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[Ninja Scooter]

...anyone know of a good site that covers these, does reviews and head to head comparisons and what not (and dont' say IGN)?

and while im here, iRiver 120 vs iPod? Which is better?

 

[fart]

www.dapreview.com

 

[Ninja Scooter]

thank you kindly.

 

[StrikerObi]

www.ipodlounge.com

 

[fart]

BOOOOO

 

[Freestyler]

Why boo? iPodlounge is a great site.

 

[fart]

just being a fanboy dude

 

[Freestyler]

I realised. I was trying to work you up

 

[Hitman]

iRiver is the best. The only real reason you get an iPod over it is because you either like the look of it more, or you really NEED to have a software that babysits you on how to label and transfer mp3s.

 

[fart]

iriver is the best because nintendo makes no mistakes. the internet will never take off.

 

[Fresh Prince]

Basically I got an iPod because of the Academic Discount, even after time being iRiver fanboy (ie Apple hater) without actually owning either.

After using iTunes I have renegged all my opinions of it. iTunes actually is godsend for making me get my act together and order my mp3's, it's satisfying(sp?) to take time out and order you collection properly. The only thing that mising is the ability to use the filename to create the ID Tag...unless there is some way you can do this that I haven't found out?

 

[Freestyler]

iRiver is the best. The only real reason you get an iPod over it is because you either like the look of it more, or you really NEED to have a software that babysits you on how to label and transfer mp3s.

That is true I guess. Like how the only real reason people buy Lamborghinis is because they like luxury cars that are better than the rest and go fast.

 

[Triumph]

Zen has the best sound quality of all 3.

 

[Coen]

I'm very satisfied with my iRiver, although I probably would've been too with an iPod or a Zen. It's just that I like the simple extra options that iRiver has over iPod.

 

[Fusebox]

Rio Karma 20gig, Zen NX 30/60gig, iPod 15/20/40gig, iRiver 20/40gig.

You can't go wrong with any of those imo.

 

[The Faceless Master]

That is true I guess. Like how the only real reason people buy Lamborghinis is because they like luxury cars that are better than the rest and go fast.

more like how people only buy spinning rims because they are cool...

 

[Hitman]

more like how people only buy spinning rims because they are cool...

This analogy is true. Freestyler's was not.

Here are all the features iRiver has that iPod does'nt(or needs to be purchased serperately):
Longer Battery Life
Microphone Recording, built in and in-line.
FM Radio Tuner
Full Featured Remote, it does everything the actually player does and it looks quite sleek too.
Ability to insert lyrics into MP3's. Think sort of like karaoke. check out ilyrics.net
Optical line in/out

iRiver Ihp120(now called H120) is more bang for the buck. Period.

 

[JackFrost2012]

I have a Zen Nomad Xtra 60 and am quite pleased with it. I wish it were a bit smaller, but it still fits in my pocket. iPod has too little battery life and too little HD space for my tastes/library.

 

[Fresh Prince]

This analogy is true. Freestyler's was not.

Here are all the features iRiver has that iPod does'nt(or needs to be purchased serperately):
Longer Battery Life
Microphone Recording, built in and in-line.
FM Radio Tuner
Full Featured Remote, it does everything the actually player does and it looks quite sleek too.
Ability to insert lyrics into MP3's. Think sort of like karaoke. check out ilyrics.net
Optical line in/out

iRiver Ihp120(now called H120) is more bang for the buck. Period.

True, but I doubt the average consumer will need or notice all the above features.

The other features don't qualify the price compared to the iPod(with the academic discount) although it would be nice to have microphone recording and built-in line in, I doubt I would use it often. IMO only battery life for me would of swayed me to the otherside.

To be honest I think the iPod has lost some of it's 'exclusiveness' there seems to be a ton of people on the train with them. iRivers and Creative players seem to be in the minority here.

