[Simo_2004]

Hi

Just joined, and i thought id say this is a great forum. Right, to the point; i sold my ipod mini because i was gettin really cheesed off with the battery life, and sold it before i had to replace the battery, so now im stuck.... i cant decide what player to get, im looking for 5gb or more and have my eyes set on the following- Sony nw-hd3, Iaudio m3 and particularily the m3l due to its huge battery life, or should i go to the 4th gen ipods ? It would be much appreciated if someone could point me in the right direction ....

 

[fr4c]

Get a iPod, Rejoin the Dark Side

but in all seriousness, you may also want to consider the rio karma and zen touch. i have heard and used both of these players, and i would say they are very good alternatives to the iPods.

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

 

[PFRfan]

I LOVED my Karma for the week I had it. I just returned it today - dreaded hard drive stuck problem. Was getting flaky, and I've read too much to bother trying.

I'm sticking with my 40GB iPod because it's what I have. I certainly don't think it's the be-all-end-all of DAPs, but right now it's about as good as any of them.

I didn't like the Zen Touch - too big & the interface isn't anything to write home about. I have an iRiver iHP-140 which has a pretty dumb interface, but is a pretty good all-around performer. I wrote a while back that it's sound quality was better than my iPod, but since then I started using the ABX tool in Foobar for sampling bitrate differences, and after being humbled repeatedly, I decided that maybe the difference was in my head. It's way too hard to AB units for me, anyway.

If I was picking today, I'd give pretty strong consideration to the M3L. But right now I'm just going to wait for Karma2/Chrome/whatever. I love the inferface. If they can go up to 40/60GB, add an alarm (I've taken to using my E3c's at night and waking up to the iPod - it keeps the peace so to speak), add mass storage support, and maybe throw in some recording features, it'll be the perfect DAP for me.

Everyone I've read who has a Zen Micro loves it, so I wouldn't count that one out, either.

 

[Simo_2004]

Hmmm, yeah i was really considering getting a 'proper' ipod if you know what i mean, but its quite scary how fast apple are bringing out new generations, and i want to have an mp3 that will last - staying new on the market if anyone gets my drift.

Anyway, ive also considered the zen micro, and think its ace but seems too plasticy, the u2 ipod looks very attractive, and my mates 4g ipod is wicked but its scratched to smitherines and thats when he has taken care of it since he bought it. The sony nw-hd3 catches my eye though, with 22hours playback on mp3 format, it looks like the definitive 'ipod killer' not to mention its miniscule size- at about the same as the mini ipod. For me the zen touch is too chunky....

 

[Xell]

Many people here will remember my iPod killers thread... I was stuck for which DAP to get.

I ended up with the nW-HD3... After converting some 8gb of music to mp3, i've uploaded it all and AM LOVING this friggin thing!

Really great would suggest to anyone (infact, i have)....

However, i would have chosen the VAIO Pocket if i wasn't travelling

 

[vulc4n]

I had a 20 gig 4g ipod... but I now have a zen micro. The zen micro is better imo. The interface is similar to the ipod interface, but it has some more advanced features to mess with. I don't mind the platic, because it won't dent like metal does, and its less scratch prone than the high polish ipod that looks great the day you get it but is garunteed to be covered in scratches if you don't baby it. I think one of the best features of the zen is the removeable battery. Mine even came with an extra battery. I always wanted a 20 gig player, but what is the point of 20 gigs of music on a portable player? I'd recomend getting a small player like the zen micro and then only putting your favorite songs on it.

 

[Cyclone]

i second the zen micro. it has plasic but is by no means plasticy. the only plastic creaking comes from the battery casing but you have to squeeze pretty hard for it to make sound.

it also has great features, usability(look ma only one hand), and is just a quality peice of hardware. the only negatives are the software which you can update the firmware and then you can just use wmp10 fully which is much better than media source(bleh...

)

 

[IstariAsuka]

I've used iRiver and Apple players before quite extensively (either owned or borrowed), and I just recently bought my first HDD-based DAP, a Rio Karma. I am dreading slightly what I've heard about reliability--especially since I didn't have enough money to get a warranty for it--but as far as I can tell most of these problems happened the first half or so of its lifetime.

Probably they got a bad batch of HDDs from Hitachi. Most of the reports you hear now-a-days are people who have RMAed their players back to Rio. When you get a replacement Karma from Rio you don't get a used one, you get a refurbished one--the ones that had a problem in the first place. So, yeah, most people who have bought new the last couple months seem to have been having few problems, no more than other DAPs. Or so I hope.

Besides, other players use these Hitachis, and I've not read about unusual failure rates on them. For instance, the GMiniXS200, as I understand it, uses the same drive as the Karma. Also, Apple uses a different Hitachi drive in the iPod Mini. So, yeah, probably just a bad batch.

Though I must admit I am making an effort to treat it gently, just in case.

BTW, it's definately the most awesome player I've used so far. Very intuitive interface, I'd say better in some ways than the iPod, and in some ways worse. For instance, when choosing music you can first choose the letter first, then scroll through all the options under that letter. Much faster than having to scroll through every entry of every letter like in the iPod. Then again, there are a few more eccentricities than the iPod, but coming from an iRiver, it took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to do everything on this thing. VERY easy to use.

The sound quality seems excellent, the RCA outs is a nice feature, I must admit. The dock is very cute.

My hand is slightly larger than I think they designed it for, but it still works great, very comfortable to hold, even in your left hand. This is nice, since not all players are that comfortable for me to use. The iPod Mini just doesn't work that well for me, for instance--the click wheel is too close to the edges of the player, so my thumb cannot comfortably circle the bottom-right part of the wheel. The normal iPod works fine.

Oh, and once you get used to gapless it's hard to use stuff that doesn't have it. Good stuff.

Wow, I'm rambling. I'll shut up now...

 

[Krishna]

If you can wait a few months Iaudio will be coming out with the M5L which has a screen on the main unit and boasts a 36hr battery life (expect 30hrs). Then again the Rio Chroma may or may not be introduced soon as well.

 

[Simo_2004]

Thanks very much for your opinions guys, much appreciated. However, i have just seen in another thread that the sony hd1 is in argos on clearance line for £149.99 which is to be quite frank and absolute bargain.... or should i stick with getting either an m3l or hd3 ? Just out of a matter of interest, what is the process of getting the hd1 to support mp3 playback ?

 

[Hasselhoffia]

It's a 'return to Sony service center' jobbie, and will cost you £15. You'll also lose all your information on the device so best to do it before you start filling it up with tasty tracks....

Sony NW-HD1 upgrade information

 

[Sphinx89]

i second the NW-HD3, although it is pretty expensive. I managed to get it for £219 though, only £13 more than the ipod, and imo, better than an ipod.

sound it good, as is portability, oh and interface. Looks are possibly the best on any player out atm (im biased)

although you will need some better headphones, although this is usally the case with all mp3 players, as the supplied ones are pretty awful

also, if you want the HD1 wor £150 from argos, you will have to be quick ,id imagine they are going fast

 

[Underdog311]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simo_2004 Anyway, ive also considered the zen micro, and think its ace

ace???

 

[Sphinx89]

means that its really good

 

[Simo_2004]

Yeah, what Sphinx89 said.

Yeah, you were right Sphinx89 they are all sold out in birmingham so it looks like im going to get the hd3, as its only £20 more than the hd1 at retail price at £219, and it saves me sending off for the upgrade. I hope im making the right decision here, and apple .... i swear they have a curse on me cuz every time i see one im like 'must get one' then i have to tell myself; 'must not, crap battery'.