Support NeoGAF

[Virgin Wii]

I'm not a hardcore audiophile, but I'm enough of one to really hate the low quality of radio music. I've heard that MP3 quality is even worse than radio, so I'm staying away from Ipod, which I've heard only supports MP3. I have a lot of albums, though, and would like to fit them all into a 30-40 GB MP3 player, so I have to compromise quality for space. What do you guys think the best encoding method is for someone who likes good quality but is also space conscious?

I've been looking at the Dell DJ...

30 GB HD
12 hour battery
WMA audio and MP3
$299.70

Does this sound like it fits my needs?

Oh shit, some drama is going down... I have to leave.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

if mp3 quality is so bad, why do you want an mp3 player?

 

[Outdoor Miner]

http://forums.gaming-age.com/showthread.php?t=37588

The Dell Dj's are nice and underrated though.

 

[impirius]

Oh shit, some drama is going down... I have to leave.

Is that you, 50?

I have an older version of the DJ (20 GB) and love it. It sounds great, and the battery lasts a long time. The only downside is that the thumbwheel isn't as good as a jogdial.

Don't fret about the quality of MP3s. I rip my CDs using CDex with the LAME -r3mix preset; that sounds good enough for most people.

 

[Crazymoogle]

I've heard that MP3 quality is even worse than radio

:lol :lol :lol

MP3 quality is decided by the person encoding, not the file format (although audiophiles will also point out the playback hardware sometimes). If you're worried about how your music encodes turn out, just remember...LAME R3mix aka --alt-preset-standard

Reading further though, I would definitely recommend R3mix encoding at first, and then dial it back if you have too many high bitrate albums. Certain genres are more prone to higher filesizes than others.

EDIT: And if you're *really* having problems storing all of your albums at once, you will probably need to look into an OGG compatible player (iRiver, for example) and try out their 64-128kbps encoding.

 

[cubicle47b]

I have the older version too (15). It could be more powerful (it has trouble driving my Sennheiser 280's) but the sound quality is good, the battery last forever, and it was cheap ($130) so I can't complain.

 

[tedtropy]

I'm not a hardcore audiophile, but I'm enough of one to really hate the low quality of radio music. I've heard that MP3 quality is even worse than radio, so I'm staying away from Ipod, which I've heard only supports MP3

The fact that you even said this denotes that you need to read up on the technology before looking into any kind of audio player. "Not a hardcore audiophile?" You're not even a underaged softcore audiophile!

 

[Virgin Wii]

Thanks, everybody. I now know that MP3 doesn't matter. The guy that told me about MP3 quality is a bedroom composer; I'll have to have a word with him next time he drops by 'cause he should know this stuff.

If you're worried about how your music encodes turn out, just remember...LAME R3mix aka --alt-preset-standard

Reading further though, I would definitely recommend R3mix encoding at first, and then dial it back if you have too many high bitrate albums. Certain genres are more prone to higher filesizes than others.

EDIT: And if you're *really* having problems storing all of your albums at once, you will probably need to look into an OGG compatible player (iRiver, for example) and try out their 64-128kbps encoding.

OK, I have no idea what you just said, but you sound knowledgable. Do MP3 players come with encoding software, or do I have to buy it seperately? If it comes with the DJ, hopefully your post will start making sense to me after reading the directions. Or maybe I'll go with an Ipod (because Dell doesn't appear to go over 30 GB) now that I know you can have a high quality MP3s.

Is that you, 50?

I wasn't trying to get posts. Something happened and I wanted to let people know that I wouldn't be able to respond right away. Turned out to not be as dramatic as I thought it'd be, and now I'm back.

The fact that you even said this denotes that you need to read up on the technology before looking into any kind of audio player. "Not a hardcore audiophile?" You're not even a underaged softcore audiophile!

Just because I don't know about the technology behind something doesn't mean I can't appreciate it. I'm an audiophile in the sense that when I listen to music, I always hear many aspects of it that many people don't; I point out a lot of flaws in music and when I tell someone about it they say, "what the fuck are you talking about?" Then I have to replay it for them a few times before they finally hear it. See, I am an audiophile. Not a hardcore one, though. But after getting an MP3 player, I will be hardcore.

Thanks everyone!

