Jeffreybar
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2003
- Posts
- 371
- Likes
- 10
I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. My iHP-140 crapped out on me about 4 weeks ago...I have an extended warranty and sent the iRiver in for repair, but it's taking them for bleeping ever to fix it, and the lack of portable music was driving me insane, so I decided to spring for an iPod Photo 60GB. I figured I'd keep whichever I liked better when my iRiver came back.
Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be much of a contest. I've only had the iPod for a day now, so this is very preliminary, but honestly, I just don't like it that much. The user interface is more intuitive initially, but it doesn't get any easier or faster as you go along...unlike the iRiver which I can now navigate with blazing speed (thanks to all the dedicated buttons). The color screen is nice, but I don't spend much time looking at the screen, so what's the point? Aesthetically, I know I'm in the minority, but I think the iRiver looks way cooler than the iPod.
The worst disappointment, however, is the sound. SOOOOO bright. Yikes. I can't hear a damn thing under 200Hz with the iPod...even my 770-80s don't sound like the bass monsters I know that they are. I've switched from my Shure E3s back to my E2s because they at least have some bass presence with the iPod...the E3s just sound incredibly top-heavy. On the iRiver, I can mess with the EQ and get the E3s to sound awesome -- noticeably better than the E2s. But (as has been mentioned here before) the iPod's EQ is awful. The treble reducer helps a bit to cut out the harshness, but the bass booster just distorts the sound terribly. Why don't they fix this? It can't be that hard to put in a decent EQ with all the other crap they've got crammed into that thing.
Anyway, I know lots of you love the iPod, and I'm happy for you, and I'm not trying to slam it, but I'm afraid I'm probably not going to be a convert. We'll see...I'll give it a few more days (or however long it takes me to get my iRiver back) and maybe I'll like it more.
Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be much of a contest. I've only had the iPod for a day now, so this is very preliminary, but honestly, I just don't like it that much. The user interface is more intuitive initially, but it doesn't get any easier or faster as you go along...unlike the iRiver which I can now navigate with blazing speed (thanks to all the dedicated buttons). The color screen is nice, but I don't spend much time looking at the screen, so what's the point? Aesthetically, I know I'm in the minority, but I think the iRiver looks way cooler than the iPod.
The worst disappointment, however, is the sound. SOOOOO bright. Yikes. I can't hear a damn thing under 200Hz with the iPod...even my 770-80s don't sound like the bass monsters I know that they are. I've switched from my Shure E3s back to my E2s because they at least have some bass presence with the iPod...the E3s just sound incredibly top-heavy. On the iRiver, I can mess with the EQ and get the E3s to sound awesome -- noticeably better than the E2s. But (as has been mentioned here before) the iPod's EQ is awful. The treble reducer helps a bit to cut out the harshness, but the bass booster just distorts the sound terribly. Why don't they fix this? It can't be that hard to put in a decent EQ with all the other crap they've got crammed into that thing.
Anyway, I know lots of you love the iPod, and I'm happy for you, and I'm not trying to slam it, but I'm afraid I'm probably not going to be a convert. We'll see...I'll give it a few more days (or however long it takes me to get my iRiver back) and maybe I'll like it more.