Portable mp3 player: Do you own one?

[hibernal_dream]

It all depends of the encoding quality. 320kbps is pretty damn close to cd quality. Even at 192kbps, it's pretty hard to tell the difference on a portable unit.

Yes that's true, I forgot that portable units are always going to have lower quality playback anyway. Convenience seems to be the main factor here. Kenneth - good points, especially 6. I can't imagine anyone using an Ipod to listen to Black Rose Immortal or a Bruckner symphony. And the Ipod shuffle - wtf is with that? Is it true you can't actually choose a song on that thing?

 

[Braighs]

how come?

Bicycle = no gas+maintenence = more money = more music.

 

[Kenneth R.]

and more eco-friendly. bravo my friend

 

[FRUGiHOYi]

that actually worked?

Of course. The best part was rubbing it in people's faces after I got it, because everyone thought I was an idiot and I wasn't going to get one. I guess we know who the real idiots are now.

 

[prowlergrig]

Actually, I said 15 hours/week....a day would leave little time for actual work and sleep!

yep that sounds more realistic... reminds me i should get some sleep myself

1. (ipod specific) i despise how it has become a fashion/market statement rather than a utility.
2. (ipod specific) there are better players out there that don't come with apple's ridiculous formatting nonsense.
3. (ipod specific) itunes blows.
4. price.
5. my music collection exceeds the capacity of most players anyway.
6. having everything in one place defeats the joy of limiting oneself to a few albums at most, intricately exploring them rather than skipping around, etc.

...pretty much my reasons for getting my 512mb mp3 player.. although i prolly should have bought the creative instead

 

[Liquid Diamonds]

My mp3 is 40gb.

It's full.

I need at least another 20GB now, so if I get another one, it will be a minimum of 80GB, and I'll try to use both players.

 

[soundave]

1. (ipod specific) i despise how it has become a fashion/market statement rather than a utility.
2. (ipod specific) there are better players out there that don't come with apple's ridiculous formatting nonsense.
3. (ipod specific) itunes blows.
4. price.
5. my music collection exceeds the capacity of most players anyway.
6. having everything in one place defeats the joy of limiting oneself to a few albums at most, intricately exploring them rather than skipping around, etc.

anyway, i'd prefer vinyl on a tube 70s record player any day above all other formats. i do own and use a cd player though.

Decent points, Kenneth, per usual. I counter with:

1. It is still the best utility of the lot afaict
2. Formatting nonsense is with iTunes MP3's, and you don't have to get your music from iTunes
3. Use eMusic. Rip your own CD's...
4. Totally agree.
5. You don't have to sync the whole thing...
6. This I don't understand... for a long trip, say a plane flight, it beats the hell out of trying to figure out what I might be in the mood for days in the future. Point 5 makes this sound like sour grapes...

Not to be a dick, cuz I like you Kenneth! I wish I had your kind of time to kick back and enjoy music. You still in school, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Mr Samsara]

If I get an Ipod... do I have to use Itunes to get my mp3z onto it and organized, etc? I've never really looked at one or done any research period so I'm just wondering.

 

[Sadguru]

If I get an Ipod... do I have to use Itunes to get my mp3z onto it and organized, etc? I've never really looked at one or done any research period so I'm just wondering.

I'm almost certain you won't have to, but Itunes is obviously the most convenient solution.

 

[Mr Samsara]

well I was only wondering since I've heard many complain about the app (although usually without specifics) .... like Ken R. above for example. I'm reserving judgment... but was just curious. Thanks!

 

[Sadguru]

well I was only wondering since I've heard many complain about the app.... like Ken R. above for example. I'm reserving judgment... but was just curious. Thanks!

No prob. It's been almost 2 years I purchased mine I'm very satisfied so far.

 

[soundave]

iTunes the app is pretty decent, I suppose. Easy for syncing your iPod or whatever. I switched from music jukebox or some such shit a few years ago. I rather like iTunes, tbqh. The ability to sort my music and create smart playlists is pretty cool. The lossless encoding sounds really good, too.

