KAuss
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2004
- Posts
- 27
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- 0
Well, so I'm the lone ranger that took the high road to buy something that does more than just play MP3s... A lot of you are wondering what to get to fulfill your needs and not sure what... To confuse those of you in this situation more, I'm gonna throw you a curve and suggest something you might not of thought of...
I bought an IPAQ 2215 recently soley to be my MP3 player / organizer / ROM emulation / digital video player / GPS navigation etc... However it'll mostly be used 90% of the time to be my MP3 source...
Lets just say I spent a bit on the memory and got the 4GB microdrive so I have 4GB worth of music so I choose to keep that much (how many people actually have over 1000 songs they don't mind listening to?) so the size is comparable to the IPOD mini which is sitting around $250 pretty... The IPAQ and Card + 2000mah extended battery cost me ~550... So I lose on the memory aspect / $... (well I get 50 megs from the IPAQ but lets not count that LOL)
As for user friendly, I haven't fully messed with the IPOD, big or mini, so I can't comment too much on how friendly it is... However, the IPAQ is currnetly running GSPlayer 206 and works much like Winamp on your PC... You can add files to the playlist, load playlists, create playlists on the fly, play WITHOUT playlists, delete files (using the IPAQ file browser), add files with devices sporting bluetooth / Wifi without using wires etc... The program is said to be the BEST sounding program you can run on a PPC (pocket PC)... As far as the menu system goes, I only have one gripe... You don't have the option to pick "add dir" like you do on winamp which saves a LOT of time... I have my dirs setup with artist / album / songs.mp3... So lets say I have 10 albums from the same artist, I have to click add file, manually browse to album 1, click add all, then click ok... Then for the next album I have to repeat this again until I load everything I want into the program... (however there isn't even an option to do this on mostly any DAP out there, there are a few, but this one browses like a computer so your indexing is by far superior in everyway possible) You can overcome this shortcomming by creating play lists on Winamp before hand and just up them to the IPAQ...
Now to the nitty gritty... I'm going to test the sounds of my ATH-A900 on an IPOD 20GB G3 on 6/20/04 and add to this review, but I've been using my IPAQ for 3 days now and I must say, it performed a LOT better than what people said it was to be... With GSPlayer 206 (I wouldn't recommend any other program to run your mp3s) the sounds right out of installation is a bit flat... However, you can appreciate the low noise level it produces... When parts of a song is meant to be silent, it is SILENT... Well, this is the most silent I've heard on any solid state amplified eqiuptment... The volume set to max gives a hint of white noise between songs but you have to be in complete silent listening conditions to even hear it, along with a good set of closed cans... (the volume in this program is not seperate of the main volume control, so when you up the volume in the program, it ups the main volume) It isn't tube amp quite, but lets just say it puts my 100x5 receiver's headphone out to shame!! Need I say again in all caps S H A M E!!! (You have to configure GSPlayer to supress 0 noise levels and fade songs in to achieve maximum noise suppressing effect)
After a bit of listening to some nice low noise flat colored songs... I aimed to put the A900's to their worth... I started messing with the BASSBOOST option in the program and set it up half way initially... I was amazed at how well this boosted the bass without making it distort... What it actually does is set the volume of all other frequencies down a few notches depending on your bass gain, you notice a lot of mid / high drop out to accomodate for the added bass... This has it's benifits and downfalls... The downfall is obviously the lack of volume compared to the flat listening level... However the advantage is a boost in bass without sacraficing sound quality (clipping)... You can very obviously notice the difference in bass response...
Next I went for the WHOLE 10 yards and set the bassboost up to max... Again it dropped more mid / high off to compensate for the added bass and once again it does it to a pretty good level of comprimise... However, now things seem a bit muddy and the lack of mids / highs make it a bit of an akward experience in some genre of music... However my rap / bass heavy tracks feel VERY at home at this setting... Ballards / techno might suffer a bit... Still bottom line is, HEAVY bass without sacraficing quality!!
So after juicing the bass up, I want to set some EQ to match my other songs... I found that the best way to do this is to drop whatever you don't want to boost, and just keep the biggest freq boost at 0 level... Much like the concept of bassboost... This makes for a relativly good sound and noticeable boost in the desired reigons... So I set the EQ to the ever so common, boosted bass / treble setting and amazingly the sounds came out clear and loud... This method (gentally set) gave me less bass, but more clarity / volume... Techno songs gain a HUGE bit of loving from this EQ setup... (settings first 3 bands UP with slight drop, middle 3 bands flat drop, last 4 bands sloping rise UP, Looks like a nice sweeping low arch) Actually this is how I usually listen to most of my songs on the receiver so I feel very at home with this setting... I later coupled this with the bassboost option to half way and I got now the best of both worlds... Less muddy music than bassboost alone, and a lot more volume... Still static noise is hard to come by and only once in a while between switching tracks to you hear a bit of crackle... This might be program issue more than the actual hardware tho...
Overall, I must say that this is one POWERFUL little player with the BEST display you can get for the money... Hell, this is just a hair more costly than a 40GB IPOD, and the battery life can be 12 plus hours with the extended pack... I must say with the advantage of running other media aside from just MP3 puts the value through the roof with this little marvel...
