[austonia]

roll-man,

Sound quality certainly matters to me. I have been critical of some players (Rio) because I felt they under-performed. I have given praise to the SQ of others (iPod, NJB3). But some people think I have it backwards, and who's to say... it's not an exact science.

from the other thread :

"I don't much talk about the sound qualities of the players anymore after many a debate. Tired of it. We each have different ears and expectations. So unless I find the player sounds like ****, or is the best in the world, then the SQ is "OK" and I don't want to get into it. The bottom line is, we're talking about MP3 players here... compressed music, and devices built with battery conservation in mind. Not exactley audiophile. Still, you know I like 'em."

That said, I made a thead recently about how my friend from Europe is coming to visit in a few months and combined we will have 15-20 DAP on had for a serious sound quality showdown, using proper testing methods. I'll get more into it then

 

[PooJou]

Quote:

Originally posted by austonia I havn't got the ID3 tag database function working at all. I have the function turned on in the config, but when it boots up, it goes straight to the File View. I know it won't read any files longer than 52 characters, but I assumed it would read the ones that were shorter and ignore the rest. Will look into that when I break down and read the manual.

Yeah i got this after firmware update - go to the menu...general.. right at the bottom, put DB scan on - because it for some reason turns off after a firmware scan..

Oh and ONE thing i've noticed about the iHP.. it gets scratched easily, like around my 'hold' thingy i got scratches from my long nails... can't be completely perfect i guess

 

[austonia]

PooJou,

Actually, I found why it wasn't scanning for ID3 tags yet after looking in the manual. The manual says that you have to create a special database file the first time, by connecting the player to your PC, right-clicking on it, and it should have an option to create the database. I just assumed the feature would work right out of the box. It would have made more sense, I think, to have a database file allready loaded on the player with the default software load. But I upgraded my firmware when I first got it, so that may have changed things. I don't think I'm going to use this feature anyway since my other players are better suited for browsing through an ID3 tag database (they don't have the 52-character filename limit).

 

[roll-man]

Austonia,

Thanks for the reasonable response. I have 8 cd sources and each one sounds different from the other. I'm new to the DAP world and I'm getting familiar with the "signatures" of these players. I'm looking forward to seeing more on this subject from you...

 

[PooJou]

Yeah i had a few issues with the 52 character limit, the player just skips them (watching it skip the entire 'Me First and the Gimme Gimme's album was funny)

 

[Kelvie1234]

Again.. just because the line-out can be affected by the digital attenuator (volume control) does not mean that it is not a true line out.

The thing with digital is.. even if it passes through a processor.. if the processor doesn't do anything to it, the exact same data that went in can come out.

The line out just bypasses the internal op-amp; if the volume control and EQ controls are digital.. then turning them off wouldn't affect the signal at all, because it is not converted to analog yet.

[This has been posted quite a few times over.. but always seems to go unnoticed.]

 

[austonia]

Quote:

Originally posted by Kelvie1234 The line out just bypasses the internal op-amp

is this just hearsay or what is your source of information? I don't see how that makes sense considering the line-out powers up as you turn the volume up, just the same as the headphone output. It's certainly amplified.

 

[DLP]

Folks, just remember this is just a real first impressions thread. First impressions of sound quality shouldn't really be thrown in here if only because it'd be a bit premature and limited in exposure.
Austonia, hope you enjoy it. I look forward to the comparison in the big DAP shootout as well as a full standalone review.

 

[PooJou]

Ok, i just went and plugged in the iHP to my amp... at 40, the EQ still affects the sound... i'm pretty sure this is not a REAL line out then... because doesnt a real line out not get affected by EQ?

hope this helps

 

[IpaqMan]

One of the major reasons I purchased the IHP-120 (and the Muvo2) was the LCD remote. I don't like taking the players out of their belt cases because of clumsy hands resulting in dropped players. With a full power remote, there is rarely a need to handle the player during music play.

Other purchasing specs included:

1) Long battery life
2) Plug and play
3) Folder browsing (hate fixing tags)
4) Recording options (line and mic level)
5) Compact size

The Muvo2 4gb also is close to these specs.

BTW, the hard drive spinning issue is a bug that I reported to Iriver. The startup spinning is one instance of it. Also during record standby, it will keep spinning. This might make sense except that going from standby to record is not a quick process currently, so spinning is not helping anything. The IHP needs a timer to spin down the drive whenever it is not actually being used.

 

[PooJou]

Quote:

Originally posted by IpaqMan BTW, the hard drive spinning issue is a bug that I reported to Iriver. The startup spinning is one instance of it. Also during record standby, it will keep spinning. This might make sense except that going from standby to record is not a quick process currently, so spinning is not helping anything. The IHP needs a timer to spin down the drive whenever it is not actually being used.

THe drive spins up at the start because it reads the file system before every start. Also i was recording a lecture yesterday, and the hDD span down... it didnt keep spinning like you said.. the hdd in mine rarely spins and certainly doesn't randomly continue to spin for no reason

 

[Wilson]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by IpaqMan

BTW, the hard drive spinning issue is a bug that I reported to Iriver. The startup spinning is one instance of it. Also during record standby, it will keep spinning. This might make sense except that going from standby to record is not a quick process currently, so spinning is not helping anything. The IHP needs a timer to spin down the drive whenever it is not actually being used.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


With this bug and excessive spinning, it still gets the advertised 14-16 hours of battery life? If so the battery life goes longer after they fix the bug?


Regards,
W

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally posted by PooJou Ok, i just went and plugged in the iHP to my amp... at 40, the EQ still affects the sound... i'm pretty sure this is not a REAL line out then... because doesnt a real line out not get affected by EQ?

Play some MP3s with Winamp and activated equalizer on your computer. Hook up your headphones or an amp to your soundcard's line out. What happens? Yes: the sound coming out of the line out is affected by the EQ and Winamp's volume control.

Does this mean it's no true line out? No. Because EQ and volume control happen in the digital domain, so they will inevitably also affect the line out.

I'm not saying the iHP's line out is a true line out, bypassing an amplification stage needed for the headphone amp -- you need to know the layout to verify this. One thing that puzzles me though is that as far as I've read you can turn the line out into a second headphone out by software. Is it possible to switch an amplification stage into the signal path that way, or is the line out indeed fake?

 

[PooJou]

Quote:

Originally posted by JaZZ One thing that puzzles me though is that as far as I've read you can turn the line out into a second headphone out by software. Is it possible to switch an amplification stage into the signal path that way, or is the line out indeed fake?

Erm, plug another set of headphones into the line out and one in the norma l one... walah - two headphone connections

(ive used it heaps like that )

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally posted by PooJou Erm, plug another set of headphones into the line out and one in the norma l one... walah - two headphone connections (ive used it heaps like that)

O.k., but that doesn't answer my question. I don't own an iHP myself, but have tried the line out of an iHP-120: the volume level was slightly limited compared to the headphone out, and there was a clear lack of bass, but it neverthless could have served as a second headphone out, with some sound-quality loss. On the other hand I sometimes use the line-out stage of my DAC2 to drive headphones directly, so this is certainly no proof. Do the two outputs sound exactly the same? If yes, can you turn one of them into a line out by software? And finally: does anybody know the layout of this player as to headphone out/line out?