 

[BTMash]

One friend (Winged Creature) does have a dell dj (older model 20 gigs) - I've heard it and I think it sounds great.

However, if you're concerned about the quality of your music (and want support for other filetypes), then I would probably go for an ipod (since I believe there is Apple Lossless support on them) or a Rio Karma (which has FLAC (again, lossless), ogg support).

 

[Crazymoogle]

OK, I have no idea what you just said, but you sound knowledgable. Do MP3 players come with encoding software, or do I have to buy it seperately?

Sometimes a player comes with some shitty pack-in encoder, but you don't need it. Hell, you can do this setup process right now.

Step 1: Download Exact Audio Copy (EAC). It's free and stupidly easy to use (CDex also does the job, but as I don't use it these instructions don't reflect that piece of software).

Step 2: Download LAME. All you need is the executable. Unzip the executable somewhere. I suggest c:\program files\LAME\

Step 3: Install EAC. There is a configuration wizard that should appear during install (or if not, it's on the file menu)...

1. It's just asking which drive you're talking about. If you only have one CD/DVD drive, move on.

2. Accurate Results: Slow rip (2-4x), but very high quality. The alternative is a super fast rip with perfect quality for non-audiophiles. Select whichever, but if you want to get all of your albums done in short order, choose "Only Speed is important". The speed setting is also good for ripping scratched up discs.

3. Pop in a music CD when it says to. It will say some stuff you don't care about unless you're an audiophile.

4. Make sure there is a checkmark besides "Install and configure the LAME.exe compressor". You can let it look automatically or hit cancel to tell it where to look. Make sure that "Use recommended settings (from R3mix forum)" and "Let EAC create ID3 tags" are checked.

5. Enter an email address. It can be bogus or whatever, but basically you need to enter an email when prompted in order to use FreeDB, which is going to automatically label all of your music. as it gets ripped.

Once the wizard is done, it's done, and things get a hell of a lot easier.

To rip straight to MP3:

1. Put in the music CD and then load up EAC.
2. Press ALT+G to automatically label the album. (Database ->Get CD Info from-> FreeDB)
3. Click the "MP3" button on the left side of the program. Tell it where you want to save the files, and hit save. EAC and LAME do the rest.

Or maybe I'll go with an Ipod (because Dell doesn't appear to go over 30 GB) now that I know you can have a high quality MP3s.

Ipod definitely gets its share of complaints from people regarding output sound quality; something about a light hiss. I don't know if that would be a problem at all for you, to be honest, and I haven't used one enough from personal experience to say if I've also run into that issue. But based on your last paragraph, I'm guessing it could bug you if the problem is indeed legit. Creative and iRiver tend to have the best output quality, but read online (GAF, google, whatever) to find out what's alright for you. Maybe the latest gen Ipods have the problem fixed?

many aspects of it that many people don't; I point out a lot of flaws in music and when I tell someone about it they say, "what the fuck are you talking about?"

If this is the case you will obviously need to invest in some good headware, stat. I've been using some import cans for a few years and they've done far more to show off audio quality than lossless could ever do. To be honest, I can't hear the difference between lossless and lame VBR, and I consider my hearing to have some of the same effect as what you just mentioned about yourself, but some people like to get really crazy about it. Personally, I'd only go lossless when size is not an issue and I think I may need to decompress it one day.

 

[Shogmaster]

Or just use your Windows Media Player. I use to use EAC and LAME combo, but got too lazy to reinstall them in my new XP Pro install. Found out that WMP wasn't bad at all at encoding MP3s. Certainly easier than figuring out LAME presets, if you don't have a good one saved.

Another benefit: WMP9 and on makes editing ID tags a snap.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Or just use your Windows Media Player. I use to use EAC and LAME combo, but got too lazy to reinstall them in my new XP Pro install. Found out that WMP wasn't bad at all at encoding MP3s. Certainly easier than figuring out LAME presets, if you don't have a good one saved.

Also viable, although dunno about the quality level and I can't imagine using WMP over foobar2000.

 

[Shogmaster]

Also viable, although dunno about the quality level and I can't imagine using WMP over foobar2000.

I love Foobar, but ever tried to edit ID tags on Foobar? It's FUBARed!

 

[Crazymoogle]

I love Foobar, but ever tried to edit ID tags on Foobar? It's FUBARed!

