OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by wco81 »

Thanks for the mini review of Overcast.

I'm not a big fan of the Podcast app but one good thing about it is that I can managed the read/unread flag on podcast episodes on my computers and have it updated on my devices or vice versa.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by pk500 »

wco81 wrote:Thanks for the mini review of Overcast.

I'm not a big fan of the Podcast app but one good thing about it is that I can managed the read/unread flag on podcast episodes on my computers and have it updated on my devices or vice versa.
Downcast almost has more features than even a power user can use. But its interface is clunky and old. Needs an update badly.

Already gave my impressions of Overcast and Castro. Pocket Casts is clunky and doesn't offer much other than playlist management over free podcasting apps. Same with Instacast.

Castro remains my fave. I don't buy many apps -- SHOCKER! -- but Castro is worth every penny for what I want in a podcast app.
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by Rodster »

wco81 wrote:I heard at CES Sony showed a $1200 Net Walkman of some type, probably supporting a new format.
I kind of remember reading something about that but all of the standard formats are covered and 24 bit audio is pushing it. Their NW-ZX1 is not a bad player but somewhat overpriced against the competition although the price has come down some. I stay away from Android based DAP's because of battery and OS.

This could be it, $1200 http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/5/749314 ... 2-ces-2015

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by Gangrel »

I bought myself a Fiio X5 over the holidays as i nabbed a boxing day sale. It's all Springsteen's fault, as his newly remastered albums were also released as "HD" audio, which led me to reading about what a person needed to play them, which lead me to opening my wallet for the X5 and another deal on some Sennheiser Momemtum on ear headphones.... (which I had confused with the over ears, but lets not go into that lol)

So I've been reading a lot about hi fi audio since December, and for a simple music lover like me, I can only say this.......

Compared to MP3s, I definitely can tell a difference in "detail" between a MP3 to a full on 24 bit FLAC. Comparing some CDs I ripped is a bit harder, but I think I can still tell the difference.... though I'm not anal like some hifi guys who rip, volume match, and do blind tests on the same albums....!!!!!

However, I will agree with the hi end guys that listening to a hi-def file does prove "its all in the mastering". A 24 bit version of a s*** album is just going to sound shittier. It won't magically make it any better. And there isn't a lot of selection of modern music out there, though it seems the major releases get a hi def version put on the download stores. But, to go back to my point, some are a bit crappy due to the whole "loudness wars" and mastering most CDs have these days.

Now, older material sounds a lot better actually...... different era's, different mixes, and the fact it was mostly all analog, which seems to sound better in a higher resolution. I've gotten a few DSD versions of albums like the first Counting Crows, and Norah Jones and Holly Cole, and i'll be damned if it doesn't sound like they are performing inside of my head, and I can hear every instrument and every finger sliding down the guitar strings........

For the price I paid for my gear (including my microSD cards, around $500) for my new toy, I'm more than happy with it. Some guys online spend that amount just on headphones, and have a vocabulary to describe sound that I would need to be very stoned and/or drunk to understand....... So it's a hobby like any other, you can spend very little, or a lot (like the new Walkman).

I would say it's like wine. Some folks can't tell the difference between a $5.00 bottle and a $100 bottle. If that's you, I wouldn't bother with hi-res music. I guess I would be one category up, in that I know when I'm drinking better wine, I just can't describe WHY it's better. :P

And for the full on "sound sommeliers"... well, they've already spent thousands of dollars..... on just a turntable! So, they are either convinced, or too rich for their own good!
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by wco81 »

Used to be an audiophile a long time ago, with tube equipment and such.

But when the CD came out, I had no problems ditching vinyl, which a lot of people still swear by.

Thing is, you have to have optimal environment, specific speaker placement and so on. So you have to sit down in the sweet spot to get all the sonic benefits.

Or be tethered to exotic headphones with special amps and so on.

Now that I'm older, maybe I could be more sedentary and devote time to listen to music with high-end gear. Nope, I type this from a standing desk and if I put on music, it's through earbuds while doing something else or played through speakers, again while doing something else.

Some can enjoy music without getting to the textures of the sound. Musicians who practice most of their lives in chambers with expensive instruments probably will demand better sound reproduction. But others just want to enjoy music when they can and then get on with other diversions which abound these days.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by dbdynsty25 »

Ahhhh high end audio. Now you guys are talking my language. LOL.

