[need2ski9]

Man its been a while since I've been on these boards.

I just recently purchased a sony vaio pocket and was wondering if any other users out there have experimented with using Atrac3+ and MP3. My entire collection is ripped in lame VBR MP3 but it seems these absolutely kill my battery life. Is it worth it to re-rip my entire collection?

I also purchaced some of those FM transimitters for my car since my head unit doesn't have an aux input, but those things are terrible (I tried Monster, Belkin, and a hard-wired Audiovox). I have to crank the volume on both the vaio and the head unit to get any sound. Whats the deal?

Any suggestions? I'm either considering buying a new HU with an aux input, or building a portable headphone amp to boost the signal. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[SDLeMire]

I would suggest a HU with an aux input. I use the Vaio pocket in the car and it sounds great. I do generally have the volume all the way up, though, but there's no distortion.

 

[notnormal]

What sort of battery life are you getting? It may be an issue of a faulty/bad battery.

 

[RickG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by need2ski9 I just recently purchased a sony vaio pocket and was wondering if any other users out there have experimented with using Atrac3+ and MP3. My entire collection is ripped in lame VBR MP3 but it seems these absolutely kill my battery life.

I'm using ATRAC3plus (256 kbps) and the sound is more than satisfactory for my portable needs.

My battery life ranges from 13-18+ hours depending on whether I'm using the shuffle mode (more work on the HD) and how much I fiddle with the unit (causing the screen to light up).

When the unit is left alone to just play through my albums, I'm at the top of that range.

 

[need2ski9]

Its tough to say what type of battery life im getting....I'd guess somewhere around 12 hours. Maybe its just from me playing it on shuffle and using the screen a lot (you know how it is when you have a new toy..gotta play around with it). Anyways, anyone have suggestions for use in the car? I'm really considering builiding the cmoy amp...never done any electronics work before but I figure this might be a good place to start

 

[Cerith]

You without a doubt want to go into an auxilery port on the HU. If your HU supports a CD changer you will have an input on the back of the unit. If so go here and pick up one of these adaptor cables.

http://www.logjamelectronics.com/auxinpconv.html

If not then get a HU which has an input.

You also really need to bring the cradle along with you as it is the only way to get line out. I hooked up my pocket vaio to the back input of my wifes Honda Odyssey with an adaptor and placed the cradle on the center console. I hid all the wires under the carpet so it looks really clean. Since the cradle works without power all I do is grab the cradle and Vaio, plug in the cable and I can control the volume directly from the HU and steering wheel. Great for weekend trips with the kids and long drives. The sound quality is great.

 

[notnormal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by need2ski9 Its tough to say what type of battery life im getting....I'd guess somewhere around 12 hours.

That sounds about right for a Sony product. You could switch to Hi-SP to gain a few more hours, but that may not be worth the effort.

 

[need2ski9]

Can anyone explain the difference between the sony Atrac compression types? I read some posts about it but the information seemed to be a bit conflicting. What is the best ATRAC method for sound quality. I don't really care all that much about file size because this player sports a beafy 40 gig HD.

 

[RickG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by need2ski9 What is the best ATRAC method for sound quality.

ATRAC3plus (256 kbps)

 

[atrain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickG ATRAC3plus (256 kbps)

with sonicstage 3.2 you can use the new atrac3+ @192kbs

 

[Electric_Mofo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atrain with sonicstage 3.2 you can use the new atrac3+ @192kbs

Is Sonic stage 3.2 avalible in Europe yet?

 

[pato128]

Yes, you can download the file form this place:
http://www.atraclife.com/index.php?s...onicstage+3\.2

 

[need2ski9]

I'v decided to stick with MP3, and I realized that my battery life is really good...I didn't know the player was in an awake state and was leaving it un-docked for says at a time. Now I cradle it at night and the battery lasts MUCH longer. On the other hand, however, still having issues with the transmitter.

Here's the problem: Every transmitter I've tried (monster, belkin, audiovox) produces quite a bit of static and seem to be fairly soft (i have to turn up max vol on the player and about 2/3 on the HU). I've ruled out a ground loop problem. I even built a cmoy amp to boost the output of my MP3 player so i could lower the volume on the HU. This actually makes the static worse...seems like its putting too much power to the transmitter. I know the amp works perfectly because it sounds great connected to my sony v-6s.

Has anyone had these sorts of problems, or have any suggestions on a fix? I really want to avoid buying a new HU because my Pioneer is working beautifull. Thanks in advance.

 

[reynman]

I've used my Vaio and HD1 on my MPV's stock unit with an AuxMod . It basically uses the MD/Tape out and converts it to a line out. The sounds through the MPV's stock 9 speaker system is pretty good. I'll upgrade the speakers one of these days! If you really have to bring your DAP with you in the car, Aux out is the best (sonically) way to go. I believe these are for Mazda OEM audio systems, but email them.

 

[cam94z28]

Quote:

Originally Posted by need2ski9 I'v decided to stick with MP3, and I realized that my battery life is really good...I didn't know the player was in an awake state and was leaving it un-docked for says at a time. Now I cradle it at night and the battery lasts MUCH longer. On the other hand, however, still having issues with the transmitter. Here's the problem: Every transmitter I've tried (monster, belkin, audiovox) produces quite a bit of static and seem to be fairly soft (i have to turn up max vol on the player and about 2/3 on the HU). I've ruled out a ground loop problem. I even built a cmoy amp to boost the output of my MP3 player so i could lower the volume on the HU. This actually makes the static worse...seems like its putting too much power to the transmitter. I know the amp works perfectly because it sounds great connected to my sony v-6s. Has anyone had these sorts of problems, or have any suggestions on a fix? I really want to avoid buying a new HU because my Pioneer is working beautifull. Thanks in advance.

Using an FM Modulator/transmitter will really only give you radio quality, or 64kbps in your car. I'd recommend buying a head unit with an aux input 100%.