Members yeagermeister Posted August 5, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 5, 2005 I will post a full review of the Rio Karma when it arrives and I have had time to mess with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yeagermeister Posted August 9, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 My Rio Karma came in the mail yesterday!!!!! :) I will use it on vacation this week and report back!Some of the first things I have noticed are that it has a very intuitive layout..... extremely easy to nagivate around, and it's super quick and easy to transfer files. 8.5 gigs in about 3-4 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Randy Van Sykes Posted August 11, 2005 Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 I just bought an iPod, my old Creative 10 gig I bought 4 years ago finally croaked. I'm really liking the iPod, I think it's worth the money. It's well thought out feature-wise and very solid feeling compared to the other mp3 players I looked at and tested...which seemed cheaply built/designed compared to this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 11, 2005 Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 Originally posted by ratter Well, iTunes will convert your WMA's on the fly for you when you import them into your iTunes library, so it's not like you're totally SOL. It would be nicer if it just left them as WMA, yes, but it does work. Apple is pushing their own format just like MS pushes theirs...can't really blame them for that... That still leaves .ogg and .flac to contend with. iTunes doesn't know what to do with those. And converting from one lossy format to another is only going to step down the quality anyway. That sucks IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 11, 2005 Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 Originally posted by yeagermeister My Rio Karma came in the mail yesterday!!!!!I will use it on vacation this week and report back!Some of the first things I have noticed are that it has a very intuitive layout..... extremely easy to nagivate around, and it's super quick and easy to transfer files. 8.5 gigs in about 3-4 minutes. Awesome! Mine came in the mail recently as well. I ordered a junk one from eBay that had a busted LCD. I found a working LCD to replace it with. It's basically more of a project of mine to see if I can get it working again without having to replace the entire main board. I will say this though - it is definitely easy to disassemble. Although the LCD screen's ribbon cable was a TOTAL BITCH to plug back in! There's a plastic wedge shaped thing that holds it in place and it is really difficult to handle. Everything else was no prob. Now I just need to flash the firmware and reinstall to see if it'll boot up normally. I can hear the hard drive spinning, and the buttons make the normal beeping noises through the headphones when I turn it on, but the screen displays some weird stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members telephant Posted August 11, 2005 Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 How do you guys hook up your MP3 players to your car? They dont still usr that old school tape style adapter like on walkmans do they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ratter Posted August 11, 2005 Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 Originally posted by shredhead666 That still leaves .ogg and .flac to contend with. iTunes doesn't know what to do with those. And converting from one lossy format to another is only going to step down the quality anyway. That sucks IMO. True. But I started from scratch with iTunes and ripped all my cd's that way to AAC. The only things that I download that aren't MP3 are FLAC. I convert those to AAC, no big deal. So my entire library is either AAC or MP3, no problems. And I think for 99% of people, that would be true. Joe Six Pack doesn't know wtf ogg vorbis or FLAC is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ratter Posted August 11, 2005 Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 Originally posted by telephant How do you guys hook up your MP3 players to your car? They dont still usr that old school tape style adapter like on walkmans do they? For about $60 online I got a wiring harness that plugs into the back of my factory radio and uses the connections that the rear-seat DVD (which I don't have) would normally use. So I get a straight line-in and just plug the ipod into that. Caused a few ass-puckering moments taking the dashboard apart to install it, but other than that, it beats the living hell out of a casette adapter or one of those {censored}ty fm transmitter things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ratter Posted August 11, 2005 Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 Speaking of ass-puckering, gotta love the name:http://www.logjamelectronics.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yeagermeister Posted August 15, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 15, 2005 Just got back in town, the Rio Karma is freakin awesome. Now I think I am going to re-burn some of my CDs into the ogg format.