[KurtCocain]

I've had my iRiver H120 for 3-4 years and it has served me very well. Battery does not last long though. And most recently it poorly holds charge. So, I am ready to buy a new mp3 player ... or hold off until the fall when Zune HD comes out with HD Radio. The HD radio is really tempting but I am not sure if I will be satisfied with the quality -- hd radio on a portable device, region, stations streaming it in lower bitrates than optimum, other factors...

So, I have gathered some requirements for a new mp3 player assuming I am not going to wait for Zune HD:

-- Those are a must:
1. audio and sound quality is the most important (video is just a plus)
2. do not care about EQ, WOW, etc effects; I do not use such as they change the way music was produced to sound, so I need a good flat response!
3. LONG battery life
4. 16 or above GB space
5. handle mp3 VBR
6. support ReplayGain-ed mp3s
7. It has to have buttons as I am driving I want to be able to click on a button for the next song without even looking at it.

-- Thise are optional nice to have:
8. flash memory based is preferred
9. if it has optical line out (like iRiver H120) that would be a big bonus
10. size of player does not matter much; rather, it needs to be sturdy
11. will be used 99% of the time as an aux input to my car (I have nice speakers and subwoofer)
12. budget $150 - $200


I read through reviews and specs for a few hours yesterday trying to get up to speed with what's currently descent in mp3 players. It seems like Cowon D2/D2+ is matching my requirements. Anything else? Is the D2+ the best I can get?

 

[pow3rtr1p]

The D2 is a great little player, but it isn't gapless, which was the deal breaker for me. If you're listening to techno, some hip-hop, live CDs, prog rock, etc, the breaks in songs will get annoying after a while. The D2+ may have gapless, I'm not certain.

 

[micaela]

Have you thought about replacing the battery in your H120? Not that difficult to do & not very expensive.

 

[iriverdude]

erm new battery is less than £10. You've probably installed Rockbox on it, can't really get much better than H1xx series. Pair with a portable DAC/headphone amp..

 

[KurtCocain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif erm new battery is less than £10. You've probably installed Rockbox on it, can't really get much better than H1xx series. Pair with a portable DAC/headphone amp..

But im tired of the ~ 10 hour charge. I am looking for something like 35+. Since it is mianly for my car, I do not even want to bring it upstairs for charge

 

[iriverdude]

It doesn't take 10 hours. Also you can buy car adaptor for you car, but someone has blown the iriver from car circuit, probably during engine start and send spike to the fag lighter- irivers have no protection circuit.

Send me your H120 :-D

 

[KurtCocain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Send me your H120 :-D

Nope

Now that I think about it, it might not be a bad idea to try to replace the battery. Did not even know that was possible.. I live in US and probably I can find something on ebay. Any recommendations for brands?

 

[Head-Case]

I have to tell you, I have owned many, and finally bought an iPod.

Say what you will, but the iPod wins, hands down, in almost every way. AAC encoding, long battery life, the iTunes store (where I have bought a mind blowing SIX songs I couldn't find on CDs), a user interface that means no one has to even THINK, and it sounds good.

I encode at a very high rate, and my latest iPod is the 160 GB model, no longer available, though a 120 is.

I have been ripping at 320 kbps AAC+, but I plan to rip my collection again using Apple Lossless. It sounds GOOD.

I will still need to carry two iPods to take all my CDs with me, but I don't care. I like the sound.

I know the batteries are supposed to be non-replaceable, but I have replaced many for friends. NONE of mine, that is six iPods now, have ever needed replacing, though my second one is just starting to show ware. It is a 3G that I bought from Circuit ****ty, and I am sure they abused it. Still, I think the 3G is the worst iPod, so I may just give it away. The 1 and 2 G are much better, and like the 4G. I hate the button row of the 3G, but that is just me.

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtCocain /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nope Now that I think about it, it might not be a bad idea to try to replace the battery. Did not even know that was possible.. I live in US and probably I can find something on ebay. Any recommendations for brands?

Look on ebay seller "licketysplitauctions"

 

[pow3rtr1p]

USB to Wall Socket adapter.
Wall socket to Cigarette Lighter adapter.

Endless battery

 

[iriverdude]

iriver DC port to stillsuit. It's powered by natural walking motion.

 

[KurtCocain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pow3rtr1p /img/forum/go_quote.gif USB to Wall Socket adapter. Wall socket to Cigarette Lighter adapter. Endless battery

Too many cables in my car

) i like to keep it clean and tidy. Only one cable for the AUX is enough

 

[KurtCocain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Look on ebay seller "licketysplitauctions"

Thanks! I ordered from that seller a replacement battery. Let's hope it will work and that I can install it properly. I should get decent hours, right.

I use the player while driving to work so roughly 1 hour sessions (a little less). The thing I hate the most is that my current battery does not last more than4-5 hours/plays. And I don't know if it is Rockbox or the way the player is, but as it is booting up it requires a huge amount of battery power. So often times as it starts, my battery indicator will say I have power for 1.5 hours. Then as songs start playing for 5 minutes, the battery indicator says I have 10 hours. After 4-5 sessions the player simply does not start because of low battery. This means I need to take it upstairs and recharge..

So when people rate a player for continuous play it is important to note that none plays music for 20 hours straight. You have to take into account the practical usage -- that you will play it in sessions of 1-2-3 hours and stop and start again..

 

[iriverdude]

All lithium batteries degrade over time/use. Don't forget to install latest Rockbox (and bootloader) change the maH setting in Rockbox setting to the one you're fitting.

The larger batteries are a tight squeeze, for example 2300mah just fits in H140 but may be a bit too tight. Disable auto update for database, HD thrashes for about 5 minutes everytime you boot, no need just manually update when you copy or delete files.