I noticed that our sticky doesn't have anything for the H120, so I decided to write a little something about it. I know it isn't that long, and lacks pictures. But, I plan on adding some soon when I get my new amp and would be glad to add anything you guys feel that needs to be addressed. I just replaced my Karma with this unit, so of course I was comparing the two, since they are the only experience I have with DAP's. The equipment used is in my sig.
FYI:
Just to let you guys know before the review, these are the tracks/albums that I was using, and I had the EQ set on default, which is basically flat, the whole time.
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First Impressions:
After ripping the package open, I first thought, "Wow, this thing is built solid. I mean, you hold it in your hand, and the metal feels cold. It's about as heavy as the Karma, but just feels built better. The accessories were plenty too, geez. I'm talking a USB cable, power adapter, ear buds (probably MX300's), a remote, a small mini to mini extension cables, and another longer one. The only thing this player really lacks is a dock. It also comes with software, but I decided to keep that in the sleeve, for reasons you'll soon find out.
Data Transfer, and ease of use:
Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, this player doesn't need software. To transfer some files, I simply plugged the player right into my computer and voila, I have an external device. Transferring music is freaking easy as hell to, copy and paste whatever songs/folders you want, and before you know it you're done. USB 2.0 is freaking fast, I'm talking 10gigs in about 10-15 minutes. That includes my toying around with player (playlists, arranging files).
Now, after you have those files on the player, how do you get them to play? It's tougher than the Karma at first, but after a day I'm getting pretty accustomed to the process. It's just like going through folders and sub folders in Windows. I have my Root Directory > Tool > and then either other folders filled with live sets and playlists, or the tracks themselves. You can also browse your music by Artist, Album, Genre, Song Title, and then your File/Folder Menu which is just like using Windows.
When songs are playing, the screen is a little less user friendly in terms of options and "prettiness". It's no where near the Karma's interface, how you can view Track Info, a VU Meter, and a larger list of what tracks will be coming up next. The iRiver has some of the same capabilities, but it isn't as easy to access these features.
Sound Quality:
Chances are you just scrolled down to this part, since this is all most of you care about (if you are an audiophile!). Well, I must say I was impressed. I remember telling Zemo when I got my HD580's that the highs weren't as detailed (or grainy you could say) and the bass just wasn't tight enough. Well, the highs haven't changed at all, but I DID notice the bass was much better. With the EQ set on default, I actually prefer this player to the Karma. The bass, although lacking a tad bit, is very punchy and less muddy than what I was getting with the Karma. I will attribute this to the Line Out though, since it probably has a big part in sound quality. Playing some Dream Theater encoded to Uber Standards just simply rocks. Mike Portnoy's double bass is insane, and is MUCH tighter than the Karma. But like I said, the Line Out is HUGE, and really gave my Zmoy a chance to "Zemonize" the music, as opposed to the Karma internal amp adding it's own color to the music. I didn't get a chance to listen to my Zmoy out of the headphone out jack, so I'm not gonna give the iRiver any point over the Karma in SQ
Conclusion:
Bottom line, I like this player A LOT. But like I've mentioned to some of you before, it desparately needs gapless playback. Every time I play Dark Side of the Moon, I'm reminded that iRiver almost has a 9/10, but the lack of gapless playback just plain sucks.
Other than that, I haven't found any other huge flaws with this player. I really like the fact that I can have my amp plugged into the Line Out and the remote plugged into the headphone out. This mean I can tuck my portable rig in my backpack and listen to my tunes with nothing with the remote taking up pocket space. iRiver really did a great job with that feature. Overall, I think this was a $30 well spent, although I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the arrival of the Karma2
So, I'm sure I skipped some stuff (it's been a long day), so if you guys have any questions you know what to do!
edit: I realize I don't have pics, but give me some time and I'll have a TON for you guys. I'm waiting for something to come in to complete the sexiness
FYI:
Just to let you guys know before the review, these are the tracks/albums that I was using, and I had the EQ set on default, which is basically flat, the whole time.
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[left]Tool -Lateralus A Perfect Circle - Orestes, Magdalena, 3 Libras, Gravity Rush - Chronicles (Discs 1 and 2) Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory album Evanesence - Evanesence Dispatch - Gut The Van (Disc 2) The Who - Who's Next[/left]First Impressions:
After ripping the package open, I first thought, "Wow, this thing is built solid. I mean, you hold it in your hand, and the metal feels cold. It's about as heavy as the Karma, but just feels built better. The accessories were plenty too, geez. I'm talking a USB cable, power adapter, ear buds (probably MX300's), a remote, a small mini to mini extension cables, and another longer one. The only thing this player really lacks is a dock. It also comes with software, but I decided to keep that in the sleeve, for reasons you'll soon find out.
Data Transfer, and ease of use:
Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, this player doesn't need software. To transfer some files, I simply plugged the player right into my computer and voila, I have an external device. Transferring music is freaking easy as hell to, copy and paste whatever songs/folders you want, and before you know it you're done. USB 2.0 is freaking fast, I'm talking 10gigs in about 10-15 minutes. That includes my toying around with player (playlists, arranging files).
Now, after you have those files on the player, how do you get them to play? It's tougher than the Karma at first, but after a day I'm getting pretty accustomed to the process. It's just like going through folders and sub folders in Windows. I have my Root Directory > Tool > and then either other folders filled with live sets and playlists, or the tracks themselves. You can also browse your music by Artist, Album, Genre, Song Title, and then your File/Folder Menu which is just like using Windows.
When songs are playing, the screen is a little less user friendly in terms of options and "prettiness". It's no where near the Karma's interface, how you can view Track Info, a VU Meter, and a larger list of what tracks will be coming up next. The iRiver has some of the same capabilities, but it isn't as easy to access these features.
Sound Quality:
Chances are you just scrolled down to this part, since this is all most of you care about (if you are an audiophile!). Well, I must say I was impressed. I remember telling Zemo when I got my HD580's that the highs weren't as detailed (or grainy you could say) and the bass just wasn't tight enough. Well, the highs haven't changed at all, but I DID notice the bass was much better. With the EQ set on default, I actually prefer this player to the Karma. The bass, although lacking a tad bit, is very punchy and less muddy than what I was getting with the Karma. I will attribute this to the Line Out though, since it probably has a big part in sound quality. Playing some Dream Theater encoded to Uber Standards just simply rocks. Mike Portnoy's double bass is insane, and is MUCH tighter than the Karma. But like I said, the Line Out is HUGE, and really gave my Zmoy a chance to "Zemonize" the music, as opposed to the Karma internal amp adding it's own color to the music. I didn't get a chance to listen to my Zmoy out of the headphone out jack, so I'm not gonna give the iRiver any point over the Karma in SQ
Conclusion:
Bottom line, I like this player A LOT. But like I've mentioned to some of you before, it desparately needs gapless playback. Every time I play Dark Side of the Moon, I'm reminded that iRiver almost has a 9/10, but the lack of gapless playback just plain sucks.
Other than that, I haven't found any other huge flaws with this player. I really like the fact that I can have my amp plugged into the Line Out and the remote plugged into the headphone out. This mean I can tuck my portable rig in my backpack and listen to my tunes with nothing with the remote taking up pocket space. iRiver really did a great job with that feature. Overall, I think this was a $30 well spent, although I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the arrival of the Karma2
So, I'm sure I skipped some stuff (it's been a long day), so if you guys have any questions you know what to do!
edit: I realize I don't have pics, but give me some time and I'll have a TON for you guys. I'm waiting for something to come in to complete the sexiness
