It is pretty clear that I will buy a I Pod with 80 gb space to record many of my cd's, so that I can listen to my music on travel.
Is the software easy to handle, the I Pod itself, when does it compress the files, if it reaches the 80 GB?
I plan to record the cd's on the I Pod. Tips?
What is the best quality small headphones I should use. The sales guy said Sennheiser, forgot the typ, very small, an bout 50 euros.
You rip CDs to AAC (Apple Lossless) format, which is more or less CD quality... takes up more space, though.
Quote from: Kullervo on June 17, 2007, 08:33:18 AM
You rip CDs to AAC (Apple Lossless) format, which is more or less CD quality... takes up more space, though.
And how many cd''s you'd figure, could I get on a 80 gig I Pod in cd quality?
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 08:37:15 AM
And how many cd''s you'd figure, could I get on a 80 gig I Pod in cd quality?
In Apple Lossless, that wouldn't be very much. I reached the 12 CD limit with my 2 GB nano... :-\
So, that would be 480 CD's.
Q
Harry,
I just ripped a cd Tate's Elgar 1st & Sospiri (a cd of 1 hour 5 mins of music) to mp3 @ 320kbps which is excellent quality.
On a standard mp3 player this would take up 125 megabytes of data. Appx one eighth of one Gigabyte. The mp3 maths at appx just over one hour per cd = 8 cds per 1 gig x 80 gig space = the region of 600 - 640 full cds, presuming that some cds run to 75 mins as offset.
This is at a high ripping standard for mp3 (320kbps), if you halved the kpbs then of course it would be double the space for the music.
This is based on mp3 ripping and as the other poster stated you do have to convert to an AAC format which takes up much more space.
You just need the figures from an Ipod user (AAC's) based on one hours music @ its byte size...then the calculation can be done
I will be buying an mp3 player soon, but not an Ipod...can't be bothered with converting etc...but I don't mind ripping to mp3 and listening to music on my travels that way. The mp3 sound at 320kbps is excellent by the way.
Tony
PS: Mark will be on hopefully with his views, I await his input on this thread forthwith ;D
Quote from: Que on June 17, 2007, 08:45:13 AM
In Apple Lossless, that wouldn't be very much. I reached the 12 CD limit with my 2 GB nano... :-\
So, that would be 480 CD's.
Q
And you call that not much! Blimey how much time does it take per cd to rip them?
Quote from: AnthonyAthletic on June 17, 2007, 08:51:36 AM
Harry,
I just ripped a cd Tate's Elgar 1st & Sospiri (a cd of 1 hour 5 mins of music) to mp3 @ 320kbps which is excellent quality.
On a standard mp3 player this would take up 125 megabytes of data. Appx one eighth of one Gigabyte. The mp3 maths at appx just over one hour per cd = 8 cds per 1 gig x 80 gig space = the region of 600 - 640 full cds, presuming that some cds run to 75 mins as offset.
This is at a high ripping standard for mp3 (320kbps), if you halved the kpbs then of course it would be double the space for the music.
This is based on mp3 ripping and as the other poster stated you do have to convert to an AAC format which takes up much more space.
You just need the figures from an Ipod user (AAC's) based on one hours music @ its byte size...then the calculation can be done
I will be buying an mp3 player soon, but not an Ipod...can't be bothered with converting etc...but I don't mind ripping to mp3 and listening to music on my travels that way. The mp3 sound at 320kbps is excellent by the way.
Tony
PS: Mark will be on hopefully with his views, I await his input on this thread forthwith ;D
Thanks Tony, useful info, although my knowledge about these things is zero.
At the shop they told me that the I pod is very easy to use, and the menu is accessible for anyone even a digibet like me! ;D
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 09:06:29 AM
At the shop they told me that the I pod is very easy to use, and the menu is accessible for anyone even a digibet like me! ;D
iPod is indeed easy to use, but the software, I don't know. It has one of the worst interfaces that I've seen in a media library software. If you are going to rip CD's for use with iPod be very careful to tag all tracks correctly. Although the software checks a database online to get the file names, artist, title, album etc information, you still have to double check to see if everything is correct, plus obscure CD's generally are not represented in the CD database archives. It is just too much work IMO.
my mom (who works at Apple taking iPod sales over the phone) has heard rumors that they'll eventually release a 120 GB version. If so, that's what, over 700 CDs?
i have around 200 now, and i've decided to not get anymore more, ya know, free ones....... i wonder if such an iPod will be able to hold all the music I ever decide to keep for the rest of my life? :o
wowwwwwwwwww
at least it's just a rumor.....
how many CDs you can put into the IPod depend upon the quality of the music (128,256,320) , the higher the quality the more space you are going to use, vice versa.
but, IF you want to fit EVERYTHING onto that ipod, believe me, 80 gigs is not gonna be enough.
Quote from: MahlerTitan on June 17, 2007, 11:20:23 AM
how many CDs you can put into the IPod depend upon the quality of the music (128,256,320) , the higher the quality the more space you are going to use, vice versa.
but, IF you want to fit EVERYTHING onto that ipod, believe me, 80 gigs is not gonna be enough.
so is that 480 CDs for 128?
Hello Harry.
So, you've decided to enter the Digital Audio Player (DAP, for short) market. And you'd like an iPod. Fair enough. Here are some things you should know:
1) When you buy (download) music from iTunes Music Store - using the freely available iTunes software, which is the ONLY software you can use with an iPod - you buy it in a format called AAC. Contrary to popular belief, this format is NOT owned by Apple, but is licensed by them; there are several (now obscure) Panasonic and other DAPs which can play back AAC.
2) A common misconception about the iPod is that it can only play AAC files. This is complete tosh. It can also play WAV (true CD quality) and MP3 files, amongst others. So, if like me you do your downloading at eMusic rather than risk being ripped off (and saddled with Digital Rights Management crap that restricts what you can do with the music you've bought) at iTunes Music Store, then you can play these MP3 files on an iPod.
3) As you'll be 'ripping' (copying) music from your own CDs, you've needn't worry too much about downloads. But you WILL want to familiarise yourself thoroughly with the settings in iTunes before you get started. In particular, you'll need to know three things:
a) How to change the format into which you'll rip your music (the default is AAC, I believe)
b) How to change the setting so that you achieve what's called 'gapless playback', ensuring that tracks on a CD which should run together seamlessly on playback continue to do so on your iPod
c) How to change (re-tag) your ripped music's display information when the database called Gracenote (which automatically fills in all the track and CD info for you before you rip) occasionally screws up and re-titles your Haydn symphonies CD as a work by metal band Anthrax.
