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monthly mp3 player thread: iAudio5 vs. U2 vs. MuVo

-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
looking into 512 - 1G, less than $150. not wanting to jump into the big into the big boys yet, 'cause i just need something for downtime between classes right now.

on top of my list is the iPod Shuffle, but i'm looking into a second option. i like the super simplicity of the Shuffle. but that's irrelevent here and now.

does anyone have experience with the 3 mentioned in the title, iAudio5, U2, and MuVo? or is anyone able to give a decent review? i'd like to get some feedback (and i forgot what that forum was the gets mentioned when this topic comes up).

what i'm looking for:
- good battery life
- good sound
- ability to push through Grado SR-60s
- simple controls
- an equalizer isn't neccessary, but it'd be cool if there was one. not those pre-set sound things (i'm not a big fan of these), but an actual equalizer.
- don't care about FM tuning, ability to record, etc. i just want to listen to muzak.
 
-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
ok, so i think the MuVo is out.

what i'm having trouble with now is whether the iAudio 5s controls are actually tricky, and whether or not i want to replace AAAs or if i want to recharge via USB/ AC adapter (U2).
 
dump

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,461
5,096
i have an iAudio5... it's awesome.

The sound quality is brilliant, battery life is somewhere in the 10hr range depending on how I use it... display is really nice. Fastforwarding/rewinding is cool... there's a little pivot wheel/button... it's a smart fast forward too ... starts slow & then speeds up.

I like using AAAs... because often I'm not close to a computer/usb slot.

the controls on the iAudio feel very natural to me after about 10 seconds of finding out how they worked... great interface imo.

and it's really light - like that a lot too...
 
Fredzilla

Fredzilla

Monkey
Aug 5, 2003
285
0
Seattle
I know it wasnt' on your list, but I recently picked up a YP-MT6Z (YEPP) from Samsung. $129 - 1GB. Great sound, tiny, runs on 1 AA for 40+ hours. I love it.

While I was shopping around, a good resource site I found was www.dapreview.net
 
-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
yeah, i searched, and remember someone had posted on the iAudio in one of the mp3 player threads, but couldn't remember who, or which one, and i didn't really want to dig through all of them for that 1 post.

dump said:
i have an iAudio5... it's awesome.

The sound quality is brilliant, battery life is somewhere in the 10hr range depending on how I use it... display is really nice. Fastforwarding/rewinding is cool... there's a little pivot wheel/button... it's a smart fast forward too ... starts slow & then speeds up.

I like using AAAs... because often I'm not close to a computer/usb slot.

the controls on the iAudio feel very natural to me after about 10 seconds of finding out how they worked... great interface imo.

and it's really light - like that a lot too...
Click to expand...
i think you might've been the one i was thinking about when i remembered someone posting about it.

- is the battery cover really that flimsy as reviewers have made it out to be? or are those people just kind of ham-fisting things?

- do you use a rechargeable battery? i've got some Energizer rechargeable batteries that i could use if i could get a solid 10hrs out of them.

- what size did you get? just curious. i'm not a big fan of the 512 colors (both being blue), and sadly, that's enough for me to consider jumping up to the 1G. but that might be overlapping too much. i don't know. JetAudio has an ebay store that sells 1G open-boxes with a 1yr warranty, for $140.
 
dump

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,461
5,096
the Inbred said:
yeah, i searched, and remember someone had posted on the iAudio in one of the mp3 player threads, but couldn't remember who, or which one, and i didn't really want to dig through all of them for that 1 post.

i think you might've been the one i was thinking about when i remembered someone posting about it.

- is the battery cover really that flimsy as reviewers have made it out to be? or are those people just kind of ham-fisting things?

- do you use a rechargeable battery? i've got some Energizer rechargeable batteries that i could use if i could get a solid 10hrs out of them.

- what size did you get? just curious. i'm not a big fan of the 512 colors (both being blue), and sadly, that's enough for me to consider jumping up to the 1G. but that might be overlapping too much. i don't know. JetAudio has an ebay store that sells 1G open-boxes with a 1yr warranty, for $140.
Click to expand...
I have no problems w/ the battery cover... it stays on, no complaints... never thought twice about it.

I sometimes use engergizer rechargable batteries... don't know the specs. Other times I use whatever AAAs I can get my hands on... I have the best battery life out of the rechargeables.

I have the 1 gig... I can load it way up & go on a week-long trip w/o worrying about having material to play. I also like the extra storage for transfering files (it works as a removable drive - i.e. doesn't require a software interface to transfer files)
 
dfinn

dfinn

Turbo Monkey
Jul 24, 2003
2,129
0
SL, UT
another one that's not on your list but I have to recommend the SanDisk DAP (digital audio player). I have the 1G model. It's small, works well, has held up to snowboarding (wet,cold) and I use it for my daily commute on my motorcycle as well.

I will likely be replacing it though with the new iPod Mini's that Apple is about to release. They will likely be +4G and use a solid state flash drive. Also, word on the street is that they are about to lower the prices on the Shuffle and possibly release a 2G one.
 
-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
yeah, i'm hoping to be flooding with a lot of Apple news tomorrow. it might persuade me to rethink.
 
-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
well i pulled the trigger today. iAudio5? U2? no. Nano? no. i got a 512 Shuffle for a whopping $19, NIB.

now i'll start saving for something bigger.
 
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