[Semisonic9]

Hey folks. I think I'm pulling the trigger in 2 days on a new iPod Nano, but wanted to double-check my selection here. Is there anything else I should be considering?

I know iPods in general are kind of "meh" as a source, but I can't think of anything else flash-based, off the top of my head that would work.

Whatever I get, it's "job" is to accompany me to the gym and in the car. I won't be using an amp, and my headphones will be in the $30-60 range. I'm a brotha on a budget! I'm thinking Sennheiser MX85s. If I think the difference in sound quality is huge, I'll probably watch for a sale on non-gym pieces in the same price range later on. Similarly, my car system is custom, but nothing eye-popping.

I prefer to listen to 320kbs or FLAC at home, and want a similar quality out of my portable device. I'm actually in the process of going back and finding FLAC or 320 files for most of my collection that's not already up to par, as I can definitely tell a difference on my (relatively modest) home setup.

I don't currently have iTunes. Am I going to run into any problems formatting my collection over? How's the quality level? Hard drive space isn't an issue, I've just never had a real need to use iTunes before.

Anything else you think I should know before I become a "pod person"? Let me know!

-S

 

[asher7323]

You will have issues getting your flac to itunes and playing them on an ipod. You would have to either convert the flac to mp3 or ALAC to stay lossless if you wanted to use them on an ipod with stock OS.

 

[budman90]

If you get a chance, check out the Sansa Fuze. I just bought the 8gb version the other day for $90 at Best Buy. So far it has greatly impressed me with its awesome sound quality and solid build quality. Not to mention that the disk space is expandable and it supports flac.

 

[SactoMan101]

If you can afford it, you can get a 4G iPod nano 16 GB from the following sources for cheap:

Apple Store online for refurbished model: US$169

Amazon.com online for new model: US$169.95

I've tried it and it does work quite well.

 

[Semisonic9]

Asher: Yeah, I figured I'd have to convert them. Not really sure how to do that yet, but I downloaded AVS audio editor for another purpose a few days ago and I think it can convert for me. I'll look into that. And yes, I'd probably keep the stock OS on a portable music player.

Budman: Good tip! I'll check those out. There's a BB like 4 blocks away, and the $200+ price of entry on the nano has always seemed a bit high to me.

Any others out there?

Sacto: Interesting tip. I want the 16gb model, but am curious how/why these are lower than any others I've seen? Even apple.com, costco, etc don't have prices that low. We're 100% sure these are legit?

 

[SactoMan101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Semisonic9 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sacto: Interesting tip. I want the 16gb model, but am curious how/why these are lower than any others I've seen? Even apple.com, costco, etc don't have prices that low. We're 100% sure these are legit?

Yes, these places I mentioned are legit. The Apple Store refurbished model comes directly from the Apple (you can't get much more legitimate than this!) and we all know Amazon.com's generally good reputation.

 

[member1982]

the sansa fuze dont have an clip right? does it have one as an accessory. Or just use laylard

 

[psyllium]

I'd be looking at a Sansa Clip instead... good for work-outs.

 

[nvkid909]

if you're not offended by bluetooth audio, you could have walkman phone & sony HBH DS200, 220 or 205.

i like this as it means i travel light on my bike (keep my ipod / cans for other times). short-cable earphones connected to the above, clipped to my t-shirt. no long cable to snag

. i wouldn't call riding a bike my most critical listening time anyway.

 

[Semisonic9]

I gotta admit, the new (3rd gen) iPod Shuffle would be right up my alley if they hadn't crippled its headphone selection. The new one is even smaller, now accepts playlists, comes with a clip, and is only $80 for 4gb. That's very attractive, imo.

Putting some controls on the cord isn't a bad idea. I kind of hope it will catch on, actually. But I heard their implimentation sucks. And launching a device like this with only one headphone option is silly, at this point. I'm sure they could have partnered with somebody good to bring in a better higher-end unit.

-S

 

[ka-boom]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned any Cowon products?!

You can get a 16GB flash based PLUG AND PLAY / DRAG AND DROP (no dumb software needed like iTunes) iAudio 7 for $135. Or you can hunt around online for a Cowon U2 for less than $80. Way better deals than craptastic ipods. Cowon > Apple.

When you plug a Cowon mp3 player into your computer it recognizes it as a USB flash drive. You copy and paste files onto is just like you would with a thumb drive. With ipods, you have to use their silly propreitary program called iTunes just to sync and move your files onto your player. And then, you better hope all your tags are up to date and correct or it's going to have problems reading them.

With Cowon, the files are read by whatever you label them, or you can choose to browse by ID3 tags.

 

[SDaRR]

I got a 8gig Sansa Clip from wally world for $49.95 and added a Fiio E5 $22+$2s/h from Head-Direct. Nice little setup. I have about 200+ songs in flac and drives it my AD700 just fine.

 

[Semisonic9]

KaBoom: Good call on the Cowons. I'll check them out. None local, though, so I'd be purchasing either those or the iPods off the 'net.

SDaRR: Just hit Wally World and snagged a "tester" Sansa. Gotta love their return policy. . I'll check 'em out for a few days and then make a call on one of these three.

-S

 

[member1982]

i heard the Cowons dont support gapless playback?. Like all models even the D2+

 

[rotorrocket]

The Clip