Anyway by all accounts the new iRiver firmware seems to have failed to deliver so I guess all those iRiver fanboys hopes of seeing a Karma/iPod killer are dashed....

 

[Hitman]

True, but I doubt the average consumer will need or notice all the above features.

The other features don't qualify the price compared to the iPod(with the academic discount) although it would be nice to have microphone recording and built-in line in, I doubt I would use it often. IMO only battery life for me would of swayed me to the otherside.

To be honest I think the iPod has lost some of it's 'exclusiveness' there seems to be a ton of people on the train with them. iRivers and Creative players seem to be in the minority here.

Anyway by all accounts the new iRiver firmware seems to have failed to deliver so I guess all those iRiver fanboys hopes of seeing a Karma/iPod killer are dashed....

Whether or not YOU use the features on a player does not matter. The features are still there and they sitll make the iRiver a better buy than the iPod. Oh and iRiver does not need firmware to beat the ipod. It beats it out of the box and it will beat it when EVENTUALLY the new firmware is released. The iRiver and iPod are about the same price, with the iRiver a little bit cheaper I think. The average consumer won't have academic discoutn.

 

[Fresh Prince]

Yeah but I do so the discount does make a difference.

Features can be quite subjective. At the end of the day I (and presumambly others) listen and look at two things:
1) Ease of Interface
2) Sound Quality

In the first respect the iPod beats the iRiver hands down. To me what is the point of these features if the interface is not as inuitative as it could be?
The second is fairly subjective.
Right now the iPod is underpowered, but the sound it delivers is 'flat' and something I've become accustomed too (after being used to warm coloration). With my px100's it's a beautiful thing.

Basically neither one of us can talk about 'most people' but I think about mp3 players like DVD players (in fact most pieces of modern day technology). Most people that I have met just know just want to play movies on their dvd players, rarely seeing what their dvd players are capable of in terms of audio, video quality and features. Yet they do care about it's ease of use.
The same can be said for iPod.
I find what I want to play. It plays it. It works.
For the iRiver it isn't that quite dumbass

I mean lets ask all the iRiver people here (fart and others) how often they use all of the features on the iRiver.
Exactly.

PS. Dude I think you should go to that iRiver website the new firmware has been released.

 

[Coen]

You're acting like an iRiver is an uncontrolable piece of junk, which clearly isn't the case. You just got to learn how to handle it. There's nothing wrong with that.

I happen to use a lot of function the iPod doesn't have. The internal mic is great for taping lectures. The radio doesn't get used too often, but that's because I use the radio on my phone. And I'm especially greatful for the remote. There's nog reason to take it out of your pocket, thanks to the lovely remote.

 

[GG-Duo]

I mean lets ask all the iRiver people here (fart and others) how often they use all of the features on the iRiver.
Exactly.

for some reason I can't help but :lol at that.

Am I Right?
Exactly!



Ps. I really want to get an iRiver, but their designers need to get their shit together.

 

[Wellington]

I was going to post a new topic about it, but I will post it here.

I dislike the current firmware in the iPod (4th gen). Multiple times a day, the forward and back buttons stop working, and then the scroll wheel stops acting as the volume control and it seeks through the song. If I want to skip a song, I have to scroll all the way through it, I can't adjust volume, and I can't go back to another song. This effect comes on and off seemingly at random. Am I the only person that ever gets this?

 

[Malleymal]

^^^ my 4G seems to be ok for now... and I take it everywhere, my car, the gym, Jogging, everything... sometimes I get a random lag on the click wheel... but that happens when i try to rush through tracks... I dont know, I guess since I came over from having a Rio Karma, I am just really not noticing....

 

[Newduck]

CK, its cause you're clicking the center button accidently. Clicking it cycles the wheel mode between volume, seek, and song rating.

 

[Wellington]

CK, its cause you're clicking the center button accidently. Clicking it cycles the wheel mode between volume, seek, and song rating.

