I pod mini review.
- Thread starter mack
- Start date
http://www.mp3-converter.com/mp3_converter_freeware.htm
transcoding is no good when it comes to quality tho, you should rerip (maybe in apple lossless format) if you have the chance.
transcoding is no good when it comes to quality tho, you should rerip (maybe in apple lossless format) if you have the chance.
it works really well.
pffft Rio
try the iriver H140 for real quality
try the iriver H140 for real quality
Well... DUH. Windows...mack said:
Yeah having a trendy looking item is so important when you are buying an AUDIO device... :devil:Toshi said:you people have no taste!ipod or minipod all the way
hehe
I'd rather have higher quality, gapless (very important for some albums or genres of music - a must have for DJs) audio playback with twice the battery life and enough processing horsepower to play open standard lossless formats like OGG, FLAC, etc...
Not to mention something that doesn't skip if you use it while running, biking, etc...syadasti said:
a few points:
1) ipods don't skip. they buffer ~20min into ram depending on bitrate and then spin down the hard drive
2) ugly devices with poor interfaces are only favored by pc users with no taste
. the masses have spoken, and the ipod is the anointed one
3) only nerds and those whose idealism overpowers all use ogg. i rip my own cds to mp3 and aac so i don't have to worry about any drm anyway, and using fairplay/hymn would address your concern even if you did have more than the apple-allowed 3 devices.
so basically you ipod haters just have no style. simple as that, hehe try to counter that, an unassailable ad hominem argument if i've ever seen one 
1) ipods don't skip. they buffer ~20min into ram depending on bitrate and then spin down the hard drive
2) ugly devices with poor interfaces are only favored by pc users with no taste
. the masses have spoken, and the ipod is the anointed one3) only nerds and those whose idealism overpowers all use ogg. i rip my own cds to mp3 and aac so i don't have to worry about any drm anyway, and using fairplay/hymn would address your concern even if you did have more than the apple-allowed 3 devices.
so basically you ipod haters just have no style. simple as that, hehe
try to counter that, an unassailable ad hominem argument if i've ever seen one 
I would really like to hear some reasons for hating the ipod? Cmon bring em on. Apple is the most innovative company right now and this coming from a PC guy. everyone else just follows their example...
1) Rio Karma looks like audio gear instead of girl's makeup case
2) Creative and Rio both use higher power headphone amps. Several companies have higher quality SNRs too:
6) Features (ethernet support, format support(OGG, FLAC, WMA, MP3), etc...)
7) user support (frequent direct public support, free frequent firmware updates for additional functionality, and general effort to improve)
8) Journaled filesystem (a journaled filesystem is especially needed on a HDD based player due to HDD crashes and/or potential battery issues which can corrupting files (all or some)).
9) Rio is a leader, not a follower. Rio started the portable mp3player market releasing the first mass-market flash (under Diamond Rio) and HDD player (under empeg - now a division of Rio). They also won the court case that cleared the way for the rest of the mp3player market. Apple is merely a technological follower with great marketing.
10) Cost - a Rio Karma 20 GB can be had for $240 while a 20GB ipod 3G goes for $360
A Rio Karma also has weaknesses including a limited warranty (buy it on good CC and double it free or get one of those walk in extended warranties from best buy for cheap), a lack of accessories, and a lack of certain features like a line-out port, but its audio quality (better signal to noise ratio and dB sensitivity), software, form, and battery life are all superior to the iPod.
2) Creative and Rio both use higher power headphone amps. Several companies have higher quality SNRs too:
3) Battery Life - at around 15-16 hours, its twice as long as the iPod. Not to mention yet another Apple battery quality issue:
4) Size:
5) Gapless audio playback - some albums or genres of music do not have gaps between each track - the music is composed to be played continuosly - the Rio Karma does this - the apple doesn't and that ruins the listening experience
6) Features (ethernet support, format support(OGG, FLAC, WMA, MP3), etc...)
7) user support (frequent direct public support, free frequent firmware updates for additional functionality, and general effort to improve)
8) Journaled filesystem (a journaled filesystem is especially needed on a HDD based player due to HDD crashes and/or potential battery issues which can corrupting files (all or some)).
9) Rio is a leader, not a follower. Rio started the portable mp3player market releasing the first mass-market flash (under Diamond Rio) and HDD player (under empeg - now a division of Rio). They also won the court case that cleared the way for the rest of the mp3player market. Apple is merely a technological follower with great marketing.
