[kitaoji]

Hi,

I've had a Zen Nano Plus for almost a year now and in my current fit of upgrade-itis (which will settle soon... SOON, I SAY!) I'm wondering if it's worth it to "upgrade" to an iAudio G3.

After my not-so-pleasant-affair with my iPod, I'm sticking to flash-drive players without built-in batteries that give a really nice sound with earphones. I've heard good things about iAudio/Cowon/JetAudio on this forum with ears better than mine, which is why I'm considering them.

First and foremost, I'm curious about the sound quality. I'll be using Ultimate Ears 3.studio (or 5.pro, depending on my mood for the day) with them, so I hope they work well with these pair of earphones.

The second thing(s) I harp on is the functionality of the player. I'm assuming that the FM and the voice recorder are just average, although I do want to know if the voice recorder's good for recording lectures (I had to set the volume on max on my computer for playback).

I'm being sucked in by the extra features of the G3 - the sleep timer and scrolling through the folders on the player (I'm shooting for the 2GB) are the ones that come to mind immediately - mainly because the Zen is rather inadequate with these. But I'm curious about the navigation of the player. Since it's in my pocket, will it be easy to toggle through songs/folders etc.?

Looking forward to input! (hopefully there's someone sane out there who'll convince me that getting this new player is a really, really, REALLY stupid idea...)

 

[dino9832]

I have a G3 and like it so much I'm upgrading to an X5. The sound quality is great and it has plenty of output to drive my Sony MDR-7506 headphones without an amplifier.

The joystick allows you to change volume and fwd/rev songs from within your pocket. You could navigate folders, but it would be difficult to keep track of where you are without being able to see the display.

I like the timer feature. My G3 is hooked up to external speakers at night and wakes me to music in the morning.

What I really like is it looks like a usb drive to most operating systems. You can plug it into a Linux box and play/download music with no problems. Same goes for Windows or a Mac. No special software needed.

It also plays 320kbs ogg files which has become my format of choice. That's one reason I need a 20G X5. Point is the G3 will play them.
Hope this was helpful.

 

[LaBreaHead]

"After my not-so-pleasant-affair with my iPod, I'm sticking to flash-drive players without built-in batteries that give a really nice sound with earphones."

That's what happened to me with my first DAP, a 10GB iPod a little over three years ago with deplorable battery capacity. Not unpleasant, really, but there were issues. Great concept and breakthrough, though -- it really got me interested in portable digital audio.

So I got a series of flash players (Creative Muvo and Creative Zen Nano, as well as the Cowon iAudio 5) and a Rio Carbon and Rio Karma. I think your strategy of getting flash players without built-in batteries has a lot of merit (I like the versatility of using them while traveling, during power outages, etc., and being able to start listening with a low battery, knowing you can just pop a fresh rechargeable battery in there and keep listening, but not everyone does).

I think an iAudio flash player would be an upgrade from the Creative (which I like and use frequently). The Creative's ease of operation (I almost always use random play within a given folder) appeals to me, but the iAudio sound is an improvement, and battery life with the G3 is supposed to be excellent. If you're a "gadget person," an iAudio offers a lot of opportunity for tweaking and experimenting. I find the G3/G2 a bit plain (nothing wrong with that, as a flash player resides in a pocket for me), but as an iAudio owner, I think it fits in with your strategy of good sound, good battery life, AA battery, etc. (particularly if you can get the 2GB version -- it would be harder to justify "just" a 1GB player in your situation).

So, sorry about your wallet ...

 

[kitaoji]

thanks to both of you for your comments! now, i'm stuck between choosing the iAudio 5 and the G3. Since they both use the same chipset, I'd assume that the sound quality sounds exactly the same on both of them. Also, they're selling for roughly the same price (i5: refurbished, $200, G3: new, 190), so I guess to make my choice I have to look at the non-musical features.

1. how well does the I5 stand? Given its oblong shape, it should stand on its own pretty well (I enjoy strange things like this). Also, how are the jogwheels? I've familiarized myself with the one on the Creative Zen Nano (so yes, even browsing through folders isn't too difficult; I could probably try to switch EQ presets with a bit of imagination. So I'm not that fond of pushing buttons when the jogwheel works perfectly fine (I think buttons are a lot more delicate than jogwheels; someone correct me on this) I don't think the G3 "stands" very well (especially due to its spine - but I like things shaped like books A LOT

.

