anyone have an iPod?

[bluesForBartok]

I have the 20gb version for Windows and I gotta tell ya, it's just a great little contraption.

I've got almost all my Mosaic sets, the entire Coltrane Prestige, tons of Blue Note stuff etc. I hook this thing up to my computer speakers at work and I'm good to go all day. I only have about 1.5 gb left so now I'm starting to get stingy about what I put on there and considering an upgrade but I want to wait until they introduce a 60 gb version or an 80 which would just be incredible.

At any rate if you don't have one I recommend it highly. If you do have one I'd love to hear your opinion(s).

Edited November 10, 2003 by bluesForBartok

[AfricaBrass]

Welcome to the board, bluesforbartok!

I don't have an IPod, but I've been lusting after one for a while.

My current setup is a cd player that plays mp3 discs. I've done the same thing and ripped my Mosaic sets to mp3.

When the prices come down a little more, I'll be joining the IPod contingent. I heard that Dell has released their own mp3 player. Does anyone here know about that one?

[bluesForBartok]

Thanks for the welcome

Apple has this funny way of releasing the next upgrade w/ little advanced announcement (which I assume will be the 50 - 60 gb model) but once they do, the 10, 15 and 20 gb should go down in price somewhat.

I mean even the 10 is a hearty little machine. That's a lot of music!

[AfricaBrass]

Cool! I could be happy with a 10gb version.

Does it take long to transfer files to the IPod, or is done quickly?

[Soulstation1]

a ? i've have for awhile.

can you hook an ipod up to your home stereo?

[AfricaBrass]

a ? i've have for awhile.

can you hook an ipod up to your home stereo?

I do that with my mp3 cd player.

I prefer to use the line out jack (with a 1/8" connection). I got a cable at Radio Shack that goes from 1/8 to (2) RCA jacks.

I think you could do the same with the headphones jack if it doesn't have a line out.

[bluesForBartok]

Cool! I could be happy with a 10gb version.

Does it take long to transfer files to the IPod, or is done quickly?

The transfer is done pretty quickly w/ Windows using Music Match which was the file management software that came w/ mine. I would say 1 Album/CD takes less than a minute to dump onto the iPod.

That's using a firewire connection which has a faster transfer rate then USB. If you get one and go the USB route it will definitely take longer although I'm not sure how long exactly

[Christiern]

Steve Jobs has said that he wants to see a $100 iPod--and when it comes to things Apple, he usually gets what he wants.

[Claude]

I have ordered a iRiver IHP-120 (20gb version of the IHP-100) a month ago but it is high in demand and I haven't received it yet.

I chose the iRiver over the iPod because it needs no special software on the PC to transfer files to the player, supports the WMA and Ogg Vorbis formats, has the ability to record (digital and analog input) and a built-in radio.

I travel a lot and used a Riovolt MP3-CD-Player with 3 full CD-RWs (20 hours of music) until it broke down recently. The iRiver will allow me to carry a much bigger music collection with me.

With such a device one absolutely needs a Firewire or USB 2.0 interface on the PC. USB 1.0 works but is much too slow. USB 2.0 is now standard in PCs but rather recent. Older PCs can be upgraded by installing a $20 USB 2.0 PCI-card.

Edited November 10, 2003 by Claude

[Guest akanalog]

i got a 15 GB ipod for free from my school computer store.

within one day the forward button broke-it is not responsive to the touch.

it is very annoying-but the thing was free so i can't complain.

besides the button, it is a great machine.

instead of toting a backpack full of CDs everywhere, i just bring the ipod and a cable to connect it to the stereo.

and now when i walk around i have thousands of songs on my ipod instead of ten songs on a CD on my bulkier discman.

it is so easy to charge and transfer music-i don't know if an ipod is worth the money they cost right now but they are pretty cool toys.

[BFrank]

I have an Archos 20 Recorder and it's great. Some people have reported problems, but it works great for me. PERFECT for work. Nice NOT to have to ferry CDs back and forth.

Also, at about $250 (for the 20GB version) it's about 1/2 the price of similar products.

[Uncle Skid]

I have an Archos 20 Recorder and it's great.

I'll add another thumbs up for the Archos. I've also been very happy with mine -- and like the iRiver product, you don't need any special software to moves files back and forth. In fact, I often use mine as a portable hard drive, in addition to a great MP3 player.

Not sure if it supports WMA and Ogg Vorbis, but VBR-encoded MP3's sound OK to me.

BFrank -- have you seen this software: Rockbox Open Source Jukebox Firmware

It's a free replacement for the software/user interface that is supplied with the Archos, and it's *much* better. One nice feature is the "resume" function that will start playing right where you left off before powering the unit down.

[PFunkJazz]

CLAUDE - I travel a lot too, and I recently got an IHP-120. It is amazing and I wouldn't leave home without it. Hang on in there buddy, it will be worth the wait.

