30gb DAP iAudio X5 or iPod Video?

[LeperousDust]

Right i know most of you will tell me iAudio, but hear me out.
I've never been an iPod fan if i'm honest, but now seems the time. I can get a 30gb iPod Video (5.5g i think) with its universal dock for £120. I seems smaller than the iAudio, granted it deosn't support exotic file types but i use mp3 for the most. With Anapod explorer i assume i get drag and drop integration too.

So why should i look at spending around £200 for an iAudio X5 without a dock, for something that looks (to me) bigger? I think it has slightly better battery life, but around 10 hours will be all i need. Oh actually come to think about it i do want the radio, which this does have but it seems a bit of a price to pay for radio?

Help me! I don't know what to do :( I'm thinking iPod...

//Edit: Also looking at the iAudio interface and controls they seem pretty dated compared to the iPod i've never really liked th click wheel but then i've never owned an iPod, i've just used my friends they all love it, so i guess i will grow to love too? It seems to be praised for input...

//Edit2: Hold the phone, the X5 can't read ID3 tags!? Thats a bit archaic isn't it? Folder system only? How do i add extra meta data to tracks then? I don't I?

[Feek]

People knock the iPod because it's fashionable to knock something which is popular. I've got a mini which I bought before they were available over here and I still love it, it works very well and is easy to use. What I don't like is iTunes though but I believe there are alternatives to it. I'd go with the iPod.

[LeperousDust]

Yeah i dont like itunes at all, but i plan to bypass that via anapod explorer :) I used redchair software back in the day of the FIRST creative zen (wow what 10 years ago maybe now? :S ok 8 possibly...)

[Flibster]

iAudio - no question.

Drag and drop, better sound quality, flac/mp3/wma/wav/ogg support.

As for the ID3 tag support... I don't see how thats relevent. Do you have all your files in one large folder or have them seperated up?

It can read id3 tags, it just doesn't use them - folder systems work well.
\\artist\album\ is all thats needed anyway. Why do you want to add extra meta data to the tracks for? Most things only read the artist and album anyway.

Control system works well too. Very easy to use.

Simon/~Flibster

[LeperousDust]

Flibster this isn't meant as a direct attack, but you seem very biased :p

If it can read ID3 tags, searching and sorting by them would be sensible. Most of my tracks are folder ordered, but the odd one escapes and being able to use both is good too. What do i do with various artists albums with only folder view? With both on my old archos i had the best of both worlds.

The iAudio looks a hell of a lot bigger granted its got better codec support, but so what im MP3 only, and an FM reciever (plus for me). Drag and drop is a moot point with anapod the ipod is like that too. ok so i can't drag and drop from random computers but i doubt i'd have a usb lead with me anyways, so thats not really a plus in my books...

The controls look adequate, but the iPods look better, also the bigger screen might be ok for watching the news podcast in the morning too.

So apart from lack of radio, what doesn't the iPod do? I would like better battery life, but to get that with the iAudio 5XL its bloody huge! 30+ hours is great, but i might as well lug a car battery, so i'd only be getting the 5X which is about comparable with an ipod...

Nobdoy has sold it yet to me yet. Oh also i can put rockbox on both and enable flac and ogg and other codec support too... I doubt i'd notice the slight difference in sound quality between the iPod and X5. So again it seems to boil down to radio and lack of free dock...

[Dr. Z]

I have an X5 with RockBox and its great.

Its tentatively "up for sale" too, if you want to make me an offer ;)

[LeperousDust]

This probably sounds cheeky because to you its a bettery player, but even if it was the 30gb iAudio x5, i'd only offer around £100 for it. I don't really expect you to except that. Two reasons, i think i've decided i want an iPod (stone me :p). I can get a 30gb iPod Video *with* dock for £120. So you'd do me a favour to say no, because then i won't have something in the back of my mind saying go for it! :D Don't confuse me!

Hmmmmm still not sure, i want a radio, but i'm thinking i could do without and use my phone for that now... Which means i'd be stupid not to get this iPod... Choices!

[Feek]

iPod.

That is all.

:D

[Dr. Z]

I was actually going to offer it to you for less than £100... :p (and yes, its the 30Gb version)

FWIW Feek, the output stages in the X5 are a fair bit better than those found in the iPods, but then its all "subjective" isnt it :)

[LeperousDust]

Awwww bollocks, DRZ i told you to refuse me, really your clouding my vision. As much as i've never owned an iPod, and never been a fan of people buying them for fashion and all this. I think i'm gonna grab one. It fits the bill. Small, cheap, very user friendly, etc... I can't see why i shant, at least feek agrees... I'm not trying to turn you down DRZ, its just the X5 (no matter how good) doesn't seem to fit for me. Although i can't quite put my finger on it:undecided:.

[Dr. Z]

DO IT *prods* :p

Nah, seriously - go for the iPod - it seems like you have made your mind up. Besides, if you hate the iPod it will still be here ;)

[LeperousDust]

Thats actually a valid point i could just sell it back on, lubs you durz ;) and feek too! (ok and flib even if he doesnt like ipods).