4) Don't be seduced by the bogus number of 'songs' (proof that classical music has been sidelined by DAP marketeers) you're told will fit onto your 80Gb iPod. Yes, it will hold more music than you're ever likely to need on the move. But it won't hold as much as advertised. Reason? DAP capacity is always quoted as unformatted. This basically means that the figures you see on the side of the box take no account of the amount of space needed by the DAP's OS (Operating System). To give you an example, my 2Gb Creative DAP is meant to hold around 600 songs - a song being a 3-4 minute MP3 track encoded at 128kbps (we'll come to bitrates in a moment). But in practice, the player has only 1.87Gb of useable space: the rest taken up by the software needed to run the player's many functions. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense.
5) So, how much music CAN you squeeze onto your 80Gb iPod? Answer: a shitload. ;D But much depends on whether you want quantity or quality ... and it's always a trade-off. I go for a happy medium and encode my music at 192kbps (kilobits-per-second). This basically means that every second of each track is made up of roughly 192 kilobits of digital information. This is using a method called CBR (Constant Bit Rate), but there's another method called VBR (Variable Bit Rate), and this is what eMusic uses. With VBR, a track is allocated more or fewer kilobits per second depending on the complexity of the music being encoded. But you needn't worry about all that. All you need to know is that in all probability, you'll be encoding in CBR, meaning a fixed bitrate. DO NOT encode at bitrates lower than 128kbps, especially for classical music. You really want to be using 192kbps or higher (as Tony said, 320kbps - the highest most DAPs can decode in, say, MP3 format - produces superb-sounding files) for classical, as you'll lose less information this way from the original recording. Which brings me on to my final point ...
6) There are, broadly speaking, two types of encoding: 'Lossy' and 'Lossless'. Most people choose 'Lossy', as this ensures they get more tracks onto their DAPs (albeit at the cost of a proportional loss of quality, which is governed by the bitrate used). What do we mean by 'Lossy'? Let's use the MP3 format as an example. An MP3 file is a digital compressed way of making a large amount of audio information fit into a MUCH smaller file size. It does this by removing sounds at frequencies which the human ear can't readily detect. So, it 'throws away' some of the information from the original CD in order to make files that are smaller. Most people won't notice this loss of information until the bitrate hits around 112kbps or lower. Then, wobbling, twinkling and all other sorts of weirdness become apparent on playback. This is why 128kbps is pretty much the base bitrate below which no one who cares about music should ever go. In short, then, the higher the bitrate, the larger the resulting music files (because less information has been thrown away during encoding), and so the fewer CDs you can fit onto your DAP ... in your case, your iPod.
Yes, I know the above is a lot to take in when you're new to all this. So in summary:
a) Get to know iTunes software thoroughly before you start ripping CDs. Believe me, it can be a very tedious process, and I assure you you'll only want to do it once - so get everything as you want it from the start! ;)
b) If quality is important to you, expect to fit fewer CDs onto your iPod. If you want to squeeze on more music, it's best to go for a lower bitrate from the beginning (see (a) above). I suggest 192kbps.
c) Don't be afraid to experiment, or ask questions here or elsewhere on the net. The one advantage to choosing an iPod is that there are millions of people in the same boat as you, hence plenty of information available to help you as you learn how to get the most from your DAP.
Enjoy, Harry! :)
Quote from: Mark on June 17, 2007, 12:54:29 PM
2) A common misconception about the iPod is that it can only play AAC files. This is complete tosh. It can also play WAV (true CD quality) and MP3 files. So, if like me you do your downloading at eMusic rather than risk being ripped off (and saddled with Digital Rights Management crap that restricts what you can do with the music you've bought) at iTunes Music Store, then you can play these files on an iPod.
Can WAV be played on most other MP3 players/computers?
Quote from: George on June 17, 2007, 01:12:27 PM
Can WAV be played on most other MP3 players/computers?
All PCs should be able to play WAV files, and quite a few DAPs can, too. But don't put uncompressed music files onto your DAP unless you want to have next-to-no free space available for future recordings, and a battery life of about 20 minutes! ;D
As to the question of headphones, there are many great choices, Harry. What you go for will depend on what you need from your headphones. One thing is certain, however: bin the crappy earbuds that come with the iPod*. They're total *****! The iPod has a very good amp stage, so it can drive certain headphones which other DAPs can't. This means you have a pretty broad selection to choose from.
* In fact, ditch ANY earbuds that come bundled with DAPs. They are almost always guaranteed to do your chosen player no justice whatsoever. ;)
First of all let me thank Harry for starting this post..as Mark already knows I too am thinking of buying an ipod or related device. A lot of very useful information has been provided by the GMG members thank you all as well. Harry if you would allow me I would like to add one further question regarding ipods as they relate to DVDs say of classical music concerts, ballets, operas, operettas :) for example. Is is easy to "rip" DVDs onto say the ipod video or related item, what software is needed? How many DVDs can be ripped? I was at an Apple Store a few days ago and the sales rep told me that it was illegal to rip DVDs and that the itunes software does not allow you to do that! Is this true? What other options do we have?
Any information would be much appreciated.
marvin
Marvin, there's plenty of software out on the net that will rip DVDs for use on DAPs. In fact, many DAPs come bundled with everything you need (AFAIK). There are also programs available (not legal, however) that 'strip' DRM from DVD copies, making it possible to do with them what you please. But I think you'll find that whichever device you go for, there will be a fairly straightforward way to convert DVD files for use on the move. :)
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 08:25:39 AM
It is pretty clear that I will buy a I Pod with 80 gb space to record many of my cd's, so that I can listen to my music on travel.
Is the software easy to handle, the I Pod itself, when does it compress the files, if it reaches the 80 GB?
I plan to record the cd's on the I Pod. Tips?
What is the best quality small headphones I should use. The sales guy said Sennheiser, forgot the typ, very small, an bout 50 euros.
Apple forces you to use iTunes. Very confusing software! I have never understood much about it but I am able to load music to my iPod. ;D
128 kb/s gives you "acceptable" quality (outdoors you have lots of background noise so it won't be high end anyway). 196 kb/s starts to be good sound quality. 256 or 320 kb/s gives you practically "CD quality". All this is of course a matter of your ears, how golden your ears are.
128 kbits/s means about 1 Mbytes per minute => A 60 minutes CD takes 60 Mbytes.
320 kbits/s means about 2.5 Mbytes per minute => A 60 minutes CD takes 150 Mbytes.
So, depending on the quality and the average lenght of your CDs you can load 400-1500 CDs. Of course, you don't have to have all your CDs at one time. You can change the files in your iPod.
Sennheiser PX-100 (or PX-200) is a good choice with your iPod.
Mark, you are a treasure! But I was right, this is a bumpy road, and blimey, I thought this was going to be easy! :P I will go for quality and not quantity. I am such a hero with software, and nervous I am already.
