Serious lust for an iPod

First of all, please don't argue about MP3's etc.

I just want to carry lots of music with me, the radio sucks and I don't like to carry a bunch of CD-R's with me.

The new 10 gig model looks really fine to me.

Lets talk!

Thanks

 

I have the Archos 15 gb. Most that I see available now is 20 gb. While not as elegant as the ipod, it is cheaper. And it has certainly been working great for me. USB, no extra software required, just shows up as an extra drive so just drag & drop the files. Not as fast as firewire of course but then I only copy a couple albums at a time. I've installed replacement firmware (Rockbox) that has some better features than stock:

http://rockbox.haxx.se/

Plus eventually I'll probably swap out the drive for a much bigger one, maybe a 60 gb.

I also have a Philips mp3 cd player. The Archos hard drive player is so much better. No more hassles with organizing & burning cdrs. Even though you can put a dozen albums on a cdr, you still have to decide which ones. And navigating on the cd player is a pain. Whichever hard drive player you end up with, I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot more than the cdrs.

 

You don't have to limit yourself to mp3s! You could take about 18 average-sized CDs with you on your ipod in redbook, .wav or.aiff. I can't remember whether it reads one or the other or both. But the ipod will read those.

 

Took the words right out of my mouth!!

Does anyone know if the new model can do the same??

 

Gabe, yep. All models say this:

iPod supports the most popular audio formats — including MP3 (up to 320 kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate (VBR) and WAV — giving you access to a wide range of audio file types.

mud-

 

By the way... the new iPod supports AAC... better quality than MP3.

 

AAC is only available if you load it from a MAC.



Joe

 

That's true, but only til end of the year. Apple will release iTunes 4 for Win.

So you can import the songs from CDs... chosing as AAC, MP3, AIFF or WAV files.

 

I just got one

I got a 30gb ipod last week from Dell. There was a deal that made the 30gb cost $428.

I've loaded about 5gb on to it. My goal is to use it in the car so I can have lots more music with me.

I haven't had long enough with it to 100% recommend it, but let me say this;

IT IS SMALL.

I mean , it's Tiny. It's really, really small. And the 15 model is about 20% thinner than mine.

http://www.tomsfiles.com <-picture of mine

-Tom

 

Hi Tom, which file format are you loading the tunes as? WAV?

mud-

 

I

 

I have the original 5 Gig IPOD and I LOVE it. I have an hour commute to work on the PATH train every morning, so once a week, I load the IPOD with playlists and music and thats it. The Firewire interface is SO fast, it takes no time at all to add a few CDs.

I encode with EAC at 360kbs and I have no complainbts about sound quality. the resulting files are VERY close to cds.

I hear the new IPOD next year will have a bigger screen for video and will support MP4 video files. That should be fun. Cant wait to watch "Get Smart" on the PATH train.

Sorry about the Chief!!

 

I bought the 10 gig IPOD in January. I love this thing. While I am annoyed that the new 10 gig actually has a line-out jack, I really only need it to commute into NYC everyday.

I do find that the earbuds aren't loud enough to cover up all the background noise, so my next purchase is going to be either Shure or Etymotic earbuds that seal the ear canal so I don't go deaf trying to overpower the noise of a train.

BOB

 

Best earbuds are from Bang & Olufsen

 

I have looked at these online, but never actually checked them out in person. I don't question their quality, but I think a more sealed earphone would work for me because of constant background noise (just this morning a ruffled newspaper drowned out a low-volume Johnny Cash song) from my morning and evening train commute. I have seen people using them and they do look pretty flashy.

 

I agree... I just don't like bigger headphones with my iPod, but I know they are better as all earbuds.

 

I have the 49$ Sony Earbuds and they are great. The really block out a lot of the train noise.

And the PATH train is one noisy train!!

 

Well, the lust is over. I bought the 10 gig model. I've loaded 311 songs using about 2 gig. Plenty of room left and it is really small.

I did a test tonight and I think the sound quality is very good.

I'm off this week and will add more to it before I go back to work on 6/2.

I'm gonna buy the FM transmitter for it and play with in in my car while I'm off.

And today, please take a moment to remember all those who served our country and died for our freedom!

Joe

 

Very good choice... I'm still waiting getting my new one!

 

Thanks Claus, I'm really enjoying it.

The FM transmitter did not work out. I've got a cassette adapter that is fine.

I added a Firewire card to my Windows 2000 PC without any problems. It takes about 35 seconds to upload a CD to the iPod. Musicmatch is not the greatest, but I've got it to do the job until iTunes for PC is released.

For it's size and all, The iPod can't be beat.

 

I have heard that most of the FM transmitters don't work well in large metro areas because of lack of open stations on the dial.

The newest version, The iTrip is the latest version and it is very small and plugs right into the top. It looks like the size of a AA battery.

iTrip

I have not heard this, so I can't confirm. I read mixed reviews.

 

Might I suggest that anyone looking for an MP3 player look into the Creative Zen 2.0? Runs on USB 2.0, so the transfer rate is about the same as IEEE 1394 if your computer has 2.0, even if you don't, you can still do transfers, although at the much slower 1.1 rate. Great for sharing files between a home and work computer! And it has an integrated Li-ion battery, and costs significantly less than an iPod. Just my $0.02.

 

I have the zen. It's awesome! A 20 gig hard drive holds all the music you'll need, and the sound quality is great. In fact, sound-wise, it got better reviews than the ipod. It's size is almost the same as an ipod. It seems to be a well kept secret, as the ipod is getting all the attention. As a bonus, the price is more than $100 less.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3025916194&category=15058

 

Does anyone know where to find these?