rockin_amigo14
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2006
- Posts
- 2,249
- Likes
- 11
Let me first start off by saying this is my first one of these, and I don't consider myself a stickler for audio. I enjoy good sound as well as practicality, and that's what this review will consist of.
My brother is off to college on Tuesday, so as a present I bought for him an 80gb iPod Video. Not a bad present, eh?
Anyway, he gave me his old F20 gigabeat to play around with. I had originally intended to give the gigabeat to my friend who is currently without any MP3 player. However, I thought it would be fun to take Rockbox for a spin, as I've never used it before.
For those who don't know what Rockbox is, it's simply an open source firmware sthat is designed by programmers who simply want a better OS on the DAP. It's popular for it's massive support of audio codecs, including, but not limited to, FLAC, OGG, AAC, and recently, WMA. For more information, visit www.rockbox.org
Now I know I probably won't hold on to either of these players for very long, as I'll most likely be buying the next iteration of iPod, Zune, Zen, or something along those lines. However, I figured since this are both valid choices for people around these forums, and since the old Zune will soon be considered a great deal (assuming its price drops when Zune 2.0 is released), this will hopefully help a newbie decide between two budget players.
I'm not going to do any in-depth reviews here, as they can be found various places throughout the internet, all you need is www.google.com and the ability to spell. That being said, let's start an overview:
[size=large]Physical Design[/size]
[size=medium]Toshiba Gigabeat[/size]
The Gigabeat is made of a scratch-resistant metal coating and is available in multiple colors. Mine is black with a dark gray band around the perimeter of the player, similar to what is found on Cowon players. The 2.2" screen on this player is gorgeous, with 262,000 colors. It dominates what looks like a little over 1/2 of the front of the player. The lower half is the + touchpad, the main controls of the player. The side of the player is lined with buttons with blue LED lights which make for a very cool effect.
[size=medium]Microsoft Zune[/size]
The Zune has a very minimalistic look to it. The 3" screen dominates the front of the player, along with a circle, which is actually a 5-way control system, in addition to a Play/Pause and a Back button. The bottom has the proprietary dock connector, and the top has the Hold button and the headphone jack.
Winner: Toshiba Gigabeat
I have always thought the Gigabeat was one of the most attractive players on the market. With the Samsung P2 on the horizon, that may change, but the Gigabeat certainly wins here. I have a white Zune, which I believe is the best looking one (having seen all three in person). The black controls on the white player makes a very nice contrast, but the Gigabeat still holds it's place in my heart.
[size=large]GUI Design[/size]
[size=medium]Toshiba Gigabeat (w/ Rockbox)[/size]
I won't be commenting on the original firmware for the Gigabeat, as I installed Rockbox right away.
The Rockbox firmware is busy. There is a lot of things that Rockbox needs to cover, and the firmware does a good job of organizing it. You can set your own images to background, but you'll need to resize them first. Rockbox will not resize your pictures for you. You can also choose themes to set your Rockbox too. At the moment, I am using BlackGlass, a theme inspired by Windows Vista. I like the way it works, and everything looks and performs nicely. I might venture to say that with all of the things Rockbox has going on, the GUI seems a little bit cluttered. Sometimes, there are things that are not in the category you'd expect them to be under. One thing I like is the ability to browse by Id3 tags or folder. I use Id3 all the time, but it's nice to have the option.
[size=medium]Microsoft Zune[/size]
The Zune takes a new approach to the traditional GUI. The 'twist' GUI was originally implemented in PMC and first made sexy by the Toshiba Gigabeat S series. I really like the way it works, and it still is one of the drawing points of the player. In addition to all of that, you can customize the background of the Zune. One thing I appreciate about the Zune is the Now Playing screen, which is almost completely the songs Album Art. If there is no Album Art for the file, a large color with a cloud-like appearance will show up instead.
Winner: Microsoft Zune
The GUI of Rockbox was a bit overwhelming at first, as opposed to the Zune, which I picked up immediately. Even my friends who all use iPods can easily navigate the Zune. While there is more fun that can be had with Rockbox, the Zune wins for its practicality.
I'm going to say that those are the big two categories, other than sound, that I'll write-up. I'll list some pros and cons below:
Toshiba Gigabeat w/Rockbox:
+Great audio codec support
+Support for games and applications
+Uses standard USB and AC ports
+Has a clock (useful for sleep timer)
+Extremely customizable
+Custom EQ
+Can be used as a portable HD
+UMS (drag and drop)
-A lot of settings, can be overwhelming
-Weak video support
-No stable release (yet)
-Relatively confusing controls
Microsoft Zune
+Decent rated battery life for an HDD player
+Large, easy-to-read screen
+Video support (even if it's weak) with TV-out available.
