New MP3 player

[London Geezer]

FINALLY got my hands on my new HD5. And well, it's a magnificent piece of kit. Small, sexy, does what it says on the tin, and well it's just cool.

Even SonicStage is not that bad, as long as your music library is in order, it's a good program to transfer the music to your HD5 and then forget about it. iTunes is better if your mp3 files are a mess (easy to group-name them, edit ID tags by groups and all, though it crashes on me when i try to do it with too many files at once), but in the end SonicStage group-names music by album and artist too, no real need for tags and all, and they're fine on the HD5.

Still not sure why Sony would package such a cool piece of kit with atrociously bad earplugs that are just useless with bass. Seriously. Even my 15 year-old Discman (with no anti-shock!) was packages with much better earplugs (the ones Sony sells as "bass booster" or whatever). The ones coming with the HD5 are just plain bad.

 

[carpediem]

...and I got my Shure E3c's 2 days ago and I have to say they are wondeful.. Takes a little getting used to hearing your own voice from inside your own head when you're listening to music and... hmm... singing along

 

[London Geezer]

...and I got my Shure E3c's 2 days ago and I have to say they are wondeful.. Takes a little getting used to hearing your own voice from inside your own head when you're listening to music and... hmm... singing along

So true! All the sounds coming... er... from the inside are amplified... Especially the swallowing gets quite loud, but it's kinda funny.

 

[Deepak]

PCE, is there an AA model also? Bec'se here in India AA batteries are 4 times cheaper than AAA ones. BTW, how long does a AAA battery last? Can I charge it through USB port? Does AAA battery have any advantages over AAA or vice-versa?

 

[sytaylor]

So true! All the sounds coming... er... from the inside are amplified... Especially the swallowing gets quite loud, but it's kinda funny.

Or when tapping the wire sounds like someone just dropped a piano fromt he floor above.

 

[PC-Engine]

PCE, is there an AA model also? Bec'se here in India AA batteries are 4 times cheaper than AAA ones. BTW, how long does a AAA battery last? Can I charge it through USB port? Does AAA battery have any advantages over AAA or vice-versa?

First of all my advice to you is to use NiMH rechargeables whether you go with a AAA or AA MP3 player because you will be using up the batteries quite quickly. Trust me, it makes a whole lot more sense to use rechargeables.

Second, there is a AA model, but it loses some of the features of the AAA model. The AA model is bigger and heavier, about the size of a pager compared to the AAA model which is about the size of a 10 stick pack of gum. It (AA) has a smaller screen and displays less information. The back light is blue and cannot be changed to any other color. You cannot dim the display to conserve battery power. It also has a weaker voice recording mic. It also doesn't come with a mini USB convertor/adapter attachment requiring you to use the USB cable. What the AA model does gain over the AAA model is longer run time due to the higher capacity AA battery and a slightly lower price. However if you use rechargeables then the runtimes become pretty much irrelevant.

Finally to answer your other questions, a 900mAh AAA last about 9-10 hours with the back light off. With an alkaline it should last twice as long with light off. The AA model should last about 2-3 times as long as the AAA model using rechareables with light off. Since both players do not use internal lithium polymer batteries, you cannot charge it using USB. The best battery for the AAA model is the Sanyo 900mAh and the best battery for the AA is the Energizer 2500mAh. You can buy AAA 4 pack Sanyos for $10 and a charger for $10. Same with the Energizer AAs. If these are expensive where you live then just get a friend or relative to buy them here in the US and ship it over to India. Don't know if the chargers are 240V compatible though so you might need a step down convertor.

 

[Deepak]

Thanks a lot PCE. But I forgot to ask a very imp qst, does it (iAudio) also work as a flash drive? And it may sound a bit silly but what do you mean by rechargeable? Battery recharger? How long does it extend a AAA battery life? Thanks.

 

[_xxx_]

Ahem, rechargable batteries, not normal ones Deepak.