Kenwood DAP Owners

[chefwong]

I see plenty of screen shots of the press product and japanese fonts.
For those with a Kenwood Dap, would you guys mind chiming in on the user interface.

I've got my eyes on their new one slated for release next month....

 

[chefwong]

TTT ? Anyone with a Kenwood DAP

 

[antonyfirst]

User interface is great on the full size Kenwood players. The HD10GB7, instead, is a bit slower and has less navigation features. I can't elaborate further now, I'm tired.

 

[catscratch]

Let's put it this way. If you can't figure the interface out in the first 2 minutes, you're brain dead. My HD20GA7 has the single most intuitive interface I've ever seen. Ipods are touted as having a good interface; I think they're rubbish, and next to this, they can't compare.

You have a 4-way d-pad that's bound to context-sensitive keys, together with a central key. The screen shows exactly what each key is bound to at any given moment. The up/down keys also have 2 pressure settings, and let you scroll quickly or slowly and more accurately. On top of that, you have a separate volume slider, and a "home" type key like the windows start button that takes you back to the menu.

That's it really, and that's all you'll ever need. I wish other DAPs were this intuitive.

The build quality is also stellar; the unit feels every bit as expensive as it is. The screen is terrific too, but you can't really do much with it, which is a shame.

If Kenwood only bundled more features with these players, they'd sell one heck of a lot more of them overseas. As it stands, because it doesn't support all the formats that I use, because its battery life is rather poor, and because it hisses too much with the ES2, I use my X5, and I like it a lot more, though it doesn't sound as good.

 

[antonyfirst]

Cat, why don't you get a Vibez for your ES2?

 

[Assorted]

People say the iPod/Creative interface is so awesome, the reference compared to other DAPs. I would say the Kenwood interface crushes it. It's just more simple, except the buttons aren't touchy in case you're a touch fan.

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antonyfirst /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cat, why don't you get a Vibez for your ES2?

1) Becuase I'm shelling out $1500 for the H2/TR2 and another $1500-2000 for an amp to drive it, and possibly another $2000 for a balanced source, so spending more on gear right now is lunacy, and

2) Because I don't think the Vibez is sufficiently better than the X5L to offset its smaller HD (I listen to mostly lossless, so this is an issue) and shorter battery life. Besides, the X5 has more punch and a slightly brighter tonality, which goes quite well with the warm(er) sounding ES2.

I might borrow my friend's Vibez and mess around with it some more, though. Maybe I'll change my mind.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1) Becuase I'm shelling out $1500 for the H2/TR2 and another $1500-2000 for an amp to drive it, and possibly another $2000 for a balanced source, so spending more on gear right now is lunacy, and 2) Because I don't think the Vibez is sufficiently better than the X5L to offset its smaller HD (I listen to mostly lossless, so this is an issue) and shorter battery life. Besides, the X5 has more punch and a slightly brighter tonality, which goes quite well with the warm(er) sounding ES2. I might borrow my friend's Vibez and mess around with it some more, though. Maybe I'll change my mind.

Thats offset by the fact that iAudio 7 is out and soon due in 16 gb (and its SQ is supposed to be fairly superior to x5), plus iAudio x7 is in the making with proposed 80 GB.

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thats offset by the fact that iAudio 7 is out and soon due in 16 gb (and its SQ is supposed to be fairly superior to x5), plus iAudio x7 is in the making with proposed 80 GB.

Stop trolling my wallet!

Iaudio 7, not sure. 16gb isn't big enough. X7, however, is a definite yes, assuming that it sounds good. The D2 was a definite step down in quality after the X5, so I have some healthy skepticism at this stage.