Recent HDD MP3 Players Have Been Dissapointing - Agree or Disagree

dvsche73 · 11-30-2007, 06:16

I have been reading up on a lot of MP3 players and lately, the all seem to have some sort of tragic flaw that makes them unbuyable. Not that I am in the market for a new DAP, (happy with my X5) but at least you would think that as an industry, there would be some more progress.

The Creative Zen is now flash memory and only 16gb. The Apple ipod is...well...still an ipod and it seems they have been even more guarded about using Itunes (from the Ipod Classic to the Ipod Touch). The Zune has horrible proprietary software and you can't sync it with other media managing software (although it does look pretty cool, if that counts for anything).

Anyone else a little disappointed? I wish Iriver or Cowon would get back in the game and make some HDD DAPs. The H340 was great and of course, if the X5 was a woman, I would make sweet, passionate, yet tender love to it if my wife wouldn't kill me.

Discuss...preferably not the last sentence but the content prior to it.

GSV3MiaC · 11-30-2007, 07:53

I'd agree 100%. There really aren't any HDD DAPs anymore, they are all PMPs with wrong form factor and big fragile screens and low battery life .. I could live without the HDD though if Cowon could come up with a competent flash player (PLAYLISTS for heaven's sake) at large enough capacity.

srozzman · 11-30-2007, 17:41

there is the ibzia rhapsody, that looks very interesting, and kinda ugly imho. i kinda like the black one though

maxjensen · 11-30-2007, 19:14

Or Kenwood if you have a big bank account (and ready to empty it). The Kenwood looks pretty nice...but still a lot of money.

dvsche73 · 11-30-2007, 21:38

Well, the Ibiza Rhapsody doesn't seem to have file support, although since it is based on linux, I am sure there will be some cool 3rd party apps. Interesting to thing.

Maxjensen, in regards to the Kenwood, which player are you talking about?

HiMDforMe · 11-30-2007, 22:47

I really like the new Zune. i'm actually waiting for Christmas to use mine

but its pretty slick and works pretty nice. If it was UMS with drag-n-drop it'd be complete. The ibiza is butt ugly and has very poor battery life, and its over-priced. ipod classic is okay, but ugly and not as nice as zune and still not UMS.
I've heard rumors of a HDD version of the iriver clix possibly next year, would would be pretty cool. the creative zen is 16gb, but doesn't it also take SD card? so that's easily over 20gb.
i also like the zune social aspect - its like last.fm, although a watered down version of it.

srozzman · 12-03-2007, 17:47

The creative ZEN is flash though, and I believe the OP is making complaints against HDD based players. I admit the new zune does look mighty fine, but personally, I would miss the FLAC support... Why oh why didnt cowon put a better screen in the x5? Then it would be complete.

dvsche73 · 12-05-2007, 01:57

Yeah, flash is great and I read on engadget that there will be a 32 gb version, and the price isn't too bad either but I want mega high capacity (like 80 gb, better to have 120 or more).

Maybe HDD based players will be a thing of the past, kind of like film photography.

Fearandir · 12-07-2007, 22:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by srozzman

Why oh why didnt cowon put a better screen in the x5? Then it would be complete.

Oh yeah, why oh my lord, why didn't they?!
Probably they wouldn't be selling no other model if they did, although the sales record that the X5 would have made... my, talk me about "iPod"! pppffff...

I agree that HDD players are somewhat delayed in progress. In one hand we have the flash-based, which are gonna be a fierce competition for the HDD-based, specially if flash memories keep going less expensive and big at the rate they're doing.
But don't forget the smartphones and such kind of gadgets!! They also have audio and video playback, they have QWERTY keyboards, e-mail, IM, phone calls, full contact lists, even Office documents, digital and webcameras...
Maybe the next big move would be to put a 120GB disk on a smartphone and that's it, forget about all the rest, Iphone and PMPs included.

dvsche73 · 12-09-2007, 06:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fearandir

Oh yeah, why oh my lord, why didn't they?!
Probably they wouldn't be selling no other model if they did, although the sales record that the X5 would have made... my, talk me about "iPod"! pppffff...

I agree that HDD players are somewhat delayed in progress. In one hand we have the flash-based, which are gonna be a fierce competition for the HDD-based, specially if flash memories keep going less expensive and big at the rate they're doing.
But don't forget the smartphones and such kind of gadgets!! They also have audio and video playback, they have QWERTY keyboards, e-mail, IM, phone calls, full contact lists, even Office documents, digital and webcameras...
Maybe the next big move would be to put a 120GB disk on a smartphone and that's it, forget about all the rest, Iphone and PMPs included.

I would be interested in a 120gb smartphone...if is had SSD memory. No way could a HDD withstand the rigors of cellphone usage. You bring up an interesting point. However, I do believe that we still have specialized media devices, at least in the near future. There is still a place for DAPs in the world. I mean, after all, Ipod isn't slowing down. Besides, I think most people understand the concept of jack of all trades, master on none.

