[gerG]

I know zip about the zen, so I can't comment there.

I use my ipod with a Sony laptop. Xplay software makes the transfers drag and drop painless. I can't stand music management software, so I don't know which one works best. I just store CDs organized by genre and artist. Firewire makes transfers so friggin fast that it is painless to swap out a gig here and a gig there, or just to reload the whole thing. Note: you must have a firewire card and cable.

The sound of the ipod is amazing. It drives hard core phones with apparent ease. People tend to get concerned when the volume scale is set past half way, but it doesn't mean anything on this unit. Full scale is still far from distortion. I am listening to my DT250-250s off it right now (nowhere near full scale). Drop the little twerp in my shirt pocket, loop the cord over the back of my neck, and I am free to spin around in my chair whenever someone tries to sneak in and leave tasks (exploding turds with timers, usually) on my desk. I tried a good portable amp in line, and only got degraded sound and distortion. ipod straight out to ER4S or DT250-250 has become my prefered set-up at the office.

Good luck

gerG

 

[revan]

I just took the leap 2 weeks ago, bought an Ipod. I am running 98se on an IBM laptop. I purchased a firewire PCMCIA card, the Zen may have the ability to transmit USB, but you're talking about .3mb per sec, it would take hours to send large amounts of music over.

I never unwrapped the software that came with the pod, just downloaded Ephpod and was up and running (after charging) within hours - immediately transfered over 10gig at a transfer rate of about 3 mb/sec.

Playlisting on Ephpod is straight-forward, if you are encoding your own files then you won't have to worry about tags.

Sound quality out of the Ipod to my Ety 4p is far superior than my laptop.

Revan

 

[myself, aka me]

Quote:

Originally posted by viper69 Your response was exactly the type of response I do not need..Evidently you didn't read what I said. ' a cool piece of engineering" as you put it just does not really explain anything at all. Thanks but not thanks

He's saying it's got a cool scroll wheel, and thats a good feature of the iPod. Explained

 

[revan]

oh -

check out ipodlounge.com, they have a bunch of forums and there are some pretty detailed comparisons on there in the windows ipod forum.

Revan

 

[sohcahtoa]

So which one did you get?

I too have been sitting on the fence waaaay too long, about purchasing an HD Mp3 player. For someone who has downloaded some 30+ gb of mp3s over the past 3 years, and also owns over 500 cds, I am just way too picky about dropping some serious doughage for an HD Mp3 player.

I have a Rio Volt sp90 (with sp100 firmware), which I think performs admirably with my grado sr80's, better with my Koss sporta-pros. Also just last weekend I purchased the new iriver portable (ifp-120) 32mb, because there was a $40 rebate and also 10%-off coupon, so after taxes I paid about $35

It's a really nifty device, that doubles as a "disk-on-key"(sortof, you need to install the driver and software + plus use the usb cable). It has a high-quality backlit 4-line display, reads VBR fine and powers on where you last left on a track (essential for audio-book or "this american life" listening). It can power my grados, but performs much better with my koss sporta-pros.

Anyway, back on topic, initially I was very much for the Nomad Jukebox 3, because it has a line-out, has reportably the best sound quality, has both usb & firewire and is the cheapest. Now after having used my iriver portable this past week, I realize that what I really need is either the Zen or Ipod. The NJB3 is simply too unwieldy for true portable "slip in my pocket and out the front door" conveinence.

Personally, I am leaning strongly towards the 5gb Ipod. I know, I know, for just $200 more you get 4x the storage. But that's exactly that: it IS $200 more. And once you get right down to it, 5gb is plenty enough room. Add to that, the speedy firewire transfer which makes revamping your 'portable music inventory' cake.

The negatives of the Ipod (in comparison to the Zen ) is lack of USB and the inability to queue songs on-the-fly.

I already have firewire (on my Audigy card) and also on my thinkpad laptop. This could mean plunking down another $40-60. You can get an Audigy card at Newegg for $60, this is where I got mine. Though it might be better to get a dedicated firewire card ? (anybody use their audigy with their ipod?)

A big negative of the Zen is the WARRANTY. Creative is pretty secretive about their warranties (not listed on their website or on amazon or buy.com). I believe it is just 90 days though. Apple on the other hand has a 1 Year limited warranty. Creative is also somewhat notorious for crap support.

I say get the 5gb Ipod ($275 on amazon). Sure with the Zen you get 4x times the storage and USB, but you also get a dodgy warranty, dodgy software, dodgy interface, and something that is not "slip in your pocket" portable. And I am in no way an Apple freek; I think their whole 'switch' ad campaign is, well, gay. But I have to give credit where credit is due, the Ipod has the set the bar pretty high for what a portable HD mp3 player should aspire to be. Let's hope that the competition answers, so that we can benefit from future innovation and price-drops

 

[Taphil]

People have had problems using the iPod with the Audigy's firewire port, so beware. The easiest solution for any problems that may result (CRC errors, write delay failures) is to get another firewire card.

