's tactile cross. It works really, really well for navigating through large libraries or just move to the next song or two. One thing I really dislike about the iPod is that it can be a pain for me to scroll just one or two songs. I guess you get used to it after a while, but I just find it to be a pain.

Downsides? Not really any accessories available yet, apart from a few cases. So if there is something specific that you want to compliment your player, you're kind of out of luck (in the short term anyway). Limited file support (mp3, wma and wma lossless for audio) if this is important to you. But since you already have most of your stuff encoded in mp3, this isn't an issue for you.

<Edit>

Oooops! Just noticed that you're getting a Mac. Don't think the gigabeat works with Macs as it runs on Portable Media Center Edition software. In that case, I would have to agree with Scorpion, wait for the ZVM.

Good luck and be sure to let us know what you end up getting.

Rob

 

[The Smokester]

MartinDB,
I had this exact choice recently. I love my Zen Touch 20GB but it is full. The sound quality and battery life are excellent. The question is how to duplicate this is in a larger-capacity player. The obvious choices are the iPod or X5L. (For me the VM has insufficient battery life but otherwise it has a superb reputation.)

I have taken a fourth choice: I just purchased an iRiver H340 off eBay. (I have an H120 and the sound is superb.) There are mods (on the MisticRiver site) to convert it to a 60GB or eventually to 80GB (when the new hard disks become available) and a larger battery can be installed. This is am expensive way to go and one has to take the risk of undertaking surgery on the H340 but that's what I am doing.

It is probably possible to buy a 40GB Zen Touch (which auction more cheaply on eBay than the H340) and replace the hard drive in it but I haven't seen any postings that describe this. One still ends up with the clunky looks, though.

 

[MartinDB]

Rob
I live in the UK and I am not sure the Toshiba Gigabeat is available here. It certainly doesn't show up in many places. At best you see the 20gb version but even that doesn't seem to be in stock anywhere.
Martin

 

[rlanger]

Yeah, I don't think they released the new gigabeat S in the UK. Not sure why?

It really is a great unit and I know from some other forums that a lot of people in the UK were disappointed not to be able to get their hands on one.

It just became available here in Canada this week (got mine in Japan earlier this year) so maybe it will still make its way over there?

Rob