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ejk Posted August 15, 2005 Members Share Posted August 15, 2005 Originally posted by ratter Are you serious?? What a joke... .......it still displays ID3 tags, you just search through a folder system like you do with windows. Set up your folder system in a proper way and it works just as well if not better than ID3 browsing. Point in case, I have mine set up so that the Music root folder leads to a menu displaying a set of subfolders labeled CDs and Downloads, which then each go on to an artist subfolder, which then leads to a menu displaying a set of subfolders for albums, b-sides, and live performances, which then leads to another root folder that displays the list of albums, b-sides, or live performances with the corresponding year displayed as part of the file name, and then finally this leads to either an alphabetized or numerical listing of tracks for the selected album, b-side, or live performance. If anything file tree browsing is easier to use and nicer all around IMHO because it lets you create your own custom interface. If you set it up right, you'll have the exact same amount of info displayed as you would with an ID3 browser if not more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ejk Posted August 15, 2005 Members Share Posted August 15, 2005 Hey for everybody who's going on about S/N ratios and whatnot, it's a lost cause to worry about. Anything with a rating around or over 90db is going to be just fine, as the human ear doesn't even pick up on anything greater than that. That's why top notch companies like iRIVER have S/N ratios of only either 89 or 90db for their players. Creative and their 97db S/N ratio are full of it, not only is that rating grossly overestimated, but it's of absolutely not merrit as we can't even appreciate a S/N level that high. It's just a marketing ploy to get people to go "oh look, that's so much better than the other companies so it must be the best". In general, iAUDIO, Rio, iRIVER, and Sony are the best of the best with Apple and Creative not being too far behind. Also, CNET is full of crap. They're heavily iPOD biased and rewrote their reviews recently to incorporate a revised rating system. Before you had the iPOD Color/Photo somehow rated a 9.....and then the iAUDIO M3 rated as a 8.7, now as you see they've dropped that same iPOD model down to something like an 8.5 or higher I believe and the M3 has been shot down all the way to a 7.7......with is sonically identical and even better equipped replacement X5 only getting a 7.3 within a recent review????? Go read the CNET user reviews for the X5, CNET got bashed pretty badly and actually had to issue a statement to try and defend their ratings system and their recent revisions. You can see that statement at www.iaudiophile.net or www.dapreview.com if you search for it , it's pretty funny actually. Long story short, CNET isn't a very credible source for reviews, give www.headfi.org and their forums a glance instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 18, 2005 Members Share Posted August 18, 2005 Originally posted by ratter True. But I started from scratch with iTunes and ripped all my cd's that way to AAC. The only things that I download that aren't MP3 are FLAC. I convert those to AAC, no big deal. So my entire library is either AAC or MP3, no problems. And I think for 99% of people, that would be true. Joe Six Pack doesn't know wtf ogg vorbis or FLAC is. Yeah that's definitely true. Most people deal in {censored}-quality MP3's. That's why I'm just giving MY perspective of why an iPod wouldn't work for ME. BTW, my Rio Karma is working now and HOLY {censored} is it nice! I don't regret not buying an iPod for a SECOND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nrarocks Posted August 18, 2005 Members Share Posted August 18, 2005 How's that Iriver H320? That thing looks pretty kickass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ke^in Posted August 18, 2005 Members Share Posted August 18, 2005 Originally posted by yeagermeister I can't help but feeling that the iPod is a ripoff at that price. No, you get what you pay for. What's the best bang for the buck in mp3 players? The iPod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yeagermeister Posted August 21, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally posted by Ke^in The iPod. Okay let's see.... iPod vs. my Rio Karma. Supported files: With iPod, I can play mp3s and Apple's proprietary crap. With Karma I can play mp3, wma, Ogg Vorbis, and FLAC. Advantage: Karma. Price: iPod: $299. Karma, if you can find it, $125-150. Advantage: Karma SQ and output: The Karma kills the iPod.... better lossless file support, and insane 60mw per side output. Karma has an adjustable 5-band EQ, the iPod has a few lame presets and weak output. Advantage: Karma Looks: The Apple has a very very very pretty, impeccably clean design. The Karma is ugly. Advantage: iPod Side note: The Karma is the only player with gapless playback. Live albums and albums that flow from song to song won't have an annoying millisecond of space between the tracks. This is an essential feature for me. I've never used iTunes, so I won't comment on it. Rio Music Manager is very intuitive and works great for me. Conclusion: If you want to be a trendy hipster and have a great looking DAP, go with the iPod. If you love music and are picky about sound quality, and want to save a big chunk of change in the process, go for the Karma. If you can't find it, I would recommend a Cowon iAudio X5. Supports all the same files as the Karma (but no gapless playback) and looks really sharp too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nrarocks Posted August 21, 2005 Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 I was just at Best Buy today talking to a guy about MP3 players, and he said that the iriver h10 (20gb) is the best one they carry. It supports more file types than ipod, can store microsoft word documents, has a voice recorder, an am/fm tuner, and a radio recorder. The 20gb ipod only supports itunes files and like one other format (forgot which one). Oh, and they're the same price. So, IMO, Iriver h10>>>ipod. I will say this, however; apple has done an incredible job marketing the ipod, even though other mp3 players (like the iriver) are better. Just my opinion tho, some people like the ipod, some people don't. I will definetly be purchasing the iriver soon tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yeagermeister Posted August 21, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally posted by nrarocks I was just at Best Buy today talking to a guy about MP3 players, and he said that the iriver h10 (20gb) is the best one they carry. It supports more file types than ipod, can store microsoft word documents, has a voice recorder, an am/fm tuner, and a radio recorder. The 