Edited November 11, 2003 by PFunkJazz

[GregK]

I have ordered a iRiver IHP-120 (20gb version of the IHP-100) a month ago but it is high in demand and I haven't received it yet.

I chose the iRiver over the iPod because it needs no special software on the PC to transfer files to the player, supports the WMA and Ogg Vorbis formats, has the ability to record (digital and analog input) and a built-in radio.

I travel a lot and used a Riovolt MP3-CD-Player with 3 full CD-RWs (20 hours of music) until it broke down recently. The iRiver will allow me to carry a much bigger music collection with me.

With such a device one absolutely needs a Firewire or USB 2.0 interface on the PC. USB 1.0 works but is much too slow. USB 2.0 is now standard in PCs but rather recent. Older PCs can be upgraded by installing a $20 USB 2.0 PCI-card.

I have the iRiver 190T, a 256MB mp3/WMA player with radio and recorder, and man I LOVE THIS THING!!! It is well worth the money. Very easy to use, lots and lots of features (you can have the menu in just about any language you want), an EQ, great sound. it is small and comes with great 'phones too. the only problem I have had with it, and its a significant one, is the software that came with it for loading files onto it needs to be reinstalled quite often, for whatever reason. I have also had to reinstall the USB driver maybe 60-70% of the time I use it, so it's always a major hassle just changing files. But, you can re-format the thing and turn it into a simple removable drive, which could make life easier. Also, I have tried contacting iRiver for help and they are hard to get a hold of

[Guy Berger]

Hey folks,

I am going to buy a 20Gig MP3 player this week (long flight to Israel coming up and El Al doesn't allow CD players on board) but can't decide between the Rio Karma (cheapest), IRiver or IPod. Anybody have any ideas before I make my decision?

Guy

[gslade]

I've Had my 5 gig first gen I-pod for about three years.

It still works fine, the battery does not hold as much of a charge as it use to

but It still works for about 8 hrs.

I have 746 Albums about 99.7 gig on an external Lacie Hard-drive

and do most of my listening on my I-pod

It has been well worth the investment

Edited May 29, 2004 by gslade

[Jim Dye]

Another vote here for an iPod. It worked great with my PC. It works even better with my new eMac. I picked up the 10 gig model as a closeout at Target for only 209.99!

[Guy Berger]

Another vote here for an iPod. It worked great with my PC. It works even better with my new eMac. I picked up the 10 gig model as a closeout at Target for only 209.99!

So I finally picked up an iPod... Not sure whether I will use a CD player ever again...

A question: I figure that the battery takes a beating with usage. Is this thing going to be usable in 2 years?

Guy

[David Williams]

Aren't the batteries replaceable?

I've just ordered an iRiver iMP550 CD/mp3 player 'cos my CD player broke, but the iHP120 is calling my name.

[Christiern]

It is said that the new iPods will be able to send video images to a TV, wirelessly.

[Brandon Burke]

I got a 15G number when I bought my iBook a couple of weeks ago. Figured I should take advantage of the student discount while I'm still elligable. I love it.

[Chalupa]

Aren't the batteries replaceable?

I've just ordered an iRiver iMP550 CD/mp3 player 'cos my CD player broke, but the iHP120 is calling my name.

Apparently the batteries can only be replaced by Apple which charges around $100(US) + shipping. The battery life/replacement hassle has been the main complaint voiced about IPods.

I read a review somewhere on amazon.com where someone compared the Ipod, Rio, Zen, and one other I can't remember the name of right now. Anyway, basically what this guy said is that all of the mp3 players on the market right now have their +/-'s . If you're looking for one that has a lot of storage, easy to use, is durable, sounds great and is inexpensive - forget it. Wait for the next generation of players. You have to decide which one is right for you.

I bought my wife the 20G IPod for Christmas. She uses it everyday. 6 months later and no complaints.

[Chalupa]

I found the review...

Hard Disk MP3 Players, February 9, 2004

Reviewer: i_like_gadets (see more about me) from Glen Allen, VA USA

If you read reviews for the 4 main contenders in this market - the iPod, Creative Zen, Rio Karma and iRiver iHP - you'll notice that each has their pros and cons; none are perfect and you should decide whether you want to take to take the plunge now or later.