My ATH-A900s with my current setting listed above gets enough bass to slightly rattle the cans and this is with max volume... I like my music loud... However it is significantly less shaky than my 100x5... Still on low bass notes, it goes deep and gives your ears a bit of bassty treat if you're a fan of bass...
On the most bass aggressive setup, I can feel the beat on most any song and you get a mad rattle on bass heavy tracks... However as I've stated, the songs get muddy and you lose a bit of volume in the process... So I must say power / quality wise, this thing would rank pretty high as far as my expectations go... With the low noise level, it puts a different spin into my listening experinece over the more powerful receiver headphone out I currently use...
Until I listen to more DAPs, I would have to hold out on a 1-10 rating...
There were actually times I frown on the sound of this machine and that came in the early commings when I didn't mess with the audio supression / EQ / Bassboost to put it to the level I wanted... Also, the noise is so low on low volumes it would be a PERFECT preout to an external amp if anyone choose to do so... You can suppress the preamp even lower to get a cleaner signal within the program's EQ... I woudl say for expandibility, it's built for the audiophile in you...
For the bonuses to put the $550 pricetag in prespective, these are the other things you can do with the IPAQ DAPs can't... (Price from eBay bidding on a generally still new IPAQ, average NEW not refurb price of unit is $325 shipped... Thats $65 more than I would of paid)
Surf the web
Play video
View pictures on the fly (instaly from digital cameras)
Change the internal battery like AA's to a walkman
Wirelessly connect to other devices via Bluetooth built in (Wifi optional)
Hold information with alarm for meetings / special events / to do lists and much much more an ordinary organizer would do
Play ROMs (although a bit choppy, still better than any cellphone games I've every played)
Record voice on the fly (avalible on limited DAPs namely the IHP line...)
Upgradeable software platform!! (HUGE ADVANTAGE, third party software is where the $'s at!)
Double as a universal IR remote... (Not really too useful, but you can learn with the IPAQ and simulate the remote to 100% if so desired) This is like owning a MTV Crib's control all IR controller!!! (I'm gonna figure it out for the garage door soon!!! PIMP)
Add GPS navigation for under $1000 total (including IPAQ and added goodies) which can't even be done as an option on a new car or a stand alone... With this addon, this would be the most valueable digital device you'll EVER OWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Take pictures up to 1.3 Megapix on the fly with a $50 camera addon
There are still tons of uses I'm just discovering with the more useage of the machine....
If any of you out there HAS a PDA, give GSPlayer a try if that isn't your default player, you might have second thoughts about PDAs being a MP3 source...
Hope you all find this informative, any feedback / questions are welcomed...
I bought an IPAQ 2215 recently soley to be my MP3 player / organizer / ROM emulation / digital video player / GPS navigation etc... However it'll mostly be used 90% of the time to be my MP3 source...
Lets just say I spent a bit on the memory and got the 4GB microdrive so I have 4GB worth of music so I choose to keep that much (how many people actually have over 1000 songs they don't mind listening to?) so the size is comparable to the IPOD mini which is sitting around $250 pretty... The IPAQ and Card + 2000mah extended battery cost me ~550... So I lose on the memory aspect / $... (well I get 50 megs from the IPAQ but lets not count that LOL)
As for user friendly, I haven't fully messed with the IPOD, big or mini, so I can't comment too much on how friendly it is... However, the IPAQ is currnetly running GSPlayer 206 and works much like Winamp on your PC... You can add files to the playlist, load playlists, create playlists on the fly, play WITHOUT playlists, delete files (using the IPAQ file browser), add files with devices sporting bluetooth / Wifi without using wires etc... The program is said to be the BEST sounding program you can run on a PPC (pocket PC)... As far as the menu system goes, I only have one gripe... You don't have the option to pick "add dir" like you do on winamp which saves a LOT of time... I have my dirs setup with artist / album / songs.mp3... So lets say I have 10 albums from the same artist, I have to click add file, manually browse to album 1, click add all, then click ok... Then for the next album I have to repeat this again until I load everything I want into the program... (however there isn't even an option to do this on mostly any DAP out there, there are a few, but this one browses like a computer so your indexing is by far superior in everyway possible) You can overcome this shortcomming by creating play lists on Winamp before hand and just up them to the IPAQ...