20gb ipod only supports itunes files and like one other format (forgot which one). Oh, and they're the same price. So, IMO, Iriver h10>>>ipod. I will say this, however; apple has done an incredible job marketing the ipod, even though other mp3 players (like the iriver) are better. Just my opinion tho, some people like the ipod, some people don't. I will definetly be purchasing the iriver soon tho. Rio Karma >> Cowan iAudio X5 >> iRiver h10 >> Apple iPodThe iRiver is a fantastic player by all standards, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ke^in Posted August 21, 2005 Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally posted by nrarocks The 20gb ipod only supports itunes files and like one other format (forgot which one). That would be the mp3 format. And AIFF, and m4a, and... Oh, and they're the same price. So, IMO, Iriver h10>>>ipod. Not even close. I will say this, however; apple has done an incredible job marketing the ipod, even though other mp3 players (like the iriver) are better. Just my opinion tho, some people like the ipod, some people don't. I will definetly be purchasing the iriver soon tho. I've owned 5 different mp3 players before finally getting an iPod. INCLUDING the iRiver. (Gave it to my dad) Still like my 30g iPod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ke^in Posted August 21, 2005 Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally posted by yeagermeister The Apple has a very very very pretty, impeccably clean design. The Karma is ugly. Advantage: iPodSide note: The Karma is the only player with gapless playback. Live albums and albums that flow from song to song won't have an annoying millisecond of space between the tracks. This is an essential feature for me. I've never used iTunes, so I won't comment on it. Rio Music Manager is very intuitive and works great for me. Conclusion: If you want to be a trendy hipster and have a great looking DAP, go with the iPod. If you love music and are picky about sound quality, and want to save a big chunk of change in the process, go for the Karma. If you can't find it, I would recommend a Cowon iAudio X5. Supports all the same files as the Karma (but no gapless playback) and looks really sharp too. Please, the Karma doesn't sound better than the iPod. That is a ridiculous statement. There is a REASON the iPod wins awards. And it has nothing to do with trendiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yeagermeister Posted August 21, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally posted by Ke^in Please, the Karma doesn't sound better than the iPod. That is a ridiculous statement. There is a REASON the iPod wins awards. And it has nothing to do with trendiness. From Cnet: Ultimately, MP3 players are about the music--so which one sounds the best? Determining the best-sounding player is a tricky task since many of the top devices utilize the same sound chips. In fact, unless you have the golden ears of an audiophile, it's difficult to notice the difference between devices. Still, we, the editors and CNET Labs, put them to the test using a playlist ranging from Air to Bob Dylan, comprising a variety of genres encoded at 320Kbps VBR MP3, setting equal volume levels, and disabling any EQ or sound-effects settings. Using a pair of our trusty Grado headphones, we judged sound quality in a blind sound test and came up with some consistent (and interesting) results. Described as warm and true, the sound quality of Cowon's iAudio X5 fared very well, as did the iRiver H320 right behind it. Toshiba's Gigabeat F20 had mixed reviews ("tinny," "good for techno" and "slightly processed with a hint of hiss") as did Creative's "tight" and "hiss-free" Zen Touch. But it was the brand-new Sony NW-HD5 that consistently ranked number one, delivering MP3s "with a crispy warm seal." Which consistently ranked last? Apple's iPod Photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unnamedsoup Posted August 21, 2005 Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 I'd say the Iriver h340, its a little bit more than the equivalent hard drive spaced Ipod, but it has never let me down, and you can change the hardware it runs on from the US version to the International version and it allows you to watch videos on it at 10FPS, which isn't half bad. As far as reliability goes, i've had no problems with it (granted i've only had it for about 2 months) but i've taken it on a 60 mile hike through yellowstone national park with me, mowed the lawn with it many times, and its still as good as new. Also, the sound quality on it is excellent. It might not look as good as an Ipod and may be a bit bigger, but i'd say its totally worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pjc Posted August 21, 2005 Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally posted by yeagermeister Rio Karma >> Cowan iAudio X5 >> iRiver h10 >> Apple iPod The iRiver is a fantastic player by all standards, though. You forgot one. It actually goes like this....IRiver h320 >> iRio Karma >> Cowan iAudio X5 >> iRiver h10 >> Apple iPod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yeagermeister Posted August 21, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally posted by pjc You forgot one. It actually goes like this.... IRiver h320 >> iRio Karma >> Cowan iAudio X5 >> iRiver h10 >> Apple iPod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ke^in Posted August 21, 2005 Members Share Posted August 21, 2005 http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,119991,00.asphttp://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/002352.phphttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/new-for-you/top-sellers/-/electronics/all/ref=pd_dp_ts_e_1/104-8118324-9287139http://www.consumersearch.com/www/electronics/mp3-player-reviews/AND FINALLY.. Originally posted by yeagermeister From Cnet: http://msn-cnet.com.com/Music/4521-6532_7-5021434-3.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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