[martioz]

Hi everybody,
I thinking to buy good quality MP3 player. Price is not a main factor.
Has to be light so all hard drive players are excluded.
I have big collection of MP3 files and now looking for device to listen on the move.
Please help me select ultimate device in this class.
Thank you for answer.

 

[cola]

NOMANDJOXBOX3

 

[lextek]

The three I've heard:

1.iPod
2. Nomad MGII
3. Nomad Jukebox (20gig)

All were pretty much the same. Depends on the encoding.

 

[DeanA]

The two best review hard drive MP3 players, iPod and NJB3, are so close in sound quality you won't be able to hear any differences. You really need to compare features and decide which is better for you. Creative is suppose to be coming out with a Mac version in July and there are third party interfaces that allow PC users access to the iPod.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by martioz Hi everybody, I thinking to buy good quality MP3 player. Price is not a main factor. Has to be light so all hard drive players are excluded. I have big collection of MP3 files and now looking for device to listen on the move.

The key word, all of you Head-Fiers, is that hard-drive-based MP3 players are out of consideration. But lightweight memory-based MP3 players have too small of a memory to do much good, as well; a 128MB memory module for MP3 players can hold only about an hour of music at 320kbps, or about 2.5 hours of music at 128kbps. And that memory module - if you need more modules for such a big MP3 collection - will cost you at least $50 USD apiece.

 

[Magicthyse]

Quote:

Originally posted by martioz Hi everybody, I thinking to buy good quality MP3 player. Price is not a main factor. Has to be light so all hard drive players are excluded. I have big collection of MP3 files and now looking for device to listen on the move. Please help me select ultimate device in this class. Thank you for answer.

As far as lightness combined with sound quality (as far as MP3 goes) goes, you'll be hard pressed to beat the Sony NW-MS9.

However bear in mind that on a 128MB memory stick, if you're storing 192K MP3 files - or even over that (not sure if that is possible on a N.W.) - you'll get tiny amounts of music onto one memory stick.


I personally am not a fan of solid-state MP3 players. I like carrying a library of music with me and to do so with a memory based player will cost a small fortune. I have the Sony D-CJ01 MP3 CD player - which allows me to listen to 320K MP3 files.

I'd mention the Sony NetMD USB-transfer Minidisc devices to you - like the MZ-N1, because they are comparatively light and small. But it will take about 20 minutes to transfer 1 hour's worth of 192K MP3 to the units using a 600Mhz PIII, and about 15 minutes per hour of music on a 1Ghz PC - and they have other limitations.

You can read about the plus and minus points of both devices here on my webpage:

http://www.geocities.com/magicthyse/minid.html

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally posted by martioz Has to be light so all hard drive players are excluded. I have big collection of MP3 files and now looking for device to listen on the move.

I see a contradiction here. An iPod is not exactly *heavy* and it is not exactly *big*.
It is, of course, not as portable as those solid-state players, but as you mention you have a "big collection" you would either trade in a lot of
- sound quality/playback time: there is not much room on those cards -> low bitrates
- convenience: you would have to connect to your computer very often or fumble with many cards
- money, if you want to have even just parts of your big collection with you, you need many, many cards, and they are very expensive.

... all for a little bit of weight.
It's a personal thing for sure, but I prefer having 4,6GB in my pocket (that's 500 songs in decent quality) all the time. The iPod sounds and works great, and you *do not need a Mac* for it - though a Mac helps a lot, and not only the iPod

Would you tell us why the weight is such an important factor?

 

[Nezer]

Quote:

Originally posted by Oliver Would you tell us why the weight is such an important factor?

Because he'll be doing a 2-year stint on the ISS where every ounce counts but bandwidth is a-plenty.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by Oliver ...as you mention you have a "big collection" you would either trade in a lot of - sound quality/playback time: there is not much room on those cards -> low bitrates - convenience: you would have to connect to your computer very often or fumble with many cards - money, if you want to have even just parts of your big collection with you, you need many, many cards, and they are very expensive. ... all for a little bit of weight.

Correct on all counts. A 64MB memory card can store only about a CD's worth of music - and I mean a regular music CD's worth, not an MP3 CD's worth - at a mediocre 128kbps sampling rate. And even a 128MB card can barely store one hour's worth of music at the generally accepted "near-CD-quality" bitrate of 320kbps. All that for a high price - at least $40 to $50 USD apiece.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nezer Because he'll be doing a 2-year stint on the ISS where every ounce counts but bandwidth is a-plenty.

Now imagine the bag he will have to keep all his cards in accidentally opens up up there - remember that Simpsons episode where Homer is shot into space? In ROD we trust!

 

[Magicthyse]

Oliver must have forgotten to mention that the iPods have one of the highest outputs of the MP3 players out there, allowing them to drive 'pro' phones unaided by an amp.

Me, I'm waiting for the Gigabeat. I hope the output stage is comparable to an iPod - but with the quoted battery life, I'm presuming it'll be less powerful

 

[Nezer]

Quote:

Originally posted by Oliver Now imagine the bag he will have to keep all his cards in accidentally opens up up there - remember that Simpsons episode where Homer is shot into space? In ROD we trust!

Bandwidth, baby, bandwidth! Take one or two cards and download what you want to listen to from you home PC that's online 24/7 (or am I the only one that does this?).

 

[Nezer]

Why does no one like hte PJB?? I know it's not what this person asked for and given the space/weight considerations it's probably the way to go... But no one EVER mentions how good the output stage from the PJB is! It drives both my HD600s and K501s to suffecient levels from the headphone jack.

The PJB is likly too big for this person so I would consider an iPod in a serious way... Going with the card-based systems is just too insane.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magicthyse Oliver must have forgotten to mention that the iPods have one of the highest outputs of the MP3 players out there, allowing them to drive 'pro' phones unaided by an amp.

Well, I just did not happen to know that it has

and I do not use it without my TAH anymore. But it does have some good kick, it even drives my 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD520 II to a level that is acceptable.Not loud, but acceptable. Even though there is no line-out, the TAH does more than just add volume... With low imp phones such as the KOSS PortaPro, it can can even go too loud, and that should be noted when talking about a portable.

 

[grinch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nezer Bandwidth, baby, bandwidth! Take one or two cards and download what you want to listen to from you home PC that's online 24/7 (or am I the only one that does this?).

if you have the bandwidth, try andromeda. it's a php script that lets you stream all your music at full bitrate. it's freaking awesome!