[jnev]

i'm having a problem here... i was 95% set on getting the 60gb x5, and then i find out about its 9999 file limit, which just plain SUCKS. i'm not sure yet if it's only for music, or if data is part of that, either way it sucks, a huge negative to the x5. the 60gb ipod is also a possibility now. i use itunes as my jukebox on my pc, so that's not a problem. i have a question though. i have 70gb of music atm (steadily growing however). will itunes autofill my ipod every time i sync it? how does itunes decide what songs to put on it? or is it up to me to decide? how is the sound quality out of ipod compared to the x5? is the equalizer any better now on the 5g's compared to the 4g's? i'll be running md33's out of whatever player i get, maybe upgrading to some shures or something in the not-too-distant future. is the black ipod prone to scratches like the nano?

thanks

 

[rextrade]

You can manually control what tunes go from itunes to the ipod (just set it to manual). When you first synch, you can drag and drop what songs you want onto the ipod, and then do the same thing for every other synch.

As for the eq on the 4g v 5g, the 5g is better in that it doesn't distort the bass as much, but I would still MP3 gain your tracks.

Haven't heard the X5, but I'm guessing that you like to use eq, and from what I've heard, the X5 is much better in that regard.

 

[Bob_McBob]

Wow, I'd never heard of that 9999 file limit before, that's pretty bizarre. I kind of doubt you'd reach that unless you used low bitrates, but it would be annoying if you wanted to store photos (do photos count towards the limit?).

With iTunes, you can either have the iPod sync automatically, in which case you would uncheck songs in software to tell it not to copy them to the iPod, or you can do it completely manually. iTunes is quite flexible in this regard, especially if you use smart playlists. You should download it and check out what you can do beforehand.

The equalizer on the 5G still distorts the same as the 4G, but not to such a great extent. In either case, mp3/aacgaining your files to a lower level (I use 89dB) will allow you to use the equalizer without significant distortion (as much as any equalizer will, anyway). The sound quality out of the headphone output is good, with the disclaimer that I've never heard an X5. The iPod's line-out is especially nice if you don't mind the extra clutter of a portable amp when you're out (or at least a level attenuator - it is very loud). I tend to use the headphone out with my er6is when I'm out, and the line-out amped when I'm in (and MS-1s until I sold them, waiting on my HF-1s now

).

All iPods other than the discontinued mini scratch like a bitch unless you keep them in a case. The same can be said for most consumer electronics, but iPods show it a lot, as the back is polished metal and the front is clear. I prefer fabric slip cases like the foofpod or FabriX, but there are lots of choices available. The black models do tend to show scratches and fingerprints more than the white ones, but they're not any more prone to damage (it just looks worse).

 

[jnev]

well i have 12584 songs at 70gb total. they're all encoded between 192-320kbps mp3 depending on the song.

 

[irvin59]

You might want to look at my thread X5 beware before you decide. Bottom line-good sq and eq but service backup stinks-now 3 weeks without a reply from Cowon.

 

[jnev]

i'm not too worried about the customer service. all company's have both good and bad reps.

 

[Rodent]

the 9999 file limit is per folder and because of the filesystem used, other players probably have the same kind of limit. You wont be keeping everything in the same folder.

 

[bangraman]

I have well over 100Gb of music, and one of the great pains of that is when you encounter a UMS player like the X5. Thankfully, I use j.River Media Center to fill the X5 which provides me with an iTunes-like drag & drop onto player interface. It's not quite as simple as the iPod + iTunes though, and there are frequent minor irritations... just as well that j.River is also a great PC-based player which IMO is far superior to the overrated Foobar.


I must be one of the few who thinks that ultimate possible sound quality of the iPod has been coming down over the last three generations, but most people run with low-impedance or / and low-cost phones in which case things will have improved on the 5G. It plays much nicer with low-impedance phones, and in fact the measured low-impedance falloff of the 5G iPod is virtually identical to the X5. Sound quality is very similar as well, and anyone who says otherwise has not compared the two side by side. The X5's equaliser still behaves more predictably but the very apparent distortion on the iPod has gone. Sustained low notes can still cause the Bass Booster preset to distort though, although I can't get Latin to distort to the same degree.


With the X5, I use manual drag & drop plus limited playlisting, both in j.River. Even with j.River, it's still somewhat clunky on the playlisting side, and there is a dearth of a usable smart playlist options (j.River's Smart Playlist requires a programmer's mindset) so I don't use that a lot. For Podcasts, I have Juice (formerly iPodder) running on the server which downloads Podcasts into a \Podcast\episode folder structure. This is then synced using Microsoft Synctoy, and I've used Autoplay Repair from Quickfind so that Synctoy (and j.River) appear as autoplay options when I dock the X5.


With the iPod, I mix and match prepared Smart Playlists with manually-filled playlists as well as a variety of Podcasts. I set the iPod to automatically update with these playlists. That way, I can mix & match manual filling and automatic selections. iTunes features the simplest way to do this I've ever come across.


Which do I use more? The iPod undoubtedly.

 

[jnev]

ok, i'm getting different answers for the file limit question. i asked on the iaudio board and all of them are giving me different answers as well. sorry to sound annoyed, but doesn't ANYONE know which it is? i have no problem if it's 9999 files per folder, if it's one of the other 2 i will have a problem, if data files are included in the 9999, the x5 is out of the question for me (sorry).

one of the major reasons why i like the x5 so much (besides all the features) is that it's drag and drop. i use linux as my main os, so it's very nice to just be able to use the x5 with it. with an ipod, i can either boot into windows to sync with itunes, or there are a few programs made for syncing the ipod in linux, though i haven't yet tried any of them.

i use very low-impedence 'phones, so i don't think i have anything to worry about in that regard. while someday i'd like to be able to get an amp and some nice over-ear 'phones, that day is too far off to be even thinking about. right now all i use is my md33's. maybe, *maybe*, down the road i'll get some nicer ones, shures or etymotics most likely.


thanks for the help guys, but i'd really like to know the definitive answer to my main question about the file limit.

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnev thanks for the help guys, but i'd really like to know the definitive answer to my main question about the file limit.

Other players also have a 9999 file limit...but I don't know why. See here on the H140:

http://www.misticriver.net/showthrea...highlight=9999

There's lots of threads on this if you search that forum for "9999".

If the X5 is the same as the iRiver and Archos models I've used....than supposedly (as discussed in link) you can put as many files (music or otherwise) on the player you wish. However, the device will only recognize the first 9999 files in the song count and be able to play them. The others will only be seen by your PC.

 

[jnev]

so do data files count as part of that 9999? and is it 9999 per folder, or 9999 total for the whole device (including or excluding data depending on whether data counts a spart of the 9999).

thanks

 

[jackal2513]

in terms of sound quality the X5 is in a completely different plane to the ipod IMO

 

[jnev]

i've heard some people say the ipod 5g sounds as good as the x5, then a lot of people also said that the x5 has way better sq. i'm gonna see if i can go to the apple store today to test it out. my friend has a 20gb x5 so i'm gonna check his out.

 

[bangraman]

Here's a tip I posted for comparing players.
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147225

The test rig

The video still (both taken with screen protection on)

 

[Bob_McBob]

As I've mentioned in the past, bear in mind that the iPods at the Apple Store are probably loaded with 128kbps AAC files from the iTunes Music Store, so using them as a basis for SQ comparison is probably not a good idea.