10) Cost - a Rio Karma 20 GB can be had for $240 while a 20GB ipod 3G goes for $360
A Rio Karma also has weaknesses including a limited warranty (buy it on good CC and double it free or get one of those walk in extended warranties from best buy for cheap), a lack of accessories, and a lack of certain features like a line-out port, but its audio quality (better signal to noise ratio and dB sensitivity), software, form, and battery life are all superior to the iPod.
Oh yeah, its not real until Jobs tells me it is
Isn't it just great to stick with the standard - lets all be medicore, fat, and stupid - following the herd is cool - bah bah bah
Talking about Jobs - oh yeah, we are going to get to 3GHz, no problem, even though he has no friggin clue about computer engineering. Nice try, but you are 500MHz under and had to resort to liquid cooling :eviltongu
Isn't it just great to stick with the standard - lets all be medicore, fat, and stupid - following the herd is cool - bah bah bah
Talking about Jobs - oh yeah, we are going to get to 3GHz, no problem, even though he has no friggin clue about computer engineering. Nice try, but you are 500MHz under and had to resort to liquid cooling :eviltongu
um.. i have to disagree. who REALLY has more than 1 or 2 audio formats anyway. personally I think i use mp3 and aac. there's also a new lossless compression format. not to mention that apple bases some of the technology on STANDARDS and not making up their OWN format. and as for continuous music. ok you sort of have that one, although I wasn't aware that the CARS made techno continupus DJ beats. Also, of the DJ's I know that use mp3 players, they still use iPods (they just use 2), because they are mixing as they go. not playing back a pre-recorded playlist. its the same as using 2 turntables.
also, since I have a big expensive ipod (40G) i also use it as a hard-drive to shuttle files home from work. via firewire. which is still faster than USB. and I also have my contact list on it. and my calendar. and notes. which my mac syncs automatically. granted it doesn't take the place of a full blown PDA, but I'm not one of those guys that really needs one. SO i leave my PDA home with my pocket protector.
as for the battery, yea you do have that one. so far I haven't had long enough travels where I don't plug it in, but i'm sure that day will come. of course apple could use a higher capacity battery, but that would make it bigger.
journaled file system. um. WHO CARES. actually the ipod MIGHT BE journaled because its the default configuration of OS X.3 (panther). and it is updated often enough, which does add new functionality at times. like adding support for new formats. speaking from personal experience (i'm now on my second iod, my first was a 1G 5gig, then I got this one for xmas), i have yet to have any problems with fragmenting, or anything else you are talking about. its just a NON-ISSUE.
earphones - i'll be the first to admit the stock ones are crap. but 99% people that have the ipod don't care. and the ones that do, are buying better phones than what come with ANY mp3 player made by ANYONE. But the white ones look cool. it is more like a status thing I think. then there's always the remote that it comes with, which is a plus.
also, since I have a big expensive ipod (40G) i also use it as a hard-drive to shuttle files home from work. via firewire. which is still faster than USB. and I also have my contact list on it. and my calendar. and notes. which my mac syncs automatically. granted it doesn't take the place of a full blown PDA, but I'm not one of those guys that really needs one. SO i leave my PDA home with my pocket protector.
as for the battery, yea you do have that one. so far I haven't had long enough travels where I don't plug it in, but i'm sure that day will come. of course apple could use a higher capacity battery, but that would make it bigger.
journaled file system. um. WHO CARES. actually the ipod MIGHT BE journaled because its the default configuration of OS X.3 (panther). and it is updated often enough, which does add new functionality at times. like adding support for new formats. speaking from personal experience (i'm now on my second iod, my first was a 1G 5gig, then I got this one for xmas), i have yet to have any problems with fragmenting, or anything else you are talking about. its just a NON-ISSUE.
earphones - i'll be the first to admit the stock ones are crap. but 99% people that have the ipod don't care. and the ones that do, are buying better phones than what come with ANY mp3 player made by ANYONE. But the white ones look cool. it is more like a status thing I think. then there's always the remote that it comes with, which is a plus.
syadasti said:Oh yeah, its not real until Jobs tells me it is
Isn't it just great to stick with the standard - lets all be medicore, fat, and stupid - following the herd is cool - bah bah bah
Talking about Jobs - oh yeah, we are going to get to 3GHz, no problem, even though he has no friggin clue about computer engineering. Nice try, but you are 500MHz under and had to resort to liquid cooling :eviltongu
yea steve admitted that they missed the mark. but it was more because IBM told him that's where they thought they would be, not him just pulling a number out of his a$$. Is that why the Opteron is only at 2.4 GHZ, and they had to resort to using 4processor systems to get the speed up (although a 4 proc. mac would be cool). and aren't PC's still at 3.2ghz? they've been at that speed for like a year now, right? now THAT's what I call innovation...
