[pomegranate]

Reading around, I'm growing less satisfied with my iPod...it's very good in itself, iTunes is a great jukebox IMO...but I just feel like it's not as great as it could be - it's not been the music-listening experience revelation I, for some reason, expected...perhaps I've got a short attention span and am bored....so maybe, just maybe, I will change to an iRiver HD player. But I've got some basic issues:

1. What software can you use to for managing the iHP series? Anything specific? (Part of me would actually like to be able to go back to WMP after using iTunes, horses for courses I think) How does it compare to iTunes? Does it do auto-update like iTunes?
2. How much could I expect to get for my 3rd Gen 20GB iPod - I got it (GP£300) at the end of November, developed a fault and recieved a brand new replacement in mid-January. No scratches at all. I am thinking I could get £200-250 for it? I suppose I'd bundle my month-old iSkin exo2 with it as well. Where is best to sell it in the UK? I am thinking eBay or (preferably) Amazon resale.
3. Do the iHPs have many bugs, as the iPod seems to have had loads of problems (not neccessarily related to Windows issues).
4. Is the FM tuner any good? This would be a major selling point for me, but only if the reception is spot on.
5. To those who have used both iHP series and iPod, do you find the extra size and weight of the former to be that much of an issue?
6. Does the inline recording seperate songs if recorded from a CD, or does it just do the whole music as one "lump"? Given it would have to be (AFAI can tell) in real-time, does anyone bother using this feature?
7. How do you find the iHP navigation system to compare? Is the joystick ok for, for example, scrolling through 250 albums - this takes about 4-5 seconds on iPod.
8. I'm thinking of getting an Apple laptop sometime in the future, is there ANY way of using an iHP with Mac OS?
9. Does anyone wanna buy my firewire card?! (joking)
edit 10. Is there any way to get the black models in the UK without paying over the odds for import (for some reason, the iHP-120 shown on native UK sites (...1, 2 are a rather horrible grey!
11. Is the audio playback better on the iHPs than iPod. This is pretty crucial, because I am thinking of re-ripping all my CDs, replacing 224kbps AACs with 192 MP3s. I can't hear any difference on iPod using Shure E2s, would the difference in sound quality be noticeable on an iHP?

Sorry for all the questions, but I know you'll help me do the right thing!

edit: can't believe I spelled horses with a 'u'

 

[Silver5656]

great questions which i'd like answered as well since im lookin to get an iriver as well.......

 

[Skeeve]

Just as a matter of interest, but why are you expecting an ihp to leave you thinking much differently than the ipod does now?

Anyway a couple of answers for you:

5. It's 1mm taller, 1mm narrower and 3mm deeper with a couple of grammes difference in weight, do you think you'd notice differences like that?

10. If you go for the more expensive 40gig option then you'll get the black version.

 

[pomegranate]

I don't really know why, I just find the iPod a bit shallow, I'd like to be able to do more/fiddle about with it if you know what I mean. Like I said, maybe I'm just bored.

I thought the mass/weight differences were much much greater, thanks, that's encouraging.

Amazon US and iRiver US depict the iHP-120 (the model I'd go for) as black. Amazon UK and iRiver Germany (no UK site) show it grey....?

 

[DigDub]

my experience is limited to the ihp-100 i have and fiddled around with my friends 3g ipod.

1. What software can you use to for managing the iHP series? Anything specific? (Part of me would actually like to be able to go back to WMP after using iTunes, horses for courses I think) How does it compare to iTunes? Does it do auto-update like iTunes?
you can drag and drop music inside the ihp via windows explorer. there is prog called folder sync which syncs all the songs on the ihp and the pc.

3. Do the iHPs have many bugs, as the iPod seems to have had loads of problems (not neccessarily related to Windows issues).
i have used it for around 2 months and it has only hung on me once, when i tried optical recording. but it was fixed by a firmware upgrade. very stable operation.

4. Is the FM tuner any good? This would be a major selling point for me, but only if the reception is spot on.
the reception of the fm tuner is very good. but you can't record music from the radio.

5. To those who have used both iHP series and iPod, do you find the extra size and weight of the former to be that much of an issue?
the ihp is a bit narrower and longer than the ipod. in my hands, they feel the same size. however, the ihp feels considerably lighter in my hands than the ipod. it does not feel like its 'a few grams' lighter. even my friend who is an ipod fan could feel that the ihp is considerably lighter when he held it in his hand.

