My iAUDIO 5 came today... first impressions - WOW!

[cerbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utdeep I5 vs Ipod Shuffle Advantages -Highly customizable sound -Nice display -Voice recording -Radio -Line in recording -Available in 2 gb -Keychain mini usb cable is convenient and can be used for any product that uses mini-usb to usb (PSP, PDAs) -can use directories to segregrate music -the case and optional armband ($7) is friggin awesome -no built-in battery, and 15 minute chargers are available for AAAs Disadvantages -to get the sound you like, you might make a major sacrifice in battery life (I use BBE, M3B, 3D, MPEnhance with alt-preset-standard LAME encoded MP3s = less than 10 hours with no backlight!!) -most features are gimmicky (backlight colors? startup logo? 60% of things on display I don't really care about) -much larger than iPod shuffle -not easy to navigate -much more expensive -sound detail is not as good as the shuffle -it's not as pretty and it is certainly too thick and heavy to use as a necklace -resale value is most likely crap compared to an iPod shuffle -load time is ridiculous... takes close to 7-9 secs for it to start up -I need to find a new music manager that's like iTunes I initially felt more inclined to keep the shuffle, but the I5 has grown on me. The I5 is a keeper.

We're all looking for somethings different. After trying the sound effects, I don't see how they get used by anyone. The backlight colors are far more important than BBE

. I agree about the screen, though...more space for text would have been a better use. Extra colors are definitely cool, except of course for not doing pruple

. Maybe on their next series, they will use a full color LCD instead of colored backlights--if they can get decent battery capacity that way. Maybe full color OLED.

See above post for size

.

I can navigate it without looking at it. Very easy. Of course, I've used the same file/folder structure since the late 90s, and use file managers with a tree pane, so the organization is clear in my mind.

Looks better than the Shuffle, IMO. And I'm going to use it as a necklace as soon as I can find some fricking cotton or hemp shoelaces.

Resale value: my father still has his original Diamond Rio. If I get a new one, someone else I know will get this. You don't sell gadgets!

Load: I get 6 seconds. Eh.

Music Manager: I've tested it with Finder, Explorer, and Konquerer

. Works like a charm.

OTOH, I don't use FM, line-in, any sound mods, nor voice recording, and didn't get an armband.

 

[cerbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utdeep sound is less detailed than the shuffle. I'm going to leave it at that. You can up the bass as much as you want. The I5s other major flaw is an inability to delete files on it. There is no way to do that currently. I think I'm going to return it, and wait on something better from Apple.

It helps to try something before saying it doesn't work. You can delete files from the player, with the player.

Having only heard the Muvo as far as other players, all I can say for the sound is that it sounds good to me through KSC75/50.

 

[cerbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apnk Damn, I thought that I had it figured out to get the I5 till i read your replies. Oh well, i wonder how the U2 compares?

The I5 and U2 are identical aside from the physical controls, display, and battery. If you don't think the I5 will be good, the U2 almost certainly won't be, either.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

Hey UTdeep, can you tell me if you get the static/crackly noises inbetween songs? And a follow up to that, what buds are you using?

Others with the i5, please answer this question as well.

Thanks.

 

[FattyFatFatHead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZimbuTheMonkey can you tell me if you get the static/crackly noises inbetween songs? And a follow up to that, what buds are you using? Others with the i5, please answer this question as well. Thanks.

I do, but not with all my phones...I hear it on my sony buds (not expensive, around $20) sometimes, and not at all on my sony headphones ($25 - street-style). It's not a loud sound by any means, almost imperceptible. Doesn't bug me because it just is so low-key, random, and fleeting. There is absolutely NO background noise during songs or with backlight on, and this is what matters most to me.

 

[utdeep]

Sorry about the deletion mistake. All claims about music are subjective, but the detail resolution on the shuffle is superior.
I'm using UE-10s. They're decent canalphones. I like using the KSC 35s for flash players though.
The crackly noise between tracks on the shuffle is definately louder.
Purple is a color on the I5 display.

I provided my feedback on the player and my experiences, and it's obvious this isn't the right place for it. Enjoy your I5s. It's a good player, and the shuffle is not better than it. Unfortunately, I enjoyed the I4 better with it's aluminum casing (especially the black one) and smaller size. I don't think they improved the sound quality with the I5 but I love the speed of USB 2.0

cerbie, FattyFatFatHead, enjoy your I5s.

