[nd4speed]

I have to concur with olblueyez in that WM 6.1 is a vast improvement over WM5 (even though the release I'm using is a custom slimmed down ROM not from M$), it is faster and more stable. It's slow at times, but what can you do we're talking about M$ here.
Coreplayer is probably the best media player for WM right now, and does support FLAC, it also does Video and mobile Youtube if you're so inclined.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is there a player that will play FLAC?

Sure. Two choices:
1)Freeware: MortPlayer with FLAC plug-in (google for it)
-Excellent sound quality, though sound effects aren't audiophile (what player except Phantasm is). The latest beta also supports OGG, all forms of AAC and all variations of WMA.
2)Software: Phantasm: A one-man run operation, yet its audio quality is excellent. It also supports AAC, WMA, and OGG. What makes this even better is that it features what I call a "acoustic simulator." It features an effective, and the totally accurate (possibly better than HeadRoom) crossfeed that fixes the double bass and midrange localization with headphones. Result-the side channels really open up and new details come in view. The second feature is the reverb which really extends the soundstage unlike even EAX does on their latest X-Fi. You'll feel like the instruments are in the room on the room setting, or that you're in a concert hall with the second setting. Try it, but I don't know if this guy sells people's vital info the way his site looks.

 

[serpico]

I'm not sure that any cell phone device be it windows mobile or blackberry have better sound than our portable mp3 players. I wish it did because I carry my Curve and listen to only audio podcasts. Music just isn't great on it. I used to use the ipaq 4150 and really enjoyed it. But mostly due to the hardware not the OS. I imagine the iphone is better out of them all. I guess if you like the sound from a windows mobile phone/pda and that's all you have, then I'm sure the new devices could keep up with audio not like the older windows ce devices.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

I ran a frequency sweep. iPods unnecessarily accent treble to make headphones sound better. My iPAQ 110 has a sound more familiar to that of a true reference home setup than that of an iPod. It isn't normal for a $1 pair of earbuds to sound more flat than a HD555 with treble and bass humped up on both ends.

 

[tfarney]

Am I the only one who thinks the original post reads like a press release from Windows? And that -- Windows -- is, of course, the problem. Not the hardware.

Tim

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Am I the only one who thinks the original post reads like a press release from Windows? And that -- Windows -- is, of course, the problem. Not the hardware. Tim

Most Pocket PCs have cheap drivers and junky audio chips-it isn't Windows. It is the same thing as buying a generic mp3 player or an Archos- the first's audio quality is a murky messy, the second is a very precise, dynamic sound. If you have never listened to an iPAQ 110 or 210, or the even the iPAQ rx1950, "don't be dissin' 'til you be listenin'."

 

[gammelkaill]

I second what Sonichedghog360 says about using Windows Mobile devices as audio players. My experience is with a Dell Axim X51. I was surprised at how good this sounds. I am also surprised that these devices aren't mentioned more in forums that discuss audio. Now it seems like the non-phone devices is slowly disappearing, which is sad. Besides being excellent audio players they can do so much more, and there are currently a lot more, and better, programs for them than you get on an iPhone. The only downside compared to dedicated players is the battery time.

For audio I have two programs: Pocket Player and Phantasm. Phantasm is the one I currently use as it has better sound capabilitys. Sonichedgehog360 mentioned them: xfeed, reverb and the equalizer. Besides it supports perfect gapless playback, has a low power consumption (very important on these devices), and it also has features to avoid clipping. The equalizer and reverb work in conjunction with the overall volume cut/boost control to avoid clipping. This is very important on many "modern" albums, which has no headroom to adjust the EQ without clipping. They are mastered to sound as loud as possible.

Unfortunately Phantasm is only sold to people living in the US. Outside the US most people won't even get into the web-site. There has been quite heated threads because of this in other forums. I hope that won't happen here. So if you can't get it I would recommend Pocket Player also. This has a better library, and it supports more codecs, including more esoteric ones like musepack. But currently it doesn't support AAC, except on phones that has hardware decoding of AAC built in. Pocket Player also supports podcasts, UPnP streaming, crossfading and more.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

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[cLy_eVo]

Iphone has a not so good built in DAC and amp. Yes, you can use line out with a portable amp. is iphone the best smartphone for DAP? Think again, my flame doesnt need (unless u driving high sensitivity headphone) line out and an amp to sound better. It has a better built in DAC --> Wolfson WM9713G DAC. Actually iphone has wolfson DAC but a lower end model. Not sure, try googling it

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I've had no issues with Blackjack II WM6.1 so far. Its quick, I have some fav apps for specific tasks like TCPMP, Windows Live,Google maps,Opera. And now I can play Doom as well! Its quick for me cos I got used to the interface and menu system. But my wife always struggles with it, and calls it very non user friendly. So I guess you have to let it grow on you and use it for a while to like it. Oh and no crashes ever, havent really had any major slowdowns either. I don't really see any drawbacks other than it not looking "pretty". Its a powerful OS and can really get things done if you know how to use it.

But I've pretty much never used it to play music. BJ II uses a stupid proprietary connector that I have to carry around with me all the time so I never bothered. I've tried A2DP but the headphones are generally lousy unless you spend a lot.