I'm still of the opinion than a connected device of some sort (phone, ipod touch, etc.) are the best portable players...stick them with the awesome JDS Labs C5D DAC/Amplifier and you've got the ultimate portable rig (you're amplifying the digital signal when you get an amp with a DAC built in, instead of the headphone OUT analog one). I can never get down with a dedicated audio player anymore now that streaming is so prevalent. Sure, you don't get the high quality 24bit audio doing that, but you'll get 90% of the quality but 2000% more songs. So it's a good tradeoff to me.

Still rolling with my VSonic GR07BEs and my V-MODA M100s (full sized headphones) as my every day headphones. Have never found anything better for my listening needs, so why change?

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by Rodster »

I'm hoping Apple comes thru with their Beats sub @ around $5-7 p/m. As far as IEM's i'm currently rocking with a pair of Cowon EH2's.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by dbdynsty25 »

Rodster wrote:I'm hoping Apple comes thru with their Beats sub @ around $5-7 p/m. As far as IEM's i'm currently rocking with a pair of Cowon EH2's.
Beats Music sucks. Severely limited. Way better options (MOG, Spotify, Google Music, etc.).

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by Rodster »

Wow, I thought MOG was dead a LONG time ago. I tried to download the iOS and Android app and it was nowhere to be found, that was awhile back. Thanks for the tip, i'll look for it again.

I haven't tried Beats but supposedly the sub service Apple is planning will include the iTunes library as well. Just a rumor but if true count me interested especially at $5-7 pm.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by dbdynsty25 »

Rodster wrote:Wow, I thought MOG was dead a LONG time ago. I tried to download the iOS and Android app and it was nowhere to be found, that was awhile back. Thanks for the tip, i'll look for it again.

I haven't tried Beats but supposedly the sub service Apple is planning will include the iTunes library as well. Just a rumor but if true count me interested especially at $5-7 pm.
I haven't used MOG for a while, switched exclusively to Google Music (because they let me store my own music within their app). Beats was garbage for the three month free trial I used a few months back. I'm sure Apple will improve it, but they've got a long long way to go.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by F308GTB »

wco81 wrote:But when the CD came out, I had no problems ditching vinyl, which a lot of people still swear by.
I bought nearly a dozen new vinyl albums in the last year, including #1 and #19 on the current UK top vinyl chart (1 million+ new vinyl LPs were sold in the UK in 2014) - http://www.officialcharts.com/record-st ... ums-chart/
wco81 wrote: Or be tethered to exotic headphones with special amps and so on.
Or be tethered to a mobile version of "exotic" setups. I've got the power chorded version of these (actually 2 sets and 2 amps, plus my bigger Stax cans and amp), which sound fantastic. The SRM-002 is battery operated and you get full electrostatic bliss.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by pk500 »

Another VERY satisfied Google Music customer here. I got in at $7.99 per month the week the service debuted, which Google has continued to honor as the monthly rate for all early adopters.
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by dbdynsty25 »

pk500 wrote:Another VERY satisfied Google Music customer here. I got in at $7.99 per month the week the service debuted, which Google has continued to honor as the monthly rate for all early adopters.
Yeah me too. 8 bucks is worth every penny. The beauty of these streaming services where you can store the music locally is I don't have to be nefarious and download music anymore. :)

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by F308GTB »

dbdynsty25 wrote:
pk500 wrote:Another VERY satisfied Google Music customer here. I got in at $7.99 per month the week the service debuted, which Google has continued to honor as the monthly rate for all early adopters.
Yeah me too. 8 bucks is worth every penny. The beauty of these streaming services where you can store the music locally is I don't have to be nefarious and download music anymore. :)
I'll stick with my heritage subscription to Zune (Xbox music). $150/year with 10 songs each month to keep forever, cancelled subscription or not. Zune doesn't have everything under the sun, but it's got plenty more than I'll ever listen to.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by dbdynsty25 »

F308GTB wrote:I'll stick with my heritage subscription to Zune (Xbox music). $150/year with 10 songs each month to keep forever, cancelled subscription or not. Zune doesn't have everything under the sun, but it's got plenty more than I'll ever listen to.
I absolutely loved the Zune software, in fact I still use it to play music (I own) when I'm hanging out at my computer. I wish that line of devices never died as I was a huge fan of the Zune HD (the rest pretty much sucked tho).

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by RobVarak »

dbdynsty25 wrote:
F308GTB wrote:I'll stick with my heritage subscription to Zune (Xbox music). $150/year with 10 songs each month to keep forever, cancelled subscription or not. Zune doesn't have everything under the sun, but it's got plenty more than I'll ever listen to.
I absolutely loved the Zune software, in fact I still use it to play music (I own) when I'm hanging out at my computer. I wish that line of devices never died as I was a huge fan of the Zune HD (the rest pretty much sucked tho).
I've got 2 120gb Zune's (one still in the box as a backup I picked up cheap on ebay) that I use almost every day and that is invaluable in those places that are not wifi friendly. Love that device.
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by wco81 »

Do you use the streaming service mainly for convenience or are you trying to discover new music?

