My New sPod.

[cdifoto]

Screw the iLife. :D

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cdifoto/2008-10-18-0004.jpg

4GB (expandable with microSD), FM tuner, video, EQ - $48 all in. :rolleyes:

[faisal]

Sandisk sansa is a nice mp3 player...especially with the neat SD card expandability....and it's way cheaper than the other Pod...though I still can't justify buying anything similar cause I'm happy with the Mp3 capabilities of my mobile....

[cdifoto]

Yeah my mobile is just a mobile. I wanted something to make airports & planes more tolerable...flying scares and bores the shizz out of me simultaneously. Not to mention, I can stick this in a pocket and get in a shooting groove when doing my own thing.

[Mark_48]

Now you can join this club.... http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=6

I've got the 2GB version. Great little player for the money.

[cdifoto]

Noyce! :cool:

Actually, kinda geeky. But so is this. :lol:

[faisal]

Yeah my mobile is just a mobile. I wanted something to make airports & planes more tolerable...flying scares and bores the shizz out of me simultaneously. Not to mention, I can stick this in a pocket and get in a shooting groove when doing my own thing.

you can use a mobile on flights....with it in flight mode....

One of the reasons I prefer my mobile cause it reduces the possibility of my cat chewing up wires of the headphones (they've already done that a dozen times) as I have less wires to take care of...

[Mark_48]

This has been a useful tool for syncing to the Sansa and organizing collections

http://www.mediamonkey.com/

[cdifoto]

Interesting. I've been using WMP 10. The albums/genres/artists/titles, etc are all retained when syncing. Just plug, drag & drop, press a button and it's all good. I'm keeping it simple so far....mostly because I don't have that much music and just received it about 5 hours ago. I had to go on amazon.com and download all their free stuff for filler. :eek:

[Mark_48]

Free MP3's if you don't mind something off the beaten path...

This link is a site where aspiring musicians can showcase their music. Some good, some not so. Right click "dnld" to save as an mp3...
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/index.php

Some popular artists in here in zipped MP3's...
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Downloads/

[Rhys]

I keep toying with the idea of a phone that'll do more than be just a phone. Then I realise I get on quite well with a notebook and a pencil.

[cdifoto]

I keep toying with the idea of a phone that'll do more than be just a phone. Then I realise I get on quite well with a notebook and a pencil.
Would that pencil be using a 3.5mm, or a 1/4" jack? :D

[cdifoto]

Free MP3's if you don't mind something off the beaten path...

This link is a site where aspiring musicians can showcase their music. Some good, some not so. Right click "dnld" to save as an mp3...
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/index.php

Some popular artists in here in zipped MP3's...
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Downloads/
Sweet! Gracias, amigo! :D

[talkingdog]

I keep toying with the idea of a phone that'll do more than be just a phone. Then I realise I get on quite well with a notebook and a pencil.

Join us in the 21st century, lots of room up here:D

[faisal]

I'd take a notebook and pencil over storing data in one gadget. The number of times the modern world electronics like mobiles and computers have failed on me is huge....that's why all important data and my pictures are backed up in three places....

[talkingdog]

Notebooks can be ruined just as easy as any electronic device.(My Great Dane chewed on my sons 3 ring binder this morning and had shredded it in a couple minutes).:eek: I don't know how many business cards and post it notes I have thrown in the laundry only to be ruined.
I have my calenders and address book synced to all my devices. I can also access this info from anybodies computer or phone, way more convenient.

[S_p_i_d_e_r]

Superb player, I have e250 v2 (2GB). CDI - what headphones are you using with your Sansa?

[cdifoto]

I bought some Koss KE295 at Wal-Mart the other week on a whim. They don't sound as good as the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro that I just sold, but they're a helluva lot more travel friendly (earbud vs circumaural) and they were quite a bit cheaper. Plus, I broke even on my Sennheisers after 2 years of ownership. :D

I took the buds off my Koss and use them as in-ear...makes 'em sound a helluva lot better.

[Mark_48]

Comfort........


:D

[cdifoto]

Hah yep. Kinda defeats the whole portability thing though. :p

[S_p_i_d_e_r]

I bought some Koss KE295

I guess that model is not available in Europe... :(

Can you recommend something else in the price range $40-$60?

