Which mp3 player?


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Zhiliang

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Dec 20, 2006
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Hi, i need some advice over here. Am currently using the Creative Zen 60G mp3 player, and am looking to buy a player that has a much bigger HD space than that. And was looking at the IPOD 160G but saw some comments in other forum stating that the audio quality of IPOD is poorer than Creative. Is that true?
 

Yeah... iPod audio quality isn't that good at all. Sony, Creative and iriver are far superior.
 

But are there any alternatives if i want a mp3 player of at least 120GB? With better sound than the ipod?
 

Can check out Archos or Cowon, but those are more as a mp4 video player. Not sure about their audio quality though.

:devil:If not your best choice would be to get a iPod 160gb and use the lineout dock to connect to a portable headphone amp and finally to your earphones. This should give you very good audio(depending on your amp and earphone), but more bulky. And also potentially a very poisonous journey:bsmilie:
 

But are there any alternatives if i want a mp3 player of at least 120GB? With better sound than the ipod?

Just what do you need all that space for? ;)

Cowon is pretty good, their iAudio X5 still has some of the best sound quality ever.

Most manufacturers though are moving away from HDD to pure flash solutions, meaning it's hard to find a lot of 160GB players
 

Can check out Archos or Cowon, but those are more as a mp4 video player. Not sure about their audio quality though.

:devil:If not your best choice would be to get a iPod 160gb and use the lineout dock to connect to a portable headphone amp and finally to your earphones. This should give you very good audio(depending on your amp and earphone), but more bulky. And also potentially a very poisonous journey:bsmilie:


yes yes..it is very poisonous journey..

currently using the iDock + Crossroads Amp + E2Cs...

looking at the magnum amp now... :sweat:
 

Can check out Archos or Cowon, but those are more as a mp4 video player. Not sure about their audio quality though.

:devil:If not your best choice would be to get a iPod 160gb and use the lineout dock to connect to a portable headphone amp and finally to your earphones. This should give you very good audio(depending on your amp and earphone), but more bulky. And also potentially a very poisonous journey:bsmilie:

Hey, i checked out Archos, but can this mp3 player be found in Singapore?

I am currently using Etymotic noise isolation earphones with my Creative. I once went to Jaben to check up on the possibility of using an amp with my Creative player but the nice people there mentioned that the difference will not be a lot as i am using Creative but told me that if i am using iPod with the lineout dock to the amp will be a good option. Will the audio quality in fact be better than what i am hearing now on Creative if i go that option? Quite excited at the possibility.
 

Just what do you need all that space for? ;)

Cowon is pretty good, their iAudio X5 still has some of the best sound quality ever.

Most manufacturers though are moving away from HDD to pure flash solutions, meaning it's hard to find a lot of 160GB players

I usually rip my classical cds out in the highest possible bit rates and love the notion of having everything in my portable player for more choices. Currently hitting 55 Gb of classical music soon and i am kinda worried now. :embrass:
 

yes yes..it is very poisonous journey..

currently using the iDock + Crossroads Amp + E2Cs...

looking at the magnum amp now... :sweat:

Are you able to advise me whether iPod and an amp will be a better option than my Creative player now?
 

I'd go for the Sony NWZ-A820 series if it's audio quality you're after. Many reviews state the Sony as one of the best sounding MP3 players you could buy today. Granted, the Bluetooth function is pretty useless as Bluetooth A2DP earphones don't sound as good as the regular 3.5mm plug-ing headphones. Also with Sony ditching their SonicStage music manager, user-friendliness went up a notch.
 

Are you able to advise me whether iPod and an amp will be a better option than my Creative player now?

I think the best way to find out is to head down to Jaben, have a whisky there and test it out on the spot. There are usually some people there with iPods, and I'm sure they would be more than willing to let you test out the amp together with the iPod.
 

Hey, i checked out Archos, but can this mp3 player be found in Singapore?

I am currently using Etymotic noise isolation earphones with my Creative. I once went to Jaben to check up on the possibility of using an amp with my Creative player but the nice people there mentioned that the difference will not be a lot as i am using Creative but told me that if i am using iPod with the lineout dock to the amp will be a good option. Will the audio quality in fact be better than what i am hearing now on Creative if i go that option? Quite excited at the possibility.

I use my 4th generation iPod connected to my Yamaha RX-V1500 with the line out connection and it sounds good. There are newer receivers with specialised docks, but I doubt the sound is clearly better. Bluetooth 2.0 adapters with A2DP capabilities can be used on both ends to retain quality, also.

