MP3 Players and DAPs

[Shit Good Nose]

Rockbox IS worth it for many reasons, and yes it IS that easy[nb]although make sure you use a tested stable port that has been around for a while.  This does, unfortunately, limit what DAPs you can put it on[/nb].

As for sound quality improvement, I can't vouch either way for the iPod, but it did so with some other players simply because you were replacing that player's firmware sound signature with a completely neutral EQ and then using Rockbox to tune it to your preference.  This was particularly an improvement with thin sounding players that had restrictions on what you could do with them - some old Archos' with 3 band equalisers are good examples.  Rockbox also does away with the EU volume limiter.  Rockbox will NOT improve the sound of players that already have a neutral EQ/no "house" sound signature installed, but you may find the main improvement at that point is Rockbox's EQ is much better than the original firmware.  If memory serves the iPod EQ is/was a basic 3 or 5 band EQ, whereas Rockbox's is...is it 10?  Can't remember.  But Rockbox also has things like bass boost, 3D sound, MP3 enhance etc (all "borrowed" from Cowon's standard firmware), which most player firmwares don't.

What i mean is, you can listen to comedy or whatever, go and listen to something else, and then return to the comedy and it will be in the same place as you exited. I have players that will save the place when you switch it off (Fiio, Cowon etc), but not when you have listened to something else. This feature only seems to be unique to the iPod, but if there is another option that can do that, then please let me know.

Rockbox did it as standard with some, but not all, of its ports.  There were also other players that did this either out of the box or with a firmware upgrade - the Cowon X7, the Microsoft Zune, one of the Archos players (can't remember exactly which one, but I think it was actually the first player that did it, even before the iPod), I think some of the Sansas did it (although I may just be thinking of Rockboxed Sansas).  So it wasn't unique to the iPod.  Unfortunately, and as I said in a previous post, most, if not all, current DAP manufacturers haven't really bothered with this going forward, which is a shame.  In fact, most players now don't even re-start from where you stopped after switching them off - you go back to the beginning of the track, which is very annoying.

[samadriel]

This'll sound stupid, I'm sure, but if I install, say, Rockbox firmware on my spare IPod classic, would I still be able to sync it with iTunes, or is that completely exclusive to Apple firmware? I've just got a really big smart playlist of my favorite songs (I give them a star rating, and the smart playlist just includes all songs that have a rating), and I'd quite like to keep using it, despite my curiosity about alternative firmware.

[Shit Good Nose]

This'll sound stupid, I'm sure, but if I install, say, Rockbox firmware on my spare IPod classic, would I still be able to sync it with iTunes, or is that completely exclusive to Apple firmware? I've just got a really big smart playlist of my favorite songs (I give them a star rating, and the smart playlist just includes all songs that have a rating), and I'd quite like to keep using it, despite my curiosity about alternative firmware.

I'm afraid I can't answer that but, being iTunes and an iPod, I would guess that installing Rockbox will fuck things up.

Have a look on the Rockbox website - if it doesn't have it in the FAQs, there is a very active community.  Given the iPod has had RB for years, there's bound to be at least one discussion about it on the forum.

[samadriel]

Looks like the dual bootery of rockbox allows the happy coexistence of both types of firmware. Thanks for telling me where to look, I should've thought of that myself!

[Shit Good Nose]

Looks like the dual bootery of rockbox allows the happy coexistence of both types of firmware.

Yep, and it works.

Most peeps start off with the dual boot, but invariably can the original firmware within weeks - Rockbox IS that good.  And you can always uninstall RB and squirt the original firmware back on (TIP - make sure you keep a stable copy of the original firmware, just in case - many owners of old iRiver players came a cropper with this when iRiver got rid of nearly everything prior to the move to Astell & Kern).

If there are no iTunes issues with RB, I predict you will do the same.

[anant]

I had an ipod classic and was more than happy with it, but it pales in comparison to the relatively cheap high res player I bought to replace it. It's been quite a revelation, especially since I figured out how to install rockbox on it. The difference in sound quality is genuinely startling.

[Roy*Mallard]

So, i installed Rockbox on an iPod classic 160gb that i bought back in the UK last year. Decided to Rockbox this one due to the awful ''EU-we don't want you to be able to hear your music'' restrictions.

Generally, i really like what has been installed - now i have music on this player that can ruin my ears!

However, there is one big problem. Battery life on this player was over 20 hours using Apple's firmware, but now it's just over 10. Have i missed something? Does anyone know how this can be resolved?

[Shit Good Nose]

It improved some, lessened others, depending on how power hungry the original firmware was.  Not sure what it did to the iPod, but I'm pretty sure there is/was a before and after average battery life per model comparison somewhere on the RB website.

If RB is thirstier than the original Apple firmware, then the only resolution will be flashing back to the original firmware.

[Shay Chaise]

I just ordered a Chord Mojo DAC/amp. It's supposedly #1 in its class on Head Fi and got a shitload of product of the year awards last year and this. Meant to be basically a Lamborghini for the price of a Porsche. I can only afford a banger, really, but I miss having really good audio stuff. Crapping myself that I won't like it, though, or it'll get robbed in the post.

[WesterlyWinds]

What budget MP3 players can you recommend? My iPod touch isn't working properly with Ubuntu so can't update what's actually on it, annoyingly. Essentially what I want is something relatively cheap, not actually that arsed about sound quality, with the ability to have like 80- 100gb of music on it. Decent battery life would be a plus

[Shit Good Nose]

I just ordered a Chord Mojo DAC/amp.

The Hugo is the daddy.  I've not demoed the Mojo but, really, everything by Chord is pretty fucking great.  What are you pairing it with?

What budget MP3 players can you recommend?