 

[IpaqMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utdeep sound is less detailed than the shuffle. I'm going to leave it at that. You can up the bass as much as you want. The I5s other major flaw is an inability to delete files on it. There is no way to do that currently. I think I'm going to return it, and wait on something better from Apple.

IIRC, the Shuffle as well as other recent players all use the same Sigmatel chipset, so the SQ should be similar.

The I5 can delete files. This is a great advantage as I can delete audio book tracks as I listen to them. AFAIK, the only obstacle to deleting files on an Iaudio 5 is the "readonly" file attribute.

The use of sound effects on the Iaudio 5 uses about 20 percent more power than without based upon my digital multimeter measurements. That gives you to up 16 hours of battery life with a new AAA alkaline battery playing 128kbps mp3s.

I paid only $169 shipped for my Iaudio 5 1GB compared to $150 plus for a Shuffle. I would not call that "much more expensive".

The startup time can be reduced by deleting the LOGO file or by pressing play during the LOGO display.

If you use the Shuffle for bedtime music, you have significant odds of no power in the morning. The Iaudio 5 has a sleep timer as well as a replaceable battery.

Iaudio's previous players have been well designed and well constructed and retain value. My Iaudio CW200 256mb still plays well and still looks new after two years. I doubt that the Shuffle will look new after six months. The new Iaudio 5 does use an excellent grade of plastic as well as a significant thickness of material for construction. The I5 really feels well-made.

I like the smallness of the Shuffle, but that is why I have a Muvo N200 which is quite small and has a screen, an FM radio, a replaceable battery, voice recorder, and a line-in encoder for almost the price of a Shuffle.

 

[utdeep]

Does no one read a post? I said I made a mistake with the delete function a few minutes after I mentioned it.

Y'all are a trip. And if you are looking for an anti-Cowan conspiracy, check this out:

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ighlight=cw200

I was on the Iaudio bandwagon long before you were members.
And the retards who seem to think I was belittling the player, read the end of my message and you will see that I preferred the Iaudio.

A comparisonal review takes time and thought. It also means that you own both players especially to judge sound quality. I guess I shouldn't have wasted my time on this.

 

[cerbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utdeep Sorry about the deletion mistake. All claims about music are subjective, but the detail resolution on the shuffle is superior. I'm using UE-10s. They're decent canalphones. I like using the KSC 35s for flash players though. The crackly noise between tracks on the shuffle is definately louder. Purple is a color on the I5 display.

Not on mine. The red isn't red, it's red-orange. Lavender is possible, but not purple, because the green won't go away. Oh, the pain, the pain

.

Quote:

I provided my feedback on the player and my experiences, and it's obvious this isn't the right place for it. Enjoy your I5s. It's a good player, and the shuffle is not better than it. Unfortunately, I enjoyed the I4 better with it's aluminum casing (especially the black one) and smaller size. I don't think they improved the sound quality with the I5 but I love the speed of USB 2.0 cerbie, FattyFatFatHead, enjoy your I5s.

I will--I already have been

. I'd actually have gotten a Shuffle, if it were a plain flash drive that happened to also play music stuck on it. With some practice, I can now navigate the I5 blindly (the menu and play dials sharing functions and also having multiple functions themselves is what took time). The Shuffle would be equally easy, if a bit slower (single dimension navigation).

 

[floatingcastle]

UtDeep,

I just read through this entire post and I have to say bud, that the only person making little sense is you. And on top of that, you're calling people retards.

I think that the points made in FattyFatFatHead's post and Cerbie's post were quite on point. Thanks guys for the intelligent rebuttals.

As as sidenote, I don't own either the I5 or the Shuffle. I have a Nomad Zen 40GB and an Ipod Mini 4GB and I"m in the market for a flash player. This is my second post. If that makes my comments here invalid, I apologize.

UtDeep, you are correct in saying a comparison takes time and thought and I thank you for the time you spent on your comparison review. It has helped me make my decision. Please refrain from the namecalling from here on out though...no need for that!

These guys just are going to bat for their DAP's - nothing wrong with that.

- floating castle.

 

[utdeep]

Yeah, I was out of line. Sorry guys.

 

[Pinny]

Haha, the Iaudio fanboys need to let up. Why are people still posting that you can delete files after utdeep admitted to it several posts ago. And why were they ever screaming at him in the first place - he made a simple mistake - and anyway said at the end of his review that the i5 is a keeper - that seems to me to be a compliment.