You are a treasure trove my friend and will do my best. If it does not work I will contact you.
Last question, how long does it take to get one cd on the I Pod?
Quote from: 71 dB on June 17, 2007, 01:43:40 PM
Apple forces you to use iTunes. Very confusing software! I have never understood much about it but I am able to load music to my iPod. ;D
128 kb/s gives you "acceptable" quality (outdoors you have lots of background noise so it won't be high end anyway). 196 kb/s starts to be good sound quality. 256 or 320 kb/s gives you practically "CD quality". All this is of course a matter of your ears, how golden your ears are.
128 kbits/s means about 1 Mbytes per minute => A 60 minutes CD takes 60 Mbytes.
320 kbits/s means about 2.5 Mbytes per minute => A 60 minutes CD takes 150 Mbytes.
So, depending on the quality and the average lenght of your CDs you can load 400-1500 CDs. Of course, you don't have to have all your CDs at one time. You can change the files in your iPod.
Sennheiser PX-100 (or PX-200) is a good choice with your iPod.
Thank you my friend, I will try them out, and decide which one is best. I have absolute hearing, so golden ears.
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 01:44:29 PM
Last question, how long does it take to get one cd on the I Pod?
Simple answer? Bigger the file size, longer it takes. But for just one CD, it'll be pretty quick ... even if you use uncompressed WAV files. :D
Quote from: Mark on June 17, 2007, 01:19:08 PM
As to the question of headphones, there are many great choices, Harry. What you go for will depend on what you need from your headphones. One thing is certain, however: bin the crappy earbuds that come with the iPod*. They're total *****! The iPod has a very good amp stage, so it can drive certain headphones which other DAPs can't. This means you have a pretty broad selection to choose from.
* In fact, ditch ANY earbuds that come bundled with DAPs. They are almost always guaranteed to do your chosen player no justice whatsoever. ;)
Yeah, saw the earplugs coming with the I Pod and needed just 10 seconds of listening to decide they were crap.
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 01:46:25 PM
Thank you my friend, I will try them out, and decide which one is best. I have absolute hearing, so golden ears.
You are welcome Harry! In your case I recommend at least 196 kbits/s.
How long it takes to rip one CD on your iPod depends on your system. In my case iTunes refuses to rip (I don't know why) and I have to use other programs to make the mp3 files. If everything works one CD should not take more than 10 minutes.
Quote from: 71 dB on June 17, 2007, 01:50:47 PM
You are welcome Harry! In your case I recommend at least 196 kbits/s.
How long it takes to rip one CD on your iPod depends on your system. In my case iTunes refuses to rip (I don't know why) and I have to use other programs to make the mp3 files. If everything works one CD should not take more than 10 minutes.
I will be busy putting 400 discs on my I pod. :o
Quote from: Que on June 17, 2007, 08:45:13 AM
In Apple Lossless, that wouldn't be very much. I reached the 12 CD limit with my 2 GB nano... :-\
So, that would be 480 CD's.
Q
Clearly you haven't used a bigger one. I dont care if its lossless or not I rip at 220 or even 192. When your ipod gets full to a certain point, finding a cd becomes a task. You have to be super organized to have 400 cds on an ipod, I can handle like 100. I have a 30 gb and I usually only use 1/3 of the storage or less at a time.
If I had a 2 gb nano I wouldn't be as foolish as to put lossless cds on it ;D
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 01:53:15 PM
I will be busy putting 400 discs on my I pod. :o
Well, you could put 10 discs for the start. That means 10 hours of music! Then next day more and so on. You don't need all 400 CDs immediately do you?
I have the smallest 512 MB iPod and I have usually only one CD in it! That's enough when I go to walk out for an hour. For example, I may have three Haydn symphonies only. That's enough!
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 09:02:28 AM
And you call that not much! Blimey how much time does it take per cd to rip them?
Mine does it quickly, like 30 seconds. But its the organizing that will take you your entire lifetime.
Quote from: Mark on June 17, 2007, 01:19:08 PM
As to the question of headphones, there are many great choices, Harry. What you go for will depend on what you need from your headphones. One thing is certain, however: bin the crappy earbuds that come with the iPod*. They're total *****! The iPod has a very good amp stage, so it can drive certain headphones which other DAPs can't. This means you have a pretty broad selection to choose from.
* In fact, ditch ANY earbuds that come bundled with DAPs. They are almost always guaranteed to do your chosen player no justice whatsoever. ;)
I'll gladly accept any **** apple earphones anyone wants to send me :) I only have enormous seinheiser earphones right now, cant really take them on a bud without looking weird. Doesnt stop me though..
Quote from: Mozart on June 17, 2007, 02:01:39 PM
I'll gladly accept any **** apple earphones anyone wants to send me :) I only have enormous seinheiser earphones right now, cant really take them on a bud without looking weird. Doesnt stop me though..
I'd rather see Michael Jackson naked than listening to anything with iPod earbuds for 3 seconds.
Quote from: Bonehelm on June 17, 2007, 02:06:52 PM
I'd rather see Michael Jackson naked than listening to anything with iPod earbuds for 3 seconds.
Cool can you send me yours?
Harry - iPod is not your only option for MP3 players. Samsung, iRiver, Toshiba, Sony and many others also make them and you have the advantage of avoiding the rather clumsy iTunes format. Using any of these you can use a program like WMP as your download program and record 'direct' to your player. I purposely avoided iPod because of these restrictions and I'm very happy with the Samsung that I've got. It, and the others I've mentioned have all the features of the iPod plus more flexibility. I know that some of the iPod fans will shoot me down for this but it's worth keeping all your options open. Check out your options at these sites
http://www.mp3.com/hardware.php
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=164
I tend to rip in 128 kbps AAC, simply because I still use CDs for serious listening. Also, I've found 128 AAC to be pretty good. Not CD quality, but still pretty good. Also, the quality of the initial recording makes a difference. I'd say that 192/256 kbps rips are pretty much indistinguishable from CD quality on most rigs. Now, on a high quality setup, you'll be able to tell, but you'll also probably be doing most of your listening on CDs. So, I'd say it really depends on how much music you want to get on the iPod and how much quality you want out of it.
As to quantity, I've got a 60 GB iPod, and here's what I'm told I have on it:
10584 items, 36:22:58:57 total time, 50.12 GB
Of that, I'd say 99.5% is 128 kbps AAC. I did WAV rips, but decided that having all my music with me was more important than having some of it, but in CD quality. With your hearing, you'll probably want quality over quantity. Still, I got a lot of WAV stuff on my 40 GB, and I can imagine that an 80 GB will give you - assuming you go with 256 kbps - as much space as you'll need for your favorites or current listening program.
