Creative vs. iRiver

[98DakotaSport]

I was wondering what everyone would recommend for the audiophile on-the-go, the Creative Labs Zen Xtra 40gb, or the IRiver 140/340. I am looking for the best bang-for-your-buck, but I also want it to last a while. Also, I don't want an IPod(I don;t care for them, and a friend just bought one, so he might take me buying one the wrong way, if you all get what I mean). I plan on running some Grado SR60's or SR80s with whatever I purchase, so SQ is very important in whatever player I choose(I would upload each song in the highest quality level possible, hence the large HDD).

Thanks for your tips, thoughts, comments, and opinions.



Nick

 

[CamelBackCinema]

Well the iRiver has solid support, better bigger screen, comes with remote (not that important), comes with radio, recording features, its a bit tinier than the Zen.

Creative is cheaper I believe. It is what you want. Sound quality tends to lean in favor of the creative. The SQ seems bad on both.

I personally like the iRiver over the Zen.

 

[enzoferrari650]

I dont agree that both SQ is bad. I think personally that my Iriver ihp140's SQ is better than that of my old 3g 15gig ipod.

 

[aeriyn]

Aww, come on, you know you want an iPod. =P

 

[MuzlL0dr]

If by highest quality format you mean wav file, then go for the 60gb Zen. Gonna need all the room you can get at that rate. Otherwise, eh, I still cast my lot for the Zen. They aren't the most user friendly things in the world, but I really enjoy the sound quality, and it works well.

 

[Megaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamelBackCinema Well the iRiver has solid support, better bigger screen, comes with remote (not that important), comes with radio, recording features, its a bit tinier than the Zen. Creative is cheaper I believe. It is what you want. Sound quality tends to lean in favor of the creative. The SQ seems bad on both. I personally like the iRiver over the Zen.

OK, just because you didn't got a remote with your iPod doesn't mean that it's not important. LCD remote is essential. I can't even imagine life without it.
And the iHP is alot smaller than the Zen Xtra, not just "bit tinier".
As for the SQ comment, that came straight out of your ass.

 

[h-man]

I have to say, if sound quality is important, then you may want to think about using lossless files. WAV files are huge, lack tag support and are unwieldy, and I would recommend you use a compressed lossless format. Unfortunately for you, the ipod happens to support the superb sounding ALAC format, and a 40 or 60GB ipod sounds like the answer to your needs. The rio karma supports the FLAC standard, but the hard drive is only 20GB!

Welcome to head-fi by the way

 

[uncle b]

I have nothing but great things to say about the iRiver products I own. Well built, easy to use, and great sound.

 

[Megaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h-man I have to say, if sound quality is important, then you may want to think about using lossless files. WAV files are huge, lack tag support and are unwieldy, and I would recommend you use a compressed lossless format. Unfortunately for you, the ipod happens to support the superb sounding ALAC format, and a 40 or 60GB ipod sounds like the answer to your needs. The rio karma supports the FLAC standard, but the hard drive is only 20GB! Welcome to head-fi by the way

From what I've heard, ALAC is not exactly running smooth on the iPod.
And besides, why would you need lossless for a portable player?
Unless you have some kind of super hearing, you can always find a lossy compression method that will be transparent for your ears.

 

[DLP]

If you're in the USA, the 60GB Zen Xtra tends to list at the same price as the H140/H340. If completely lossless is your goal, that makes the Zen a far better choice with 3/2 the storage space for the same cost, that is if sound quality is your only concern. I had the iHP-120 for about 9 months, and while it's sound quality is not bad, my brief use of the Zen Xtra told me it was more audiophile, higher quality. However, what I suggest nonetheless is rip a few CDS you know well in 3 ways onto your computer: WAV, 320Kbps MP3, and LAME preset-standard MP3s. Do some blind tests, see if you can pick the difference out with your computer. If not, go with the smaller file size and see how much space it takes and think about how often you'll need new CDs just to give you an idea of how much space you'll need.

 

[Cocovitsch]

For an audiophile, no discussion : Zen Extra is much better for Sound Quality (i had each player)...Better sound,Better HQ,EAX,60go...
For functions, Iriver is better...

 

[Kirosia]

The iriver is colored w/ a digital sound, and the compressed faux-dynamic line out gives me a headache. Since you're using low-end grados, I'd just stick to mp3s or ogg.