If your view in life is that you are going to pay $x00 to get a device then it must be near ideal - ruggedly constructed, fault proof, good product support, easy to use software - then do yourself a favor and don't buy yet. All the products have drawbacks and are not mature yet; if you expect value and reliability then wait a while. If you are OK paying $x00 for something that can be used now, but is likely to both get better and cost less in the future then try to determine which device is the lesser of evils for you.

iPod clearly has the most buzz. Great design and looks cool. Most people love the appearance and praise the touch sensitive buttons. It has a hold button to deactivate the buttons to avoid accidents; however, enough reviewers have complained that the hold button is easily broken and then the device can't be used. Some of the more geeky (non-Apple type) reviewers complain that the scrollwheel is annoying after a while and they resent being forced into this Apple-like interface. Everyone complains about the non-replaceable battery, yet this is the price of sturdy construction. iPod can be used as an external disk, and apparently stores files without problem. However, the music and data are apparently not separated; iPod reviewers complain about "white noise" in random feedback mode that comes from appointments / contacts created on the iPod during synchronization. Synchronizing music among computers, if you have more than one, seems to be an issue; research this before buying if you have multiple computers you want to be synchronized. Reviews for sound quality are generally (but not universally) positive. Reviews of Apple's support are generally poor; they seem to address issues in warranty, which covers a short time after delivery / pickup of item. After that it seems like you're on your own. iPod has no stop button; when new users mention this iPod veterans call it "unnecessary" and "so 20th century".

Creative Zen feedback suffers from construction quality, poor product support, difficulty of using the scroll wheel and reasonably consistent feedback about problems with the headphone jack. Construction quality is a difficult item. The Zen has a detachable face plate that allows the battery to be replaced. What is added in functionality (battery replacement) detracts in build quality as the face plate is prone to popping off. Drop if just a few inches on a hard surface and the faceplate pops off (but not if it's in its case). Many reviewers say the faceplate simply didn't fit well so they returned the Zen. Feedback on Creative's product support is universally poor; this is not limited to the Zen, it applies to all the company's products. The scroll wheel is finicky; it works most of the time but there is a learning curve for pressing it just right; new users say they have 50% - 75% success rate; some find it so frustrating that they just return the device. The Creative software is awkward / difficult to use and just plain doesn't load on some computers. Enough people have reported that their headphone jack doesn't work after a month of using the device to believe that Creative has some inbuilt manufacturing or quality control problem. The Zen doesn't support folders so it is not really a storage device; even with third party software that "creates" folders, documents and programs can't be launched from the Zen, so it is not a hard disk, it's a storage device at best. Reviews for sound quality are generally (but not universally) positive. The Zen has no stop button. Veteran Zen users have explained how to stop if that's what you want.

The Rio Karma feedback suffers from sensitivity in the hard disk. It seems like movement, even small movement, causes skipping in playback and even the device freezing. If you plan to carry the device around (it is a mobile device, right?) then this is something you might want to think about. Karma gets consistently good reviews for sound quality and connectivity from its docking device, which has RCA output jacks and Ethernet jacks for connectivity. Usability (button usage, feature selection, menu structure, display size and quality) also has good feedback. Repair seems to be an issue; some say the repair don't exist - you just have to buy a new player. Perhaps because of its smaller user base there is also a lack of accessories. Like the Zen, the Karma does not support folders and is not designed to be a data storage device. It only comes in 20Gb; enough for most people, not for those with large collections ripped at high sampling rates. The Karma does have a stop button.

There aren't many reviews for the iRiver iHP. Those that have it like it. The only complaint seems to be that the disk rotation is slow, leading to longer delays in some functions (playback and even a slow display of the menu?). Otherwise feedback seems to be good. No comments on reliability, warranty, repairs, accessories. No-one mentions whether there is a stop button, but the photos don't show one.

None of these are perfect. If you have the appetite choose the one that you think has the least deficiencies or is best suited to you. Accept that there will be better devices (or new generations of these ones) in a year or two that will cost less. If that is for you then pay the money, learn from the experience and you'll be a more informed buyer when you buy device #2. If you aren't into paying $x00 to learn and experiment, or the cons outweigh the pros, then wait a year or so. --This text refers to an alternate option.

[kulu se mama]

can you hook an ipod up to your home stereo?

a buddy of mine just received one as a gift, and he swears by it.

he came over and borrowed about 80 cd's and i think it's not even half filled.

he also bought a contraption that allows the ipod to play through a standard fm radio.

you pick the signal on the ipod and then tune the radio to those numbers.

presto.

i drive a company car all day with no cd player - this may be just the ticket.

[Claude]

can you hook an ipod up to your home stereo?

(...)

he also bought a contraption that allows the ipod to play through a standard fm radio.

you pick the signal on the ipod and then tune the radio to those numbers.

presto.

Every home stereo that has a line input can be used to connect a portable player. It doesn't necessarily need a line out on the portable device, the headphone jack is good as well (equalizer settings should be flat and the volume a bit less than maximum).

Most amplifiers have RCA jacks for line input ("Aux", "Tape in" or "Tape play", anything except "phono" and "microphone"), then it need a simple jack-RCA adapter cable that can be found in every electronics store for $8.

Only if a device has no line in (such as many car stereos) is it necessary to use more complicated connections like the FM transmission method.