Also, you should look at Shure's new In-Ear Monitor (IEM) lineup. I use Shure e2cs for my portable 'phones, and they're pretty good. I've heard impressive things about the new stuff.
Harry, listen to Holden - he speaks much truth. ;)
Two really good sites to check out are:
DAPReview (http://www.dapreview.net)
Anything But iPod (http://www.anythingbutipod.com)
I love my 80Gb Ipod - and have been using Sennheiser's PX100 headphones with them since I got it - no complaints here. I'd point out though that you could also use the Ipod for your growing opera DVD collection. :)
Quote from: Mozart on June 17, 2007, 02:10:40 PM
Cool can you send me yours?
Er...when did I say I own a pair of those pieces of ****?
Quote from: Mark on June 17, 2007, 02:38:34 PM
Harry, listen to Holden - he speaks much truth. ;)
Two really good sites to check out are:
DAPReview (http://www.dapreview.net)
Anything But iPod (http://www.anythingbutipod.com)
Not an iPod fan,
Mark? That's too bad.
Quote from: Mozart on June 17, 2007, 01:56:21 PM
If I had a 2 gb nano I wouldn't be as foolish as to put lossless cds on it ;D
I switched to 320 kbps! ;D
And that is sufficient. I change the content of my nano regularly, so always new music. :)
Q
Quote from: Holden on June 17, 2007, 02:27:25 PM
Harry - iPod is not your only option for MP3 players. Samsung, iRiver, Toshiba, Sony and many others also make them and you have the advantage of avoiding the rather clumsy iTunes format. Using any of these you can use a program like WMP as your download program and record 'direct' to your player. I purposely avoided iPod because of these restrictions and I'm very happy with the Samsung that I've got. It, and the others I've mentioned have all the features of the iPod plus more flexibility. I know that some of the iPod fans will shoot me down for this but it's worth keeping all your options open. Check out your options at these sites
http://www.mp3.com/hardware.php
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=164
Thanks Holden I will. More and more I come to a point were I am not sure anymore wether to buy the I POD, or a MP 3 player?
Quote from: PSmith08 on June 17, 2007, 02:30:46 PM
IAlso, you should look at Shure's new In-Ear Monitor (IEM) lineup. I use Shure e2cs for my portable 'phones, and they're pretty good. I've heard impressive things about the new stuff.
I will look into these, thanks!
Quote from: Mark on June 17, 2007, 02:38:34 PM
Harry, listen to Holden - he speaks much truth. ;)
Two really good sites to check out are:
DAPReview (http://www.dapreview.net)
Anything But iPod (http://www.anythingbutipod.com)
Yes, well it reinforces my conviction to maybe not buy I POD, but MP 3.
Quote from: stingo on June 17, 2007, 02:53:03 PM
I love my 80Gb Ipod - and have been using Sennheiser's PX100 headphones with them since I got it - no complaints here. I'd point out though that you could also use the Ipod for your growing opera DVD collection. :)
;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Harry on June 17, 2007, 10:47:40 PM
Yes, well it reinforces my conviction to maybe not buy I POD, but MP 3.
Harry, dear fellow, an iPod
is an MP3 player (or Digital Audio Player, to give these devices their correct name). Trouble is, in the same way that people used to say 'Walkman' even when referring to portable cassette players NOT made by Sony (owners of the 'Walkman' trademark), people now say 'iPod' as a kind of shorthand for DAPs.
Quote from: Steve on June 17, 2007, 05:24:08 PM
Not an iPod fan, Mark? That's too bad.
No, Steve. I'm no fan of anything made by Apple. But don't get me started on THAT diatribe. ;D
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 12:20:16 AM
Harry, dear fellow, an iPod is an MP3 player (or Digital Audio Player, to give these devices their correct name). Trouble is, in the same way that people used to say 'Walkman' even when referring to portable cassette players NOT made by Sony (owners of the 'Walkman' trademark), people now say 'iPod' as a kind of shorthand for DAPs.
See how stupid I am in that repect. Even the simplest thing about it, makes me shudder.
Of course I cannot ask my IT firm, for they only have ears for business applications.
Oke, so from what I can deduce everything but not I Pod. I rely on your expertise.
Which brand should I buy, and remember money is no object in this.
Harry, here are my top four choices for you:
80Gb iPod (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-iPod-Video-Black-Generation/dp/B000HZFC3I/ref=sr_1_1/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155659&sr=1-1)
60Gb Creative Zen Vision: M (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Zen-Vision-Multimedia-Player/dp/B000JP76TO/ref=sr_1_3/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155659&sr=1-3)
160Gb Archos 504 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Archos-504-160GB-Portable-Player/dp/B000J2561C/ref=sr_1_9/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155659&sr=1-9)
60Gb iAudio X-560 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/iAudio-X560-60GB-MP3-4-Player-Black/dp/B0009D5J7C/ref=sr_1_3/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155855&sr=1-3)
Obviously, you can find these items on other sites, and if you Google their brand names you'll be able to get more detailed information.
If you asked me which I'd choose for you, I'd go for the Creative. Superb, natural sound, a S/N of 97% (better than any other DAP on the market), and slick integration with Windows Media Player and PCs generally ... I know you're not a Mac man. ;) I've used Creative for four years (as well as several other brands, Apple included), and these players have proved the most robust and generally trouble-free. Not just at the most expensive end of their range, but right across it. :)
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 12:42:19 AM
Harry, here are my top four choices for you:
80Gb iPod (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-iPod-Video-Black-Generation/dp/B000HZFC3I/ref=sr_1_1/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155659&sr=1-1)
60Gb Creative Zen Vision: M (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Zen-Vision-Multimedia-Player/dp/B000JP76TO/ref=sr_1_3/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155659&sr=1-3)
160Gb Archos 504 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Archos-504-160GB-Portable-Player/dp/B000J2561C/ref=sr_1_9/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155659&sr=1-9)
60Gb iAudio X-560 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/iAudio-X560-60GB-MP3-4-Player-Black/dp/B0009D5J7C/ref=sr_1_3/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155855&sr=1-3)
Obviously, you can find these items on other sites, and if you Google their brand names you'll be able to get more detailed information.
If you asked me which I'd choose for you, I'd go for the Creative. Superb, natural sound, a S/N of 97% (better than any other DAP on the market), and slick integration with Windows Media Player and PCs generally ... I know you're not a Mac man. ;) I've used Creative for four years (as well as several other brands, Apple included), and these players have proved the most robust and generally trouble-free. Not just at the most expensive end of their range, but right across it. :)
Oke, I go for Creative then. And now I have to find some wizard who will explain to me how to burn my cd's on it without much hassle.
And the correct high bitrate, for nothing less will do.