Thasp · 03-31-2008, 05:50

the one thing that really, really gets me is when companies give up making awesome DAPs to make toys.

for example, iRiver. If they continued with the H120 ---> H340 --- ? line, they could have had some pretty amazing stuff by now. they even had a PMP years back, but at $500 with limited functionality it didn't do too great. Look at their modern players. small flash things no one who had an H120 would want, but to add insult to injury they went backwards. It took years to get them to support vorbis in their HD players and their imp-550, and they went back on it for newer models that completely put form over functionality. It's almost as if someone else bought them out and fired their engineering team, or neutered them.

no innovation there.

Flowah · 07-28-2008, 14:30

If you guys have an H120/140 H320/340, there are some mods out there that are relatively easy to do that can really move your player up to a more modern standard.

There's the CF mod for all the players, replacing the HD to a larger capacity, replacing the battery with a higher capacity one. I'm in the process of replacing my H120 battery right now, from 1300mAh to 2200mAh. As soon as 64GB CF cards come out, I plan on replacing the HD too, resulting in faster read times, no noise during recording, faster rockbox navigation, longer battery life.

I'm actually really excited about it, one of the best sounding devices, with much improved battery life, UMS drag and drop, rockbox powah!, greatly improved storage and speed. I really can't ask for too much more can I?

I did buy a Zune a few months ago, but honestly, with such little progress being made in the Rockbox area, I'm starting to regret it. The firmware/software is a real pain in the ass to use. I may just use it for video while I use my H120/X5L for audio.

Unfortunately, after a little searching around, it seems the X5L is a little harder to mod than the H120. Makes me quite sad

dvsche73 · 01-07-2009, 07:33

I can't believe I started this thread a year ago and things still haven't changed.

I want to give my money to a company, I really do. A 120gb (or even 80gb) DAP with good SQ and FLAC support and will sync with mediamonkey. If any body know of one, please should my way. PLEASE

paulr · 01-07-2009, 22:02

Hard disk audio is obsolete. If you get a 32GB Cowon O2 with a 32GB SDHC card, that's 64gb of solid state memory, none of that spinning stuff.

DSMKevan · 02-17-2009, 00:30

Just wait a couple more years until SSD memory gets cheaper, then we'll start seeing some 32/64/128GB flash players for attainable prices.

Until then, I'm more than content with my setup: X5L for FLAC playing, Zune 120GB for .wma playing. The Zune is an amazing player if you don't mind encoding to .WMA. The Zune supports .WMA 10 PRO, which is on par with .OGG for sound quality per bitrate. That all depends on if you can or want to reencode your library :/ .

Going from the Zune back the X5 every once and awhile really sucks, the Zune has a huge screen, touchpad, and really really good video playback, makes the X5 seem archaic. BUT, the sound quality from the X5 more than makes up for it's lack of features or display.

11-30-2007, 06:16	#1
dvsche73 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South Korea Posts: 147	Recent HDD MP3 Players Have Been Dissapointing - Agree or Disagree I have been reading up on a lot of MP3 players and lately, the all seem to have some sort of tragic flaw that makes them unbuyable. Not that I am in the market for a new DAP, (happy with my X5) but at least you would think that as an industry, there would be some more progress. The Creative Zen is now flash memory and only 16gb. The Apple ipod is...well...still an ipod and it seems they have been even more guarded about using Itunes (from the Ipod Classic to the Ipod Touch). The Zune has horrible proprietary software and you can't sync it with other media managing software (although it does look pretty cool, if that counts for anything). Anyone else a little disappointed? I wish Iriver or Cowon would get back in the game and make some HDD DAPs. The H340 was great and of course, if the X5 was a woman, I would make sweet, passionate, yet tender love to it if my wife wouldn't kill me. Discuss...preferably not the last sentence but the content prior to it. __________________ That's like...your opinion, man. The Dude

11-30-2007, 07:53	#2
GSV3MiaC Ancient Cranky Technocrat Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Shropshire, England Posts: 1,348	I'd agree 100%. There really aren't any HDD DAPs anymore, they are all PMPs with wrong form factor and big fragile screens and low battery life .. I could live without the HDD though if Cowon could come up with a competent flash player (PLAYLISTS for heaven's sake) at large enough capacity. __________________ iAudio G3 (1GB), M5L (20GB), I7 (8GB) Sennheiser PX100, PMX100, HD595

11-30-2007, 19:14	#4
maxjensen Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Denmark Posts: 131	Or Kenwood if you have a big bank account (and ready to empty it). The Kenwood looks pretty nice...but still a lot of money. __________________ _______________________________________ Cowon i7 16 GB / Sansa Clip 8 GB + Sennheiser PX100 / Sennheiser CX 500

