non-ipod mp3 players

you

Well-known member
Also I'm always a bit skeptical of the tiny pre-amp in a portable player having enough welly to power the relatively large speakers in a pair of large over-the-ear headphones, but I guess at least some players mush be powerful enough. I like the feel and sound of a good pair of small in-ear phones, ones that actually protrude into your ear a bit and have good bass.

yeah - on this tip - is an external pre-amp worth it? Also

Are there any amps that do not require an analogue in.... I don't understand the point in going....

in ipod (dig-to-ana) then amplify.... or

ipod, digi out, to converter, external thing then analogue amp!?!

Someone school me please
 

you

Well-known member
so use a digital line out, keep it digi, to the DAC in the i17, let it convert (just the once) then amplify?

Or is it DACing it in the bit between the ipod and amp - in the wire thingy?
 

connect_icut

Well-known member
so use a digital line out, keep it digi, to the DAC in the i17, let it convert (just the once) then amplify?

Or is it DACing it in the bit between the ipod and amp - in the wire thingy?

See this is why I just wanted to get a really high-quality player with a good DAC and a nice powerful output. If you want an iPod to sound really mint, it seems like you need an external DAC that plugs into the dock thingy and then a preamp to boost the signal. I guess if you want to go that route, Fiio has the goods but I just can't imagine wanting to walk around with this weird chain of gadgets in my pocket. Kinda defeats the point. Might as well stay home and listen to records.
 

blacktulip

Pregnant with mandrakes
Love this picture:
20125494653.jpg
 

grizzleb

Well-known member
Apparently the Sandisk Sansa which is cheap as fuck and tiny is really good for the price: loud and sounds pretty good. I wouldn't spend a massive amount on an mp3 player these days - they fuck up too easily, and walking about or sitting on public transport isn't really the best environment for listening to stuff properly anyway.
 

blacktulip

Pregnant with mandrakes
soooo am I right in saying that in this set up the music does not go analogue until inside the big black thing?

What is that USB plug doing free?

The cable is iPhone/iPod output to S/PDIF, so yes, I believe you're right. The USB socket is for charging purposes.
 
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Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Apparently the Sandisk Sansa which is cheap as fuck and tiny is really good for the price: loud and sounds pretty good. I wouldn't spend a massive amount on an mp3 player these days - they fuck up too easily, and walking about or sitting on public transport isn't really the best environment for listening to stuff properly anyway.

Someone dropped my MP3 player into a glass of gin-and-something at a party on Saturday. It died for three days and then, Lazarus-like, came back to life today! Big up da Sony massive.
 

you

Well-known member
Someone dropped my MP3 player into a glass of gin-and-something at a party on Saturday. It died for three days and then, Lazarus-like, came back to life today! Big up da Sony massive.

you have GLASSES at your parties? You middle class twerp!
 

connect_icut

Well-known member
So, my Hifiman HM601 turned up today and....

***It totally doesn't play AIFFs***

Christ knows where I got the idea that it would. This is an epic fail for me because about 50% of my digital music is in AIFF. So basically, if I want to listen to the MBV reissues on the bus, I'll have to convert them to MP3s.

There's some third-party firmware that will play AIFFs (http://www.rockbox.org/) but it seems like there's only a beta build for the 601, which will probably completely destroy my particular model.

I feel like such a twat! Wondering if I should just sell the bloody thing on Craigslist or try to make the most of it. Guess I'll try it out and see if it at least lives up to the sound-quality claims made for it. Maybe a firmware update for AIFF will be forthcoming.
 

blacktulip

Pregnant with mandrakes
You could just do a batch conversion (or a bunch of batch conversions) from AIFF to FLAC with software like XLD. It's a potential pain in the arse logistically, but no need to panic IMHO.
 

connect_icut

Well-known member
You could just do a batch conversion (or a bunch of batch conversions) from AIFF to FLAC with software like XLD. It's a potential pain in the arse logistically, but no need to panic IMHO.

I've pretty much come to terms with playing 320kbps MP3s. They still sound great on the Hifiman. Might give this XLD thing a try at some point, though.

The shittiness of the firmware on this thing is quite astonishing. For example, it only seems to recognize about 50% of the tags, so the browse-by-artist/album functions are basically useless. If I could install a stable version Rock Box, it would be the bomb. As it is, I probably should have bought a Cowon.
 

bruno

est malade
although the xld mp3 compressor is very good, it's the same effort to dump to flacs, and much quicker in my experience. (admittedly with flac the tag editing can be a bit weird, but given that the thing doesn't read tags properly you may not need to bother with this!)
 
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connect_icut

Well-known member
I'm enjoying the Hifiman a lot, in spite of the incredibly shitty firmware. It took quite a bit of digging to find the EQ function (it's not displayed by default!) but with a little extra bass boost, this thing really does sound fantastic.
 

connect_icut

Well-known member
Now then, does anyone know anything about those little FM transmitters for playing your MP3 player in the car? I want to get one for the missus but my research suggests they're all total shit. Is there a decent one out there? It would have to work with a recent-generation iPod Nano but it would be nice if I could plug my Hifiman into it too.
 

msoes

Well-known member
Think about replacing your car stereo. I got a new stereo which will play mp3's off a usb stick as well as having a line in so you can plug in mp3 players, it was about the same price as one of the mp3 radio broadcaster things and sounds much better than the old stereo anyway. Had to install it myself but you can pay for that if you prefer..
 

you

Well-known member
I made the decision to go ipod in the end for convenience and capacity.

My only other option was a massive Cowon that would play FLACs but be faff to manage. So now the only chore I'm left with is converting FLAC's to Apple Lossless.

However, the thing that made the decision for me was the FIIO amp. It has tranformed my Ipod, I get the line out from the pins to the amp and some noise reduction headphones. Best portable music I've had for years I must say. The amp and connector is only 18 quid or something, best money I ever spent.
 

ifp

Well-known member
About to pick up a SanDisk player - plays FLAC, has expandable memory and FM radio. Need something I can play music on for several hours without killing my phone battery in the process.
 
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