iriver h10: initial review

[Cyclone]

hey karma, on your e3's do they signal left and right by a colored dot or by an R and L?

sorry about hijacking the thread.

 

[tayano]

hmm,you said that your ifp-395 sounded far better then h10,and that h10 didn't sound well ?
Well i've got both h10 and cowon iaudio 4,the iaudio 4 has been prized for its sound and many ,many reviewers says that iaudio 4 sound is better then the iriver flash-player's. Anyway I tested my Iaudio 4 against my h10 with same songfile,with e2c and EQ on/off. All I can say is that the difference is not so much,the h10 is better. The sound is warm and full against to the iaudio 4,but I like h10 sound is beacuase I prefer that type of sound. When I tested them both I used with and without EQ,the iaudio sounded to flat without EQ(very hard for my to admidt that ) but very good with EQ. The sound of the h10 is really good without EQ,not at all flat like iaudio's and with EQ you got a really warm and full sound.

The unit you used maybe didn´t work well ?

 

[abitdeef]

Well, here it is in a nutshell, the H10 uses the wolfson micro chip that the 4 th. gen. ipod uses. While the iriver uses the philips sa7750 and the iaudio uses sigmatel. I believe the wolfson produces a more neutral sound with a huge sound stage, and the philips and sigamtel (at least in ifp and iaudio4) produce a smaller more focused sound stage. The eq clips on the h10 on the lower bands on the custom eq - while the other two players do not , also the iaudio 4 has dynamic bass enhancement bbe mach bass.

To me at least, my h10 sounds like an 4 gen ipod with more bass (which to me is a good thing). However, the other 2 (ifp iaudio 4) can really crank out the bass, like a md player or sony mega bass. To some it up, the H10 like the ipod and micro are not what I call a real 'bass' machine and it sounds a lot different to irivers previous efforts.

I myself like the clarity and soundstage of the h10 , but I can see some people thinking the sound is kind of weak. If you want a bass- ball buster! hd unit I suggest a rio carbon, iaudio m3, or if you can get one, an ihp 100- 300 series.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tayano hmm,you said that your ifp-395 sounded far better then h10,and that h10 didn't sound well ? Well i've got both h10 and cowon iaudio 4,the iaudio 4 has been prized for its sound and many ,many reviewers says that iaudio 4 sound is better then the iriver flash-player's. Anyway I tested my Iaudio 4 against my h10 with same songfile,with e2c and EQ on/off. All I can say is that the difference is not so much,the h10 is better. The sound is warm and full against to the iaudio 4,but I like h10 sound is beacuase I prefer that type of sound. When I tested them both I used with and without EQ,the iaudio sounded to flat without EQ(very hard for my to admidt that ) but very good with EQ. The sound of the h10 is really good without EQ,not at all flat like iaudio's and with EQ you got a really warm and full sound. The unit you used maybe didn´t work well ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm I'm not saying this is a bad thing; some people may prefer the new sound. However, it did sound different. And as I said, I happen to prefer the sound that I am used to.

The h10 sounded good, as I said. Probably one of the best sounding hard drive players. I preferred the sound of my ifp-390. Your preference may differ, but I just stated the difference between the two sounds, as it was very distinct. The ifp390 has a very colored sound; the h10's was not as colored. I said to take my impressions of the sound as my opinion only. I appreciate you sharing your opinion. I in no way think my opinion is definitive, and it's good to hear what different people think to help others who haven't heard one.

 

[abitdeef]

The ifp390 has a very colored sound;

I didn't want to go there Jmmmmm , but your'e exactly right. Some people get offended when you say their unit has a "colored" sound. There are times when I do prefer that sound.... like listening to techno or hard rock for example.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ihatepopupads To me at least, my h10 sounds like an 4 gen ipod with more bass

<puts finger on tip of nose>

 

[sony_man]

phatty or the person that started this review: i heard in a different thread that it is difficult to reach the volume? and is the firmware a pain to use?

 

[Cyclone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sony_man phatty or the person that started this review: i heard in a different thread that it is difficult to reach the volume? and is the firmware a pain to use?

i'll assume that by firmware you mean UI. i've heard that the interface is not as intuative as the micro or the ipod's but that it just takes some getting used to and once you do it works well. the volume is on the now playing so you cant adjust the volume anywhere else like with the micro. its the same thing with the ipods so if you dont mind quickly cycling back to the now playing list its not a huge thing. i rarely use the volume control anywhere else other than the now playing on my micro so dont be too worried. another thing you should know about the H10 is that there are no firmware updates. The US versions are not compatable with firmware upgrades so any software/tech problems with the H10 will not be easily solved.

 

[sony_man]

than its micro it is! you my friend have just helped me pick out a new HD player.

 

[WhoCares]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sony_man than its micro it is! you my friend have just helped me pick out a new HD player.

Ya, I'm going for the ZM, too. Man, I wish the ZMP was out

. Or should I wait...? Hmm...

 

[sony_man]

wait, before i go running off to buy the ZM, when people say that the select button is on the side of the player, is it on the actual side or right next to the vertical pad? because i had in my mind that i would hate the H10 if the select button wasnt even close to the touch pad.

p.s. does it come with a nice case?

 

[PodMan]

the H10 select button is the little button with the circle mark to the right next of the touchpad. also when you are browsing away from the "playing now" screen, pushing the play/pause button takes you right back to it.

When you are in the playing now screen, pushing the circle button brings up the EQ preset settings (although configuring the custom eq setting requires going to the settings menu). pushing and holding the circle button allows you to rate the song that is currently playing (1-5 stars).

it does come with this white rubber case that had a very strong initial chemical smell when I opened it.

 

[bangraman]

Buggy. I was going to return it, but the guys at the shop persuaded me otherwise by giving me an indefinite return period.


I'll see how iRiver addresses the fundamental issues with the player.

 

[chicubs]

you mean the people at the shop knew that there would be an upgrade? ...wow, none of the workers at bestbuy, circuit city, or compusa know a thing about the daps they sell.

 

[sony_man]

too true chicubs, too true.