Okay, I will keep this short. Oh, hello from Texas! EDIT: This isn't very short after all!!!
This weekend I went temporaritly insane (since I completely paid off my credit card) and decided to spend the entire weekend comparing DAP units. I bought at Best Buy (easy return policy and many stores to make returns...so I don't bring them all back to the same store) the following: iPod touch, iPod Classic 160GB, iPod nano, and a Zune. In addition I bought a new NWZ unit from Frys. Why? Because I was tired of driving around trying to listen to all the different players to determine sound quality. That was a worthless attempt as each store had a different sound level and only the Zune had any music loaded on the player.
Here is a VERY short comparison of the units:
1. The iPod classic is built like a tank. It feels as sturdy as my old NW-HD5. Too bad the back is still shiny and ready to be scratched up! The noise floor is dead silent, no hiss at all. The standard Apple iPod restrictions apply. The new UI is very pretty, but too slow and jittery for anyone who is even slightly anal-retentive. Battery life at 37 hours on a charge.
2. The iPod touch is solidly built and seems well designed. It is a slick looking device, but I cannot get used to the lack of tactile response. No external volume control is a downer. Its battery life was as advertise, around 22 hours. The BIG PROBLEM is that this device produces (and I tested another unit too) HORRIBLE HISS. When the volume is all the way up (nothing playing) the hiss sounds like a snake! The Classic didn't show this problem.
3. The Nano basically is a small, flash based classic. I have dropped it four times ( to the carpet, luckily) with no damage. It sounds just like the classic and the UI is faster since it doesn't need to access a HD. NO HISS. The square shape makes it hard to hold with small stubby fingers.
4. The Zune is big and bulky compared to the other units...or so it seems. It is actually only a few mm thincker than the 160 classic and only a few mm longer then said classic. It shares the same dimensions as the Touch, except about 1.5 times thicker. I think the large, horizontal screen makes it seem larger than it really is. No scroll wheel (no loss),but instead solidly constructed buttons. It is feels as sturdy as the Classic, but the silky, rubberized body gives it a very secure feeling in your hand. The rubberized body doesn't collect dirt like a silicon skin does. NO HISS at all. I have acutally used the Zune "squirting" ability - what a name - in my Japanese class to share songs. Nice idea which needs better implementation. NO UNICODE SUPPORT WITHOUT SOME SERIOUS HACKS.
5. The Sony is small (too small) at 2GB. Also, this is the 6xx series so it is physically smaller than the A8xx series I played with in Japan, so I am not too worried. The horizontal screen gives the unit a much better feeling in the hand than the nano; much more secure. I also like the physical buttons on the sony. The UI is workable, but a bit dated. I detected little to no HISS.
In the end...
1.I am taking back the Touch because the HISS is just terrible. 3 differnt buds (apple buds, zune buds, senheiser buds) and it was still there.
2.The classic is going back because there is something about the sound it produces that actually HURTS my ears. I had the same problem with the 600 series HiMD unit. No idea what the problem is. Maybe the highs are off, but it actually gives me a headache.
3. The nano is going back as I am afraid it will fly from my hands some day. The sound quality is the same as the classic....same headache. Grrrr.
I am left choosing between the higher capacity Zune or the flash-based Walkman. Both sounded wonderful. I think the Sony might sound a little "wider" for lack of a better term. It feels like the music is outside my head moreso than when listening to the Zune. It is a close comparision and I would be happy with either. The Sony no longer relies on SSCP and after using the Zune software I could easily use WMP 11.
I did get try out the Zune pass and so far I am very pleased. This is a great way to check out new (and old) music before buying a CD. It beats the iTunes "listen to 30 seconds of a song" idea. I have found several songs that are almost all silence during that 30 second clip!!! Since the Sony now uses WMP 11, I ASSUME that I can now use something like Napster, Yahoo!, etc if I choose the Sony over the Zune.
What did I learn? That Apple's DAPs aren't for me, even though I do use iTunes to buy music from iTunes Japan. More hoops to jump through to get that music on anther player, but it is cheaper than importing a CD and finding out the CD was a dud. The Sony is a nice unit, but the lack of storage is grating. No more high-capacity units from Sony I guess??? I can replace the HD in Zune with a 100GB HD for more storage later too.
I don't want to give up on Sony's DAPs, but nothing has really interested me since Sony backtraced with its HD-based DAPs after the cancellation of the HD5. What happened to the vertical AND horizontal orientation? What happened to the removeable battery? What happened to the solid METAL body? What happened to the standard mini-usb jack? Well, I can live with the WMP port as it allows for nice accessories. I guess I am also concerned about the Zune as it has been almost a year and MS has still not added unicode support in a firmware update, even though the player is 100% capable of displaying kana, kanji, hangul and chinese...it is only FOUR font files...jeez.