My only beef is that the iTunes store has all sorts of DRM issues. Not to be an evangelist, but eMusic does not. And they carry all sorts of shit people on this forum would like. The catch is that it's a subscription service. I get my money's worth, though.

 

[narcoleptic haze]

5. my music collection exceeds the capacity of most players anyway.
6. having everything in one place defeats the joy of limiting oneself to a few albums at most, intricately exploring them rather than skipping around, etc.

Those 2 points kinda cancel each other out.

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Also, for Samsara etc, unless there's a method im unaware of, iTunes is the only way to load up/manage the iPod.

It's really not that bad. And if you dont like it, just dont use it for anything other than putting music etc on there. Thats what i do.

 

[naboo]

At one point I kind of had one. I stole one of my dad's. It was just a small 512 flash player but I think that serves me better than any ridiculously sized Ipod (or something like it). It holds approximately 8-12 albums on it, and what I do is just put the 8-12 albums that I'm into the most on there at one time. It really allows me to appreciate the album more because I usually listen to one album when using it. Much cheaper and much more practical than any 20-30-whatever gigabyte Ipod. It recently broke though, so I might buy a new one soon, so I guess I'll say "No, but I want one."

 

[soundave]

@dcat: you got me interested and I found some cool info out about CD vs. vinyl here. Also, I'm aware that beta was better. That was the parallel I was making... that the world moves on and not always to an audiophile's delight. But average Joe's such as myself suck it up and jump into the stream, so to speak, unable to afford to fight the current.

Cheers!

 

[Kenneth R.]

Also, for Samsara etc, unless there's a method im unaware of, iTunes is the only way to load up/manage the iPod.

.

that's because ipods use a specific format. ie, you can't put any random audio format on there. major detriment.

 

[BurningSky]

Ken, it seems to me like youre just anti-iPod. I would love for there to be a better option in the realm of portable music players, but at this point there isn't. My biggest beef with iPods is that they break down all the time. I've already gone through 2 and i would probably go through more if I felt like dropping more money to get one. I've dealt fine not having a player for a while now, but I do kinda wish another company would come along and say to Apple "thanks for the inspiration, here's how its actually done." But until then...

 

[biggsy]

I'm almost certain you won't have to, but Itunes is obviously the most convenient solution.

Really? I thought for iPods you had to use iTunes.

I have an iRiver H10 20GB. I didn't want to spend $500 on a 60 or 80GB player. Plus I don't see the sense of it. It's not like you'd listen to 60 or 80GB of music at one time. Or even 20GB. And it's easy to sync more on or whatever. The best thing about my player is, unlike iPods (or so I've heard), you can transfer music directly from your computer, to your player, then to another computer.

 

[narcoleptic haze]

^ yeah but the fact you still have to "sync" it with a player like WMP sucks. With the Creative ZEN Neeon (and perhaps their other models too) it's just like a portable HDD that you drag normal MP3 files onto.

Thats how they should all work.

 

[BurningSky]

Really? I thought for iPods you had to use iTunes.

I have an iRiver H10 20GB. I didn't want to spend $500 on a 60 or 80GB player. Plus I don't see the sense of it. It's not like you'd listen to 60 or 80GB of music at one time. Or even 20GB. And it's easy to sync more on or whatever. The best thing about my player is, unlike iPods (or so I've heard), you can transfer music directly from your computer, to your player, then to another computer.

Naturally, you're not going to listen to 60 gigs at a time, but there's no telling what song you'll want to hear at any given moment. Why would I want to pick and choose what i'm carrying around when I can just have nearly my entire CD collection in my pocket? I just dont see the point of having a 1 - 4 gig mp3 player (like the Creative ones) unless its for exercising purposes, or something like that. I like how Creative's transfer works, but iTunes is a small price to pay for what you can hold on an iPod.