Anyhow, back to the subject at hand. Using fresh Duracell 750amp nihm's I get about 15 hours, with backlights all trimmed down to a power of 5, and I read on iaudio.com that if you put the backlight on jest green at lvl 5, that brings down the power usage to about 20% of using all the backlights on full power. Included in this 15 hours are all the settings in the next paragraph plus the equalizer.

About the sound effects, I keep changing my mind on which ones to keep. From the very begining I have always liked BBE and having it on lvl 1 (lowest lvl) seems perfect (it clears up the sound without making it sound tinny). Mach3BASS is also awesome - I keep it on lvl 6. I don't like MP Enhance - it just seems to me to make the music sound a bit louder and bloated. 3d sound is the interesting one - turning it on a low lvl doesnt seem to make much difference, but turning it up to lvl sound makes a very noticable difference. It basically makes the vocals recessed and the instruments stand out - kinda makes a song more musical (that's how I think of it). I keep going back and forth, but in the end it seems I will keep it off (I don't really know if I like it, so in doubt I'll save battery power).

If that above paragraph was too long, then in summery, I would recommend lvl 1 BBE and at least lvl 4 for M3Bass. (On my e2c I like the m3Bass at lvl 6).

Cool new things I discovered: You can record from the radio just by pressing the record button. I don't listen to the radio much, but when I do this is good for songs that I hear and like and want to find out what they are later by listening to the recording.

The truth is that I don't care much for the radio quality. The reception doesn't seem too great.

Voice recording quality is fantastic but to get a loud recording I would try to keep the unit no more than 3 feet from the speaker. At 5 feet it still sounds fine. At 20 feet, it's passible, but just barely.

As ut said, navigation was a bit tough for the first hour or 3 of using the unit, but by now (logging 8 hours a day for 2 weeks) I can do it blind with no problem.

Overall I absolutly love this unit and would recommend it as a portable player to almost everybody.

 

[FattyFatFatHead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinny Haha, the Iaudio fanboys need to let up. Why are people still posting that you can delete files after utdeep admitted to it several posts ago. And why were they ever screaming at him in the first place - he made a simple mistake - and anyway said at the end of his review that the i5 is a keeper - that seems to me to be a compliment.

Not a fanboy (-edit- I really researched DAPs before committing and still think having a Muvo TX might be nice), and though my post posted after his retraction, it was written before I saw the retraction (it was a LONG post). My non-screaming criticism was of his criticism only, though, nothing personal.

My critique of the I5 features not mentioned on utdeep's list are fairly straightforward:

1) Jog dial mechanism not as precise when using dial as a button - this has been pretty well documented on iaudio boards and reviews. Some say it's not a con because it prevents accidental pushes, but isn't that what the HOLD button is for?

2) Earbuds nice looking, sounding, but definitely for bigger ears only.

3) USB cover connector is a little flimsy, and prone to stretching/breaking with too much use.

Other than that, I agree with Pinny - I'd recommend the I5 as well. Overall a sturdy and sweet looking DAP with great features and competitively priced.

 

[st5150]

Can someone tell me the center frequency for each of the bands on the I5's EQ?

 

[IpaqMan]

Yes, I also ran into the issue of the long post, so I did not see the retraction until after I submitted my post. Since posts often cross in the "mail", we often see repeated corrections.

Concerning the controls, I prefer the tighter jogwheels on the Iaudio 5. I also have the Muvo N200 which has the "looser" jogswitches and they are much more prone to accidental pushes while trying to FF/RW. That is really annoying. It seems to be more of a problem to have a control do the unwanted than have it do nothing.

I love the Iaudio 5 for my audiobooks. The vocal EQ setting makes the books clearer and the ease and convenience of the bookmarks is outstanding. I know of no other player that does bookmarks better. The only audio book improvement would be support for Audible tracks.

Having an accelerating FF/RW is a boon for those who listen to long tracks. You can FF through an hour track in less than 15 seconds.

Even though the screen colors are are a minor cool factor, the option to adjust the brightness of the colors is functionally very useful. In a dim environment, the brightness can be set very low to save power.

The playmode settings are great. Every option imaginable is available because the shuffle button and the repeat button are separate. You can modify the boundary choices of ALL, FOLDER, PLAYLIST, and ONE with shuffle and repeat providing for 16 play modes.

The Iaudio 5 is arguably the best flash player in terms of looks, functionality, sound quality, and construction. I highly recommend it.