[inigo123]

Hi, I know there have been several threads on this topic, but they have all made the issue more muddled rather than clearer. I now have heard several people say the Archos sucks and the NMJ sucks... With price being a strong component I have narrowed it down to these two players. The NMJ 20gb is available at some smaller webstores for about $224 +sh, the Archos 20gb STUDIO on EBay, new/refurb. for around the same. The ARchos recorder is about $280 new on some web sites compared to $265 on similar sites for the studio so if I went the non EBay route for Archos, would probably get the recorder.

Here is the quandry, most of the issues with the NMJ have been fixed with the third party NOTMAD software, i.e. uploading and an explorer interface. The battery life is a concern. People have mentioned the Archos recorders sounding better than the Archos Studio.

Plain and simple I am curious about an audiophiles take on the sound output, before looking here I kept hearing the ARchos had issues with low volume and overall weak sound, the NMJ was considered superior. The threads here have been real back and forth on that and people then gravitate towards the NMJ3 or PBJ both of which are over $120+ more on a purchase I am already selling the wife on.
The music I will be listening to is eclectic from Bocelli to Metallica and I just bought some Sennheiser HD 497's.
Any advice on the sound issue? I was leaning NMJ on sound vs. the longer battery and smaller size of the Archos but now am confused.
Thanks

 

[Taphil]

This doesn't answer any of your questions, but the NJB3 is definitely worth the extra money. It sells online for $325-350. The <4 hour battery life of thee NJB1 is a pain in the ass. Save a little more, and then invest in something that will get you a lot farther and make you happier.

 

[cola]

 

[fredpb]

I desire good sound from an mp3 Jukebox. I love toys.

1) I had an Archos. It is a terrible machine. It is not for audiophiles. It's battery and charging system STICKS, literally.
NO NO NO.
2)I have a TREO 10 ($260 at COMPUSA). Very simple software.
I use second party software to rip. Very small, good battery life. Good sound. Does has some hiss with some headphones, because it drives it's analog amp at max volume all of the time and uses a digital volume control. I am listening to it now with Koss KSC35's and it sounds ok. I like the Treo. Battery life about 5-6 hours at least, and new batteries are $20.
3)NJB1. The original Nomad Jukebox. Good machine. Great sound. Sick battery life. You live for high capacity batteries and must also get a GOOD external charger, about $35 with batteries.
PC bases software Playcenter 2 is iffy at best. Notmad did not work with mine. I like the navigation system.
Battery life averages 3 hours. Not good. But you can pull out batteries (4aa) very easily, leave them out and use the device as a home component.
4)I had major problems with #3 the last week. The NJB is an erratic device, almost as bad as the crud Archos sometimes.
But I had a 4 year warranty on it! SO, now I have a Nomad Jukebox 3! Playcenter 3 is great, but also can be broken......if something can be broken, I can do it easily. It had a reinstall/repair option on the install CD and it worked like a charm (won't go into detail how I crashed it, I have a unique gift for software destruction).Sound of the NJB3 is outstanding. I have used Senn 570's on it and listened to it in the headphone jack and with a Headroom Little. Good sound.HAPPYHAPPY.

It is very easy to load all my old files from the 6gb NJB1 to the 20gb NJB3, as it has a sync feature, that is very nice. I am loading the NJB3 with the old music, and will re-encode at better rates on an album by album basis over time.

5)PJB100. Never seen one, but it's got a great reputation.

I highly recommend NJB3 from local store (I use Best Buy) with 4 year optional warranty. Worth it in the long run. It got me a Njb3 from a broken NJB1 (I had to add about $100). The NJB1 is ok, if you like to lug around batteries. As far as NOTMAD goes, I had no luck with it.

 

[fredpb]

My choices......

1)NJB3. Advantage over PJB100: good for home system, has 2 line outs. 20gb About $400.

2)PBJ100 20gb? 40gb? ABout $400.

3)NJB1 --- Advantage over Treo 10, good for home system, has 2 line outs, battery life stinks. 10gb. AA batteries (Nimh only).
$250.

4) Treo 10 -- 10gb ($260 COMPUSA)

5) Rio Riot. Had one for 1 hours. Very strange layout, especially with connections. PC software a pain. The killer: the battery is built in and NOT user replaceable. The battery dies, your investment dies. Only buy with extended replacement warranty.


6) Archos, not an option. Yech.

7)Classic. Looks like Treo. Not much quality though.

8) Neo. Not much of an option. Started out nice choice, but not much in sound quality dept. Seems to be losing retailers. Good options and battery choices.

 

[inigo123]

Thanks Fred, I do keep hearing nice things about the NJB3, but boy that hits the serious money range. It seems people feel the sound is similar between the two with the battery life being the biggest and most obvious difference.
Someone reviewed the Archos and felt it had a bad rap bc of the poor stock headphones.... anyone echo that? Archos obviously has the battery life necessary but what's the point of spending this money if the sound stinks.

Where did ya'll find it (yea, i'm from TX) for 324? $340 is the cheapest I've seen.

 

[fredpb]

Problem with Archos was the Archos 6000. IT, not the headphones, was horrible. Not to mention it only lasted 3 days.
Other Archos units may sound better. I thought Best Buy had some good prices.

 

[gfxartist]

I really liked my NJB1. So much that I was more than willing to lug two extra sets of batteries around with me every day. It also happened to have very good sound. Better than the Archos. My wife has a Archos Jukebox 6000 and IMO, the interface on the Archos is crude. Also, removing the batteries in the Archos is a pain with the two separate compartments. It is nice, however, to be able to use Windows Explorer to copy files to the Archos. Standard playlist files are also a plus.

I just sold my NJB1 and my wife bought me a 40GB(!) NJB3. Wow, what a great device. As others have already reported, the battery life is outstanding and there's a second battery slot if you need even more runtime. There are a few things I would change if I could (like the position of the scroll wheel for one), but overall I'm thrilled to have one. If you can scrape up the $$$ you won't regret it.

 

[e-r0ck]

I've stopped trying to defend the Archos Recorders. They DO sound much better than the Archos6000s. I think they're comparable to the NJB and I would take an Archos recorder over a Nomad anyday, but the 6000 destroyed Archos's name in the eyes of a lot of audiophiles. Hopefully the new Archos unit will fix that once it comes out.

 

[fredpb]

Quote:

Originally posted by e-r0ck I've stopped trying to defend the Archos Recorders. They DO sound much better than the Archos6000s. I think they're comparable to the NJB and I would take an Archos recorder over a Nomad anyday, but the 6000 destroyed Archos's name in the eyes of a lot of audiophiles. Hopefully the new Archos unit will fix that once it comes out.

I agree about the Archos 6000. But I don't like the Archos design at all.

The NJB1 was great, except for battery life. But the use of freely available AA nimh cells made that usable.

The NJB3 is fabulous. Sound quality as good as one of my Sony home CDP's....better. Had some problems with NJB3 software, as it did not install some needed components, but I found them from an old backup of my system when it had NJB1 software.

But Customer Support for Creative is just about nonexistant. No phone support. Crappy online support. Slow or impossible email support. Good product, no support. Get an optional warranty with any MP3 Jukebox.