[sanity8me]

if you want the best designed, fastest file finding, most gorgeous mp3 player then ipod is your best bet. sound quality is also very natural and of very high quality.

now, if you simply want the most feature packed mp3 hd player out there it's gotta be the ihp-140. i admit some features like the fm radio, recoder, unbelievably versatile remote control, etc. are nice, but to most are of no use. the big ones are the optical line out which is ideal for amps and such and an EQ that i think still no portable player on the market can touch. with it you can completely personalize it's incredibly rich sound which in quality terms is IMO a little more forward and professional then the ipod's. i also agree with Squibbles in that it's definitely more of a "processed sound".

i also prefer the iriver's joystick over the ipod's overly sensitive wheel/pad. i actually enjoy hearing the "clicks" which are nonexistent on the ipod. to me it's like cracking my knuckles. i get pleasure out of hearing and feeling the cracks just like the clicks of the iriver.

so if it was me with those two boxes i'd go with the ihp-140... and maybe put the ipod in some expensive glass frame and hang it on the wall.

 

[enzoferrari650]

lol nice, hang it on the wall. For others to enjoy when they come over.

 

[pank2002]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrymx i agreed with all your points except for this one, unless you are going with 192kbs mp3 or ogg vorbis. lately i just had to delete my 320kbs and convert them back to 256kbs. i've just acquired about 5 gigabytes of mp3 in less than 2 months.

yeah, I should probarbly've put an IMO in the end

I think 20 gig would cut it for me, as I don't have all my music on there at once. Only the stuff I really like, fx Kashmir, Led Zepp, Dizzy, and the new stuff. Other stuff which is kindda fun to have but only make the artist list longer -- such as single-track-artist and remixes -- dosen't get on the iPod. Other stuff like 50 cent dosen't get on the iPod. I try to manged it in a way, so I only have quality stuff on it. That said, I'm waiting for the 4th generation iPod to get renewed with bigger harddrive -- hopefully a 30 or 40 gig in the now-a-days 20 shell.

 

[pank2002]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pank2002 yeah, I should probarbly've put an IMO in the end I think 20 gig would cut it for me, as I don't have all my music on there at once. Only the stuff I really like, fx Kashmir, Led Zepp, Dizzy, and the new stuff. Other stuff which is kindda fun to have but only make the artist list longer -- such as single-track-artist and remixes -- dosen't get on the iPod. Other stuff like 50 cent dosen't get on the iPod. I try to manged it in a way, so I only have quality stuff on it. That said, I'm waiting for the 4th generation iPod to get renewed with bigger harddrive -- hopefully a 30 or 40 gig in the now-a-days 20 shell.

Megaman,
I do in fact use Total Commander, but there's no way in hell I'll be able to find the time to managed music manually, and I don't get music from p2p.

edit: ups, guess I clicked quote instead of edit

 

[kunwar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yasmin_Khan Hiya Squib That's actually quite an excellent way of putting it. I was faced with the same decision when purchasing my homecinema amp. Most of the < £1k amp are "coloured" in that they dont have a clean sound. It sounds some how processed esp when trying to enjoy its stereo capabilities and DVD-A etc. It nice to hear things in its original purity. Thanks for your contribution.

do you mean preamp/headphone amp or just a power amp.
Which one are you referring to.

My vote goes with the 140
it is just a lot more fun
As for managing files, I find the 140 easier to use than the Ipod simply because tags mean nothing to me. My tags are in perfect order but I just find myself listening to albums more than genres etc.
Plus I have many compilation albums which means that my artist list would be freaking huge.
With Itunes loaded I had 395 artistes listed which is too many to go throgh.
I will be getting an Ipod later on but not for portable use, rather for bedside use as the 2nd rig. right now I am sitting on my computer continuously to listen to music which means I am not sleeping much. Bad for me but once I have the ipod can use the dock for line out purposes and then it should be Ok


In the end it is a personal choice, do you prefer looks or do you like the sound? In both cases there are 2 distinct styles and you can chose the one you like most..

Kunwar

 

[Yasmin_Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kunwar do you mean preamp/headphone amp or just a power amp. Which one are you referring to.

just a poweramp for homecinema / hifi and 5.1 channel sound.

 

[wolfen68]

Both great units no doubt....

I was in almost the same position, comparing the 140 to a 40 gig ipod. In the end I chose Iriver. My opinions regarding Iriver....

Pro

- Great GUI (once you learn it, expect 1-2 days of effort). Yeah I know ipod is quicker to learn...but these devices are only "new" for a couple of days and then it doesn't matter anymore.

- Battery life, battery life, battery life. I'm surprised nobody addressed this. Also the battery DOESN'T go dead when you don't use it. What a revelation!

- Fantastic connectivity. I've plugged into three computers so far to drag and drop music...no problems! Ipod won't even let you drag music off the ipod without either a hack, or accepting the fact that all of your filenames will be scrambled.

- Total organization flexibility. Use DB or filenames. I use filenames.

- The iriver has fantastic build quality. I have yet to see any trend out there yet regarding ihp-140 failures.

- The black case they provide is really usable, along with other accessories.

