[pianoplayer88key]

I like everything about the iRiver ifp- 895, 899, 795, or 799, EXCEPT:

I want to be able to use windows explorer to transfer files to/from the device (also I want to be able to upload mp3's from the device.)
I want expandable memory. (I also don't need a super compact player - I saw pics of the player in someone's hands and there's NO ROOM for a CompactFlash slot in it.)
I really don't need an FM tuner (but would like an AM tuner if possible (only one I know of is Radio YourWay LX, and there's some things I don't like about that unit.)

I do like all the recording options it offers, though.

Also I like the CoWon IAudio players, but I can't find out what all the recording options are by reading the manual, and it appears iriver has more options.

I currently have a Pogo RipFlash Plus.

Is there something that has all the same features and options as the iRiver units listed above, but with expandable memory (willing to start with less internal memory so long as it uses SD or preferably CF), ability to use windows explorer to transfer files, and is priced similarly?

If you suggest a hard drive player, I would like it to AT LEAST be able to survive being dropped onto a hard floor WHILE the hard drive is being accessed. Also, if I get a hard drive player, I want at least 40GB to 80GB (if not more, with the ability to switch out the hard drive for something like a 250GB or 300GB hard drive (using currently available hardware - for example Western Digital WD-2500JB)), and not cost more than $50 or $100 more than the flash players I mentioned.


Also, is there a website that allows me to pick features I want in an mp3 player and it will recommend several models based on that?

 

[fguihen]

sorry mate, gota do your research on this one. dont think there are any websites that compare in detail all the players out there.

 

[Damage]

My you're picky, but that's good.

AFAIK:
Outside of professional equipments, there are no Flash based expandable MP3 players that uses CF (at least, not recently). One of the squairsh looking Muvos did use CF Type II microdrive, and for a whileback, when the microdrives were in demand (about a year ago), people have reported success in swapping out the microdrive with certain type I CF cards. However, this comes with it couple of things, voided warranty and spotty compatibility. That particular Muvo does not have any tuner nor recording options, and it may not be drag and drop. You might score an empty one (sans microdrive) on eBay for fairly cheap...

More notes on this player: Seemingly, if one of my sources are correct on his reportings, and I've no doubt that it's not incorrect, then one of the revisions had squashed the whole swapping thing via firmware, only to be removed in later revisions down the line... So the whole CF swap thing is a crapshoot at best.

(Why no CF based players? Simple, size.)

As for exchangable hard drive DAPs, only the creative Zen XTRAs and earlier Nomad Jukeboxes has these ability, and only with 2.5" notebook HD-DAPs (what, you want to use the fragile 3.5" desktop drives? You're insane!), and those come with its own issues, particulary with the database limit (10000 songs was it?) rather than HD size. And no, there are no recording options for this either. Price wise, however,the Zen Xtra is about as cheap as they come, about $200ish for 30GB version.

Now, going back to initial topic at hand,

Froogle's search for Edirol CF recorder

Everything else doesn't meet your criteria, and that Edirol CF Recorder does record, but you have to provide your own sources.

At this rate, you may want to get a $20 Radio Tuner and record with 2nd Gen HiMDs. But that has its shares of pros and cons as well.

 

[IpaqMan]

I have the Ripflash Plus, too. I have found no mp3 flash player/recorder that records better than the RF+. The only small portable recorder to do as good or better is the Sony Hi-MD recorders. They let you upload and download, though not as conveniently.

I have the Iaudio 5 and it is a great player with a decent but not great recorder. It could use a better mp3 encoder function.

 

[Papalangi]

Another interesting pro recorder is the new Marantz PMD660. It has more track marking features than the Edirol R1. For instance, it can start a new MP3 file every 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 24 hours and so on. One can also start new MP3 or Wave files manually by pressing REC while recording. And it has a built-in speaker. The Edirol on the other hand has a mini-jack mic-in, the PMD660 uses XLR.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

It doesn't have to be CF - SD would be fine or even maybe XD, but I don't want memory stick or smart media.