Fiio X1 or Sansa will do you, but you'll struggle to find really decent battery life these days - pretty much everything is going hi-res, for which the hardware is quite a power draw before you even start to throw hi res files into the mix.

[Shay Chaise]

I've got some HD650s. I used to pair them with a BH Speedball Crack and top tier tubes and it was stunning but it was also a ballache in some ways, waiting for tubes to warm up and the occasional crackle because I put it together myself and have very little experience with electronics, and I also succumbed to constant tube rolling and soldering in ever-increasing Russian caps. I also had an rDac which was really good but ultimately I ended up listening to the gear rather than music. I'm happy to have something more straightforward and to be honest, having gone reasonably far down that path, and then sold it all a couple of years ago, I almost only ever listen to music in the car these days, and that's made me just listen to and engage with music, rather than dissect the presentation. I actually enjoy music more these days than in the last six months or so of the Crack.

I know that the Mojo isn't the be-all etc for the Senns, because they scale better than anything I've heard with better gear, and it's obviously not going to provide that liquid sound you get from a tube amp, but it's very musical, great mids and unbelievable detail and separation, without artificially accentuating the treble. While the Hugo is obviously better, it's supposed to be pretty close and plenty of people prefer the 'natural' warmth of the Mojo, so I don't feel I'm missing out, for once. For an all in one solution, it's exactly what I'm looking for. That I can use it with my phone is even better, really. I can't be arsed getting the laptop out every time I want to listen to music so playing FLACs off Android and getting this sound is pretty wild.

[wasp_f15ting]

I am thinking of getting the AK70 as a DAP.

Looks rather solid.

[Shay Chaise]

I've got some HD650s. I used to pair them with a BH Speedball Crack and top tier tubes and it was stunning but it was also a ballache in some ways, waiting for tubes to warm up and the occasional crackle because I put it together myself and have very little experience with electronics, and I also succumbed to constant tube rolling and soldering in ever-increasing Russian caps. I also had an rDac which was really good but ultimately I ended up listening to the gear rather than music. I'm happy to have something more straightforward and to be honest, having gone reasonably far down that path, and then sold it all a couple of years ago, I almost only ever listen to music in the car these days, and that's made me just listen to and engage with music, rather than dissect the presentation. I actually enjoy music more these days than in the last six months or so of the Crack.

I know that the Mojo isn't the be-all etc for the Senns, because they scale better than anything I've heard with better gear, and it's obviously not going to provide that liquid sound you get from a tube amp, but it's very musical, great mids and unbelievable detail and separation, without artificially accentuating the treble. While the Hugo is obviously better, it's supposed to be pretty close and plenty of people prefer the 'natural' warmth of the Mojo, so I don't feel I'm missing out, for once. For an all in one solution, it's exactly what I'm looking for. That I can use it with my phone is even better, really. I can't be arsed getting the laptop out every time I want to listen to music so playing FLACs off Android and getting this sound is pretty wild.

Correction, this is just what the HD-650s sound like from almost any source. They're very good in the mids, but quite flabby on the bottom and rolled off at the top. That said, they also pair very poorly with the Mojo, a negligible effect. It's definitely not the Mojo, or the phones, but the pairing, as I have experienced both with other options and they sound tremendous. Just bad luck on my part and some utterly bullshit recommendations online. I'm returning both rather than gambling on some different headphones I haven't demoed. I'll get something else down the line.

[wasp_f15ting]

Do you still have the tube amp?

I use the Valhalla 2 with the Mojo as the DAC with my HD800s and it sounds perfect. The HD800s with the MOJO sound too flat and unimpressive but the warming nature of the Vlahalla 2 seems to pair well. Reason I mention the VAL 2 is it was compared to the bottlehead.

[wasp_f15ting]

Just re-read you sold it.

Well you can pick up the Val 2 fairly cheaply:

http://schiit.eu.com/amps/valhalla-2

[billyandthecloneasaurus]

Is there a way for sansa clip rockbox firmware to do that automatically? It's fucking annoying when I play music without realising I had a 7 hour podcast paused at some uncertain point in the middle and then I have to find it all.

similar frustration to when i fall asleep listening to the lapsed fan (presumably the one you're talking about too) and spend about 15 minutes trying to figure out where i'd gotten to

[wasp_f15ting]

I got the AK70 in the end with £50 off it was a great deal.

The sound is phenomenal.. thanks for the tip on the AK models. My ie8i sound perfect with them, and just what I needed for distraction free working :)

[hewantstolurkatad]

similar frustration to when i fall asleep listening to the lapsed fan (presumably the one you're talking about too) and spend about 15 minutes trying to figure out where i'd gotten to

Yep, there's very few podcasts that come in 7 hour long mp3s! Basically either that or Dan Carlin.
Set a default sleep timer to always be on. I've mine set to 55 minutes, so it guarantees I fell asleep within the previous 55 minutes and I don't burn through the battery (which is gonna happen if it's playing through the night). The hassle of having to turn it back on every hour or so is more than made up for by all of that.


Found the bookmark thing, it's not perfect (only creates one when you stop a file, not when you hit play on another one) but its a big improvement!

[Custard]

I still greatly miss my iPod Classic, but I've gotta say, I'm now enjoying loading my Samsung phone up with music. Mainly cos it's one less device to carry about. Got some Bluetooth earphones, and off I bladdy walk to work

I put off doing so for a long time as I have 100s of iTunes playlists, but I did a bit of research recently and tried the SyncTunes software. It basically allows you to sync the playlists you want from iTunes directly to your phone (I use Poweramp as the player on the phone itself). This has basically solved the problem for me, and no longer having the Classic isn't that much of an issue anymore

Somebody has probably already recommended similar, but, you know, post.

IT WORKED FOR ME AND NOW I AM HAPPY

SyncTunes - http://www.synctunes.net/