Haha, you make all these statements but have no clue...
OGG and FLAC ARE the standards for lossless audio - Apple went and made their own standard cause their audio processor didn't have enough processing power to work with the standards... Apple format came out this year....FLAC in 2000 OGG started in 1999MtnBikerNJ said:
You can buy a 3.4 GHz P4 for about $400 right now but clock rate isn't as important anyways - everyone is changing their naming schemes to reflect that... (AMD did years ago)
G5 is going to be offered at 2.0 GHz air cooled while Opteron runs 400 MHz faster air cooled... You put some liquid cooling technology on any CPU and you can overclock it - PC users have been doing that for years - its not too innovative...
G5 is going to be offered at 2.0 GHz air cooled while Opteron runs 400 MHz faster air cooled... You put some liquid cooling technology on any CPU and you can overclock it - PC users have been doing that for years - its not too innovative...
Ogg is the standard for high quality audio. Ogg has been adopted in various cutting edge game audio systems.
Rio Karma supports Ogg and FLAC - so you can do whatever you want.
To pull a jamesnobrakes and belittle small points - read up jobs lackey:
Rio Karma supports Ogg and FLAC - so you can do whatever you want.
To pull a jamesnobrakes and belittle small points - read up jobs lackey:
Riiiiiight. Tell that to the guy at my gym who was ready to hurl his against the wall because it kept skipping while he was running...Toshi said:
yea toshi. i love bantering with josh because we never agree on ANY of this stuff. but its fun nonetheless. the fact remains that the ipod is alot more popular, and i know alot of people with them, and have YET to hear a complaint about the way they sound. i suppose it you look at the strict numbers maybe something else makes more sense. But it rarely adds up to something that is better for all circumstances. look at other audio components. I'll put the sound QUALITY of my 80W denon receiver againt any KOSS receiver rated at 150 AMPS > sure the KOSS is rated at a higher power, blah blah blah, but denon is known for higher end receivers for a REASON. if I had the cash, i'd be dropping it on a ROTEL PRE/PRO set even its rated at like 50 AMPs - because the fact is that you have to more than DOUBLE wattage to get twice the volume. Not only that, but it will have better sound processors, better circuitry, etc. BESIDES, someone looking for pure audio quality is NOT going to use an ipod, or rio karma, or anything even remotely similar. in fact they aren't even going to use a regular CD - they will either be on a high end vinyl system, or something like SACD or DVD-Audio.
as for Ogg, the reason there weren't compressors for macs has nothing to do with processor speed (and if there were that high of a requirement it sounds like the ogg encoding is not very efficient anyway?), but more to do with people not wanting to program for the smaller market of the mac.
I have to say that this is the first time you actually admitted that the mhz myth is fact. pretty funny. and no, they aren't overclocking the G5 (as far an i know). Not to mention the fact that i would be forced to run windows, which would cause me to shoot myself. and before you say "linux", no that isn't a real option since photoshop doesn't run on it (as far as I know), as well as the fact that I'm not a computer GEEK...
as for Ogg, the reason there weren't compressors for macs has nothing to do with processor speed (and if there were that high of a requirement it sounds like the ogg encoding is not very efficient anyway?), but more to do with people not wanting to program for the smaller market of the mac.
I have to say that this is the first time you actually admitted that the mhz myth is fact. pretty funny. and no, they aren't overclocking the G5 (as far an i know). Not to mention the fact that i would be forced to run windows, which would cause me to shoot myself. and before you say "linux", no that isn't a real option since photoshop doesn't run on it (as far as I know), as well as the fact that I'm not a computer GEEK...
again, speaking from experience, my ipod has never skipped from doing something active. i've run with it and been snowboarding with it (jumps included) and no skips
and i'm SUUUUUUUUUURE that rio has NEVER received a single complaint about any of their products for any reason...
Hey I know! Lets all replace our rechargable batteries...WITHOUT getting raped!
wow. that was original.
Denon owns Rio - you should step up from the Koss (Apple) to the Denon (Rio)MtnBikerNJ said:
Its nice you can read - the Apple has a inferior signal to noise ratio AND headphone amp ratings...