2. I also heard on some forums that the mic holes on the G3 aren't aligned properly, leading to muffledness during recording. sometimes, I use my player to record lectures, so I'm concerned about how sensitive and how good the mic is. (my creative zen nano was no more than two metres away from my prof., but I had to turn the volume way up high to listen later).

3. how far do the buttons on the G3 and I5 stick out? I have an extremely old MPIO SSF-6128 which I basically destroyed because the buttons were lousy (and then I broke the actual parts on the circuit board when I was taking the poor thing apart), so I don't want that to happen on my new iAudio.

4. (G3 joystick) is it possible to move diagonally (i.e., between volume and FF)? if then, what happens? my player will most likely be in my pocket, and I'm not entirely fond of the hold switch, so I expect some movement from there.

5. battery hatches - i've noticed how the battery sits vertically on top of the hatch on the i5 and I want to know how strong it is. Basically, the first thing to fall apart on ALL my players is the battery hatch ^_^; (ones like the G3, especially if they're the type that stay on the player even when you're taking the battery out)

6. screen on the i5: basically, you can tweak the colour whatever you want, right? it's a marketing gimmick that's caught my eye

and I've also heard that it uses less battery power, which is something I want to consider especially since the i5's playtime is less than the G3 (not that that really matters - I have a slew of rechargeables AAs and AAAs.)

7. Multi-function supports of both players - the website was rather vague, but I read somewhere that while the i5 can do sleep (is this "turn off after x minutes"?), it can't do wake up ("turn on at x time on the clock"), while the G3 can. Or is this purely a firmware issue? timed sleep is something I enjoy, since now and then I fall asleep listening to music (esp. on those 14-hour long plane flights). Would appreciate it a LOT if you could list out in detail what these non-audio/EQ/file management functions cover.

8. What's that "Menu" button on the i5? It's missing from the G3, so I was wondering where the equivalent is (the joystick?). And what exactly is the "mode" button on both players?

Sorry to be so long-winded, but as I can't see these things physically, I have to rely on people willing to listen to my blathering

Thanks a lot.

(If anybody's in Berkeley/San Francisco and has either the i5 or G3 + time for me to play with it, PM me, please. Heck, I should ask if anyone has a Xin Mini/Micro as well ^_~. Thank you so much.)

 

[dino9832]

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Originally Posted by kitaoji 1.I don't think the G3 "stands" very well (especially due to its spine - but I like things shaped like books A LOT .

The G3 will stand on it's end with the headphone jack on the top. It will not stand with the buttons on top.
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2. I also heard on some forums that the mic holes on the G3 aren't aligned properly, leading to muffledness during recording.

Yea, the mic sensitivity does seem to suck on my G3.
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3. how far do the buttons on the G3 and I5 stick out?

Not much at all. And they're rounded so they won't snag on anything. The buttons seem very durable.
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4. (G3 joystick) is it possible to move diagonally (i.e., between volume and FF)?

The G3 does not move diagonally. Up/Down for volume. Fwd/Rev for skipping/rewinding songs. You can hold the fwd/rev to move within a song.
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5. battery hatches

Probably the weakest part of the G3. It's fine while closed, but you have to be carfully while installing new batteries.
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7. I read somewhere that while the i5 can do sleep (is this "turn off after x minutes"?), it can't do wake up ("turn on at x time on the clock"), while the G3 can....Would appreciate it a LOT if you could list out in detail what these non-audio/EQ/file management functions cover.

The I5 can probably do everything the G3 does. You should download the manual. That should tell you about all the features.
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8. ... And what exactly is the "mode" button on both players?

It has multiple functions. The manual will explain.
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Sorry to be so long-winded, but as I can't see these things physically, I have to rely on people willing to listen to my blathering Thanks a lot.

No problem.
We've all been in the same boat when trying to decide on a DAP player that is only available online. Hope this helps.