[John2e]

I had purchased a used Iriver-140 primiarily becuase of its optical digital output which I needed to use with a headroom Micro stack. I liked the improvement when using the hard to drive ETY-4S.

I changed over to the Sensa x-2 which are a lot easier to drive and the difference between the output of the Iriver and the stack no longer justified the $600 Stack. I sold the micro stack and ETY-4S and have been using the Iriver and sensa x-2.

Are there any DAPs currently available that will offer a significant improvemant over the I river H-140 ( unamped )?????

 

[wolfen68]

Your question will likely elicit all types of replies...as everyone has opinions on which DAP sounds better. With the Iriver, you are "in the ballpark" and should not expect any great gains by switching DAPS.

I have compared the 140 to ipods, archos, and creative models. They are all somewhat close...but I prefer the creative (zen Xtra) very slightly. The iriver and ipod is hard to decide as I switch back and forth depending upon the song or my mood. The Archos (Jukebox Recorder) is behind the others, but still offers a good sound that has a pleasant presentation.

Most of the models I have heard are older ones....but if the "house sound" for each company is still the same...than the impressions still apply.

 

[John2e]

I was thinkig x5 ?

 

[PFRfan]

I'd trade you my Karma. Some people think that the Karma's SQ is equaled by a few DAPs (X5, Creative Zen (non-micro), iPod 4G), but there aren't very many who think it's outclassed by any of them.

In truth, I had the iHP-140, the iPod 4G 40GB, and the Karma all at the same time. I went back and forth on them for a while, and settled on a couple of things...

1. The sound quality with a flat EQ was not necessarily "better" than the others - just a few slight differences.
2. The Karma was the one that I kept going back to, even though it was the last one I got. It just "felt" right.

If I'd known at the time that Rockbox was getting close, I probably would've kept the iHP instead of the Karma because of the optical out, the recording (which I use), and the mass storage compliance. The only reason I could see for you to switch is to land a real EQ like the Karma has.

PS - I really would trade my Karma, but your player is probably worth 2x mine (maybe a little more). They sell for rediculous cash on eBay.

 

[brianknewbie]

I am changing from my 60gb iPod to an H-140 that I just bought new in Taipei

IMHO, Iriver 1xx with Rockbox firmware is the PERFECT player:
* optical out
* FLAC
* gapless

It's hard to find just one of these -- and H140 offers all three.

 

[John2e]

I will not be using the optical out so maybe someone else would have better use for it.

If the X-5 will do mp3 better from the headphone out, I might sell the HP140
and get one.

I might just buy one and test it. If I loose a few dollars on the deal it will be fun testing and that is part of what this hobby is all about.

Any comments

 

[John2e]

Anyone go from the I river 140/120 to the X5?

Where is Bangraman when you need him??

Anything on the horizon worth waiting for???

 

[Barry]

I have more than a little experience with the H120, the Karma, Ipod Photo, and the x5. A bit of experience with the older Creative Zen.

Of these, I very much recommend the X5. The sound is terrific (so is the sound of the Karma) and build quality is great. I really hated the sound of the ipod photo. Don't know, something about it did not sound right, but the Karma and X5 sounded terrific from the gitgo.

Featurewise, both will play flac and ogg. I found the Karma a little easier to use, but not much but the screen is a bit dim for these aging eyes. The Karma build quality is a bit "plasticy" and sometimes it freezes. Still, it resets with a paperclip and keeps on going. It can be found for about $200 although you should know that it is discontinued and I am not sure about future support.

The Creative was fine, and other than the screen I had no real complaints. Still, in the end, while the sound was OK, it was not as musical, to my ears, as the Karma, the X5 or the iriver.

Since you are used to the iriver H120, I would probably recommend the X5. To me, it has the same esthetic sensibility. Black metal case, utilitarian controls, etc. I really like mine.

Good luck

 

[BIGtrouble77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John2e Anyone go from the I river 140/120 to the X5? Where is Bangraman when you need him?? Anything on the horizon worth waiting for???

I have and H120 and an X5L30gb. I have to say that I've been going back to my h120 lately because the Rockbox firmware is so friggin' amazing. It still has some minor issues, but the cvs versions that came out this past week seemed to fix a few really annoying bugs (like volume issues). The only annoying bugs left (that i've encountered) are that FLAC tracks skip (at least a level 8) and the gui lags initially when scrolling through tracks.

As far as sound quality, they are pretty equal. I thought in the past that the x5 had way better sound quality, but that was before I got my UE superfi5pro earbuds. When using my A8 earphones the X5 sounds way better, but when using the UE's it seems much closer. All I can say is that the h120 seems to favor mids more, which is actually better for the sf5pros. The X5's bass is waaay more intense, I have to turn it as low as possible. It's much deeper than the H140's. Again, this suits my sf5pro's better, but that's not to say the quality is better.

The CVS build that came out today appears to have some preliminary support for the X5, The note says: iAudio: First unfinished attempt for tlv320 driver and rockbox integration. So you can't go wrong with that player.

If I were you i'd just upgrade to a better battery for the h140- I think you can get one that will do about 25 hours. It's an amazing player that I would never think of giving up. Although, without rockbox it's nothing special.

-BT

 

[Redly Rocket]

All i can say is i cant wait untill (well if) rockbox realese rockbox firmware for the h300 series because it is supreme on the h1xx's.

 

[jjcha]

Wow, I'm also interested in the answer to this question, though I wouldn't be surprised if no one really could answer it definitively. There is a real synergy between the iHP-140 and Sensaphonics, one that brings it fairly close to my full portable rig (Overture + SR71). The iHP alone doesn't pull as much detail/push the Sensas to perform its best with the treble as the full rig, but dang if it doesn't sound good. If anyone could find a better match, I'd love to know as well.

To the original poster - have you tried other amps with the Sensas? I didn't find a whole lot of synergy with the Coda (which is different from the MicroAmp). Or are you going more for a minimalist approach?

Best,

-Jason

 

[becomethemould]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redly Rocket All i can say is i cant wait untill (well if) rockbox realese rockbox firmware for the h300 series because it is supreme on the h1xx's.

does that mean that flac will be playable on the h300 series with the new firmware?