Ipod 20gb OR iRiver H320 20gb

[dalilman52]

ok guys, i was wondering whether i should get the 20gb ipod or the iRiver H320, both look really good but I just wanna know which ones better, price doesnt matter because im getting one or the other as a gift, i have researched into other mp3 players and these are the last two


what im looking for is -
1)ease of use
2)battery life
3)use as a external hdd (like if i can copy music to it and then take it to another comp)
4)good sound quality


alright thx for the help

[Sentential]

What's the price difference? If they are equal get the Ipod for sure.

[zip22]

i believe the iriver can be cheaper and display photos, but its also (a lot?) thicker.

heres cnets reviews:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Music/4521-6532_7-5021434-3.html?tag=dir.tp

i like the ipod better, but if you want the screen and fm, the iriver might be better.

both can be used as external hard drives.

[jnev_89]

definetly get the h320. much more features and better sound quality. another dap to consider is the rio karma.

[zip22]

care to prove the better sound quality?

also, the karmas seem to have a habit of dying after a month or 2

[techun]

it keeps saying superior quality, but to even notice you would have to rip songs at a high quality

I'd pick it over the ipod

[zip22]

you cant say something has better sound quality unless you can back it up. go to head-fi.org. theres some good discussions on this "ipod has bad sound quality" nonsense

just looking at the videos on cnet, the iriver looks like a brick

[jnev_89]

as you said, go to head-fi.org. there's plenty of people there that have attested to the karma having superior sq to the ipod while using the headphone out

[zip22]

hmmmm

like this one:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=52907

In a head to head between the iPod and the Karma I have to give the gold medal to the iPod for the design, sound quality and higher value for the “headphone without amp” guy. The sound is just a lot sweeter here…


or this one:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68588

where the ipod is on top?

or this one:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=109225
I've owned the NJB3, Dell DJ, Rio Karma, iRiver H320, iRiver H140, and Zen Micro and the iPod sounds no worse than any of them. Each has a slightly different sound, but I don't find any one "better" than the iPod.

I think the iPod has around here the most over-rated 'sucky sound'.
Strip away the hype and the 'sucky' part may disappear. As others have said, test for yourself. Don't follow the majority,

[jnev_89]

of course you can pick and choose the posts that promote the ipod, you can do the same thing with the karma. the fact remains that the karma has more features and is just more audiophile-friendly due to supporting more formats.

[zip22]

many of the posts on headfi praising the karma are just regurgitated from people who hate apple. there are people who have tested both, and like the karma better, but it depends on the headphones, the amp, and probably 95% on the ear of the person hearing it.

yes there are people who like the karma better and there are people who like the ipod. you cannot say the ipod sounds worse. the last post i quoted puts it the best.

yes for an audiophile, the karma could be better. i would say more for the equalizer, though. the ipod is infamous in the audiophile community for not having a customizable equalizer. i dont think many people jump around to different formats, but for some, having certain codecs is important.

[dalilman52]

guys, the karma is not a possible option, the only two that i can get are the

iRiver H320 OR Ipod 20gb

plz tell me what yall think about it, pros/cons of each, maybe post reviews or comparisons of each mp3 player


and also, just to let yall know, i got the shure e2c earphones to use, such sweet earphones

[cornbread]

Ipod all the way!

[schnikies79]

Best way for you to choose is going into a store that sells both and try them out. I did this before settling on my ipod, which I ordered from apple with an educational discount. The iriver does have the ability to show photos and such as does the ipod, just not the one you are looking at.

I didn't like the controls or the interface of the iriver but I loved them on the iPod. Sound quality is an opinion. Since you're listening to an 128kb or so sound file, does it even really matter? My roommate has a rio and I can't tell any diffrence between his and mine but we also have have stock headphones. If I want all the audiophile features I'll just play a regular cd on a full-fledged stereo.

Either player can be used as a harddrive. I'm not sure how the iriver syncs but the ipod does require itunes or a 3rd party program to sync. With the right software though it can be a drag and drop deal, even with mp10. A lot of people complain about that but what it does is build a database file so the drive can find the music faster, which isn't a bad thing. I've tried about every syncing program avail for the ipod and have settled with itunes. It's a great program.

Size wise, the ipod is a lot thinner than the iriver plus it just looks a lot better. There is also many more accessories for the ipod if thats your thing.

just my 0.02,
Dayton

[NsOmNiA91130]

If you use linux (which i doubt, otherwise this discussion wouldn't be happening).

H320. All the way

6.6 oz, 6.6 oz, Hard drive , MP3 , WMA , WAV , ASF , Ogg Vorbis , -1 , -1 , 1 x Lithium polymer -1

'nuff said

[Robert Hodgen]

I have a 40Gb iPod Photo, my dad got the 20Gb iPod a little while ago, I love my iPod and most people that I know who have one, feel the same way.