Thank Mark, your input was and is most useful.
Quote from: Harry on June 18, 2007, 12:54:32 AM
Oke, I go for Creative then. And now I have to find some wizard who will explain to me how to but my cd's on it without much hassle.
And the correct high bitrate, for nothing less will do.
Thank Mark, your input was and is most useful.
No worries, Harry.
You should find that once you've loaded the installation CD onto your PC, you'll almost never need to bother with the bundled software (you just need it for the MTP - Microsoft Transfer Protocol - drivers, really). The player should communicate just fine with Windows Media Player, which is also the program you can use to rip your music and put it onto your player. If you have difficulties, I could help you remotely using Remote Assistance (which, if you've never used it before, gives another user control over your PC down the telephone line while you watch ... and learn! ;D).
And don't forget, you need headphones. I'll leave you to decide which sort will suit you best. ;)
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 01:03:29 AM
No worries, Harry.
You should find that once you've loaded the installation CD onto your PC, you'll almost never need to bother with the bundled software (you just need it for the MTP - Microsoft Transfer Protocol - drivers, really). The player should communicate just fine with Windows Media Player, which is also the program you can use to rip your music and put it onto your player. If you have difficulties, I could help you remotely using Remote Assistance (which, if you've never used it before, gives another user control over your PC down the telephone line while you watch ... and learn! ;D).
And don't forget, you need headphones. I'll leave you to decide which sort will suit you best. ;)
Thanks Mark I appriciated that, but since my computer is part of a security system due to the nature of my work, that will be impossible. Only my IT firm is authorized to do that. ;D
But I will ask you if problems arise, sure I will. :)
As you are telling me this, I think I will manage fine. Does the software ask me in which bitrate I want to have it?
Harry, these two steps should give you a good idea (visually) of what you'll need to do to ensure the highest quality of your ripped music.
Right Mark, you make it easy for me.
My IT firm installed Win Amp for me this morning, so that I will be able to influence the tone controls, Bass/Treble, which was impossible to find in Windows Media Player, at least for me.
Have bought these babies for quick reference.
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 12:42:19 AM
Harry, here are my top four choices for you:
160Gb Archos 504 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Archos-504-160GB-Portable-Player/dp/B000J2561C/ref=sr_1_9/203-8874240-7467963?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182155659&sr=1-9)
Ahhh..now this is something I'd like to have.....
marvin
I have a few questions for you guys:
1. Is it true that tracks bought on itunes are in 128 Kps AAC format?
2. Is it also true that 128 Kps AAC is about equal to 192 Kps MP3?
3. Also, if the above is true, how good is 192 K MP3?
4. Or in other words, what is the average range of human hearing in terms of MP3 Kps? Is it 192, 224, 256, 320? (I am just saying roughly here)
Last question: which of the above MP3 file sizes corresponds to CD Quality? 256? 320?
Sorry about all the questions, I scanned the internet today and couldn't find something that explained the above in plain English. :)
I have a few questions for you guys:
1. Is it true that tracks bought on itunes are in 128 Kps AAC format? Regular purchases on iTunes are encoded at 128kbps, but certain iTunes Plus Tracks come at 256kbs AAC which is essentially 320kpbs Mp3, which is CD Quality
2. Is it also true that 128 Kps AAC is about equal to 192 Kps MP3? Yes.
3. Also, if the above is true, how good is 192 K MP3? Depends on the music. For classical, I need at least 256 for quality listening.
4. Or in other words, what is the average range of human hearing in terms of MP3 Kps? Is it 192, 224, 256, 320? (I am just saying roughly here) Theoretically 256AAC/320Mp3 preserves all that is audible to the human ear. 192AAC is not of cosiderably less quality, for the classical listener, I'd stick to at least 256.
Last question: which of the above MP3 file sizes corresponds to CD Quality? 256? 320? 320mp3/256AAC
Sorry about all the questions, I scanned the internet today and couldn't find something that explained the above in plain English. :) Hope this helps, then. :)
[/quote]
Quote from: Steve on June 18, 2007, 05:45:22 AM
I have a few questions for you guys:
1. Is it true that tracks bought on itunes are in 128 Kps AAC format? Regular purchases on iTunes are encoded at 128kbps, but certain iTunes Plus Tracks come at 256kbs AAC which is essentially 320kpbs Mp3, which is CD Quality
2. Is it also true that 128 Kps AAC is about equal to 192 Kps MP3? Yes.
3. Also, if the above is true, how good is 192 K MP3? Depends on the music. For classical, I need at least 256 for quality listening.
4. Or in other words, what is the average range of human hearing in terms of MP3 Kps? Is it 192, 224, 256, 320? (I am just saying roughly here) Theoretically 256AAC/320Mp3 preserves all that is audible to the human ear. 192AAC is not of cosiderably less quality, for the classical listener, I'd stick to at least 256.
Last question: which of the above MP3 file sizes corresponds to CD Quality? 256? 320? 320mp3/256AAC
Sorry about all the questions, I scanned the internet today and couldn't find something that explained the above in plain English. :) Hope this helps, then. :)
Thanks Steve.
When you use itunes to make an exact copy of a CD, do you import it as a WAV or Apple Lossless? Or, what gets closest to an exact copy?
Quote from: George on June 18, 2007, 05:38:22 AM
I have a few questions for you guys:
1. Is it true that tracks bought on itunes are in 128 Kps AAC format?
2. Is it also true that 128 Kps AAC is about equal to 192 Kps MP3?
3. Also, if the above is true, how good is 192 K MP3?
4. Or in other words, what is the average range of human hearing in terms of MP3 Kps? Is it 192, 224, 256, 320? (I am just saying roughly here)
Last question: which of the above MP3 file sizes corresponds to CD Quality? 256? 320?
Sorry about all the questions, I scanned the internet today and couldn't find something that explained the above in plain English. :)
1. I don't know, perhaps.
2. Apple claims that. I have never listened AAC sound.
3. 192 kbits/s mp3 is pretty good. Most people will find it perfect.
4. Most people find 128 kbits/s mp3 good enough, some people (golden ears) want 320 kbits/s or even lossless formats. So, it really depends on your hearing.
All mp3 files are packet so that most (useless) information is lost forever. So, none of them are technically same as CD but above 192 kbits/s is spychoacoutically good/excellent. Also, compressed pop music isn't as demanding as say classical piano music. So, even the music itself makes a difference.
The mp3-coders has differencies too how they allocate bits to the music. 128 kbits/s can sound really bad if made with a (old) bad coder.
Quote from: 71 dB on June 17, 2007, 01:43:40 PM
Apple forces you to use iTunes. Very confusing software! I have never understood much about it but I am able to load music to my iPod. ;D
The simple, easy to use layout of iTunes is a large part of the iPod's popularity. iTunes is among the most straightfoward, stable applications that I have ever used.
