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[Pekka]

So that's what I was worried about, the quality. I know Touch is bigger, they give the size... I don't mind the size of it if the quality is the same, I can get that 20GB for that price... it's done and done!

So the Micro prize is based on the smaller size mostly? Good good.. I was hoping that to be the case. I don't think it's sexy anyway.. it looks like a ****** remote control. True nerds can appreciate technology, if I want a beeper, I'll buy one.

[Boris Godunov]

Supercitizen has spoken, and so shall it be, amen.

[Pekka]

well thanks for the expert help. I'm not so good at these portable player things.. I don't dislike iPod, but I've liked Creative as a brand for several years so I was ready to give it a chance too, and I think the facts speak for themselves when it comes to Zen Touch... with the price, it's the BEST, if you don't mind that it's a bit bigger, and I don't, I like things big like I myself am. Big.

[Nostromo]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov

Besides, unless that Zen had the exact same recording on it in the same format, this comparison is utterly meaningless, since the sound quality of the files is the biggest factor in how it will sound on a player.

Exactly.

I stood in the Bose store for quite some time shifting the same headphones (and we're talking some awesomely nice ones) between my Zen and the Ipod they had on display. The Zen was noticeably richer and fuller in sound, with higher highs, deeper lows and the ability to hear the inner textures clearly. The Ipod sounded thin, but guess what? I'm sure it was playing MP3s and I have WMA files on my Zen. And who knows the quality of the recordings on the in-store Ipod?

I'm guessing badly encoded MP3's @128Kkbps. The only time I heard a Zen micro, It didn't impress me. I asked the vendor what was the recording quality. His answer: MP3's @128Kkbps. Some people don't care about sound quality.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Pekka
Looking at this, in my price range, the Zen Touch 20GB would be the most attractive. But since it's only few euros more expensive than the Zen Micro 5GB.. is this some trash POS player this Zen Touch?

I bought the Zen Touch (20 GB) the day it was released here in DK and I love it
But since I know nobody else who owns an MP3 player I'm only able to compare to what I have heard about the other players

[Asher]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
The Zen Micro's higher relative price is because it is smaller and "sexier" than the regular Zen touch. In terms of quality, however, the Zen Touch is great, and AFAIK the same as the Micro.

The Zen Touch and Micro have the same innards really (same DSP/DAC/etc), the difference is the Micro uses a smaller harddrive (physically, and capacity).

[Verto]

The Zen Micro 5.0 GB is selling on BestBuy.com at 189.00

To remark on the matter seriously, I believe the iPod has the best exterior appearance, while this Micro is what I would buy - cheaper, built in FM capabilities, etc.

Now, let's say I had one of these players and I wanted to transfer my music library on to it. My files on my HD are mostly 128+ in quality; is this too high? Do you recommend lowering it? Does it make a difference in audio quality? Is there an easy method of doing this during the transfer?

And with the Zen Micro, or any of them really, how do you recharge the battery?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Verto
The Zen Micro 5.0 GB is selling on BestBuy.com at 189.00

To remark on the matter seriously, I believe the iPod has the best exterior appearance, while this Micro is what I would buy - cheaper, built in FM capabilities, etc.

Now, let's say I had one of these players and I wanted to transfer my music library on to it. My files on my HD are mostly 128+ in quality; is this too high? Do you recommend lowering it? Does it make a difference in audio quality? Is there an easy method of doing this during the transfer?

128+ is certainly not too high. I'm a 320 Kbps man. But then I have a 20GB player, not a 5GB.

I would not lower it at all, and yes it makes a huge difference in quality. 128 means 128,000 bits per second describing the sound for one second.

There are tools to "transcode" (change the encoding) during a transfer, but I would highly recommend not doing it. Transcoding (changing the bitrate/codec) only harms quality.

And with the Zen Micro, or any of them really, how do you recharge the battery?

You plug in the power cable adapter thing, it's usually a little hole somewhere on the player.

[Verto]

The Nomad Jukebox 30GB is only 199.99 but it's a tad bit fugly.

Still, I'd rather have the extra 25 GB.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Asher


You plug in the power cable adapter thing, it's usually a little hole somewhere on the player.

I only asked because it kept on mentioning how the battery was "a removeable, rechargeable" battery. I wanted to make sure the two features weren't linked.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Verto
The Nomad Jukebox 30GB is only 199.99 but it's a tad bit fugly.

Still, I'd rather have the extra 25 GB.

For mobile DJs or whatever, the Jukebox is great.

It has digital inputs and whatnot as well for line-in recording.

[Nostromo]

Originally posted by Verto

Now, let's say I had one of these players and I wanted to transfer my music library on to it. My files on my HD are mostly 128+ in quality; is this too high? Do you recommend lowering it? Does it make a difference in audio quality? Is there an easy method of doing this during the transfer?

128 Kbps is a bare minimum. All my songs are in AAC @ 224 Kbps. But before ripping your CD's, you should get better headphones and then do some tests. For example, encode the same song at different bit rates (128, 192, 224, 320) and find out what you like the best. In the future, you should encode your songs in WMA, it sounds better than MP3.

And with the Zen Micro, or any of them really, how do you recharge the battery?

I plug my iPod mini in my PC's USB 2 port.

[Agathon]

Besides, unless that Zen had the exact same recording on it in the same format, this comparison is utterly meaningless, since the sound quality of the files is the biggest factor in how it will sound on a player.

WMAs. The guy who had it was a techie type. Too flash-bang for me.

[Asher]

AAC is playing catchup to WMA, and has nothing on WMA-Professional.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by nostromo


IWith the 80$ I saved, I bought myself a pair of Sennheiser PX-100s.

Now lets talk about the sound quality. First of all, I can assure you that my iPod sounds pretty damn good with the Sennheisers.

Very smart move.

The Ipods and Zens basically produce the same quality of sound, give or take a bit, but really matters is having good headphones.

I went with the Shure earbuds.and they're worth every penny. Mind you, some people might not like the sound and prefer a different headphone. Too each their own.

Arguing about ipod vs zen = losers