Well color my face red. :|

 

[Ninja Scooter]

iRiver is the best. The only real reason you get an iPod over it is because you either like the look of it more, or you really NEED to have a software that babysits you on how to label and transfer mp3s.

i think i might

basically, all the extra features are nice, but all i really want is something (i'll probably look at 20Gigs) that i can easily throw my cd and mp3 collection on. The extra features of the iRiver, like the mic, FM radio...seem nice, but won't be deal breakers for me.

btw, what is this "student discount" people talk about for ipods?

 

[IJoel]

That new Creative Zen Windows Media Player is h0t.

I'd buy it for $400, but not for the $500 they are asking for it.

Here: http://www.creative.com/PortableMediaCenters/

 

[Hitman]

Yeah but I do so the discount does make a difference.

Features can be quite subjective. At the end of the day I (and presumambly others) listen and look at two things:
1) Ease of Interface
2) Sound Quality

In the first respect the iPod beats the iRiver hands down. To me what is the point of these features if the interface is not as inuitative as it could be?
The second is fairly subjective.
Right now the iPod is underpowered, but the sound it delivers is 'flat' and something I've become accustomed too (after being used to warm coloration). With my px100's it's a beautiful thing.

Basically neither one of us can talk about 'most people' but I think about mp3 players like DVD players (in fact most pieces of modern day technology). Most people that I have met just know just want to play movies on their dvd players, rarely seeing what their dvd players are capable of in terms of audio, video quality and features. Yet they do care about it's ease of use.
The same can be said for iPod.
I find what I want to play. It plays it. It works.
For the iRiver it isn't that quite dumbass

I mean lets ask all the iRiver people here (fart and others) how often they use all of the features on the iRiver.
Exactly.

PS. Dude I think you should go to that iRiver website the new firmware has been released.

The iriver is as easy to use as a normal hardrive. And the interface is easy.. How hard is it to naviagte menus. The whole Ipod is so easy angle is stupid.

I use the extra fatures on my iPod quite alot. I recorded lectures in class before and also a whole party where I was drunk(I wanted to see how I act durnk haha). I also use the radio at midnight on the weekends to pick up this underground radio station that plays.

So let me ask if i'm right. Exactly! I am.

 

[fart]

no the ipod ui is definitely more intuitive. when i hand my player to other people they tend to just state at it, afraid to push a button. since i'm not a drooling idiot (OR AM I), i have figured out how to use it. ymmv as always.

as for features*, i regularly record lectures. i use the line out to a tape adapter and one of those cheap computer powered speaker setups, in theory to one of my never-working-or-fully-constructed headphone amps, the directory browse feature all of the time since i don't tag my mp3s, the drive mounting constantly since i don't use any kind of software (other than a file hierarchy) to manage my files, the remote is always clipped to my bag, etc. etc. the only thing i don't really use is the radio (fuck clearchannel) or the optical outs (because i'm too poor to build my dream dac)

anyone who thinks the ipod has a fuller hardware feature set than the rest of the market is an idiot. however, the software and ergonomics (not to mention design) of the ipod are arguably head of the pack. since most people aren't geeky about listening to music or their audio electronics, and want/need the assistance and convenience the ipod/itunes combo gives them, this is a big win for apple.

*of course, the iriver has some pretty worthless features as well. the new 300 series can do peer transfer over usb (this is never going to be used, iriver) and the new features iriver manages to get working every firmware update are 90% monkey shit (yes to lyrics support no to bugfixes WHAT??) but anyways, the point is that if you want the more powerful piece of hardware, the irivers and possibly rio-offerings of the world are a better bet. most people are just looking for a shiny plastic mini-victrola though, and wires and little joystick bits just serve to confuse them.

oh, the new firmware update is out. it has file delete and "gapless" playback (apparently their software engineers don't know what gapless playback is). that's all they managed to get working in something like six months. good job guys.

...