11-30-2007, 21:38	#5
dvsche73 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South Korea Posts: 147	Well, the Ibiza Rhapsody doesn't seem to have file support, although since it is based on linux, I am sure there will be some cool 3rd party apps. Interesting to thing. Maxjensen, in regards to the Kenwood, which player are you talking about? __________________ That's like...your opinion, man. The Dude

12-05-2007, 01:57	#8
dvsche73 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South Korea Posts: 147	Yeah, flash is great and I read on engadget that there will be a 32 gb version, and the price isn't too bad either but I want mega high capacity (like 80 gb, better to have 120 or more). Maybe HDD based players will be a thing of the past, kind of like film photography. __________________ That's like...your opinion, man. The Dude

11-30-2007, 17:41	#3
srozzman Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 28	there is the ibzia rhapsody, that looks very interesting, and kinda ugly imho. i kinda like the black one though

11-30-2007, 22:47	#6
HiMDforMe Rockbox5 Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 995	I really like the new Zune. i'm actually waiting for Christmas to use mine but its pretty slick and works pretty nice. If it was UMS with drag-n-drop it'd be complete. The ibiza is butt ugly and has very poor battery life, and its over-priced. ipod classic is okay, but ugly and not as nice as zune and still not UMS. I've heard rumors of a HDD version of the iriver clix possibly next year, would would be pretty cool. the creative zen is 16gb, but doesn't it also take SD card? so that's easily over 20gb. i also like the zune social aspect - its like last.fm, although a watered down version of it.

12-03-2007, 17:47	#7
srozzman Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 28	The creative ZEN is flash though, and I believe the OP is making complaints against HDD based players. I admit the new zune does look mighty fine, but personally, I would miss the FLAC support... Why oh why didnt cowon put a better screen in the x5? Then it would be complete.

03-31-2008, 05:50	#11
Thasp Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 259	the one thing that really, really gets me is when companies give up making awesome DAPs to make toys. for example, iRiver. If they continued with the H120 ---> H340 --- ? line, they could have had some pretty amazing stuff by now. they even had a PMP years back, but at $500 with limited functionality it didn't do too great. Look at their modern players. small flash things no one who had an H120 would want, but to add insult to injury they went backwards. It took years to get them to support vorbis in their HD players and their imp-550, and they went back on it for newer models that completely put form over functionality. It's almost as if someone else bought them out and fired their engineering team, or neutered them. no innovation there.

07-28-2008, 14:30	#12
Flowah Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 35	If you guys have an H120/140 H320/340, there are some mods out there that are relatively easy to do that can really move your player up to a more modern standard. There's the CF mod for all the players, replacing the HD to a larger capacity, replacing the battery with a higher capacity one. I'm in the process of replacing my H120 battery right now, from 1300mAh to 2200mAh. As soon as 64GB CF cards come out, I plan on replacing the HD too, resulting in faster read times, no noise during recording, faster rockbox navigation, longer battery life. I'm actually really excited about it, one of the best sounding devices, with much improved battery life, UMS drag and drop, rockbox powah!, greatly improved storage and speed. I really can't ask for too much more can I? I did buy a Zune a few months ago, but honestly, with such little progress being made in the Rockbox area, I'm starting to regret it. The firmware/software is a real pain in the ass to use. I may just use it for video while I use my H120/X5L for audio. Unfortunately, after a little searching around, it seems the X5L is a little harder to mod than the H120. Makes me quite sad

01-07-2009, 07:33	#13
dvsche73 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South Korea Posts: 147	I can't believe I started this thread a year ago and things still haven't changed. I want to give my money to a company, I really do. A 120gb (or even 80gb) DAP with good SQ and FLAC support and will sync with mediamonkey. If any body know of one, please should my way. PLEASE __________________ That's like...your opinion, man. The Dude

01-07-2009, 22:02	#14
paulr Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 379	Hard disk audio is obsolete. If you get a 32GB Cowon O2 with a 32GB SDHC card, that's 64gb of solid state memory, none of that spinning stuff.

02-17-2009, 00:30	#15
DSMKevan Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Columbus, WI, USA Posts: 8	Just wait a couple more years until SSD memory gets cheaper, then we'll start seeing some 32/64/128GB flash players for attainable prices. Until then, I'm more than content with my setup: X5L for FLAC playing, Zune 120GB for .wma playing. The Zune is an amazing player if you don't mind encoding to .WMA. The Zune supports .WMA 10 PRO, which is on par with .OGG for sound quality per bitrate. That all depends on if you can or want to reencode your library :/ . Going from the Zune back the X5 every once and awhile really sucks, the Zune has a huge screen, touchpad, and really really good video playback, makes the X5 seem archaic. BUT, the sound quality from the X5 more than makes up for it's lack of features or display.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode