I guess I need to seek help O.o

[Alanon]

OK, so when I woke up this morning, switched on my Receiver, started playing some music, I suddenly wished that my Sony Ericsson W950i had more to it than 4gb of available space for music... But then, oh the horror, I felt the thought creep inside my head... An iPod has much more space...

So like in a trance I sat before my monitor and started to search info on the i- stuff. Found out the best choice for an audiophile like me, and then went on to research opportunities for buying used models..... Before I knew what was happening, I nearly bought an 80GB iPod classic 5G...

That's when I decided to seek help. I've been a proud Apple basher for most of my life, it's the one constant in the ever changing world. The global economic crisis will come and go, the EU will rise and fall, even Oprah will one day die, but Apple will still suck. Or so I thought...

So here I am. I wonder whether there are people who have at one time or another had this urge, and have they been able to shake it off?

[rudrax]

No idea on Ipods

[dcs18]

I wonder whether there are people who have at one time or another had this urge, and have they been able to shake it off?

Well, here's an impulsive purchaser and once I decide, I'll never rest until the merchandise is in custody.

About apple products - they are admittedly top-notch (however, I'd never lock onto any of their offerings for the simple reason of sheer lack of cross-compatibility.) :thumbsdown:

[jalaffa]

Not much help from me.

I don't understand the concept of having to be able to carry your whole music collection with you. I'm more than happy to have this tiny Sony MP3 player (4GB) in my pocket with the records I care to listen to currently.

As for your mobile phone, you should be able to set up some kind of streaming services from your main computer I guess. Dunno - I'm not a fan of that either.

[insanedown58]

I leave it to my Nokia C3. If I run out of space for music, I go out and pickup a 4GB or 8GB MicroSD.

[majithia23]

As per the Audiophile levels , i have never been impressed with the i-Pod , let alone the case i rather dont like anything by Apple in the first place .... <_<

But this was to say considering the i-Pod as a stand alone hardware device curtained from any pre-prejudiced self animosity with the " i " ;)

The sound is too bright , high shrills , no bass , its clear but lack's the naturality . And this is with the stock head phones .

I have heard the Zune player . Much better as a hardware and also the results delivered by the hardware . But unfortunately its no longer available .

Another portable player i have heard and liked is the Creative . Dont remember which model , but loved its sound . Soft , natural and an excellent bass .

( Although of course , the sound as such is a subjective thing depending on how one likes to hear it ! ;) )

Right now , i'm on Note 2 with Sony XBR headphones . Ample space and Good sound .

( But to satisfy the audiophile , nothing beats the Foobar ! )

Another good player that has some good reviews is the Cowon .

Another option is to set up your own Streaming Media .

> Get an a/c on Grooveshark . Add in your songs from its database into your a/c or simple upload anything that is missing and access them anywhere .

> Get a streaming service like Spotify , Last.fm ,

> Install a remote access service like Tonido on your PC and a smartphone and access your PC from anywhere . Has media streaming also .

> Dedicated media streaming apps like the Plex https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.android&hl=en

In nutshell , under any means no , you dont need to succumb to the " i " . Plenty of options and Better ! ;)

[Alanon]

The likes of Cowon are a distant dream here. We don't even have paypal, and I haven't a credit card anyways, so I'm stuck with what garbage the local market throws at me. While there's a dedicated community of Hi-Fi lovers, they are all mostly old wealthy guys with too much time on their hands that don't listen to music outside their homes. Almost all the others are either iPodders, or (the great majority) cheap'o users. I've only seen the Zune once up for sale on the market here! I feel as if the market is driving me toward the dreaded "i". :( You can't get normal quality mp3 players for the price they are, in fact, worth, the sansa clip 4GB is 90E, any Sony Walkman 110+, and I really don't want to experiment with brands the likes of "X-wave". O.o Given the choice of these versus my Sony Ericsson, I'd take what I have now and be happy. Hell, the price for the quality they offer can easily be outmatched by almost any smartphone.

I've never considered streaming options before! That would, on the other hand, require a phone with internet. xD Of course, if the medium in question is payware, I probably won't be able to pay for it. It's a vicious circle. That's why I've stuck it out for so long with Sony Ericsson. They are crap out of the box, but people do wonders with modding the audio drivers! At the moment, I'd give my setup a solid 3+/5, which is mostly OK for daily use in the bus. I do wish I could use those 80gigs (I'm one of those people that listen to a song, then it reminds them of another song, etc etc etc...).

[avmad]

I have 2 players and if you can find them second hand somewhere I highly recommend them. Plenty of people have got them from Ebay nice and cheap.

Sound quality is brilliant, although they are fairly old now they both beat the Ipods at the time.

IriverH340 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iriver_H300_series

Cowon D2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowon_D2

[DKT27]

The sound is too bright , high shrills , no bass , its clear but lack's the naturality . And this is with the stock head phones .

This. ^^

I haven't been more unsatisfied in my life after buying a product (after buying iPod Nano).

It lacked bass, it lacked depth. It is only worth for 13 year old girls hearing Justin Bieber songs. I will never ever recommend going for iPod.

Few of the many problems I had came across:

It sounded bad, nothing near the quality of a computer (obvious, but worth noting).

It was made as a metal toy in mind.

My iPod Nano was impossible to jailbreak.

Everything you need to transfer to iPod requires iTunes. And iTunes just sucks. It is the worst piece of software Windows OS can ever have.

Also, you can't transfer anything, you have to sync it, means if you delete files from the computer, you delete it from iPod too.

It's headphones are POS. They lack quality and they are very easy to break down. In addition to it's headphone breaking down easily, the transferring wire is easy to break too. If you are going to buy iPod, be ready to shell out more money for accessories worth of $50+ in the later years.

[dcs18]

Another reason for me ostracizing apple is their proprietary doctrine. :thumbsdown:

[LeetPirate]

So here I am. I wonder whether there are people who have at one time or another had this urge, and have they been able to shake it off?

Some of the things I always consider to write off ipod:

1. Have to use iDogShitTunes to transfer files.

2. If you reformat your computer and reinstall iTunes it will not copy back any music from your player to your PC to stop you from illegally sharing your music with yourself.

3. The earbuds are total trash, as others mentioned all you hear is mid range, there is no bass and it sounds horrid.

4. If for some reason you forget to charge it and the battery dies for a few months there is a good chance the battery will remain dead and non-chargeable so bye bye ipod. This happens with all players though not just ipod, it's the battery tech at fault.

5. Why carry around extra devices? Put the money towards a good phone and buy a decent pair of Sennheiser earbuds.

I just use rocketplayer on my phone and everything works out great, battery life is not an issue. What I like about this arrangement is from the time I insert my earbuds, rocket player resumes playing my song automatically and I don't have to do anything. It's literally plug and play, I don't even need to look for the app or click anything, even if the phone is on lock screen it resumes playing. Now for the picky people you can disable this feature to save some resources as it needs a background service to play on headphone insert or bluetooth connect. Also if a call comes through the music will pause during the call. Before this I had a sony mp3 walkman but anytime my phone rang sometimes I didn't hear it or when I did I would have to hurriedly try to take out an earbud from my ear to answer the phone. That's when I realised the idea of 2 separate devices wasn't as practical for portability. I also had to put both devices in separate pockets because I didn't want the screen scratched on either device. Just my experience...

[DKT27]

4. If for some reason you forget to charge it and the battery dies for a few months there is a good chance the battery will remain dead and non-chargeable so bye bye ipod. This happens with all players though not just ipod, it's the battery tech at fault.

So that's what happened to mine.

[R0H1T]

Two things here ~

1) How much of an audiophile are you ?

2) How much are you willing to spend on all of this ?

Firstly I'd recommend a nice pair of headphones, I bought an out of production model Px100 of Sennheiser(brand new) for ~20$ last year which is more than enough for most of the hardware I own, so unless you don't need another pair or if you don't have one try investing in them !

Secondly I'll suggest going for a refurbished/second hand phone(high end) with a microsd slot. The reason for this is that most of the high(er) end phones these days can play virtually anything, just like a PM, with the advantage of expandable memory(upto 64GB) & all the other features that you'll miss on a PMP !

[R0H1T]

Just to add for most of us a modern smartphone is more than enough for listening to an occasional song or some video these days, however its upto the given to decide if he wants more but for me personally a nice pair of headphones is a must have !

[mayank]

i love i-product very much becoz they grow my social status... idk y... :( but it happens with now and then....

[Alanon]

I just use rocketplayer on my phone and everything works out great, battery life is not an issue. What I like about this arrangement is from the time I insert my earbuds, rocket player resumes playing my song automatically and I don't have to do anything. It's literally plug and play, I don't even need to look for the app or click anything, even if the phone is on lock screen it resumes playing. Now for the picky people you can disable this feature to save some resources as it needs a background service to play on headphone insert or bluetooth connect. Also if a call comes through the music will pause during the call. Before this I had a sony mp3 walkman but anytime my phone rang sometimes I didn't hear it or when I did I would have to hurriedly try to take out an earbud from my ear to answer the phone. That's when I realised the idea of 2 separate devices wasn't as practical for portability. I also had to put both devices in separate pockets because I didn't want the screen scratched on either device. Just my experience...

Well, as it turns out, my Walkman appears to behave that very way. xD And the whole point of me buying it when my old phone died was so that I wouldn't have to lug around two devices... It was actually used and more old than the phone that died on me.

Two things here ~

1) How much of an audiophile are you ?

2) How much are you willing to spend on all of this ?

Firstly I'd recommend a nice pair of headphones, I bought an out of production model Px100 of Sennheiser(brand new) for ~20$ last year which is more than enough for most of the hardware I own, so unless you don't need another pair or if you don't have one try investing in them !

Secondly I'll suggest going for a refurbished/second hand phone(high end) with a microsd slot. The reason for this is that most of the high(er) end phones these days can play virtually anything, just like a PM, with the advantage of expandable memory(upto 64GB) & all the other features that you'll miss on a PMP !

1 - Quite a lot.

2 - Always depends. xD

I have a pair of Grado's (I swear, it's a dream to listen to practically any kind of music (except classical) on them! I even wear them sometimes coupled with my phone, but they aren't that great a match. They do really well with my receiver, though.

Well, the plan was to use this phone (W950) as the last bastion of non-smartphones. I had planned to upgrade to something in time. I'm still pretty sceptical about smart-phones, since I won't be using much of it, except for texting, the odd-call, and at least 3 hours of music a day. Could anyone tell me if the software benefits that Android music apps offer outperform music-oriented dumbphones (and iPod)? Can anyone perhaps recommend a phone that's old, yet an Android, that's to say offers the perks of the music software, and has 64gig memory card support? The screen and overall size needn't be spectacular at all.

[pr1xsel]

Btw, are Sony and Samsung made smart-phones only ones that include Surround Sound function?

Sony enables it on video files automatically, but finding it on Music Player on ICS firmware is quite hard to find.

Also none of my friends know that such thing exist or what it means.

SRS Audio Sandbox is quite nice on laptops as-well, huge difference in audio level and quality for integrated speakers

- if you change program settings properly.

Although I think after long term listening to Virtual Surround Sound makes my brain+ears slightly feel weird.