6. Does the inline recording seperate songs if recorded from a CD, or does it just do the whole music as one "lump"? Given it would have to be (AFAI can tell) in real-time, does anyone bother using this feature?
i think no analogue line-in recording do track breaks. it does not separate the tracks for you.

7. How do you find the iHP navigation system to compare? Is the joystick ok for, for example, scrolling through 250 albums - this takes about 4-5 seconds on iPod.
the ipod wins. the joystick on the ihp is something like the joystick on a gamepad. scrollling will take a longer time than the ipod's scroll wheel.

8. I'm thinking of getting an Apple laptop sometime in the future, is there ANY way of using an iHP with Mac OS?
so far i believe the ihp is not mac compatible. but iriver may make it so in the future.

9. Does anyone wanna buy my firewire card?! (joking)
no.

11. Is the audio playback better on the iHPs than iPod. This is pretty crucial, because I am thinking of re-ripping all my CDs, replacing 224kbps AACs with 192 MP3s. I can't hear any difference on iPod using Shure E2s, would the difference in sound quality be noticeable on an iHP?
audio quality is a subjective matter. but from what i've read, ipod does not seem to like low bitrates mp3 very well because they sound flat on it. however, the iriver handles low bitrate mp3 (128kbps) well. the mp3 does not sound lifeless and dull when playing through a ihp. and my ipod friend agrees that the bass on the iriver is stronger on the ihp. the ipod offers a more accurate sound, and the iriver offers a more 'fun' sound. so its up to you to decide which kind of sound you like.

[/B][/QUOTE]

 

[lee0539]

ipod is lighter then the ihp in grams

and im pretty sure it is compatible with macs

 

[DigDub]

Quote:

Originally posted by lee0539 ipod is lighter then the ihp in grams and im pretty sure it is compatible with macs

and your information is based on ??

 

[KandieMan]

Quote:

Originally posted by lee0539 ipod is lighter then the ihp in grams and im pretty sure it is compatible with macs

Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't the iHP lighter?

 

[DigDub]

Quote:

Originally posted by KandieMan Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't the iHP lighter?

the ihp is indeed lighter than the ipod. both me and my friend concurred.

 

[cmascatello]

I have found the iRiver unit to be lighter than the iPod, but not in a good way. One of my biggest concerns with my iHP is that the build quality seems to be a little light. My iPod feels like it can take a beating when it is in my hands (and it HAS taken a beating in my hands

).

That being said, I do like the tree-based browsing of the iRiver and the FM radio and recording features as well.

 

[lee0539]

huh?

iriver says 160g http://www.iriveramerica.com/products/iHP-120.asp

ipod says 158g http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html

ipod 40 gb is 176g so i guess thats what u guys are talking about...

but ihp-140 is 185g http://www.iriveramerica.com/estore/ihp-140.htm

maybe these sites are wrong or apple is excluding the battery in their weight


in terms of sturdieness... i guess feel is one thing.. but someoen dropped their iriver pretty hard.. but it was just fine

 

[Jeffreybar]

regarding audio quality...if you're using shure e2's, i think you will be very pleased with the sound quality of the ihp. I use e2cs with my iHP-140 and I think it sounds pretty much wonderful. Not reference quality by any stretch of the imagination, but very present and alive and musical. Good combo.

 

[cmascatello]

I guess I am basing my feel for "sturdy" in this instance as the iPod having similar weight in a smaller volume. The grams per cubic cm is greater than the iHP series. Don't get me wrong, this is only a feel thing -- I have yet to drop either of them from enough height to realistically break them. The iHP is not some lightweight mp3 knockoff. This really ends up being a "shades of gray" issue.

 

[LarryVale]

I was about to go for the 40 gig version, rip whole wav files and retire my trusty minidiscs but, a comment was made on a review site that: when listening to DJ Mixed continual tracks there was a dropout of about a 1/2 second between the tracks. Anyone verify or deny this for me? I use the MD as it is for the gym primarily and the breaks are err... a dealbreaker.

Thanks
Larry

 

[pomegranate]

Thanks for all your replies guys. Can I just BEG anyone else who has any ideas to the other questions to PLEASE help out. I am near to making a decision now, because I've found someone who will buy my iPod in person for cash, and pretty soon. Even if you DON'T think the iHPs are any/as much good, I would appreciate your input just as much.