[bellsprout]

so...

what wins between:

imod vs rio karma?

 

[calyx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovebell /img/forum/go_quote.gif .........Kenwood HD30GA9,tight bass(like it),26K color screen.Japanese type sound ,best for JPOP.slight hiss(with my Ue10pro) ..............

I am interested in this one, actually in its successor HD30GB9. Can you please elaborate what do you mean with Japanese type sound? JPOP (Japanese POP)? Is it the trebles ?

My shortlist consists of Cowon X5, Cowon D2 and Kenwood HD30GB9.

Especially is there a player that is especially good for classical music, ambient and jazz with organic sounds, silence, multi-instruments etc? (Well I am listening to Electronica as well).

 

[KTamas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by myc /img/forum/go_quote.gif strange, out of my Axim X51v + headphone boost (kinda software for X50v) + gsplayer, SQ is amazing, if you consider it as portable player tho

Someone posted the RMAA results of the X51v on the Hydrogenaudio forums a while ago and it was pretty amazing from a PDA.

 

[P.J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by myc /img/forum/go_quote.gif strange, out of my Axim X51v + headphone boost (kinda software for X50v) + gsplayer, SQ is amazing, if you consider it as portable player tho

can you compare it with other dap ?

 

[Nandro]

How much music could it possibly hold though? I agree that some smaller players have great SQ, but if you can oly hold 20 songs at high bit rate or lossless then why not just use a decent portable cd?

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif How much music could it possibly hold though? I agree that some smaller players have great SQ, but if you can oly hold 20 songs at high bit rate or lossless then why not just use a decent portable cd?

They are smaller and more convient?

 

[isamu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigDu /img/forum/go_quote.gif From somebody who has much less experience with DAPs than you guys and hasn't really posted here in several years, let me share my limited experiences: I've had an H-120 for over 3 years now. The only reason I got it back then was because it basically had every possible feature out there when compared to the iPod of the day: great battery life, FM tuner, recording, line out, line in, very solid build quality, inline remote, and great SQ. I thought that over time other players would start to integrate all these features. Surprisingly, here in 2007, there are still very few players out there that offer all this right out of the box. And since I've added RockBox, needless to say the iRiver has only gotten better. It's served me faithfully for over 3 years with NO issues whatsoever. I've accidentally dropped it two or three times and subjected it to extreme heat and cold, and it still works like the day I bought it. Now this past Christmas I decided I wanted to try something new, but I haven't had much time to research lately, so what little time I did spend resulted in the purchase of a 30GB Zen Vision M. Let's just say that I've been less than impressed as I've tried to cope with this thing for the past 1.5 months and convince myself to keep it. I honestly think that compared to my iHP-120, the ONLY thing the creative has going for it is an extra 10GB and a beautiful screen. Aside from that, the iRiver mops the floor with the Creative in every respect (IMHO). The size differences are negligible; while the iRiver is slightly longer and a tad thicker, the Creative is wider and seems every bit as heavy. Both are large players compared to iPods and that's all there is to it. Startup time with the Creative (after not listening to it for more than a few hours) is ridiculous, it's definitely at or over 30 seconds. Startup time with Rockbox on the iRiver is probably about 4 seconds. Both feel solid, but the Creative has the soft plastic on the front which is very prone to scratching. Neither is terribly attractive, and I never thought I'd find myself enjoying the iRiver's appearance, but the Creative is just so ugly. The iRiver gets at least 3-4 hours better battery life under typical listening. The iRiver has the line in and out and does not require the proprietary connector for anything. I personally think the iRiver has much easier navigation; really who needs a touchpad surface on these things? Both players have slowish navigation, but I still think the iRiver is a bit faster. The iRiver still does everything the Creative does plus more. The only thing the Creative does is movies, and I couldn't care less about movies on an mp3 player; that's what laptops are for. Most importantly, the Creative, though it has some clarity, has ZERO bass. I listen to mostly 70s, 90s, and some modern rock, and this thing is weak as hell in that department. I've tried playing with the graphic EQ, but all I get is distortion, and the built-in bass boost sucks too. So here I am, sitting with both players on my desk in front of me, and my UM1s are plugged into the iRiver. The SQ on this thing has really impressed me, especially with RockBox. And the fact that it continues to impress me over a device with 3 years more technology says a lot about iRiver. I think I just convinced myself to sell the Creative... But of course this leaves me right back where I started. I could just keep the iRiver and be happy, but unfortunately I like change and need a new toy every now and then. I really like the Zune. I like how they didn't feel a need to use a touchpad for navi, I like the build quality (at least it feels solid), and I hear it has good SQ. But again, it doesn't have all the little toys that my iHP-120 still has, like recording, remote, and great battery life. I like the look and smooth operation of the iPod, and of course the immense aftermarket support is nice, but like others I can't help being cautious about iPod's quality. Either way, when I researched the Creative, I saw all kinds of great reviews about its SQ. After hearing it myself, this leads to me to conclude that these reviewers had never heard an iHP-120. They probably had used iPods before, though. So does that mean the iPod SQ is worse than the zen vision m SQ and therefore much worse than the iHP SQ? And what about the Zune, how does it compare to the iRiver's depth and strong low-end (at least compared to a zen vision m)? Ultimately, I will not get rid of my iRiver unless I know the player I replace it with is going to have equal or better SQ. I would be willing to sacrifice a few toys if this criterion is met though. I guess I could live with the Zune's 12 hr battery life and lack of recording so long as it has great SQ. Same with the iPod. Such a tough decision. The real shame is that iRiver doesn't make a player for me anymore...