Question
lamewing
Okay, I will keep this short. Oh, hello from Texas! EDIT: This isn't very short after all!!!
This weekend I went temporaritly insane (since I completely paid off my credit card) and decided to spend the entire weekend comparing DAP units. I bought at Best Buy (easy return policy and many stores to make returns...so I don't bring them all back to the same store) the following: iPod touch, iPod Classic 160GB, iPod nano, and a Zune. In addition I bought a new NWZ unit from Frys. Why? Because I was tired of driving around trying to listen to all the different players to determine sound quality. That was a worthless attempt as each store had a different sound level and only the Zune had any music loaded on the player.
Here is a VERY short comparison of the units:
1. The iPod classic is built like a tank. It feels as sturdy as my old NW-HD5. Too bad the back is still shiny and ready to be scratched up! The noise floor is dead silent, no hiss at all. The standard Apple iPod restrictions apply. The new UI is very pretty, but too slow and jittery for anyone who is even slightly anal-retentive. Battery life at 37 hours on a charge.
2. The iPod touch is solidly built and seems well designed. It is a slick looking device, but I cannot get used to the lack of tactile response. No external volume control is a downer. Its battery life was as advertise, around 22 hours. The BIG PROBLEM is that this device produces (and I tested another unit too) HORRIBLE HISS. When the volume is all the way up (nothing playing) the hiss sounds like a snake! The Classic didn't show this problem.
3. The Nano basically is a small, flash based classic. I have dropped it four times ( to the carpet, luckily) with no damage. It sounds just like the classic and the UI is faster since it doesn't need to access a HD. NO HISS. The square shape makes it hard to hold with small stubby fingers.
4. The Zune is big and bulky compared to the other units...or so it seems. It is actually only a few mm thincker than the 160 classic and only a few mm longer then said classic. It shares the same dimensions as the Touch, except about 1.5 times thicker. I think the large, horizontal screen makes it seem larger than it really is. No scroll wheel (no loss),but instead solidly constructed buttons. It is feels as sturdy as the Classic, but the silky, rubberized body gives it a very secure feeling in your hand. The rubberized body doesn't collect dirt like a silicon skin does. NO HISS at all. I have acutally used the Zune "squirting" ability - what a name - in my Japanese class to share songs. Nice idea which needs better implementation. NO UNICODE SUPPORT WITHOUT SOME SERIOUS HACKS.
5. The Sony is small (too small) at 2GB. Also, this is the 6xx series so it is physically smaller than the A8xx series I played with in Japan, so I am not too worried. The horizontal screen gives the unit a much better feeling in the hand than the nano; much more secure. I also like the physical buttons on the sony. The UI is workable, but a bit dated. I detected little to no HISS.
In the end...
1.I am taking back the Touch because the HISS is just terrible. 3 differnt buds (apple buds, zune buds, senheiser buds) and it was still there.
2.The classic is going back because there is something about the sound it produces that actually HURTS my ears. I had the same problem with the 600 series HiMD unit. No idea what the problem is. Maybe the highs are off, but it actually gives me a headache.
3. The nano is going back as I am afraid it will fly from my hands some day. The sound quality is the same as the classic....same headache. Grrrr.
I am left choosing between the higher capacity Zune or the flash-based Walkman. Both sounded wonderful. I think the Sony might sound a little "wider" for lack of a better term. It feels like the music is outside my head moreso than when listening to the Zune. It is a close comparision and I would be happy with either. The Sony no longer relies on SSCP and after using the Zune software I could easily use WMP 11.
I did get try out the Zune pass and so far I am very pleased. This is a great way to check out new (and old) music before buying a CD. It beats the iTunes "listen to 30 seconds of a song" idea. I have found several songs that are almost all silence during that 30 second clip!!! Since the Sony now uses WMP 11, I ASSUME that I can now use something like Napster, Yahoo!, etc if I choose the Sony over the Zune.
What did I learn? That Apple's DAPs aren't for me, even though I do use iTunes to buy music from iTunes Japan. More hoops to jump through to get that music on anther player, but it is cheaper than importing a CD and finding out the CD was a dud. The Sony is a nice unit, but the lack of storage is grating. No more high-capacity units from Sony I guess??? I can replace the HD in Zune with a 100GB HD for more storage later too.
I don't want to give up on Sony's DAPs, but nothing has really interested me since Sony backtraced with its HD-based DAPs after the cancellation of the HD5. What happened to the vertical AND horizontal orientation? What happened to the removeable battery? What happened to the solid METAL body? What happened to the standard mini-usb jack? Well, I can live with the WMP port as it allows for nice accessories. I guess I am also concerned about the Zune as it has been almost a year and MS has still not added unicode support in a firmware update, even though the player is 100% capable of displaying kana, kanji, hangul and chinese...it is only FOUR font files...jeez.
Tough decision. Thanks for "listening"
Edited by lamewingLink to comment
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