Quote from: Steve on June 18, 2007, 05:58:01 AM
The simple, easy to use layout of iTunes is a large part of the iPod's popularity. iTunes is among the most straightfoward, stable applications that I have ever used.
I find all the libraries etc. weird. Why not simple drag and drop-copy files form your Harddrive to iPod? It took me one hour to figure out how to get music to my iPod when I bought it.
Quote from: Steve on June 18, 2007, 05:58:01 AM
The simple, easy to use layout of iTunes is a large part of the iPod's popularity. iTunes is among the most straightfoward, stable applications that I have ever used.
Which import setting do you use when making an exact copy (and not storing the file?)
AIFF, WAV or Apple Lossless?
Quote from: George on June 18, 2007, 05:50:37 AM
Thanks Steve.
When you use itunes to make an exact copy of a CD, do you import it as a WAV or Apple Lossless? Or, what gets closest to an exact copy?
WAV would be en exact copy. When you buy a CD-R and you see the 560MB/74 minutes sign in there, that's the appx specifics of WAV format as well AFAIK. That means 74 minutes of WAV will take about 560MB's of space.
I find 192kbps to be just the right spot between freq loss and unnecessary space hog
Quote from: 71 dB on June 18, 2007, 06:02:13 AM
I find all the libraries etc. weird. Why not simple drag and drop-copy files form your Harddrive to iPod?
Exactly!
Of course the reason is so that you will have to use iTunes (which sells tracks as well). So far I have succeeded in not using any mp3 player that forces you to use their own specific interface. It is ridicilous, and as long as there is one company left who lets you organize your music the way you want to, I am sticking with them. For now, it is iAudio (and Archos too I believe, they used to be like that at least)
I still cannot figure out how to turn off the library function on WMP. Everything I play are added to the library for some reason. I don't want to keep a library in the media player, I have everything arranged under folders/subfolders already :D
Quote from: orbital on June 18, 2007, 06:11:40 AM
WAV would be en exact copy. When you buy a CD-R and you see the 560MB/74 minutes sign in there, that's the appx specifics of WAV format as well AFAIK. That means 74 minutes of WAV will take about 560MB's of space.
Thanks.
Quote
I find 192kbps to be just the right spot between freq loss and unnecessary space hog
But if I am not storing the files, but only using them to burn a CD, then WAV is the way to go, right?
Quote from: orbital on June 18, 2007, 06:11:40 AM
I still cannot figure out how to turn off the library function on WMP. Everything I play are added to the library for some reason. I don't want to keep a library in the media player, I have everything arranged under folders/subfolders already :D
Go into Tools\Options, then uncheck the box I've circled below. ;)
George, WAV is short for waveform ... which is basically sound as it is. Stay above 192kbps, and I'll bet that unless you have a trained ear and/or very high-end equipment, you'll not hear the compression artifacts that betray lossy formats. ;)
And for the record, all this tosh about AAC or MP3 at this or that bitrate being comparative to one another is precisely that: tosh! There's never been any study or series of tests done AFAIK that conclusively proves that, say, 128kbps ACC is equivalent to 192kbps MP3. A lot of it is down to marketing, I'm afraid: Sony would have you believe that 64kbps ATRAC3+ is as good as 128kbps MP3. Get a good set of headphones and a decent hifi, and you'll quickly hear what nonsense that is. ;D
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 06:31:53 AM
George, WAV is short for waveform ... which is basically sound as it is. Stay above 192kbps, and I'll bet that unless you have a trained ear and/or very high-end equipment, you'll not hear the compression artifacts that betray lossy formats. ;)
Thanks. I assume that Apple Lossless is over 192?
Quote from: George on June 18, 2007, 06:36:51 AM
Thanks. I assume that Apple Lossless is over 192?
Apple Lossless (like WMA Lossless, it's PC counterpart) is rather like the FLAC format: a means of making file sizes smaller WITHOUT losing significant digital information. So yes, waaaaaaay better than 192kbps. :)
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 06:39:09 AM
Apple Lossless (like WMA Lossless, it's PC counterpart) is rather like the FLAC format: a means of making file sizes smaller WITHOUT losing significant digital information. So yes, waaaaaaay better than 192kbps. :)
And I assume also faster to import/burn than WAV?
George, since you are not going to store these files, given the option why not go for WAV without worrying about if you're going to use any information? With a high speed internet it should not take long to download the files. When burning CDs I doubt it will make any difference in the time it takes what format you have the original file in.
Thanks Mark :)
Do you also know how to make WMP stop auto syncing with every USB device I plug in?
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 06:31:53 AM
George, WAV is short for waveform ... which is basically sound as it is. Stay above 192kbps, and I'll bet that unless you have a trained ear and/or very high-end equipment, you'll not hear the compression artifacts that betray lossy formats. ;)
Agreed. This is a general tendency in different aspects of life. Like wine, there sure is a difference between a $7 bottle and a $70 bottle, and in most cases it pays to pay up. But between the $70 and the $700 the difference gets less and less to justify the price difference IMO. The same with hi-fi equipment, the initial increase in quality between a $500 and $5,000 system is much more noticeable than the one between the $5,000 and $50,000 ones. It has to do with the universal law of diminishing returns. File sizes are no different, the difference of quality between 192kbps and WAV is not big enough to dedicate the disk space (at least for me).
Quote from: orbital on June 18, 2007, 06:53:35 AM
George, since you are not going to store these files, given the option why not go for WAV without worrying about if you're going to use any information? With a high speed internet it should not take long to download the files. When burning CDs I doubt it will make any difference in the time it takes what format you have the original file in.
Thanks! I am not actually downloading them, I am just temporarily importing them to make CD mixes or copies of rare or OOP discs.
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 06:39:09 AM
Apple Lossless (like WMA Lossless, it's PC counterpart) is rather like the FLAC format: a means of making file sizes smaller WITHOUT losing significant digital information. So yes, waaaaaaay better than 192kbps. :)
Without losing ANY digital information. Lossless means identical quality to the original CD. The filesize is just smaller because the information is packed carefully. They are like zip-files. Smaller but 100% is there.
Quote from: 71 dB on June 18, 2007, 08:00:23 AM
Without losing ANY digital information. Lossless means identical quality to the original CD. The filesize is just smaller because the information is packed carefully. They are like zip-files. Smaller but 100% is there.