Interesting post. I will agree that I've heard that the Creative Zen series only has average sound quality.

But have any of you guys compared the your iRivers to the Creative Jukebox 3? I have had one for almost 5 years now and I simply am too scared to part with it. The SQ is fantastic and although it's big and bulky, the navigation and GUI is nothing short of superb!

Honestly, I want to try out another brand, because I'm running out of space. But can anyone here recommend an mp3 player with BETER sound AND features than the Creative Jukebox 3?

 

[Sparky191]

You're comparing the iRiver + Rockbox vs Creative Zen:M. Most mainstream reviews (I assume) would be comparing unrockboxed devices. Perhaps thats where the difference lies. Also using different earphones, the stock phones for example, might change the listening tests. Most people won't have a iHP-120 either because they aren't made anymore and really are a niche product at this point.

 

[minusflo]

I have had Creative Muvo, Samsung YP-T8, MPIO F300 before and thought they sounded good until I got into Sony MP3/Atrac players. To me Sony is still the GOLD standard in terms of walkman/portable sound devices.

Yes a lot of people complain about being locked in to their proprietary software but that was before. Their Connect software is actually easy to use...I guess I have gotten used to it...and ATRAC3 132 Kbps is better than MP3 192 Kbps IMO.

I use the small network walkman (NW-E002F) when I go to the gym and the sound quality is awesome. Also, in my opinion, unlike the Samsung I had before the Sony MP3 player is not very picky on headphones/earphones. Works well and beautifully with Senn PX100, HD-497, AKG K-26P and K240S (with amp).

 

[Nandro]

Also if your using the line out it changes the sound completely. I know my iPod 80G sounds great through line out to my total bithead. I imagine others sound better through the headphone jack, but the line out should solve that right?

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also if your using the line out it changes the sound completely. I know my iPod 80G sounds great through line out to my total bithead. I imagine others sound better through the headphone jack, but the line out should solve that right?

Seemingly some players have a good line out and poor headphone, others have a good headphone and poor line out.

 

[calyx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky191 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Seemingly some players have a good line out and poor headphone, others have a good headphone and poor line out.

I wonder which players has the greatest line out. Is there any comparison?

 

[broncoracer]

since SQ was mentioned as only criteria I wouldn't leave the monoliths out of view - they're heavily build, quite small flash sizes some models,

vintage factor! were do you find a 90's dac and a solid alu case?

BTW how can I enalble the start thread function, I have sth. in mind like how far would you go with that vintage thing - could be nice

 

[nibiyabi]

iMod + Rockbox sounds great with my Hornet and HD25-1s. Swapped it for my friend's Linn Ikemi to see how it held up in a high-end speaker setup, and it definitely held its own. It didn't have the separation or tight bass of the Ikemi, but the extension was virtually the same as was the impact and overall enjoyment factor -- a very impressive performance, especially considering the massive difference in price and convenience.

 

[Nandro]

I personally find my 5G iPod w/Line out to my total bithead with superfi 5's to sound excellent. They didnt at first, but after breaking in the extreme brightness went away and they tightened up real nice. It sounds at least as good as my carma did out of the headphone jack IMHO.