Emailing him now!

[FakeSnake]

iPod.
I have been through many many mp3 players, and the iPod is by far the best.
I love the interface, itunes just works (although I have a Mac, cos I know PC users kinda hate it). the video is good, certainly watchable.

some of the MP3 playes I have had in the past..

Archos AV400 20gb - now used only as an external CF drive for my Nikon
Archos Gmini - sold to get the AV400, was very good though.
Creative nomad 20gb - resigned to the conservatory for listening while BBQing
generic 2gb usb - fine but iPod is better :D

[Mark]

Good thing you bought the 20gb AV400. My 80gb one died due to less-than-stellar performance from it's battery. Still useable powered though.

[LeperousDust]

Hmmm he won't go any lower than £120, but i'll probably say yes anyways (thats now what i've told him mind).

Fakey, i've got to argue, the iPod doesn't "just work" with iTunes :p iTunes is a pain that i don't want, drag and dropping tracks onto my player would be a hell of a lot quicker, but iPod want you to use iTunes. Wel i say no! (http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/)

[Mark]

iTunes does just seem to work if you have a Mac. I've never tried it on a PC and frankly I wouldn't even try.

[Feek]

Well iTunes does 'just work' on the PC. It's just that I don't like the way it works.

[FakeSnake]

Hmmm he won't go any lower than £120, but i'll probably say yes anyways (thats now what i've told him mind).

Fakey, i've got to argue, the iPod doesn't "just work" with iTunes :p iTunes is a pain that i don't want, drag and dropping tracks onto my player would be a hell of a lot quicker, but iPod want you to use iTunes. Wel i say no! (http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/)

OK
lets argue :D (i love a good fight!!!)

my music collection was backed up to a spare external HD I had lying about. in many many formats/bitrates, due to knowing naff all then I ripped my CDs :embarassed:

So when I purchased my Mac, I decided to just rip them again as I listened to them.

its very rare I download albums from naughty sites, or even iTunes store for that matter.

Loaded up iTunes, set the preferences (192kb) which I thought was perfectly adequate for my ears, and started ripping.
iTunes automatically got the album/artiste names spot on, even for compilations that CDDB could not find properly. Artwork was downloaded.

Plug iPod in, auto sync, done.

I suppose drag and drop dont matter to me much, as I doubt very much mu collection will go over about 60bg, ever. With an 80gb iPod that will never become an issue.

[LeperousDust]

Ok, you win for that situation it seems to just work.

Personally i like to organise everything by folder the way i like it Artist/Album/Trackno. - Trackname.mp3 at 192kbs (good choice ;)). iTunes didn't like this, and started throwing everything into ONE folder! :shocked:! Also i'm not the biggest fan of the way iTunes plays music, mediamonkey works like itunes seems as bloated (i won't lie) but has a good few more playing options :)

To be honest i haven't used itunes since back inthe day, its version number has probably doubled since i last touched it. So its probably got a lot better than i remember it. When i get my iPod (you've partially convinced me since the syncing sounds like it actually works). I might give it another go and see how i get on. If it can tag my tracks, which unfortunately i doubt it can, as you put it naughty sites, then i'll give it full marks!

What would be good is if Last.fm integrated partially with iTunes (which it looks like there maybe a plugin for it). I'd like that.

I'm also toying about with Songbird but thats still very beta although it looks bloody promising! Again its not a slimline media player so its pretty bloated and big like itunes. But that doesnt really worry me, it was just some of the backwards things itunes used to do.

iTunes was very good for "sharing" music though at uni, mytunes redux is excellent!

I want my iPod now :(

[FakeSnake]

:D
I do like things simple. Suits my personality ;)

The syncing works well, just open the library, click the check boxes for the ones you want on the iPod and uncheck the ones you dont. press sync.. done

[LeperousDust]

Just thought i'd update this (don't know why now really!) I've had my iPod for a good few months now and i love it, i've also sorted all my music collection out becuase of it, and i'm regulary using iTunes. So i admit, Fakey you were totally right, although i'm still not its biggest fan i use WMP11 to play music. iTunes is still slow and clunky, but good for my podcasts (for my iPod) and generally syncing music. Although i don't let it mess with (rename or anything like that) with my music... It's very good at syncing with my iPod and pretty good at parties and everyone knows how to use it etc... I can't complain too much.

Tried rockbox on my iPod and i'm not impressed with that the default iPod firmware plays much nicer :).

Anyway overall i'm very impressed with my purchase, but i've already filled the 30gb drive and i'm wishing i'd went for the 80gb model :( Want want want...

[MarcLister]

Hey. I have a 40Gb click wheel iPod and I love it. I use Winamp with the ml iPod plugin and it suits me just fine. However I have 30Gb of music and my 40Gb iPod is actually 37Gb so I'm close to running out. Looking at getting me an 80Gb iPod Classic. Thinking of getting the black one as it just looks better than the silver one. If Apple had kept the white one I'd have got that one.