Eh, it's not bad for a tag or two. Anything more should really be using a proper mass tagger anyway. And just for the purposes of this thread, tagging is handled by Freedb anyway. Half the time I just run foobar from inside Firefox and couldn't give a damn about anything beyond the base playback, so I don't really get into the options much.

But I do understand what you mean. foobar could use a more intuitive setup for that.

 

[Shogmaster]

Eh, it's not bad for a tag or two. Anything more should really be using a proper mass tagger anyway. And just for the purposes of this thread, tagging is handled by Freedb anyway. Half the time I just run foobar from inside Firefox and couldn't give a damn about anything beyond the base playback, so I don't really get into the options much.

But I do understand what you mean. foobar could use a more intuitive setup for that.

But then again, I think Foobar should stay lean and mean like it is now, and not add things that could bloat it. I don't mind using several programs for what they do best.

The cool thing is, Foobar, EAC, LAME and even WMP are all free!

 

[Virgin Wii]

Sometimes a player comes with some shitty pack-in encoder, but you don't need it. Hell, you can do this setup process right now.

Step 1: Download Exact Audio Copy (EAC). It's free and stupidly easy to use (CDex also does the job, but as I don't use it these instructions don't reflect that piece of software).

Step 2: Download LAME. All you need is the executable. Unzip the executable somewhere. I suggest c:\program files\LAME\

Step 3: Install EAC. There is a configuration wizard that should appear during install (or if not, it's on the file menu)...

1. It's just asking which drive you're talking about. If you only have one CD/DVD drive, move on.

2. Accurate Results: Slow rip (2-4x), but very high quality. The alternative is a super fast rip with perfect quality for non-audiophiles. Select whichever, but if you want to get all of your albums done in short order, choose "Only Speed is important". The speed setting is also good for ripping scratched up discs.

3. Pop in a music CD when it says to. It will say some stuff you don't care about unless you're an audiophile.

4. Make sure there is a checkmark besides "Install and configure the LAME.exe compressor". You can let it look automatically or hit cancel to tell it where to look. Make sure that "Use recommended settings (from R3mix forum)" and "Let EAC create ID3 tags" are checked.

5. Enter an email address. It can be bogus or whatever, but basically you need to enter an email when prompted in order to use FreeDB, which is going to automatically label all of your music. as it gets ripped.

Once the wizard is done, it's done, and things get a hell of a lot easier.

To rip straight to MP3:

1. Put in the music CD and then load up EAC.
2. Press ALT+G to automatically label the album. (Database ->Get CD Info from-> FreeDB)
3. Click the "MP3" button on the left side of the program. Tell it where you want to save the files, and hit save. EAC and LAME do the rest.



Ipod definitely gets its share of complaints from people regarding output sound quality; something about a light hiss. I don't know if that would be a problem at all for you, to be honest, and I haven't used one enough from personal experience to say if I've also run into that issue. But based on your last paragraph, I'm guessing it could bug you if the problem is indeed legit. Creative and iRiver tend to have the best output quality, but read online (GAF, google, whatever) to find out what's alright for you. Maybe the latest gen Ipods have the problem fixed?



If this is the case you will obviously need to invest in some good headware, stat. I've been using some import cans for a few years and they've done far more to show off audio quality than lossless could ever do. To be honest, I can't hear the difference between lossless and lame VBR, and I consider my hearing to have some of the same effect as what you just mentioned about yourself, but some people like to get really crazy about it. Personally, I'd only go lossless when size is not an issue and I think I may need to decompress it one day.

Thank you so much! Plus, you saved me from getting an Ipod. A hiss would drive me insane.

Or just use your Windows Media Player. I use to use EAC and LAME combo, but got too lazy to reinstall them in my new XP Pro install. Found out that WMP wasn't bad at all at encoding MP3s. Certainly easier than figuring out LAME presets, if you don't have a good one saved.

Another benefit: WMP9 and on makes editing ID tags a snap.

I'll try that too and see what I like best.

 

[SKluck]

Dell's Axim PDAs have the same exact sound chip as Apple Ipods.

Mine comes tomorrow .

Don't know about their DJs though.

 

[mrklaw]

plus WMP10 is fast as hell at ripping and encoding mp3s, and it has a very good search for more obscure CDs