The search is over...Iriver iFP-799

[mariowar]

Well, I never, ever thought that I was going to find any better portable device than the wonderful Ipod in terms of sound. I realized that I recovered from the dessert island syndrome, so I would never need that amount of songs, specially considering that I do not have a huge library of mp3 and I mainly rip my own songs from wav format. What I wanted was EXCELLENT sound, excellent battery life and very good transfer speed. So I had the opportunity to check out the flash player Iriver iFP-799 (1 giga) and I fell in love with it, god there's so much going on in this tiny device!!!!
About 16 whole cds at excellent quality is more than enough for me, but there are some that are not so picky and would pick mp3 ( 128 and 160) that would give more space.
1 AA lasts 40 hours with mp3 128 kbps, but considering this is not a hard drive device, I don't think it would make a huge difference in terms o battery performance ripping above 200 kbps, the sound is AWESOME, it drove my Sennheiser HD590 (120 ohms) to INSANE levels due their 18 mw per channel at 16 ohms, or 12 mw per channel at 32 ohms. It was incredible I could hear pretty lay down music like jazz at loud levels with my Senns. The sound was smooth and detailed, in one word, audiophile. The bass is wonderful, and mids flow naturally. Everyone praise this player as excellent in terms of sound but many complaint about a white noise that could be heard at low volume, well since this player was DEAD SILENT, I thought I was going deaf and called customer service and they told me that the problem was fixed!!!
This player's sound is more dynamic compared to the Ipod's, the bass is better and I find the musical escenario more engaging, it also as I said before plays way louder ( clean at the same time) than the Ipod.
Well, I'll try it tomorrow with the Sonys 71 and I can't wait for the Etymotic E6i!!!!!!!!!
Give this player a chance, you won't regret it, it is absolutely fantastic.

By the way, the software worked great, it looks like Nero, it is so intuitive, and the USB 2.0 is sweet and fast..........

 

[quke]

You sure about the Ety 6i's? I mean aren't they specially made for iPod? Wouldn't the elevated lows be too much already for iRiver's sound. Of course there's the eq... Also the added 8dB over-all sensitivity seems pointless with an iRiver.

I think I'm getting an iFP-795 some time soonish and was thinking of the original ER-6. The iRiver should definitely be able to drive them well.

 

[dura]

It's an impressive player, I used to own it shortly.
The sound is very dynamic, probably because of the powerful amp.
In fact, that was the main reason for me to return it; it was so dynamic; in noisy envirnments (even though I used MDR-EX71) to hear not only the drums but also the rest of te music I had to turn up the volume, and that made my ears hurt after 30 minutes, which got me worrying.
And I had a very spikey white noise, one of the old batch.
But even with that noise, the players soundquality was still incredible, I was really impressed when listening concentrated. (with some records, the 3D-thing works rather nice BTW).
A few tips: batterylife rather decreases when you use OGG, equalizer, higher kbs and/or VBR. 40 hours is MP3, 128kb, no EQ, it can be halved when you add al the above stuff. Still not bad of course.
But the main batterydrain is uploading; I had a rather large library of music, but uploading te whole 1Gb can take the better half of a good new alkalinebattery.
Unfortunately the player does not use the USB power.
Perhaps you can use rechargables, at least when uploading?
When using VBR, especially in OGG, the Codec can cross the upper- or lower limit the player supports causing the palyer to refuse to play the song, skip or restart it, or completely reboot.
No big problem but it can can get you very worried if you're not aware (I found WMA and MP3 sounding very good too, especially at 160 or higher).
Use the latest software, it cures some bugs (like shuffle).

Anyway, it's a great player, and if were less expensive (€450 over here) and didn't have te white noise problem I would probably have kept it for fitness and quiet listening.
Maybe later...
Have fun with it!

 

[intlplby]

hows the recording quality?