 

[Fresh Prince]

I'm not saying iRiver is not unworkable, but the iPod is a bit simpler.
For the iPod it's a Sony PS2 policy. Need more features? Buy more accessories!
Like consoles there is no 'best' DAP, just one that suits your needs the best.
Truth be told I would of got a Karma if it was available in Australia (for the right price).

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

Zen Xtra

I have that and it kicks butt

30 gigs is WAYY more than enough for my tastes and the sound quality is on par if not better then what I get from my home pc and sony bass headphones.

 

[Great King Bowser]

iRiver H-140 over here. The thing has served me well for the past 3 months.

I don't see how iRivers are hard to use, the interfact is intuitive enough for me to easily find any tracks I want.

The fact that it's a plug and play HDD is the icing on the cake, I store a lot of school work on it to carry to and from college which is awesome, and transferring music is nice and easy. Copy and paste. The end.

Only minor niggle is the chunky case, not really a big fan of it. In fact I feel embarassed sometimes to show it to my friends, whenever I do, I take it out of the case so they can see that it's actually quite small. Well at least the case does a good job protecting, dropped my player a few times, still working without a scratch on it.

iSkin are releasing cases for iRiver sometime this month, and Vaja already have so it's not a longterm problem. Does anyone use their iRiver without the case? Reckon it'll get damaged in my pocket if I do?

 

[Great King Bowser]

So the sister is looking to get a 20gb HDD model. I started her looking at the Zen Touch, a step in the right direction? It's either that or an iPod.

Your thoughts guys?

I'd tell her to get an iRiver, but I don't want us both with the same thing, and I doubt she would either.

 

[xsarien]

So the sister is looking to get a 20gb HDD model. I started her looking at the Zen Touch, a step in the right direction? It's either that or an iPod.

Your thoughts guys?

Both are probably fine.

The fact that it's a plug and play HDD is the icing on the cake, I store a lot of school work on it to carry to and from college which is awesome, and transferring music is nice and easy. Copy and paste. The end.

The iPod can also act as a hard drive. Just enable the "use as disk" mode in iTunes once, and future connections to your computer will put it in the explorer with the rest of your devices. Also, transferring music is even easier than the iRiver. Dock it. The end.

 

[Great King Bowser]

But then I'd have to install itunes at college.

By docking do you mean it auto-syncs? I'm pretty sure you can do that with an iRiver with the right music programs, never tried though. Drag and drop is enough for me.

 

[Idle Will Kill]

Why do some of you care so much what players other people buy? Honestly, I'm just curious.

 

[xsarien]

But then I'd have to install itunes at college.

By docking do you mean it auto-syncs?

It auto-syncs to your iTunes library, yeah. Plug it in, iTunes loads if it isn't already running, and anything you've added to iTunes since gets transferred, anything you've deleted gets removed, and all playlist modifications are accounted for.

You can adjust how much is synced, obviously. Hell, you can even tell the system not to load iTunes automatically, which is optimal if you occasionally use it as an external drive.

 

[Great King Bowser]

Sounds pretty cool. Might have to look into an iPod for her then.

Must tell her not to buy into the god damn image though.

 

[fart]

Must tell her not to buy into the god damn image though.

that'll be like tearing a brick wall down by throwing eggs at it.

 

[Great King Bowser]

Bah, at least she'll be getting my old Sony EX71SL headphones to replace whatever stock headphones she gets. Whilst I'll be upgrading to some Shure e2cs.

 

[Mason]

I have a 30 GB Zen and am completely happy with it with one exception. The earbud headphones that came with it were deformed or something. One side of the cord was much longer than the other one so it looked awkward to wear them, and they weren't adjustable. Just a few weeks after I got it, the protective covering started coming off and now they're unusable. Do you guys know if Creative would replace them? They were pretty good for earbuds.

 

[fart]

by protective covering do you mean the ear bud foam? you can get that stuff at radio shack. as for the wire lengths, the longer wire is supposed to go around the back of your neck. still, you should pick up some better headphones. the koss ksc-xx are ace, as are senn px100s, or mxx00 earbuds.