Con:

- The sound is good, but I believe ipod is a hair better from my listening sessions.

- Some people are fired up over firmware updates...mine works ok now as is.

- Slightly larger size.

- I wish the line-out was real...but it does sound good through my go-vibe amp.

 

[kunwar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yasmin_Khan just a poweramp for homecinema / hifi and 5.1 channel sound.

well come to think of it almost all amps colour sound one way or the other.

Now as for sound from the Ipod, I found that the output of the same MP3 played through an Ipod/140 on a HD 25-1 varied. the output from the Ipod did not go as loud (it was connected to the mains supply), sound quality was detached and to say the least uninspiring/not groovy.

BTW I actually spotted this dude walk into the apple store with a pair of 25-1's and he was listening via the Ipod. he wanted to listen to my Ipod and I let him.
he was surprised how much nicer it sounded.
Now it could be placebo effect but he was impressed and did mention how his own never sounded this good.
I then showed him the 140 and he was taken aback. he just smiled and asked how he could get one.
I just couldn't help but smile and told him how to.

Have since met him again ( i take tutorial classes for his course at my uni) and he is in love with the 140.
As for amping the 140 really doesn't need an amp.
Although it could always do with a DAC/amp combo which is what I plan on getting. then portable rig is complete.

 

[Jahn]

if he's listening through the headphone out, all ipods can be tweaked to bring up the gain without getting distorted by using, um, eupod? mp3gain? some program like that. it will raise the volume levels so you can basically power any can to acceptable listening volumes (um, not a K1000 of course) without distortion - i use the 40% bump and everything is louder and no distortion at all - now i can listen to my MS-2s direct into an ipod with the volume just at 50-60% and love it, versus having to pump it to 80-90% before.

 

[Yasmin_Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweet Spot Amazing. took 2 pages, yet someone has finally become the true voice of reason.

If it was as easy as that i would not of written this post!
I can't open any of the boxes, else i wont get a refund upon returning it.

 

[kunwar]

the best solution would be to take a listen to demo models and decide for yourself which sound signature you prefer.
other than that all posts will have opinions but you won't have peace of mind .

BTW I wish I were getting Ipods and irivers for my birthday.
Alas I don't know anyone rich enough.....sob....

 

[y0da]

its really a no brainer

40 gigs over 20 gigs

16 hours of batt over 12 hours

way more features

accessories over no accessories

Mass storage compliant (connect to anyones computer without any software)

file tree and database over just database

black or white?

and ipod has a better resale value and a better interface for the database

i say iriver ...its a solid player

if you are looking for something without all the bells and whistles that has a decent amount of features and a better database interface then the ipod i say return both and get a karma

or return both and get an H340

heh

 

[Sweet Spot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yasmin_Khan If it was as easy as that i would not of written this post! I can't open any of the boxes, else i wont get a refund upon returning it.

You guys don't get a 30 day grace period ? Or am I missing something ? Assuming that you have both sales reciepts, (due to the fact that you've already mentioned getting a refund, and not just an exchange) you should be able to return either even if they're boxes are opened. At least that's how it goes round my neck of the woods. So the other question is, once you return one of them, what will you be doing with the cash ? I say, buy a butt load of CD's ! (Cans would be the obvious second choice, but I imagine you already have some nice cans.)

 

[Sweet Spot]

Gosh, looking at that last sentence of mine now. Didn't quite mean for it to come out like that, but I'm sure you knew that right ?

 

[bangraman]

I think I've outlined it already. Features vs Core Functionality Done Right. I've owned both, I think I'm a Geek but reading the posts on Head-Fi, perhaps I'm not Geek enough.


The iHP has a lot of stuff built into it. The Radio was the only thing I felt didn't get in my way for everyday use. The recording features are very half-assed, and many of the player features/usability are half-assed. It does everything, but nothing really well. As far as loading it, it's fine if your music collection does not exceed the player's capacity. Beyond that, you've got problems. In the end it frustrated me. Due to various reasons, I wanted the iHP to be my main player... but it just didn't work out. Great Geek Toy, does a lot, but a mediocre player in comparison to the iPod IMO. And this is without considering the relative sound quality, which always causes endless arguments and I won't get into.


With the 4G, they fixed the #1 issue (battery life) withthe iPod. In daily use, I must admit that the 6-7 hour life didn't result in a problem for me, but I use the player for about 4 hours max a day and recharge it every day. The iPod simply plays back music for me and gets out of the way. While this may be a problem for the featuremaniacs, I'd rather that a music player did what it's supposed to do with a lack of fuss rather than and yet in the most flexible manner possible. In loading, organisation and the ability to cue up your music in as easy a way as possible, the iPod absolutely rules. iTunes is also the reason how I can realistically use at the moment a 4Gb storage player with a 150Gb+ music library.


It depends on if you really need the additional features that the iRiver offers. If so, then obviously the iHP is the choice. If not and all you want is a music player, I believe the choice to be the iPod.


Just picking it up is unlikely to show you all this. Just listening to it is unlikely to show you all this. You've got to own it. And I have. Both of them and more... oh so much more. And I still keep coming back to the iPod. Maybe the Rio will cure that for me, but the iRiver certainly didn't.