Also, I'm mainly looking for a flash player right now, although I might be willing to consider a <$300 hard drive player with a color screen that can survive drops to hard floors while it's running.

Also, I don't have to have the smallest thing around. For example, I got a CD player some time ago that was fairly small, but it was way too flimsy. I took it back and got another one (MP3) that's bigger, but built like a tank. I'd say I've almost dropped that one enough to be hard on a compact flash card, and it still works fine.

Problem is my mp3 cd player doesn't have a line-in port.

and it doesn't do mp3 DVDs either.

For the most part, as far as recording, I would be providing my own sources. I was thinking a tuner might be nice as a convenience or a novelty, but I have an am stereo tuner (walkman) and antenna setup that would enable me to clearly pull in stations that on most portable radios made today would be completely obliterated by static or interference from other stations.

and as far as research, I don't exactly like the idea of individually searching through all four hundred fifty-seven cnet listings for specs and reading owners manuals (btw I can't find a manual for the Samsung YEPP 1GB player.)


---

Also, what's a good way to archive 100s of cassettes and 33RPMs (maybe 1000s - I haven't counted them but I'm just guessing) onto as few media as possible, at the best quality possible (considering the source material), maximum compatibility, and good durability? (for example a hard drive would be ok for possible ability to fit everything on 1 or 2 250GB hard drives, but DVD would be much more durable (but would require dozens of them at least). Also I'd like to archive a lot of VHS / 8mm videos (some of which I don't currently have in my possession but friends have) but I don't have a video capture card. The hardware / software (if I have to BUY it) is out of my budget right now for that, but what's a good way to archive things like those? I would assume that once digitized, I would probably be throwing out a lot of the old originals.

 

[Damage]

Ideally, a recorder that's worth its salt will be able to record anything given the proper cables. That would include most amatuer and professional recording systems (given that it has a proper line-in or mic-in port), and most computers as well. That, and a whole lot of time given your needs.

So, you are indeed wanting a Flash player, so why not do this:

Record to your computer using several programs out there (CoolEdit, Audacity, I'm not quite sure which program is better suited for your needs, you may want to consult the Computer as Sources or other forums such as Hydrogenaudio etc. for this particular one), save as lossless source (WM-Lossless, APE, FLAC which are compressed lossless, or save as PCM-WAV as is, uncompressed), and invest in couple of HDs or a DVD burner?

Assuming you have a DVD burner at your disposal, and it sounds like you do, all you'd need is to invest about $50 (Audacity is free and does record from line-in, but I haven't fully used it) for a comprehensive program, perhaps a better sound card (if you're using onboard sound, this maybe a good idea, $100-$200), and a cheap flash player ($50-100) or a cheap HD-DAP ($200-300).

Depending on your needs, you're looking at about $200 or so, which is about the price of a random flash MP3/MiniHD player.

If that's a tad out of reach, then I'd suggest 2nd generation HiMD as something that's sort of in-between between HD-DAP and Flash player that records in PCM (lossless, but uncompressed), ATRAC3plus (256kbps, 64kbps) or MP3 (128kbps). The model (US wise), that you'd most likely be interested is MZ-RH910 with suggested MSRP of $200, and comes with 1 1GB blank, with additional 1GB blanks costing $7. Though they are fairly robust, I wouldn't go ahead and drop them on to floors repeatedly. Once recorded, you can upload to your PC and convert them either using SonicStage or a third party program called HiMDRenderer to convert your recording to plain jane WAV files, fit to do as you wish.

I also believe the original iRiver HD DAPs has a line in port as well, that's definately something to look into. However, you're limited to 20 & 40GBs, IIRC. I recall that it has a digital-in along with analog-in, and that it does record in MP3s, but not sure about WAV.

It's all upto how much you're willing to spend, but consumer level wise, you're pretty much stuck with either FM Tuner/Voice recording with some Flash players, or MD/HiMDs, and rarely anything inbetween.

SonicStage, even in its third incarnation, is still problematic for most people here. Given the size of your library, I suspect it'll be a sore spot for HiMD for you as well.