 

[y0da]

ogg will give you more space tho for sure

 

[mariowar]

Quke, well I don't think the sensitivity would be an issue, otherwise, I would not be able to get one of the super in earphones, like, UE, or Shures 5C, see, their sensitivity is unbeliavable.
I really like bass, so if I'm able to listen without having any artificial enhancement engaged, I'd me more than happy. I had the chance to audition the ER6 with a discman and a headroom Cosmic about two years ago, and I didn't like them, they were so bright and had no lows, perhaps was the fitting, butsince the new ones have the triflange tips, I hope I'll like them.hem, I'll just return them.
I'll order them as soon as they become available but if don't like t
By the way, I had the Etys 4p, and could not get a fit, ever........

Dura, thanks for the input!!!!!!!! get it back!!!!!!

Int, I have not tried to record with this device as of yet.

 

[sbulack]

40 hours on 1 AA is quite good for battery management too! Nice find!

 

[Flasken]

Wow awesome player - I'm in the process of ordering one (searching for lowest price). Will be sure to post an in-depth review and an Ipod comparison. (I'll borrow one from a friend - they all have one lol)

Ipod battery life simply doesn't cut it for me. 20+ hours AND standard AA battery sounds perfect. Ipod capacity/UI isn't that much of a dealbreaker for me so I'll go with the flash iriver - even though they cost about the same!!

 

[mariowar]

Flasken, great, I'm looking forward to read that in depth comparison review.
Wow, I've been listening heavily for 2 dyas, testing different formats, recording, etc..... and the battery remains completely full !!!!!
By the way, I've used my 120 ohms Senns Hd590!!!! and they are supposed to suck more battery life than a pair of 16 or 30 ohms phones.

 

[Flasken]

IIRC, it's the efficiancy of a headphone that decides the power drain rather than the ohmage... though high-ohm headphones tend to sound rather murky on zero-ohm sources which could make you want to increase the volume in order to get more detail. (and the hd590's are indeed quite efficient)

BTW, I'm surprised this player hasn't received more attention... I know this is not the first time its audio quality has been claimed to excel that of the ipod...

 

[JaZZ]

Mariowar...

...congrats on your iFP-799! I have an iFP-899 (which is virtually the same) and like it equally. But you seem to be somewhat exaggerating with the output power; I doubt that it's really higher than with the iPod, although it's certainly sufficient for my needs and driving ER-4P or PX 200. However, it can't drive the HD 600/650 satisfyingly. As to the sound: I like it -- but calling it audiophile is maybe too much honor. It's great what such a tiny player can provide in terms of fullness and clarity, nevertheless resolution suffers from a kind of artificial midrange/treble glare (typical for iRiver players, but less irritating than with say iHPs), making the sound a bit plasticky sometimes. But of course with the reduced demands on the go and the distracting optical scenery around you it really can offer audiophile delights. The benefit from the limited resolution is its tolerance towards VBR like ~145.

BTW, my (new) sonic benchmark for DAPs is the Archos Gmini 220. (Review to follow.)


Quote:

Originally Posted by dura Use the latest software, it cures some bugs (like shuffle).

What firmware do you mean? I use the new version 1.21, and the shuffle play is the same as before: unusable.

 

[dura]

Sorry, probably not yet out then, curing the shuffle was announced for the next ifp-7xx/8xx upgrade.

 

[Flasken]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ The benefit from the limited resolution is its tolerance towards VBR like ~145.

How so?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ BTW, my (new) sonic benchmark for DAPs is the Archos Gmini 220. (Review to follow.)

That player has a listed battery life of 8 hours and as such probably won't sway me from the ifp799.. unless of course its sound quality is THAT good. Is it?

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flasken How so?

Because it oversmooths MP3 artifacts and compensates for some lack of detail by its slight glossiness.


Quote:

That player has a listed battery life of 8 hours and as such probably won't sway me from the ifp799.. unless of course its sound quality is THAT good. Is it?

I'd say it rather looks like 3 or 4 hours to me -- but that's with quite a lot of skipping and EQ setting. Yes, I rate its sound quality as very high; so far I think it's the only audiophile DAP available. But don't take my word for it: it's a quite unspectacular sonic signature (actually almost analog), and I'm not sure if everybody would agree with me. However, it's the first player I can enjoy classical music with because of its purity and high resolution without any treble glare.

 

[Flasken]

Well, then even though I still wouldn't buy the gmini instead of the ifp799, it sure does sound like an intriguing device. VERY intriguing. Could be a nice office rig.