Yes, you're absolutely right. :)
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 06:31:53 AM
George, WAV is short for waveform ... which is basically sound as it is. Stay above 192kbps, and I'll bet that unless you have a trained ear and/or very high-end equipment, you'll not hear the compression artifacts that betray lossy formats. ;)
And for the record, all this tosh about AAC or MP3 at this or that bitrate being comparative to one another is precisely that: tosh! There's never been any study or series of tests done AFAIK that conclusively proves that, say, 128kbps ACC is equivalent to 192kbps MP3. A lot of it is down to marketing, I'm afraid: Sony would have you believe that 64kbps ATRAC3+ is as good as 128kbps MP3. Get a good set of headphones and a decent hifi, and you'll quickly hear what nonsense that is. ;D
AAC enoded at 128kpbs is of considerably higher quality then 128 mp3. I've found that 128 AAC compares rather favorably to 192 mp3. Anyway, I find 256 AAC to be all one needs for good listening.
I tried again iTunes to rip a CD. I have two CD drives. The other is not supported (why?) according to iTunes and the other that is supposed to be supported caused the whole program jam when I tried importing. I can use EAC to rip but I can't make AAC files. :-\
Quote from: 71 dB on June 18, 2007, 09:06:04 AM
... but I can't make AAC files. :-\
Why the hell would you want to? ;D
Quote from: Mark on June 18, 2007, 09:44:00 AM
Why the hell would you want to? ;D
AAC should be better than mp3 at the same bitrate. Also, I'd like to compare myself.
EDIT: iTunes converts wav-files on HD to AAC. :) Problem solved.
Quote from: 71 dB on June 18, 2007, 09:51:27 AM
AAC should be better than mp3 at the same bitrate. Also, I'd like to compare myself.
EDIT: iTunes converts wav-files on HD to AAC. :) Problem solved.
Yes, I was going to suggest that. Glad you found it.
Harry, I've set up WMP to go automatically to my MP3 player using the same window in Mark's post. The only thing you have to work out is what drive letter the USB is - on my it's drive E:
Quote from: Holden on June 18, 2007, 01:45:28 PM
Harry, I've set up WMP to go automatically to my MP3 player using the same window in Mark's post. The only thing you have to work out is what drive letter the USB is - on my it's drive E:
That I can do Holden, so far my knowledge goes, luckily enough. :)
With all these bits of info from our personal computer Wizard Young Mark, and all others, this story will come to a successful end.
Harry, a warning (maybe this has already been said but i didn't notice this thread until now and have not read it all).
I use an 60 Gb iPod for some time now. I am hooked, couldn't do without it anymore. iTunes really is a $#@%%$# application but I use it only to transfer the music to the iPod. I rip my cd's with Nero (tolerably fast), 320 kbit/44100H Hz which gives app. 150 Mb. per cd.
My warning is this. It takes some time to rip your cd's and to upload them to the iPod. It may come soon, or it may come after some time but eventually the iPod will crash. F.i. it happened to me that my pc/iTunes didn't recognise my iPod anymore. A lot about this problem is to be found on the internet but I didn't manage to solve the problem and finally had to reset my iPod. Result: all the information on the iPod is lost, I had to start all over again. So what I now do is this. I bought an external harddrive and I save all ripped mp3's on this harddrive. Not so long ago I had another crash but to restore all the mp3's to the iPod didn't took me that long, luckily. I could skip the ripping fase.
I bought my iPod 1,5 year ago (it is my 2nd). I notice that the battery is losing performance fast. I have to recharge more and more often. Anyone with experience on this? I know that it is not possible to replace the battery unfortunately.
i have a question, not very iPod-related, but does anyone do this?
Do any of you ever buy CDs from Amazon, then save them onto your iPod (and maybe save a backup file of course on your computer) and then resell the CD? If you get a used CD, you could probably resell it for the same price. Though reselling isn't always a quick process.... but in the end, all you'll have to pay for is shipping, which means you get a great discount! And you could scan the booklet as a pdf, too, so you still have that.
It's just an idea I had, not sure how it'd work.
Quote from: XXXPawn on June 20, 2007, 03:12:34 AM
Harry, a warning (maybe this has already been said but i didn't notice this thread until now and have not read it all).
I use an 60 Gb iPod for some time now. I am hooked, couldn't do without it anymore. iTunes really is a $#@%%$# application but I use it only to transfer the music to the iPod. I rip my cd's with Nero (tolerably fast), 320 kbit/44100H Hz which gives app. 150 Mb. per cd.
My warning is this. It takes some time to rip your cd's and to upload them to the iPod. It may come soon, or it may come after some time but eventually the iPod will crash. F.i. it happened to me that my pc/iTunes didn't recognise my iPod anymore. A lot about this problem is to be found on the internet but I didn't manage to solve the problem and finally had to reset my iPod. Result: all the information on the iPod is lost, I had to start all over again. So what I now do is this. I bought an external harddrive and I save all ripped mp3's on this harddrive. Not so long ago I had another crash but to restore all the mp3's to the iPod didn't took me that long, luckily. I could skip the ripping fase.
I bought my iPod 1,5 year ago (it is my 2nd). I notice that the battery is losing performance fast. I have to recharge more and more often. Anyone with experience on this? I know that it is not possible to replace the battery unfortunately.
Although I haven't had a problem with Ipod crashes, I've always used an external hard drive to store the ripped music. It makes good sense because I have so much more than 60 or 80 gigs of music. That would be the first piece of advice to anyone getting an ipod -- Get an external hard drive dedicated to storing the music!
As far as the battery problem goes: Get a new battery put in. There are a number of online battery kit suppliers that will send you a new battery, a tool to open the ipod case without scratching it, and detailed instructions. For about $50 or a little more, you can go to any genius bar in an Apple store and they will put in a new battery for you. As is true with any rechargeable battery, they start to lose the ability to recharge after a certain number of recharging cycles. It's got nothing to do with the ipod and everything to do with battery technology.
Quote from: greg on June 20, 2007, 04:36:48 AM
i have a question, not very iPod-related, but does anyone do this?
Do any of you ever buy CDs from Amazon, then save them onto your iPod (and maybe save a backup file of course on your computer) and then resell the CD? If you get a used CD, you could probably resell it for the same price. Though reselling isn't always a quick process.... but in the end, all you'll have to pay for is shipping, which means you get a great discount! And you could scan the booklet as a pdf, too, so you still have that.
It's just an idea I had, not sure how it'd work.
I've never done this myself because I love owning cds. However, I have a friend who is in the process of selling his collection because he has put all of his music on hard drive and backed up the music to blue ray dvds. (You can store many, many cds on one dvd -- although I'm not sure exactly how many. He has the complete Beethoven string quartets uncompressed on one cd with some extra stuff as well.) I'm sure he would (or maybe is) doing this. You cannot do this for SACD, but I've been assured that you can rip dvd-a perfectly to hard drive as well. He has kept his SACDs for multichannel playback until the time comes when he can rip those to hard drive as well. I don't know whether he has bothered to scan the graphics or not. He does have a very extensive database catalog of all of his music where he has the pictures of the covers as well as notes on the cds. If I went to all that trouble I might be selling my cds too.