Beware of recording and saving to apple lossless, as then you'd be pretty much stuck with iTunes/iPod combo as your player, as I'm unaware of any plug-ins that would allow any other players such as Foobar or Winamp to playback these files (though I'm sure they exist). Almost the same deal with WM-Lossless, and then you're stuck into using WMP, but at least with WM-Lossless, you have some choice in HD-DAPs (provided that it has Plays for Sure logo, I suppose). Not sure about them playing WM-Lossless though, it is by far the least popular of all lossless compression schemes. Heck, even SonicStage supports WM-Lossess!

Did I miss anything?

 

[pianoplayer88key]

hmm... for some reason I was having a hard time picking through that last post.

Let me say that the flash-based player/recorder would mostly be for in-the-field / away-from-computer recordings. The system I would use for archiving old tapes/33's would be different from the flash player.

Right now I'm more interested in getting a >512MB, expandable, usable-as-USB-drive-INCLUDING-UPLOADING-AND-DOWNLOADING-MUSIC-FILES, lots-of-recording-options mp3 player/recorder. Only thing I don't like about iriver is it's not usable as a flash drive and it's not expandable (not to mention that it's a little too small).

 

[Zappa74]

If you're seriously into the recording aspect- go with a hi md unit- they can't be beat by any flash or hd based mp3 player when it comes to recording.

the RH910 can be had for $179 and the RH10 can be had for $239 (the RH10 has an oled display- the only real difference)

-1 gig md discs for $7
-can be used as a portable drag and drop drive
-best option for recording- no doubt about it

Only thing its missing is drag and drop for your music files- you still have to use sonicstage to import files you intend to play. Aside from that, it really fits your criteria pretty well. I recently bought a 910 for recording needs only (replaced my old R37&r90) and to my surprise, it actually makes for a pretty nice player.

910:

 

[IpaqMan]

I had a need to archive a lot of audio tapes. I needed to avoid using my PC to avoid tying it up. Using a PC while recording tends to add a few unwanted silences to a recording when the PC can't keep the recording process filled with CPU cycles.

So I started with a RipFlash Plus and migrated to the Nomad Jukebox 3. The NJB3 has a very good mp3 encoder and can record to uncompressed WAV. It has optical input and line-outs. It is a favorite of tapers/bootleggers. But it is not perfect. It is large, hard to find, and occasionally hiccups.

The new Sony Hi-MD recorders are portable, easy to find online, have removable inexpensive media, and are designed for recording. They are my preference when recording concerts and very important speeches.

As previously mentioned, the only "good" recorders are professional models: the Edirol, Marantz, and Denon. They are expensive and short on battery life.

Though I have several recorders, the Sony MZ-NH1 and the Creative NJB3 are the only ones, I trust.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

iAudio 5?

 

[pianoplayer88key]

How good is the mp3 codec on that Sony pic'd a couple posts up?
For example, using the Lame codec on the computer, I can get decent results from cassettes at 96kbps (sampled at 22kHz) or 160kbps (sampled at 32khz). My Pogo RipFlash Plus is fairly poor at anything below 128, and even 128 is marginal (even though at 32kHz it lowpasses to 10kHz and at 44 it lowpasses to 16).

 

[Zappa74]

You can't record in mp3... just atrac and pcm. When you upload recordings you made, sonicstage can automatically convert them all to wav so you can edit them with ease.

Using the highest setting of atrac- Hi-Sp gives great results. I've done a few back to back tests with hi-sp and pcm recordings and its more than convinced me that hi-sp is the way to go most of the time- especially considering that you can fit 7 hours 55 minutes of hi-sp recording on one hi-md disc.

 

[Damage]

The second generation HiMDs do record in MP3 natively, but at fixed 128kbps. Model number for these will begin with the letters "RH" while non-recording models starts with "DH"

The first generation HiMDs do not record MP3s, and has model number starting with "NH."

All recording HiMDs can record in lossless PCM, or in ATRAC3plus formats.

 

[Zappa74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damage The second generation HiMDs do record in MP3 natively, but at fixed 128kbps.

No, they don't.