Now to the nitty gritty... I'm going to test the sounds of my ATH-A900 on an IPOD 20GB G3 on 6/20/04 and add to this review, but I've been using my IPAQ for 3 days now and I must say, it performed a LOT better than what people said it was to be... With GSPlayer 206 (I wouldn't recommend any other program to run your mp3s) the sounds right out of installation is a bit flat... However, you can appreciate the low noise level it produces... When parts of a song is meant to be silent, it is SILENT... Well, this is the most silent I've heard on any solid state amplified eqiuptment... The volume set to max gives a hint of white noise between songs but you have to be in complete silent listening conditions to even hear it, along with a good set of closed cans... (the volume in this program is not seperate of the main volume control, so when you up the volume in the program, it ups the main volume) It isn't tube amp quite, but lets just say it puts my 100x5 receiver's headphone out to shame!! Need I say again in all caps S H A M E!!! (You have to configure GSPlayer to supress 0 noise levels and fade songs in to achieve maximum noise suppressing effect)
After a bit of listening to some nice low noise flat colored songs... I aimed to put the A900's to their worth... I started messing with the BASSBOOST option in the program and set it up half way initially... I was amazed at how well this boosted the bass without making it distort... What it actually does is set the volume of all other frequencies down a few notches depending on your bass gain, you notice a lot of mid / high drop out to accomodate for the added bass... This has it's benifits and downfalls... The downfall is obviously the lack of volume compared to the flat listening level... However the advantage is a boost in bass without sacraficing sound quality (clipping)... You can very obviously notice the difference in bass response...
Next I went for the WHOLE 10 yards and set the bassboost up to max... Again it dropped more mid / high off to compensate for the added bass and once again it does it to a pretty good level of comprimise... However, now things seem a bit muddy and the lack of mids / highs make it a bit of an akward experience in some genre of music... However my rap / bass heavy tracks feel VERY at home at this setting... Ballards / techno might suffer a bit... Still bottom line is, HEAVY bass without sacraficing quality!!
So after juicing the bass up, I want to set some EQ to match my other songs... I found that the best way to do this is to drop whatever you don't want to boost, and just keep the biggest freq boost at 0 level... Much like the concept of bassboost... This makes for a relativly good sound and noticeable boost in the desired reigons... So I set the EQ to the ever so common, boosted bass / treble setting and amazingly the sounds came out clear and loud... This method (gentally set) gave me less bass, but more clarity / volume... Techno songs gain a HUGE bit of loving from this EQ setup... (settings first 3 bands UP with slight drop, middle 3 bands flat drop, last 4 bands sloping rise UP, Looks like a nice sweeping low arch) Actually this is how I usually listen to most of my songs on the receiver so I feel very at home with this setting... I later coupled this with the bassboost option to half way and I got now the best of both worlds... Less muddy music than bassboost alone, and a lot more volume... Still static noise is hard to come by and only once in a while between switching tracks to you hear a bit of crackle... This might be program issue more than the actual hardware tho...
Overall, I must say that this is one POWERFUL little player with the BEST display you can get for the money... Hell, this is just a hair more costly than a 40GB IPOD, and the battery life can be 12 plus hours with the extended pack... I must say with the advantage of running other media aside from just MP3 puts the value through the roof with this little marvel...
My ATH-A900s with my current setting listed above gets enough bass to slightly rattle the cans and this is with max volume... I like my music loud... However it is significantly less shaky than my 100x5... Still on low bass notes, it goes deep and gives your ears a bit of bassty treat if you're a fan of bass...
On the most bass aggressive setup, I can feel the beat on most any song and you get a mad rattle on bass heavy tracks... However as I've stated, the songs get muddy and you lose a bit of volume in the process... So I must say power / quality wise, this thing would rank pretty high as far as my expectations go... With the low noise level, it puts a different spin into my listening experinece over the more powerful receiver headphone out I currently use...
Until I listen to more DAPs, I would have to hold out on a 1-10 rating...
There were actually times I frown on the sound of this machine and that came in the early commings when I didn't mess with the audio supression / EQ / Bassboost to put it to the level I wanted... Also, the noise is so low on low volumes it would be a PERFECT preout to an external amp if anyone choose to do so... You can suppress the preamp even lower to get a cleaner signal within the program's EQ... I woudl say for expandibility, it's built for the audiophile in you...
For the bonuses to put the $550 pricetag in prespective, these are the other things you can do with the IPAQ DAPs can't... (Price from eBay bidding on a generally still new IPAQ, average NEW not refurb price of unit is $325 shipped... Thats $65 more than I would of paid)
Surf the web
Play video
View pictures on the fly (instaly from digital cameras)
Change the internal battery like AA's to a walkman
Wirelessly connect to other devices via Bluetooth built in (Wifi optional)
Hold information with alarm for meetings / special events / to do lists and much much more an ordinary organizer would do
Play ROMs (although a bit choppy, still better than any cellphone games I've every played)
Record voice on the fly (avalible on limited DAPs namely the IHP line...)
Upgradeable software platform!! (HUGE ADVANTAGE, third party software is where the $'s at!)
Double as a universal IR remote... (Not really too useful, but you can learn with the IPAQ and simulate the remote to 100% if so desired) This is like owning a MTV Crib's control all IR controller!!! (I'm gonna figure it out for the garage door soon!!! PIMP)
Add GPS navigation for under $1000 total (including IPAQ and added goodies) which can't even be done as an option on a new car or a stand alone... With this addon, this would be the most valueable digital device you'll EVER OWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Take pictures up to 1.3 Megapix on the fly with a $50 camera addon
There are still tons of uses I'm just discovering with the more useage of the machine....
If any of you out there HAS a PDA, give GSPlayer a try if that isn't your default player, you might have second thoughts about PDAs being a MP3 source...
Hope you all find this informative, any feedback / questions are welcomed...