[Sunshines]

I was just wondering why nobody is recomending the toshiba player? Does it really suck that much?

 

[Bijl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunshines I was just wondering why nobody is recomending the toshiba player? Does it really suck that much?

I'm under the impression it's pretty hard to find.

 

[shuy]

bass rolloff is fixed only in the 5G ipods? does that mean it's still present in the nano, which is 4G?

how bad is the distortion?

i'm getting either a zen micro or a ipod nano soon, and i'm torn between the 2. i'm ok with the looks of both, i'm more concerned with the SQ and build. from what i read, ipod has a better build while zen has better SQ.

any recommendations?

thanks!

 

[Tunster]

If you're looking for an excellent SQ device at a reasonable price, I would recommend the X5 or M5 (M3, now very hard to find). My M3 is still going 1 year strong and I love not having a main screen on the device. The portable remote with nice niché screen is very easy to use and has very superior sound quality to the iPod.

With excellent enhancement options (JetEffect, Custom EQ, BBE, Mach3Bass), its brilliant. Supports many formats (MP3, non-DRM WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV) which is a requirement from me. The M5 has a monochrome screen (if you don't want colour) or X5 is the colour upgrade. The M5 doesn't have FM Radio compared with the X5. The X5 has USB-OTG, which is handy if you have lots of USB devices (e.g. Digital Camera) and upload pictures instantly for back-up and transfer.

Cowon have active support and firmware upgrades which is also good. If you want to be different and stand out of the crowd with an excellent MP3 player, the X5 or M5 is for you.

 

[notsodeaffjeff]

If the Zen Micro has the better sound quality, build isn't too big of an issue then due to its design. The Zen Micro can easily fit into any Altoids tins with room to spare for some lining to go between the tin and the player. So its Altoids tin for ~$1.50 vs. some Nano case you find online or at a retail store for ~$10.

The Altoids tin would be customizable too. Don't like the red look? Get some wintergreen.

 

[shuy]

i've heard great things abt the cowon players, but i still prefer the look of the micro and the nano unfortunately.

i'm not sure if nano does have better SQ than micro, i was hoping for some1 to comment on that. but yeah, if i get a micro, i'm doing the altoids! way cool...

 

[digitalcat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeratul Believe it or not, my friend actually dropped his karma in the toilet, on like his second day of owning it.

Paying homage to the river god by sending him a bad Karma!

 

[milkpowder]

Line-out should fix distortion.

 

[nsahoo]

I have not been too happy with my zen micro. I got it because it can play subscription music and has a user replaceable battery, but, battery life does suck. I don't have numbers for it but definitely less than 3 hours of play. Even with car charger it needs recharging overnight periodically. Plus it hangs often. Often there is a 5-10 sec delay in moving to the next song--if you try to skip to the next song.

I am thinking of replacing it. May be it was not designed to be left in cold at 20-30F overnight.

 

[shuy]

woah if it's that bad... nano it is then.

guess i'll have to shelve the altoids look till a better player comes along...

so plugging my cans directly to the line out fixes distortion? how about the bass rolloff?

 

[Mr Iriver]

Another ipod alternative is the philips HDD6330. While I still think the iRiver H320 is the best sounding player out there out of the ones I hva used, this philips players is the best player overall I have used. It has an ease of use that beats the ipods ease of use, and it works seamlessly with WMP (Windows Media Player). It also has an EQ, it sounds very good, and has more features than the ipod, and does them all as good or better. It is also the best looking player out there. Appearance-wize it is in a league of it's own, however, the 5G ipod is still smaller.

 

[Luc]

iPos, excuse me, iPod, is only the "king of DAPs" because of marketing and tech stupid people. If you just want a DAP for music I wholeheartedly reccomend the iAudio X5. On newegg.com, you can get a 30GB X5L for $300, or a 30GB non-L for $270. The difference? The L version has a battery life of up to 35 hours. Yes it's a little thick, but not too bad. There's also a 20GB for $245, or a 20GB L for $257. The plain 20GB is only a tiny bit thicker than a 4th gen Ipod.

The X5 has support for FLAC, MP3, WMA, and WAV file formats. It also has a scratch resistant aluminum body. No cheap plastic or chrome (scratching anyone?).

Link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

 

[JohanK]

I am getting an X5L for christmas. By the looks of it, it should spank the iPods ass hard. Intitally I was appealed by the iPod, but as soon as I got a chance to read about the altenratives, the iAudio began to feel like a winner. I have tested how thick it is, and it is not problem for me. A lower resolution on the screen does not matter either. That is essentially the difference. The fact that it can support the above formats, and perhaps just as significant, OGG files (which slaugthers MP3 and most other lossy formats), made it a winner in my eyes. This way you have the ability use FLACs in case you MUST have a loss free file together with the OGG alternative in case you want to conserve space. The EQ also seems to be farily nice with some interesting options.

Some other non audio related bonuses is the fact that it plays FM radio, does not scratch easily, and has a 35 hour battery life.

 

[okay_player]

i really like x5l too, but when users started posting about their problems with the joystick i got freaked out. do you know if cowon has adressed this issue?

 

[max-9]

For me its the X5L 30 , Thats the favorite of my players , My Ipod 5G video is also great but in a different way . The nano is another alternative (I think it sounds better than the bigger ipod) The Creative vision m might be worth waiting to see in person.
I bought my X5 directly from Cowon America , I have had NO problems and use it daily (5 months) . To me the X5 is built the best , sounds the best , has the best battery runtime , and is the most like an extension to my pc. Its screen not as good as the ipod and its body is thicker and heavier but its my favorite.......so far.