iRIVER versus iPOD a Discussion

by Terry 22 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  hillary_step

  Terry,

  Of course, none of what you hear on any of these systems could be called 'audio' and that is why I do not own any of them. In fact mp3 downloads strip out some of the source information and give you a mere approximation of the studio sound.

  I would rather listen to no music than distorted sound. I am an audiophile and while I admit that my audio system would cost you 25k to buy, once a person has heard their favorite music on my system I suspect that these miniature systems would be of little interest. A little like soloing on a comic guitar.

  With the advent of ebay a person can put together a true audiophile system for 2k. There is a lot of high-end vintage equipment going for very little out their. For example, I picked up a Technics Sl P1300 Broadcast CD player which retailed at $2,600 in its day for $140.00 on ebay recently, and while it does not have the detail of my Kinergetics CD player, it has a breathtaking sound.

  HS
• 

  XBEHERE

  Of course, none of what you hear on any of these systems could be called 'audio' and that is why I do not own any of them.
  In fact mp3 downloads strip out some of the source information and give you a mere approximation of the studio sound.

  I guess my hearing is not all that good because I really cant tell the difference. 

  In the end its portability and size of the device that matters anyway and this is why digital music is hear to stay.
• 

  hillary_step

  XBEHERE,

  I guess my hearing is not all that good because I really cant tell the difference.

  I guarantee that in a proper comparison setting you could quite easily identify the digital music. It is the difference between a Beetle and a Rolls Royce in an auditory sense. Both take you to your destination, but one does not give you a numb arse. Listening fatigue is a measured response.

  Cassette players are not used much these days, but I can say with absolute certainty, because I have tested this with professional musicians, that my Nakamichi Dragon cassette player will give better quality playback than any digital device, in any setting that I have heard so far. Where vinyl is concerned, I have recorded vinyl to CD using a Linn Sondek turntable without digital 'enhancement', and have yet to have anyone think it anything but a studio produced CD, which I am sure you will agree contains much more information and musicality than an mp3 download.

  As to portability, yes, digital music is here to stay, that is not in question. I was merely explaining why I do not use such devices. I prefer my music to sound as true to its recording master as possible. It is also interesting that a ressurgence is taking place in the audio market both with vinyl and tube amplifiers among those who are perhaps more discriminating in what they view as acceptable musical reproduction.

  Best regards - HS

  Here is one to stick in the ear :

  
• 

  XBEHERE

  hillary step,

  Thank you for the concise, logical, unprovoking response. You are obviously a true "audiophile" and I have heard your arguments in favor of vinyl before. Perhaps someday I will get to know the difference.
• 

  drew sagan

  Different tune; different drummer you might say :)

  Yeah. I have so many mp3 files that storing them on my computers HD is just not an option. Right now they are on an external 200GB firewire HD that I got, in addition to being on my ipod. Since I can have all my music backed up twice this way i'm not to excited about moving over to something differant.
  
  BTW, the linux ipod thing is really neat in terms of the access you have to the ipod and the files you can drop on it. Helps bypass much of the itunes stuff that can be cumbersome.
• 

  Wild_Thing

  iRIVER is the best. The price is good, the performance is great! And mine runs on a simple AA battery. My iRIVER has plenty of disk space, radio, a radio recorder with a timer (so you can record shows like you would your VCR), a voice recorder, and even holds tiny little pictures if I want it to. You can't beat that!

  The only reason people buy an iPOD is for the accessories.
• 

  MegaDude

  Iriver man here. But I use it to listen to audio books and seminars. Not music.
• 

  monophonic

  i agree...i used to do tech support, so i'm always way more nice than many...even when i'm dealing with health insurance (notoriously inept), i always show respect to the person on the other end.

  for some reason, even being nice, i got the complete blow off from iriver, could've been a bad apple or whatever, but when i get the blow off that's when i ask the harder questions, like what should i do to resolve the problem, which was, they'd give me a gift certificate for $75 for another iriver product....which the final straw was i was taping an interview with the author of white oleandar, and she did this whole segment about getting picked for oprah book club and how she was working a temp job and got a call from oprah directly and the iriver crapped out again.

  i declined the gift certificate b/c i was getting attitude when i was being nice and respectful about it.....i always assume the other person is trying their best, in this case, i got instant attitude from them, so no more iriver products or recommendations from me. even $75 off won't get me to buy another iriver product.

  creative and dell, them i'll support, and even though i really dislike being a slave to itunes, ipod has always treated us right w/ tech support and replacements.
• 

  misanthropic

  The Demo was great, I'm a fan of having a little portable player with me, I'm outdoors a lot and I like to listen to music when I go walking.
  I've only ever used ipod but I love the way the iriver looks and it's so compact.
  I guess it's time I tried something new ;-)
• 

  monophonic

  which model is that? i like the idea of using non-internal batteries. from what i understand, i guess there's an usb --> battery connector for players and recorders where the internal battery dies...i still need to buy that connector for my microtrack recorder just in case....knock on wood.