 

[DJ Sl4m]

I have an iPod 15 gig, and a Creative Zen Xtra 60 gig, and from personal experience I think the iPod is very overated mainly from looks and size.

My Creative Zen batterty lasts well over 12 hours and isn't much larger since it was sized down anyway.

With My iPod the 6-7 hour at most battery was no where close to being enough power every day I used it, so I had to purchase a car charger, and decided to get one with a dash mount that ended up costing another $100.00 (damn Apple products and 3rd party peripherals)

I have my iPod and Zen Xtra in a leather case to keep them from getting scratched, plus it adds a loop the back so I can use a strap through it for use in the GYM.
The design and how stylish either are are clearly a non issue it the player is covered up.

One thing to note is I read in the past where a few people the forum dont use covers to protect the iPod and just place it in a pocket.
I tried this at the gym and found that to be useless for the way I use my player, I'm sure many people can pull it off, but I pause my music or change songs at times, which means a pain in the ass to unpause/pause every few minutes.
And if it's in your pocket you almost HAVE to keep it locked considering how sensative the iPod is at times.

I heard a lot of good things about the iRiver, ex. long battery life, more gigs than iPod per $, etc and I'm sure it's a damn nice player.

In fact all 3 are really great players it just depends on how extensively you need to use it and for how long at a time, if money, storage space and battery life are big issues then the iriver or zen xtra should be your 2 choices.

 

[Fusebox]

I had both the 3rd gen iPod 20 gig and the Zen NX 30 gig.

The Zen NX sounded a lot better and had more space, better battery life and better codec support.

The iPod fits in my pocket and has a terrific UI.

In the end I sold the Zen.

The extra battery and better sound quality couldnt make up for the fact that my iPod gets far, far, far more use than the NX ever did simply because of its smaller form factor and its awesome interface.

I used to hang crap on iPod owners as a lot of them naively assume its the best player on the market, but I have to admit that I wouldnt get rid of my iPod for anything. It really is a beautifully built bit of kit.

Having said all of that, I'd buy the Rio Karma in a second if it was locally available in Australia, but the build quality and failure rate reported at riovolution concerns me too much to bother with importing one into Aus.

 

[Mason]

by protective covering do you mean the ear bud foam? you can get that stuff at radio shack. as for the wire lengths, the longer wire is supposed to go around the back of your neck. still, you should pick up some better headphones. the koss ksc-xx are ace, as are senn px100s, or mxx00 earbuds.

No, I mean the actual white plastic stuff that covers the wires. The place where the wire branches off into a cord for each ear is where it started stripping off. Now the wires are exposed there and I get horrible, tinny, subdued sound quality.

 

[fart]

oh man, toss them out. head to your local best buy and pick up some ksc-50/55s or compusa for some px100s.

 

[Great King Bowser]

I have a 30 GB Zen and am completely happy with it with one exception. The earbud headphones that came with it were deformed or something. One side of the cord was much longer than the other one so it looked awkward to wear them, and they weren't adjustable. Just a few weeks after I got it, the protective covering started coming off and now they're unusable. Do you guys know if Creative would replace them? They were pretty good for earbuds.

Wait erm, are you sure the longer cable wasn't supposed to go behind your neck to your other ear? Usually the right side is longer. It stops the cable getting in your face and shit, and so they just hang off your shoulders.

 

[Fusebox]

Lol, I didnt even notice that.

GKB is right, if they're Sony-inspired headphones the long side goes around the back of your neck.

Thats my favourite style, it makes them easy to take them off and rest them on your shoulders for short periods of time and easy to find to put back in again.

Also, what protective covering? The felt bud cover? Stuff it. It only stifles high freqs, use them without the covering.

Although what fart reckons is right, if you want to make the most of the great internal Zen amp then you need to go and blow $50 on some decent headphones man.