Typically, music discovery tends to fade the older you get -- "they don't make music like they used to."

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by RobVarak »

wco81 wrote:Do you use the streaming service mainly for convenience or are you trying to discover new music?

Typically, music discovery tends to fade the older you get -- "they don't make music like they used to."
Both. I use Spotify mainly for new releases. I'll audition them for awhile and if something takes, I'll d/l it from Amazon. Ideally, I'll pay an extra buck or two and take advantage of the auto-rip feature, which gives you the CD and the digital download.

I also use it for parties, where I might want a playlist to feature music that might be outside my collection. You know...$hit.
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by Gangrel »

Streaming is not an option for me, as I live in Canada, where mobile plans are shite, and there's no wifi at work, because in the government we tend to lag behind the real world by 10 years or so........

I don't mind lugging my X5 to work, as it's no bigger than an iPod Classic really. The headphones are a bit big in their case, as they don't fold, but they are miles ahead of the old Pioneers I had with my HTC One. Comparing them both on my X5 is like moving from a tin can to a concert hall.

It's all different strokes for different folks...... if I didn't have a 20 month old, i might be tempted to try getting a turntable for nostalgia's sake, but toddlers and breakables don't mix. :P
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by Rodster »

RobVarak wrote:
dbdynsty25 wrote:
F308GTB wrote:I'll stick with my heritage subscription to Zune (Xbox music). $150/year with 10 songs each month to keep forever, cancelled subscription or not. Zune doesn't have everything under the sun, but it's got plenty more than I'll ever listen to.
I absolutely loved the Zune software, in fact I still use it to play music (I own) when I'm hanging out at my computer. I wish that line of devices never died as I was a huge fan of the Zune HD (the rest pretty much sucked tho).
I've got 2 120gb Zune's (one still in the box as a backup I picked up cheap on ebay) that I use almost every day and that is invaluable in those places that are not wifi friendly. Love that device.
I have 2 Zune HD's and one of them is still in the box. The most underrated MP3 player. Great sound along with HD Radio. Microsoft found a way to screw up a good thing.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by pk500 »

dbdynsty25 wrote:
pk500 wrote:Another VERY satisfied Google Music customer here. I got in at $7.99 per month the week the service debuted, which Google has continued to honor as the monthly rate for all early adopters.
Yeah me too. 8 bucks is worth every penny. The beauty of these streaming services where you can store the music locally is I don't have to be nefarious and download music anymore. :)
True, true. I "borrowed" a five-figure haul of MP3s back in the heyday through P2P sharing and torrents. My music pirating days are all but over now with Google Music. So much easier, too. No tag repairs, volume normalization, searching for album art, etc.
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by pk500 »

wco81 wrote:Do you use the streaming service mainly for convenience or are you trying to discover new music?

Typically, music discovery tends to fade the older you get -- "they don't make music like they used to."
Both.

I'm almost 50, and my musical net is far wider than ever. Streaming has helped me dive into new genres and artists I never would have considered, and I have found some gems. Frank Ocean, D'Angelo and Above & Beyond are a few examples.
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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by XXXIV »

RobVarak wrote: I've got 2 120gb Zune's (one still in the box as a backup I picked up cheap on ebay) that I use almost every day and that is invaluable in those places that are not wifi friendly. Love that device.
:lol:

I still have a 32 Zune in a box and one sitting in my car that I listen to almost every day.

Im buying from Google and amazon but yeah I wish I had never cancelled My Zune subscription.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by fsquid »

still using my Zune HD. I've thought about getting something else, but it still works and it is so easy to put/take off music.

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Re: OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Post by Brando70 »

I still use my old 80G iPod for offline music. Use it for the gym and also for car trips since it sounds much better than satellite radio and even regular HD radio. I kind of wish it would die so I had an excuse to buy something new, but it is surprisingly durable.

I am always tempted by the anything that promises better fidelity, but I have to wonder how much I would notice the difference on the kind of music I listen to. Most of my MP3s are pretty high quality (256-320 kps in most cases). Maybe under ideal circumstances, I'd be able to tell the difference, but I think in most everyday uses (car, gym, out and about with headphones), I really wonder if the difference is going to be that noticeable with rock music, especially anything released in the last 10-20 years.

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