+Accessories available
+Great headphone-out sound
+I got it for free
-No clock
-Weak codec support
-Requires software for music transfer
-Only works on Windows
-Cannot be used as portable HD
-Didn't come with an AC adapter
[size=x-large]Sound Quality[/size]
The part everyone cares about the most here. Now, this isn't going to be super-detailed like you'll find around here. This will be from a more casual approach and position. It will compare headphone-out quality only. If you want me to test line-out quality, you have to buy/let me use your amp.
Both will be set to flat EQ, and will be compared using 320kbps MP3 files using Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro IEMs, and tests will be conducted here in my room.
Initial impression: They sound very similar. Both have a rich, warm, full sound. They both seem to have a 'pyramid' of sound, in that the bass seems to be the foundation and it sort of thins out toward the top of the spectrum, but I also believe that is due in part to the UE's.
Further Impression: I decided to test 3 different tracks. All were recorded at 320kbps mp3.
Josh Groban - When You Say You Love Me
This song has some powerful bass. My V6's handled it before, but IEMs have had trouble with it. The song also has some strong impact points that sometimes make my skin tingle.
Jamiroquai - Starchild
It's a very loud song. A very 'bass-y' tune, but the highs are important here as well. The vocals in the track are recessed and cover almost the entire midrange. Has a bit of force to it.
Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
Your stereotypical 80's rock song. It has the typical screeching guitar, high vocals, powerful drums. All over the spectrum. Good song to move around to.
The results were all very similar: As far as note replication went, the two were practically equal. Both had the song sounding very natural and warm. I noticed the Gigabeat handled bass a bit better.
The real difference was in the sound stage. When listening to the Zune, it felt like the music was being channeled into my ears. It was as though the music was coming from directly in front of me.
The Gigabeat was the exact opposite. I felt as though the music was all around me with the Gigabeat. I didn't get the sense that the music was really coming from a certain direction.
So my decision is the Gigabeat is the overall better player. Especially with the fact it has a 60gb version available, it's a great direction for anyone who doesn't want to go the iPod w/Rockbox route. I may be interested one day to invest in an amp and listen to this player through the line-out.
Now I need to convince my friend to take the Zune rather than the Gigabeat. Not like he has room to complain, he's getting a great player for free no matter what.
My brother is off to college on Tuesday, so as a present I bought for him an 80gb iPod Video. Not a bad present, eh?
For those who don't know what Rockbox is, it's simply an open source firmware sthat is designed by programmers who simply want a better OS on the DAP. It's popular for it's massive support of audio codecs, including, but not limited to, FLAC, OGG, AAC, and recently, WMA. For more information, visit www.rockbox.org
Now I know I probably won't hold on to either of these players for very long, as I'll most likely be buying the next iteration of iPod, Zune, Zen, or something along those lines. However, I figured since this are both valid choices for people around these forums, and since the old Zune will soon be considered a great deal (assuming its price drops when Zune 2.0 is released), this will hopefully help a newbie decide between two budget players.
I'm not going to do any in-depth reviews here, as they can be found various places throughout the internet, all you need is www.google.com and the ability to spell. That being said, let's start an overview:
[size=large]Physical Design[/size]
[size=medium]Toshiba Gigabeat[/size]
The Gigabeat is made of a scratch-resistant metal coating and is available in multiple colors. Mine is black with a dark gray band around the perimeter of the player, similar to what is found on Cowon players. The 2.2" screen on this player is gorgeous, with 262,000 colors. It dominates what looks like a little over 1/2 of the front of the player. The lower half is the + touchpad, the main controls of the player. The side of the player is lined with buttons with blue LED lights which make for a very cool effect.
[size=medium]Microsoft Zune[/size]
The Zune has a very minimalistic look to it. The 3" screen dominates the front of the player, along with a circle, which is actually a 5-way control system, in addition to a Play/Pause and a Back button. The bottom has the proprietary dock connector, and the top has the Hold button and the headphone jack.
Winner: Toshiba Gigabeat
I have always thought the Gigabeat was one of the most attractive players on the market. With the Samsung P2 on the horizon, that may change, but the Gigabeat certainly wins here. I have a white Zune, which I believe is the best looking one (having seen all three in person). The black controls on the white player makes a very nice contrast, but the Gigabeat still holds it's place in my heart.
[size=large]GUI Design[/size]
[size=medium]Toshiba Gigabeat (w/ Rockbox)[/size]
I won't be commenting on the original firmware for the Gigabeat, as I installed Rockbox right away.
The Rockbox firmware is busy. There is a lot of things that Rockbox needs to cover, and the firmware does a good job of organizing it. You can set your own images to background, but you'll need to resize them first. Rockbox will not resize your pictures for you. You can also choose themes to set your Rockbox too. At the moment, I am using BlackGlass, a theme inspired by Windows Vista. I like the way it works, and everything looks and performs nicely. I might venture to say that with all of the things Rockbox has going on, the GUI seems a little bit cluttered. Sometimes, there are things that are not in the category you'd expect them to be under. One thing I like is the ability to browse by Id3 tags or folder. I use Id3 all the time, but it's nice to have the option.
[size=medium]Microsoft Zune[/size]
The Zune takes a new approach to the traditional GUI. The 'twist' GUI was originally implemented in PMC and first made sexy by the Toshiba Gigabeat S series. I really like the way it works, and it still is one of the drawing points of the player. In addition to all of that, you can customize the background of the Zune. One thing I appreciate about the Zune is the Now Playing screen, which is almost completely the songs Album Art. If there is no Album Art for the file, a large color with a cloud-like appearance will show up instead.
Winner: Microsoft Zune
The GUI of Rockbox was a bit overwhelming at first, as opposed to the Zune, which I picked up immediately. Even my friends who all use iPods can easily navigate the Zune. While there is more fun that can be had with Rockbox, the Zune wins for its practicality.
I'm going to say that those are the big two categories, other than sound, that I'll write-up. I'll list some pros and cons below:
Toshiba Gigabeat w/Rockbox:
+Great audio codec support
+Support for games and applications
+Uses standard USB and AC ports
+Has a clock (useful for sleep timer)
+Extremely customizable
+Custom EQ
+Can be used as a portable HD
+UMS (drag and drop)
-A lot of settings, can be overwhelming
-Weak video support
-No stable release (yet)
-Relatively confusing controls
Microsoft Zune
+Decent rated battery life for an HDD player
+Large, easy-to-read screen
+Video support (even if it's weak) with TV-out available.
+Accessories available
+Great headphone-out sound
+I got it for free
-No clock
-Weak codec support
-Requires software for music transfer
-Only works on Windows
-Cannot be used as portable HD
-Didn't come with an AC adapter
[size=x-large]Sound Quality[/size]
The part everyone cares about the most here. Now, this isn't going to be super-detailed like you'll find around here. This will be from a more casual approach and position. It will compare headphone-out quality only. If you want me to test line-out quality, you have to buy/let me use your amp.
Both will be set to flat EQ, and will be compared using 320kbps MP3 files using Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro IEMs, and tests will be conducted here in my room.
Initial impression: They sound very similar. Both have a rich, warm, full sound. They both seem to have a 'pyramid' of sound, in that the bass seems to be the foundation and it sort of thins out toward the top of the spectrum, but I also believe that is due in part to the UE's.
Further Impression: I decided to test 3 different tracks. All were recorded at 320kbps mp3.
Josh Groban - When You Say You Love Me
This song has some powerful bass. My V6's handled it before, but IEMs have had trouble with it. The song also has some strong impact points that sometimes make my skin tingle.
Jamiroquai - Starchild
It's a very loud song. A very 'bass-y' tune, but the highs are important here as well. The vocals in the track are recessed and cover almost the entire midrange. Has a bit of force to it.
Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
Your stereotypical 80's rock song. It has the typical screeching guitar, high vocals, powerful drums. All over the spectrum. Good song to move around to.
The results were all very similar: As far as note replication went, the two were practically equal. Both had the song sounding very natural and warm. I noticed the Gigabeat handled bass a bit better.
The real difference was in the sound stage. When listening to the Zune, it felt like the music was being channeled into my ears. It was as though the music was coming from directly in front of me.
The Gigabeat was the exact opposite. I felt as though the music was all around me with the Gigabeat. I didn't get the sense that the music was really coming from a certain direction.
So my decision is the Gigabeat is the overall better player. Especially with the fact it has a 60gb version available, it's a great direction for anyone who doesn't want to go the iPod w/Rockbox route. I may be interested one day to invest in an amp and listen to this player through the line-out.
Now I need to convince my friend to take the Zune rather than the Gigabeat. Not like he has room to complain, he's getting a great player for free no matter what.