I never said the Mac couldn't play ogg - it can and has plenty of CPU to do that - the iPod doesn't have enough processing power! UT2004 was simultaneously released on OSX and Windows and uses ogg for the music...
Actually I never said there was any myth ever - maybe steve will pull that out when people ask him about his inability to reach 3GHz. I've know this for years and I am IT director and sysadmin not some clueless mac user as yourself. I've owned Cyrix and AMD systems, I know about the efficiencies of the various arch... The x86 platform hasn't been purely x86 since the Pentium I (which was the last PC I bought preassembled BTW)... In 1995, Pentium Pro onward, we had RISC basis - mac users still don't understand that cause they can't even handle a multi button mouse out of the box with their machine
wow josh you must be right because the specs said so! i'm selling my ipod right away so I can buy a rio!!! (oh, but then i wouldn't look as good, could have my contacts, calendar, or notes). but then again I could carry a PDA with all that leftover cash. then I'd be REALLY cool!
its just funny how i've never had audio issues using my line out from my ipod base on my stereo.
so how are those Bose speakers treating you josh?
funny how you say apple is like koss. its like saying saturn is the same as mercedes. you know, there is a REASON peopl buy the mercedes over the saturns, and get this - they even pay MORE MONEY! imagine that! you mean people actually care about the way things look?
its just funny how i've never had audio issues using my line out from my ipod base on my stereo.
so how are those Bose speakers treating you josh?
funny how you say apple is like koss. its like saying saturn is the same as mercedes. you know, there is a REASON peopl buy the mercedes over the saturns, and get this - they even pay MORE MONEY! imagine that! you mean people actually care about the way things look?
Yeah I could get a Casio watch in the 80s that worked like a sh*t PDA, but I think I would rather have a real one if I need that - something like a Treo or Blackberry where I could actually do something important on it like send email or use the Internet with a variety of applications... Oh wait, I already have a blackberry and I got from the company I work for free...
I am sure there are 100s of fortune 500 companies that give their executives iPods instead of real PDAs...RIGHT - just like that guy's iPod doesn't skip while he is running at the gym...
Ahaha-thats a good one Apple like a Mercedes-haha...
An Apple is a consumer to proconsumer grade product. Professional use SGIs, Suns, completely custom unix or linux environments, etc...for cutting edge work - not some off the shelf consumer product...
Guess you wouldn't understand cause you drive a Lexus Camry - a fake luxury car. You see a real Lexus luxury (ie exclusive, unique, uncommon) car would be something like a SC430 - you can't get a Toyota version of that. Are you going to buy a Jaguar X-type next, ie a dressed up Ford Mondeo in other countries with (or how about a S-type - dressed up Lincoln LS). Marketing people are really doing their jobs well on you - hook line and sinker...
I am sure there are 100s of fortune 500 companies that give their executives iPods instead of real PDAs...RIGHT - just like that guy's iPod doesn't skip while he is running at the gym...
Ahaha-thats a good one Apple like a Mercedes-haha...
An Apple is a consumer to proconsumer grade product. Professional use SGIs, Suns, completely custom unix or linux environments, etc...for cutting edge work - not some off the shelf consumer product...
Guess you wouldn't understand cause you drive a Lexus Camry - a fake luxury car. You see a real Lexus luxury (ie exclusive, unique, uncommon) car would be something like a SC430 - you can't get a Toyota version of that. Are you going to buy a Jaguar X-type next, ie a dressed up Ford Mondeo in other countries with (or how about a S-type - dressed up Lincoln LS). Marketing people are really doing their jobs well on you - hook line and sinker...
the funny thing is that with your spec-obsession YOU are the one who has taken the marketing bait, not us. and there is a point to the es330 and other crossover cars. they have much nicer interiors, better sound deadening, and -- get this -- the EXPERIENCE IS BETTER. sorta like using a mac, ya know?
ogg is perhaps "the standard for high quality audio" among slashdot junkies and general linux zealots. i would hesitate to make that statement for the audio world at large, who, i imagine, would be hesistant to compress their music using the (lossy) ogg vorbis. for example, the tapers all use shorten...syadasti said:
hint: http://www.vorbis.com/faq.psp#lossy . FLAC is lossless. ogg vorbis is not. ogg vorbis != flac. if you want to be all pissy and claim that you really meant just "ogg + flac" then fine.
