scholl43
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2013
- Posts
- 10
- Likes
- 10
I've somehow stretched another 2 years out of my 2010 160GB iPod classic, but now it's clearly done. The HD diagnostics have been warning me for years, the battery dies after about 90 mins and if it's not next to my body in cold temps. My replacement research is outdated now, so I'd like your recommendations with the following considerations:
Listening habits and user interface:
- I ride a bike 16 miles/day, 5 days/week, whether it's 100 degrees, 10 degrees, raining, sunny, or snowy. Build quality and a decent case are important to me.
- I use relatively cheap ear buds when riding or walking somewhere because of the beating they take. I rarely use headphones, but am interested in checking some out eventually.
- I will plug the player into my Jolida JD302CRC tube amp when I'm at home
- I listen to full albums at a time almost exclusively
- I rarely stream music or use bluetooth, but those are nice features
- I don't care about watching videos on this (I have a phone after all) and generally don't need a large display or touch screen
File Transfer and Management
- I'd appreciate the ability to make playlists on the go
- I have a 2013 MacBook pro and still use iTunes to manage my iPod Classic. The MBP has 2 USB 3 ports, 1 Thunderbolt port, and 1 SDXC card slot.
- I have approximately 160GB of music, but mostly 320kbps and listen to some podcasts.
Budget:
- Seeing as I'm going from something not-so-special, I'm fine going with a cheaper player and may notice a big jump in quality even in the $500 range
- Ideally, my max budget is $1,000 for player and case
I'm not opposed to buying something older, but I've read that some companies (Fiio) don't support much once released. Two years ago, I made this list:
Fiio X7II - $649
Fiio X5III - $376
Astell&Kern AK70 MKII - $699
Astell&Kern Kann - $999
Onkyo DP-X1A - $479
I know there's a new iPod touch out that could handle a larger capacity and allow me to continue using iTunes (or what replaces it). So, two ultimate questions:
Listening habits and user interface:
- I ride a bike 16 miles/day, 5 days/week, whether it's 100 degrees, 10 degrees, raining, sunny, or snowy. Build quality and a decent case are important to me.
- I use relatively cheap ear buds when riding or walking somewhere because of the beating they take. I rarely use headphones, but am interested in checking some out eventually.
- I will plug the player into my Jolida JD302CRC tube amp when I'm at home
- I listen to full albums at a time almost exclusively
- I rarely stream music or use bluetooth, but those are nice features
- I don't care about watching videos on this (I have a phone after all) and generally don't need a large display or touch screen
File Transfer and Management
- I'd appreciate the ability to make playlists on the go
- I have a 2013 MacBook pro and still use iTunes to manage my iPod Classic. The MBP has 2 USB 3 ports, 1 Thunderbolt port, and 1 SDXC card slot.
- I have approximately 160GB of music, but mostly 320kbps and listen to some podcasts.
Budget:
- Seeing as I'm going from something not-so-special, I'm fine going with a cheaper player and may notice a big jump in quality even in the $500 range
- Ideally, my max budget is $1,000 for player and case
I'm not opposed to buying something older, but I've read that some companies (Fiio) don't support much once released. Two years ago, I made this list:
Fiio X7II - $649
Fiio X5III - $376
Astell&Kern AK70 MKII - $699
Astell&Kern Kann - $999
Onkyo DP-X1A - $479
I know there's a new iPod touch out that could handle a larger capacity and allow me to continue using iTunes (or what replaces it). So, two ultimate questions:
- What portable audio player do you recommend and why?
- What software do you use to manage and load files and does it include the ability to edit metadata and track # of plays?
