Nano Plus vs. Shuffle 1st Gen

[quicksilver96]

Based on headphone out sound quality, help me decide between these following. I guess I'm still open to suggestions as well, with the following constraints -

Under $100
Good Headphone out
Small
Light Weight

I'll be using it for running, seeing as how me Iaudio5 just developed the fatal flaw of turning itself off when lateral pressure is applied to the headphone jack.

 

[LaBreaHead]

For sound quality only, I'd say the Shuffle. But I wouldn't bother with the Shuffle if I didn't already have iTunes ... it wouldn't seem worth getting iTunes, Anapod, or something similar just to load a Shuffle.

Advantages of the Creative Zen Nano Plus would include drag and drop, organizing songs by folder if you wish, and the use of an AAA battery -- convenient for swapping batteries (including rechargeables) on the go (and if you stored the player without a battery in it, and later popped one in, wouldn't the player theoretically have a longer potential life span? ... what happens to the Shuffle's built-in battery in two or three years?). I don't use the FM tuner feature on my Creative, but it's there on the Plus model for those who want it. I've never used line-in and voice recording on mine. I find the dimensions of the Creative nice (and even with the AAA, you hardly know it's there), although the Shuffle is inarguably small and light, too. Also, I believe the Creative comes with a silicone case/holder and a rudimentary armband -- I don't use it, but a friend with two Creatives does.

 

[spaceconvoy]

Haven't compared many DAPs, but I have tested my iAudio G3 against my old 1st gen Shuffle and I can say the G3 has better sound quality. Much sharper and crisper than the somewhat murky Shuffle. It's not the smallest player around, but if you're really worried about size, I'm pretty sure the U3 is smaller but uses the same chipset (I think the only difference is the U3 runs on a proprietary lithium battery and the G3 on AA). Both have radio too.

 

[supermoo]

If you have a shuffle, you NEVER EVER EVER need iTunes (unless it's not formatted yet or you actually use iTunes). Why? Answer: http://shuffle-db.sourceforge.net/

 

[LaBreaHead]

If I had heard about that, I had certainly forgotten it. Thanks.

Yes, the iAudio players are sonically nice.

 

[quicksilver96]

Thanks for the replies everybody. I was hoping it would be more clear cut, but somehow I knew it would end up a near tie in the poll. Everyone has thier favorite players of course.

Cowon is still in the running, though I was looking at the U3 which uses a new output stage at 60mw vs 26mw on the I5/U2/G3. I certainly had no complaints about the I5, has anybody heard the newer models (I6/F2/U3) that could compare to the older? The other issue with cowon is, I HATE thier armbands. Can anyone recommend a good universal armband?

The non-iTunes solution for the shuffle looks interesting, since I really don't feel like intalling another program just for the player. Sounds like this program is just another means on rebuilding the shuffle database after the files are uploaded. So it retains the drag and drop ability of a USB mass storage device, but you just run this program after you have uploaded all the files, correct? Can I delete iTunes after the shuffle is initialized the first time?

 

[Dominat0r]

I just went through about 4 players in a row. I started off with a Shuffle, liked it for the size and the none cord connection. However to me the shuffle sounds very flat. Not being able to adjust sounds via EQ is a breaker for me. Then went with a Samsung YP-U2 1GB, great little device, sounds great...9 band EQ and 3d sound makes it a much better choice over the shuffle just for sound quality alone. Also, the samsung is a MTP device...however you can flash it to a euro firmware and make it a UMS device. After playing with it for a while, i decided the screen is too plain and wanted something with alittle more space, so I returned it and got the 2GB Samsung (same YP-U2). Again, after playing with it for a day, i decided that i needed a better screen. The Samsung screen is nice, alot better than the no screen from the shuffle. It was just to small at times. Hard to read.

So now im using a Zen V plus i just got from BB, 2gb model. Ive only had it a day but its a great DAP. Sounds great, 8 EQ presets, 1 custom (5 band EQ). Screen is nice and clear...easy to use. The joystick is alittle small, but its easy to use. Transferring music is easy...also can set a certain amount of space on your player to show up as a removable drive (with drive letter). This makes it easy to grab stuff from another PC (in my case, swapping music with my friends.) The nano sounds very much like the Zen, at least my buds older 1GB Nano sounds pretty much the same.

I havent tried out the very very new shuffle. Its soo tiny in person you will probaly laugh when you see it. I heard it pretty much sounds the same as the first shuffle, flat.

This is my personal opinion, you will find that people out there think they shuffle sound as good as others, i dont find this to be true. I belive that the lack of custom EQ settings makes a huge difference.

 

[supermoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by quicksilver96 The non-iTunes solution for the shuffle looks interesting, since I really don't feel like intalling another program just for the player. Sounds like this program is just another means on rebuilding the shuffle database after the files are uploaded. So it retains the drag and drop ability of a USB mass storage device, but you just run this program after you have uploaded all the files, correct? Can I delete iTunes after the shuffle is initialized the first time?

Yes you can delete iTunes and be rid of it forever after formating it. The tiny (open-source, I might add) app sits in your shuffle and whenever you add music, you simply run it and it'll rebuild your playlist and you're good to go. No need to install anything regardless of what computer you're on either so makes it ultra-portable combined with the shuffle's built in USB connector.