I usually rip my classical cds out in the highest possible bit rates and love the notion of having everything in my portable player for more choices. Currently hitting 55 Gb of classical music soon and i am kinda worried now. :embrass:

You could be using the Apple Lossless format that's about half the size of AIFF files. It sounds as good as the original but doesn't take all the room. If you're currently using .mp3 format, you'll need more space and need to re-rip to get the quality but you'll be pleased. If you're willing to accept better sound in approximately the same size as an .mp3 file, AAC works wonders.
 

Are you able to advise me whether iPod and an amp will be a better option than my Creative player now?

The sound quality of an iPod + amp would largely depends on the combination of the amp and earphone and your sound preference. But generally it should sound better than using the headphone out from your DAP. But some of the Creative player do have lineout also, so you can connect it to an headphone amp also.
 

I think the best way to find out is to head down to Jaben, have a whisky there and test it out on the spot. There are usually some people there with iPods, and I'm sure they would be more than willing to let you test out the amp together with the iPod.

agreed..go down to jaben n have a listen...only you yourself can decide if its good enough for you..
 

Thanks so much for all the replies. The only problem i might have is comparing the tracks i ripped that i have on my creative player to having them on the ipod + amp. I wont be able to do any comparisons if i am listening to other tracks on their players.
 

The sound quality of an iPod + amp would largely depends on the combination of the amp and earphone and your sound preference. But generally it should sound better than using the headphone out from your DAP. But some of the Creative player do have lineout also, so you can connect it to an headphone amp also.

Yeah thing is my creative player is running out of space and i am looking at other players with a bigger storage space, and the only thing witholding me back from buying the 160Gb iPod is the sound quality.
 

I use my 4th generation iPod connected to my Yamaha RX-V1500 with the line out connection and it sounds good. There are newer receivers with specialised docks, but I doubt the sound is clearly better. Bluetooth 2.0 adapters with A2DP capabilities can be used on both ends to retain quality, also.



You could be using the Apple Lossless format that's about half the size of AIFF files. It sounds as good as the original but doesn't take all the room. If you're currently using .mp3 format, you'll need more space and need to re-rip to get the quality but you'll be pleased. If you're willing to accept better sound in approximately the same size as an .mp3 file, AAC works wonders.

Is the Yamaha RX-V1500 amp expensive? If you could pm me with a rough price, it would be great. What kind of music do you listen to? Is that amp good for classical pieces? And would it be a good combo for the ER6i earphones?
 

Is the Yamaha RX-V1500 amp expensive? If you could pm me with a rough price, it would be great. What kind of music do you listen to? Is that amp good for classical pieces? And would it be a good combo for the ER6i earphones?

The RX-V1500 is 3 models back but the RX-V1800 is the latest and it's US$1299, so that's a moderate price. The RX-V1800 actually has the dock. You can find Yamaha receivers at any price range but it's at this position in their line where they do better for classical music because of the dynamic range and burst power. I don't consider myself an audiophile but a musician. When an amplifier/receiver is clear enough that I can identify the piano being played down to its size, it's good.

It does just fine on demanding classical material such as Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and operatic type material like Debussy's Les Nuits d'ete that are rather dynamic. It also handles movies and the typical dts/Dolby Digital material well, along with a mix of R&B, Jazz, Soul, Rock, and Pop.
 

The RX-V1500 is 3 models back but the RX-V1800 is the latest and it's US$1299, so that's a moderate price. The RX-V1800 actually has the dock. You can find Yamaha receivers at any price range but it's at this position in their line where they do better for classical music because of the dynamic range and burst power. I don't consider myself an audiophile but a musician. When an amplifier/receiver is clear enough that I can identify the piano being played down to its size, it's good.

It does just fine on demanding classical material such as Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and operatic type material like Debussy's Les Nuits d'ete that are rather dynamic. It also handles movies and the typical dts/Dolby Digital material well, along with a mix of R&B, Jazz, Soul, Rock, and Pop.

Thanks Bousozoku for the recommendation, sorry, i must have forgotten to mention, that i was looking actually for a portable amp instead.
 

Thanks Bousozoku for the recommendation, sorry, i must have forgotten to mention, that i was looking actually for a portable amp instead.

Oops. If I had known that, I would have said that there isn't anything really good out there that's portable. :sweatsm:
 

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