[techun]

zip seems adamant on protecting his dear ipod..lol ;)

I would personally get the iRiver, because everybody has an ipod..
if everyone drove a red car...would u be tempted to get a blue/black/rainbow one? i would :)

I didnt mean the h320 had better quality, it might, but i didnt say i though so

i say ease of use and (ick) looks get the ipod, if you want the extra features and the coolness of something different, get the iriver

[dalilman52]

actually im willing to learn how to use the iriver, and the fm radio is really good, plus the extra battery life


i read that the categorizing system for the songs is really bad, any comments?


now im leaning more towards the iriver

[squasher]

Would you really use the fm radio?
Also if its true that getting songs is a hassle then i would not go for the iriver.

[zip22]

zip seems adamant on protecting his dear ipod..lol ;)


i just try to keep the playing field even. some of the people here would have you think the ipods battery dies after the first week, the sound quality will make your ears bleed, and itunes will steal your soul.

its interesting how much people who like ipods get ratted on for being fandoys, while the anti-ipod crowd seems to spread many more lies (which seem a lot stronger on computer savy websites).

there are other players i like, but not many. i know the ipod isnt good for everyone, but that doesnt mean its a bad player.

dalilman52, if you have a best buy near you, you might be able to go and see/feel the players in person, which will give you a much better understanding of which one to get

[techun]

a little off topic..but my friend's ipod hasnt seen over 50 songs at once in it's life of like 8 months

also, i enjoy itunes, i use it on both my computers, of my own freewill

[Vio1]

I had a 40gb ipod which i loved, but it didnt do all i wanted it to do. Its very one dimensional: stores and plays only music.
I got myself a ppc (pocket pc) Dell Axim x50v (624mhz VGA) and this thing is awesome. Bought myself a 4gb microdrive for it, and now I watch movies, play higher quality games, listen to my music, surf the net, control my tv, and it goes on and on. This thing beats any of those mp3 players.

[Ha_hA_HA!]

I have a 20GB iPod and I have to say I could not be happier with it. However, I have never tried the other player you are looking at, so I can't comment on that. I can however mention that you can choose the quality of songs that you import into your iPod, and it seems like ALOT of people do not realize this. You can basically choose any quality from 128bit MP3's to uncompressed CD quality AIFF's, or anything in between.

Oh, and the fact that so many people have the iPod is a good thing, as there is almost a limitless amount of third party accessories.

[elec999]

I like the ipod for the wheel its got, to change songs, etc.
Thanks

[kiljaden5]

I'm considering the Dell DJ20 myself for $199 after coupon.... a little less features but for 100 less..

what do you think?

[zip22]

it doesnt look bad, i have no experience with one, but its pretty cheap and seems nice.

edit:
i like checking out the reviews on cnet. mainly for the video. its good to see the player when someones actually using it. they liked the dell, but didnt like that they decreased the battery life with the newer models. i would say it looks like a good one to check out.

[cornbread]

I'm considering the Dell DJ20 myself for $199 after coupon.... a little less features but for 100 less..

what do you think?

Just from "MY" experience I have the Dell Pocket DJ, same as the DJ20, but smaller storage, I hate it, LoL. I really do. The battery life sucks and there isn't as many accessories as the Ipod. At the time I was to cheap to spend an extra 50 dollars on a Ipod mini, now I wish I would have.

[kiljaden5]

accessories make no difference to me, is that the only reason, other than batery life, you don't like the Pocket DJ?

[cornbread]

accessories make no difference to me, is that the only reason, other than batery life, you don't like the Pocket DJ?

Truthfully, yep. I have read that some of the DJ's have great battery life and some don't. If the DJ is what you want I say get it. :)

[firebat45]

3)use as a external hdd (like if i can copy music to it and then take it to another comp)



right there, that should not out the iPod. It is incredibly stupid of Macintosh to not allow you to take the mP3s back off an iPod, for this reason alone i would never get one.

[Smokey21]

IPods's are for poser's who think they are cool.

IRIver is better. :)

[zip22]

IPods's are for poser's who think they are cool.

IRIver is better. :)

how very helpful of you :rolleyes:
i do like the looks of the iriver players, but they tend to be priced as high as the ipods. they also dont have a new contender for large hard drive players. im looking forward to reviews of the new H10 20gb version, though.





right there, that should not out the iPod. It is incredibly stupid of Macintosh to not allow you to take the mP3s back off an iPod, for this reason alone i would never get one.

the ipod was designed by apple who works closely with music companies to offer services like itunes. as you very well know, itunes and the ipod are connected. therefor, apple made it so that songs cannot be transfered from the ipod to a different computer, since this could lead to copywrite infringement. there are a handful of third party applcations, as well as windows explorer which can allow you to transfer music files that are stored on the ipod, but it is not a player flaw, it is a resriction that was enabled to please music companies. if archos or iriver or rio signed a deal with the RIAA, you would not be able to transfer music so easily from computer to computer either.

if you want to transfer music from computer to computer first and foremost, then the ipod could be a bad choice.

[cornbread]

IPods's are for poser's who think they are cool.