Nah, actually they are for posuers and purely cheap cars created by marketing people to make a profit - entry level luxury. They aren't a true luxury car just like a mac isn't a true high-end workstation. Its like wearing a suit with tennis shoes on. The people below and above you just laugh at you...Toshi said:
Here is a review of the Ford Jaguars:
So clearly these reviewers agreed and they have real luxury cars to compare with. These cars are not a real luxury Jaguars, but a mass market car created by a marketing dept. for a commoner who wants an image instead of the real thing. A guess you fit that description since you think they are real luxury cars...
my buddy thad noticed this odd statement, but didn't feel like calling you out on it. but i do:syadasti said:In 1995, Pentium Pro onward, we had RISC basis - mac users still don't understand that cause they can't even handle a multi button mouse out of the box with their machine
read: http://www.mackido.com/Myths/riscvcisc.html
assuming you are making the somewhat absurd statement that mmx makes the pentiums risc processors, of course... if your intent is something else, i bet it's even more ludicrous.
/ 
sweet jeebus, you like to make up sayings and then attribute them to others. i did NOT say the es330 and its ilk (jaguar s-, x-types included) are "real luxury cars". you are arguing with a phantom, and are not addressing what i actually wrote. furthermore, your entire post here is based on the unsupported assertion that "real luxury cars" must have their own, exclusive platform.syadasti said:
Hint, there is a lossless ogg called Ogg FLAC. You can do it, read the FAQ question - here it is once again:Toshi said:
Here is some more info about it:
WHOA, what do you know, the Rio Karma has a LAN port and a webserver built into and supports both formats - gee I wonder why (see bolded section above)...
Again Mac people can't read and have no technical grasp. The Pentium (586) is nothing like the Pentium Pro...Toshi said:my buddy thad noticed this odd statement, but didn't feel like calling you out on it. but i do:
read: http://www.mackido.com/Myths/riscvcisc.html
assuming you are making the somewhat absurd statement that mmx makes the pentiums risc processors, of course... if your intent is something else, i bet it's even more ludicrous.
The Pentium is purely a CISC chip. The Pentium Pro was Intel's first RISC chip with a translator in it - it a was fundamentally different than the chips prior... It should have been called the Sextium and they could market it for faster porn browsing than ever before - oh well :mumble:
Just in case you missed it, as you and craig seem to attention spans shorter than little children, thats what I said:
good points toshi. i never claimed that the lexus es300 was a true luxury car. but the fact is, that the WHOLE EXPERIENCE of owning the lexus has proven to be higher than owning a toyota. and funny thing, my friend that owns a new camry actually paid very close to the same amount as I did for the lexus by the time he loaded it up, only he doesn't have the same total experience, as I do with the es300. I'm willing to pay a little more for that. same with using a Mac. That's something you just don't get... there IS MORE TO IT THAN READING THE SPECS. of course, maybe you have all the extra time to read through that crap since you can't get a date...
and to say there is no one above "prosumer" using a mac is BULLSH!t. check this link...
http://www.apple.com/pro/video/perception/
before you say "hey thats an apple marketing link," these guys all happen to be my FRIENDS and I visit them fairly frequently (their office is a few minutes from penn station so i stop by and see them occasionally). If you try to tell me their work isn't great, i know you're full of it. and that is only the stuff that actually gets used. you should see some of their concepts that don't get used. They really push it creatively. And you can't lump ALL CREATIVE JOBS into the 3D world where they use alot of SGI/SUN equipment. Granted there are alot of those 3D companies sing linux boxes, but they also have dedicated programmers writing software to do one specific function. There are those of us that do use PROFESSIONAL APPS off the shelf like Photoshop, Illustrator, FINAL CUT PRO (mac only), to name just a few...
and to say there is no one above "prosumer" using a mac is BULLSH!t. check this link...
http://www.apple.com/pro/video/perception/
before you say "hey thats an apple marketing link," these guys all happen to be my FRIENDS and I visit them fairly frequently (their office is a few minutes from penn station so i stop by and see them occasionally). If you try to tell me their work isn't great, i know you're full of it. and that is only the stuff that actually gets used. you should see some of their concepts that don't get used. They really push it creatively. And you can't lump ALL CREATIVE JOBS into the 3D world where they use alot of SGI/SUN equipment. Granted there are alot of those 3D companies sing linux boxes, but they also have dedicated programmers writing software to do one specific function. There are those of us that do use PROFESSIONAL APPS off the shelf like Photoshop, Illustrator, FINAL CUT PRO (mac only), to name just a few...