[jeeger]

Title says it all: I currently have a 5.5G 60 GB iPod Video. However, there are some things that bug me: No flac support with normal firmware, less-than-stellar SQ, pretty big and difficult to fill (syncing with the library is a constant PITA for me). So I am looking at an up-(down?)grade of my DAP. My brother recently bought a Vibez, and it looks and feels quite good. Also, it is regarded for its sound quality. NOTE: I have 50+GB of music, so I will need to choose something each day. Anyone know any other pros/cons?

 

[majkel]

Shouldn't you rockbox your iPod? You'll get gapless and FLAC support. Don't believe the Trekstor Vibez sounds great. It has a decent punch and soundstage abilities but the midrange is hollow and colorless making the overall presentation dry and bothering. That's what I perceive and some other SQ-crazy guys I know agree on that. I always compare player's SQ using the same lossless (if supported) files ripped from original CDs I know well.
Second thing: lossless support doesn't make most players sound better. The majority of them cannot even achieve the level of quality delivered from 320kb/s mp3 or ogg ~256kb/s.

 

[doomlordis]

IMO Vibez sounds fantastic, i tested it against my RH1 , HD1 and Zen M and it was easily as good as my RH1 and better than the ZEN, it sounded a lot like the HD1 but had a wider soundstage and more detail in the mids.

 

[manaox2]

wouldn't rockboxing it solve all of your caveats with the ipod? I mean, no more using itunes to sync, deeper blackness and lossless support? You could just spend that money on a good cable and maybe a reference amp and greatly improve your sound quality likely past the vibes while being able to carry all of your music around. (plus video support... power for bigger cans... more format support... gameboy emulator... theming capabilities... more accessories... I could probably go on)

 

[jeeger]

Yes, I have installed rockbox, and I am astounded by its high quality (of the software, that is). However, Rockbox guzzles battery like there's no tomorrow. After one day of listening (about 10 hours), I already have to recharge it, compared to more than 15 hours with the original firmware. Maybe that will improve with newer versions of rockbox... The other features of rockbox are all pretty tempting, I agree (Crossfeed!).

 

[majkel]

So I'd go for another rockboxable player like Toshiba Gigabeat F or X, up to 60GB available. I read a post saying FLAC files from the Toshiba sound better than from Rio Karma which is amongst the best sounding players ever made.

 

[RubenNYC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeeger /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, I have installed rockbox, and I am astounded by its high quality (of the software, that is). However, Rockbox guzzles battery like there's no tomorrow. After one day of listening (about 10 hours), I already have to recharge it, compared to more than 15 hours with the original firmware. Maybe that will improve with newer versions of rockbox... The other features of rockbox are all pretty tempting, I agree (Crossfeed!).

If you're biggest concern with Rockbox is 10 hours per charge, I would recommend against switching to the vibez. Especially if you're planning on playing mostly flac, I doubt the vibez would give you any battery improvement. Nevermind the major sacrifice in disk capacity.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Second thing: lossless support doesn't make most players sound better. The majority of them cannot even achieve the level of quality delivered from 320kb/s mp3 or ogg ~256kb/s.

LOL...oh boy, where are you people coming from? Simply ridiculous. I have loaded flacs onto my irivers and rio karma. The difference, imho, is noticeable between 256kb vbr mp3's and flacs.

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloco /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL...oh boy, where are you people coming from? Simply ridiculous. I have loaded flacs onto my irivers and rio karma. The difference, imho, is noticeable between 256kb vbr mp3's and flacs.

x2

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeeger /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, I have installed rockbox, and I am astounded by its high quality (of the software, that is). However, Rockbox guzzles battery like there's no tomorrow. After one day of listening (about 10 hours), I already have to recharge it, compared to more than 15 hours with the original firmware. Maybe that will improve with newer versions of rockbox... The other features of rockbox are all pretty tempting, I agree (Crossfeed!).

x2 - that is my only (i think) bugbear with rockbox, battery life. other than that, brilliant. - i know its a known thing about ipods and battery life. heres to rockboxes future