IRIver is better. :)

Stupidest comment ever. I take it you don't have one.

[dalilman52]

I like the ipod for the wheel its got, to change songs, etc.
Thanks

^that comment was just about as useful as this one

IPods's are for poser's who think they are cool.

IRIver is better. :)


plz keep the pointless coments to a minimum, or just stop, that would be better

[secretweapon]

Ipod. The amount of accessories out there makes it more adaptable than any other mp3 players. The interface is also very intuitive to use.

[secretweapon]

right there, that should not out the iPod. It is incredibly stupid of Macintosh to not allow you to take the mP3s back off an iPod, for this reason alone i would never get one.

So does every other mp3 player due to copyright regulations.

[lincolnompa]

I think you should go with what suits you better. Obviously, the Podder has a simpler interface, considering it has the wheel and itunes for easier use. The iRiver, on the other hand is generally for a deep techie who wants the world at their finger tips (i.e. recording, f.m. reception, color screen) and thats why its alright for the iRiver to be a bit bigger. One more thing to consider is the fact that the Iriver comes with all these cool features at almost the same price of an iPod that you will have to invest more money into later if you want a radio or recording appliance, which inturn would make the iPod much heavier (although you can remove the accessories). So its up to you; its all about what you see yourself needing in the future.

I dun really no, but thats my two cents tho

[kiljaden5]

I ordered the Dell DJ20 yesterday afternoon and it shipped this morning.

Being a college student, price was my biggest concern, and at $199 after coupon the Dell couldn't be beat. I think the 10-12 hour battery life is plenty for me.

I'll give a full review of the player once I get it and get to use it for a day or two.

Note that I have used an iPod before and I do like it, the reasons I didn't buy one were that it was $100 more than the Dell for the same capacity, and it doesn't work with Napster To Go (rental service) that I was planning on checking out.

[zip22]

excellent, i look forward to your review.

[idioteQnology]

http://www.dapreview.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=134&page=1

wait for the X5, the pics of it start in the 4th row. 20+ hours battery life, plays mp3, flac, oggvorbis, wav, fm tuner, line in recording, mpeg, text, jpeg files, and gonna be in the mid 300's comin out in 20 and 40 gig flavours in april (3rd week or so)

[Warrior Legolas]

I believe the iRiver H320 and H340 can play movies…The small screen may be a problem for you.

Now I’m off to find links.
link (http://www.geocities.com/andrewjmelville/vd/vd2.html) and the misticriver forums (http://www.misticriver.net/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=106).

Regards
Fishers Web

[Bensa]

Ipod. The amount of accessories out there makes it more adaptable than any other mp3 players. The interface is also very intuitive to use.

Half of which are allready integrated into the iRiver, instead of paying money for each of those.

[SpazTech]

Both are of good quality according to reviews and both have large groups of users who love them. I say try each out and see what your preference is.

[kiljaden5]

I wrote my review:

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?p=3555003#post3555003

[Verymanynames]

The "features" that the iRiver can boast over the iPod are slowly disapperaing thanks to Ipod Linux. You can record, and play 6 or so more games, and new programs are being developed. Currently only Generation 1-3 iPods are supported (not the 20gig) but there is going to be support for that soon. http://www.ipodlinux.org/index.php/Main_Page

[dalilman52]

The "features" that the iRiver can boast over the iPod are slowly disapperaing thanks to Ipod Linux. You can record, and play 6 or so more games, and new programs are being developed. Currently only Generation 1-3 iPods are supported (not the 20gig) but there is going to be support for that soon. http://www.ipodlinux.org/index.php/Main_Page


yes...but no fm radio, video playback, COLOR screen, microphone, and support for other formats?

[Verymanynames]

yes...but no fm radio, video playback, COLOR screen, microphone, and support for other formats?


No Fm Radio= Check
Video Playback= Possibility
Color Screen= Is neither here nor there
Microphone= iPod linux has it, through the headphones no less
Other formats= A deffinite(sic) possibility.

[kiljaden5]

Color Screen= Is neither here nor there
The iRiver sure has a color screen... a good one at that

[secretweapon]

Half of which are allready integrated into the iRiver, instead of paying money for each of those.

But not stuff like Icelink :santa:

[dalilman52]

But not stuff like Icelink :santa:

its just another useless thing to take your money

im content with just an FM transmitter or a cassete adapter

[Vio1]

the ipod is a nice device.. i had a 40 gb 4th gen ipod. Its very slick, minimlistic design. If you want style get the ipod. If you dont care about style, and would rather get more features get the iriver. For me the ipod just didnt do enough.... wanted more then a music player... so i bought a ppc (pocket pc... like a pda), and played games, watched movies, listened to music.... but then all that was getting boring too... plus i couldnt justify to myself spending that much on a device (and all its accessories I bought for it). It was way too much money for what it was. Now Im just gonna get a small flash based mp3 player so that i can listen to my tunes when I want it, and not feel bad for spending way too much on hdd mp3 players or ppcs.