Software is crap for both players. You'll probably end up going with Notmad for the Zen or Xplay/Ephpod/Media Jukebox for the iPod rather than using the supplied software. (IMHO, the software works good enough for both players. It's not too hard to figure out how to transfer songs over, and once you've figured that out, it won't take forever to do so in the future.)

Both players have non-replacable batteries. The batteries will most likely last longer than a year. But after that, you're on your own.

The hard drive of the Zen is upgradable or replaceable if anything happens to it outside of the warranty. It's not at all replaceable on the iPod because it uses special hard drives with special firmware specifically made for Apple.

For both players, you can buy extended warranties at Best Buy, CompUSA, or wherever else they offer such a plan.

I say for $250 after rebate, the Zen has more bang for the buck than any iPod.

 

[sohcahtoa]

I agree whole-heartedly.

If you are looking for most bang-for-your-buck then the Nomad Zen is definately the way to go. But then the swanky Ipod has never been about "bang for your buck"

Both come with crap software, and so you will prolly turn to 3rd-party software for both. I do think the Ipod has a better all around interface though. I have read problems with the Zen and its responsiveness to button-clicking; there appears to be a delay caused sometimes which can prove frustrating.

If you are looking for best value, get the Zen.
If you are a stickler for Usability, get the iPod.

Also, I would go for the 10gb iPod, since it has the improved scroll whell, firewire port cover and a few other extras (remote, case).

So, it's $375 for 10gb iPod or $275 for 20gb Zen.

I do find the non-replaceable battery life distressing though. I read that the iPod battery is supposed to last 500 charges. What good is it after the battery runs out? Wall-wart? Anybody have used up the iPod battery?

so it was the NJB3 that has replaceable lithium batteries....

 

[gerG]

ipod battery not replaceable?

There were instructions over on the apple site explaining how to change the battery. I never took it apart to find out. Guess I had better go dig that thread up. How hard could it be? It was only a year ago, and on one of the hottest threads on apple's web site.


gerG

 

[lextek]

5 had my old 5gig apart. It looks easy to change the battery. There was a connector on it.

 

[richpjr]

Is it a proprietary battery or something you can buy after market?

 

[sohcahtoa]

oh, for real? If you could dig that thread up, that would be appreciated

Actually, for Apple to officially post on their website, disassembling an Ipod...that doesn't sound like Apple. And doing so would probably void your warranty.

I saw some pictures on Tom's hardware website, and there are connectors there, but he alluded to the fact that a battery replacement would not be cheap.

 

[sohcahtoa]

Here it is

Quote from Tom's Hardware:
"The lithium polymer battery that powers the iPod is replaceable. Although that process isn't simple, Apple's choice of using connectors to detach it from the unit shows that it is possible. The iPod uses the Sony UP325385 A4H lithium polymer battery that Sony claims will last more than 500 charging cycles. According to the information we were able to find on the UP325385 A4H, you should never let the battery drain completely down, and you should top off the charge frequently. We were not able to locate a source for purchasing a replacement battery for use with the correct connector, so we can't estimate how much a replacement battery will cost. However, due to the special technology that is used, it is most likely that it will not be inexpensive. "

 

[richpjr]

sohcahtoa,

I'm not sure I agree that the Zen is not "slip in your pocket" portable. The dimensions of the 20 gig iPod are 4x2.4x.84 while the Zen is 4.43x2.98x1. The Zen is bigger, but not by much.

Rich

 

[Taphil]

THG's definition of replaceable is opening it up, voiding the warranty, disconnecting the battery, and connecting a new battery that you can't find anywhere.

The hottest thread currently on Apple's site is over what will happen when the battery dies after the year warranty ends.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by sohcahtoa The negatives of the Ipod (in comparison to the Zen) is lack of USB and the inability to queue songs on-the-fly.

As I said above, I agree about the queue issue. However, "lack of USB" isn't a negative in any way. FireWire is faster and superior to USB (even USB2.0) in every way. If you don't have FireWire, the $30 it costs to add it to your PC is worth it from the very first type you sync.



I also disagree strongly about the "Zen is best bang for the buck" people. Remember that this is personal preference. For me, the iPod's size, FAR superior interface, FireWire connectivity, and design are all MAJOR advantages that are worth money. So for me, the iPod is a better value -- which is why I bought it.