Quote from: XXXPawn on June 20, 2007, 03:12:34 AM
Harry, a warning (maybe this has already been said but i didn't notice this thread until now and have not read it all).
I use an 60 Gb iPod for some time now. I am hooked, couldn't do without it anymore. iTunes really is a $#@%%$# application but I use it only to transfer the music to the iPod. I rip my cd's with Nero (tolerably fast), 320 kbit/44100H Hz which gives app. 150 Mb. per cd.
My warning is this. It takes some time to rip your cd's and to upload them to the iPod. It may come soon, or it may come after some time but eventually the iPod will crash. F.i. it happened to me that my pc/iTunes didn't recognise my iPod anymore. A lot about this problem is to be found on the internet but I didn't manage to solve the problem and finally had to reset my iPod. Result: all the information on the iPod is lost, I had to start all over again. So what I now do is this. I bought an external harddrive and I save all ripped mp3's on this harddrive. Not so long ago I had another crash but to restore all the mp3's to the iPod didn't took me that long, luckily. I could skip the ripping fase.
I bought my iPod 1,5 year ago (it is my 2nd). I notice that the battery is losing performance fast. I have to recharge more and more often. Anyone with experience on this? I know that it is not possible to replace the battery unfortunately.
I was not aware that ipods had problems of this sort. You say you can not replace the battery?? what happens when the battery completely dies? From what I have seen the casing is sealed. Are we expected to throw them away and pay £100s of pounds (thats what ipods sell for in London) every 2 years??
marvin
Quote from: marvinbrown on June 20, 2007, 05:47:47 AM
I was not aware that ipods had problems of this sort. You say you can not replace the battery?? what happens when the battery completely dies? From what I have seen the casing is sealed. Are we expected to throw them away and pay £100s of pounds (thats what ipods sell for in London) every 2 years??
marvin
Marvin, that may well be the ultimate thing, buying a new one every now and then. Bunny's advice to buy a do it your self battery renewal kit may be tempting but as you say, the casing is sealed and i don't think that i am capable of doing the thing myself. That's how it is.
Quote from: greg on June 20, 2007, 04:36:48 AM
i have a question, not very iPod-related, but does anyone do this?
Do any of you ever buy CDs from Amazon, then save them onto your iPod (and maybe save a backup file of course on your computer) and then resell the CD? If you get a used CD, you could probably resell it for the same price. Though reselling isn't always a quick process.... but in the end, all you'll have to pay for is shipping, which means you get a great discount! And you could scan the booklet as a pdf, too, so you still have that.
It's just an idea I had, not sure how it'd work.
You can hardly ever sell it at the same price. Once you open the packaging, depreciation starts right away. I think it is all too much trouble. Better to download from music stores, cheaper than the shipping and you'll avoid all the complications
Quote from: orbital on June 20, 2007, 05:58:08 AM
You can hardly ever sell it at the same price. Once you open the packaging, depreciation starts right away. I think it is all too much trouble. Better to download from music stores, cheaper than the shipping and you'll avoid all the complications
Especially now that iTMS and EMI are offering the DRM-free 256 kbps downloads. You can get a lot of shiny music from the EMI archives.
Quote from: PSmith08 on June 20, 2007, 07:29:04 AM
Especially now that iTMS and EMI are offering the DRM-free 256 kbps downloads. You can get a lot of shiny music from the EMI archives.
256kbps Mp3 doesn't sound very good over a decent speaker system. 256 kbps mp4 does sound better which is why satellite radio uses that format for streaming audio, but it's still not true cd quality, let alone SACD or DVD-A quality. One company, Linn Records does sell drm free uncompressed music files, and that's where the industry will be heading in the future when broadband is even faster than it is today. At that point, I'll give up buying cds and start buying music online. Until then, I'll keep getting cds. Btw, you still have to make hard copies of the music you buy (either on cds or dvds) if you want to be safe. Hard drives and ipods fail eventually. None of them were made to be used for 15 or 20 years. The cds I bought 20 years ago still work which is not something I can say about my first ipod.
Quote from: Bunny on June 23, 2007, 02:36:08 AM
256kbps Mp3 doesn't sound very good over a decent speaker system. 256 kbps mp4 does sound better which is why satellite radio uses that format for streaming audio, but it's still not true cd quality, let alone SACD or DVD-A quality. One company, Linn Records does sell drm free uncompressed music files, and that's where the industry will be heading in the future when broadband is even faster than it is today. At that point, I'll give up buying cds and start buying music online. Until then, I'll keep getting cds. Btw, you still have to make hard copies of the music you buy (either on cds or dvds) if you want to be safe. Hard drives and ipods fail eventually. None of them were made to be used for 15 or 20 years. The cds I bought 20 years ago still work which is not something I can say about my first ipod.
I'll grant most or all of that, and say only this - for casual or portable listening - DRM-free 256 kbps AAC is a start.
For my purposes, 128 kbps AAC does pretty good, and if I think I'm missing something, I get out the CD rig. I tend to buy online only when I simply must hear something, but don't have the time or energy to track down a CD. Also, iTunes occasionally has a neat OOP or rare find. Otherwise, it's CDs ripped on to the Mac all the way with the CDs handy for "serious" listening.
I just changed jobs and in my new job, I have to travel a lot, so I put together a travel package for high quality sound on the road.
I take a notebook anyway, because that's very important in my job, but since storage capacity is not that big (80GB) and I need the space for other stuff, I also take an external 300GB hard drive, my Sennheiser HD580, and this wonderful little invention, the Total BitHead (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/the-mobile-line/headroom-total-bithead.php):
(http://www.headphone.com/productphotos/small/0000010013_1889.jpg)
What that is is basically a small, but high quality USB preamplifier. Kind of like an external sound card. So you bypass all the crappy, weak and noisy analog output stages. The sound goes from your hard drive directly via USB to the BitHead which converts it to clear and well balanced analog out, strong enough to drive any headphone at higher levels than you need. But it has a volume control, of course.
It is about the size of a pack of cigarettes. I velcroed it to the top of the hard drive, and hooking both up to the notebook takes seconds. You don't even have to install drivers. The BitHead has the drivers stored inside and configures itself as the output device within a moment.
Yes, the total package takes up more room than an iPod or similar solution, but it provides me with tons of storage space and high quality sound everywhere.
I generally use flac, 320kbps or other compression formats only for older recordings or those with not so complex soundscapes. I can still hear some artifacts in complex orchestral music at 320. They aren't very strong, but they are still there, in some places.