barnaby1
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2003
- Posts
- 17
- Likes
- 0
*Begin Rant*
Hello; after trying numerous DAPs over the past few years, I thought I would share some of my experiences. I came to the DAP arena via the MiniDisc and immediately became sold on the convenience benefits. I started with an iRiver iFP (Flash-based) player and quickly craved more storage and went with the iRiver iHP-100. Excellent sound quality, all the inputs and outputs you could want, but the thing was built like a brick. I desired something smaller and more sleek. I then went the iPod route. I can easily see why people always say the iPod is the easiest to use - because it really was. But I was displeased with the horrible battery life and - in all honesty - the sound quality. This was shortly before the iPod minis made it to market, so when they came out, I had to try one of them. At the time, the size of the mini was simply amazing, but it was still plagued with the same problems as its older, bigger brother (sound quality and battery life).
Enter the Rio Carbon. I had one of the original ones (yes, with the headphone static problem and all...) and found the form factor to be pretty close to ideal. Sleek enough to put in a pocket with tactile buttons that allowed navigation through a playlist without having to look at the device, very good sound quality, custom EQ, excellent battery life, audible support, etc. etc. I had the Carbon for over a year before the new wave of players with color screens and 'subscription audio' support arrived. I did fall for some of the 'niceties' of these new machines and went with the iRiver H10. I hated that machine. Who knew that the very thing that tempted me about the H10 would be the thing I would come to hate the most - the screen. I didn't realize I how much I would miss being able to look at a device and instantly see what song was playing! With the new color screens, you have to first turn the screen on (by pressing a button) before it will come to life. This becomes a huge nuisance when you wish to navigate the device...you have to first press a button to 'activate' it and THEN you can move forward or backward. HUGE nuisance.
I recently tried both the Sandisk e270 and the iRiver Clix. Both of these players have tactile navigation, but they are incredibly difficult to operate, particularly if you have the player in your pocket. In fact, I defy anyone to operate the Clix while it is in a pocket - you reach in and *oops* didn't mean to push that button! It is WAY to easy to press one of the sides inadvertently. The e270 suffers from the opposite problem - the navigation keys are practically non-existant. Yeah, the 'coolness' of the video playback is tempting, but what it comes down to is this - the Rio Carbon has been the best DAP I have owned over the years. Tactile navigation, Janus, 20+hr battery life, easy charging, good sound quality, sufficient storage, etc. make this machine a winner. I just wanted to show it some love in this forum...
*END RANT*
Hello; after trying numerous DAPs over the past few years, I thought I would share some of my experiences. I came to the DAP arena via the MiniDisc and immediately became sold on the convenience benefits. I started with an iRiver iFP (Flash-based) player and quickly craved more storage and went with the iRiver iHP-100. Excellent sound quality, all the inputs and outputs you could want, but the thing was built like a brick. I desired something smaller and more sleek. I then went the iPod route. I can easily see why people always say the iPod is the easiest to use - because it really was. But I was displeased with the horrible battery life and - in all honesty - the sound quality. This was shortly before the iPod minis made it to market, so when they came out, I had to try one of them. At the time, the size of the mini was simply amazing, but it was still plagued with the same problems as its older, bigger brother (sound quality and battery life).
Enter the Rio Carbon. I had one of the original ones (yes, with the headphone static problem and all...) and found the form factor to be pretty close to ideal. Sleek enough to put in a pocket with tactile buttons that allowed navigation through a playlist without having to look at the device, very good sound quality, custom EQ, excellent battery life, audible support, etc. etc. I had the Carbon for over a year before the new wave of players with color screens and 'subscription audio' support arrived. I did fall for some of the 'niceties' of these new machines and went with the iRiver H10. I hated that machine. Who knew that the very thing that tempted me about the H10 would be the thing I would come to hate the most - the screen. I didn't realize I how much I would miss being able to look at a device and instantly see what song was playing! With the new color screens, you have to first turn the screen on (by pressing a button) before it will come to life. This becomes a huge nuisance when you wish to navigate the device...you have to first press a button to 'activate' it and THEN you can move forward or backward. HUGE nuisance.
I recently tried both the Sandisk e270 and the iRiver Clix. Both of these players have tactile navigation, but they are incredibly difficult to operate, particularly if you have the player in your pocket. In fact, I defy anyone to operate the Clix while it is in a pocket - you reach in and *oops* didn't mean to push that button! It is WAY to easy to press one of the sides inadvertently. The e270 suffers from the opposite problem - the navigation keys are practically non-existant. Yeah, the 'coolness' of the video playback is tempting, but what it comes down to is this - the Rio Carbon has been the best DAP I have owned over the years. Tactile navigation, Janus, 20+hr battery life, easy charging, good sound quality, sufficient storage, etc. make this machine a winner. I just wanted to show it some love in this forum...
*END RANT*