[cdifoto]

I guess that model is not available in Europe... :(

Can you recommend something else in the price range $40-$60?


Apparently they've been renamed and I paid too much. Here's what mine look like, so I assume they're the same:

http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/koss-keb24-headphones-black/4505-7877_7-32590863.html

The only difference I can see is mine are silver & the ones in the link have more rubber surrounding the cord coming out...ie it's longer. Mine's just a little nub.

[jamison55]

For headphones, I recommend these: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX300-B-Earbuds-Black/dp/B000E6G9RI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1224476221&sr=8-7

I bought a pair for my Creative Zen 4GB (12GB with the $20 SDHC card I added). The sound awesome, and block out almost all outside noise, so you can hear your stuff, even on an airplane.

As for the Zen - I LOVE this thing. In addition to all of the music, I made it through the first season of Mad Men, and both seasons of Primeval on it while traveling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855102033

ipod schm-ipod

[cdifoto]

Nice.

I had no idea I'd get the 4GB filled up so quickly and easily (256kbps on all mp3s). I've already placed an order for an 8GB microSDHC. Where'd you get one for $20 though? Cheapest I found was $24 for a Kingston.

[FLiPMaRC]

Nice.

I had no idea I'd get the 4GB filled up so quickly and easily (256kbps on all mp3s). I've already placed an order for an 8GB microSDHC. Where'd you get one for $20 though? Cheapest I found was $24 for a Kingston.

:eek: 256kbps?! How big are your MP3 files? LOL! Tone it down to 196. It'll save space and the sound difference is minimal.

[cdifoto]

I can tell the difference. I'd rather have 500 songs that sound great than 750 that sound okay.

[FLiPMaRC]

I can tell the difference. I'd rather have 500 songs that sound great than 750 that sound okay.

:cool: Different Strokes. :) I'm not much of an audiophile.

[Rhys]

:cool: Different Strokes. :) I'm not much of an audiophile.

It cracks me up to see people buying these things. Singing some tawdry song, making records and selling them then persuading people they sound better on some electronic widget seems to me to be a great racket. I'd rather listen to the sounds of nature and the environment. Additionally, I'd rather hear street noise when I'm out and about so that I can at least get some warning if somebody's trying to sneak up behind me.

[cdifoto]

:cool: Different Strokes. :) I'm not much of an audiophile.
I'm not really either but for me it's kinda like using 10/12 Photoshop compression instead of 8/12. 8/12 saves quite a bit of space compared to 10/12 but I can see a lot more mosquitos in 8 than 10. 12/12 is just a waste of space altogether. And 6...well I only use that for online proofs. :D

[cdifoto]

It cracks me up to see people buying these things. Singing some tawdry song, making records and selling them then persuading people they sound better on some electronic widget seems to me to be a great racket. I'd rather listen to the sounds of nature and the environment. Additionally, I'd rather hear street noise when I'm out and about so that I can at least get some warning if somebody's trying to sneak up behind me.
Planes are noisy and I've yet to be ambushed on one.

As for the street, I'm not that paranoid. I usually have my foil hat for protection anyway. Another reason for earbuds instead of circs.

[Rhys]

Planes are noisy and I've yet to be ambushed on one.

As for the street, I'm not that paranoid. I usually have my foil hat for protection anyway. Another reason for earbuds instead of circs.

Yes... Planes are noisy - that's why I have ear plugs and a book.

As far as the street is concerned, I'll put my wits and a 9mm up against your tinfoil hat any day.

[FLiPMaRC]

It cracks me up to see people buying these things. Singing some tawdry song, making records and selling them then persuading people they sound better on some electronic widget seems to me to be a great racket. I'd rather listen to the sounds of nature and the environment. Additionally, I'd rather hear street noise when I'm out and about so that I can at least get some warning if somebody's trying to sneak up behind me.

I have an old 20gb iPod and a 30gb Zune. I got the iPod years ago, and the Zune was gift last year. I barely use either of them :D I work 2 miles away from home, so I usually listen to the radio. On a good day, I get to work before one song is over ... LOL. The only time I do use 'em is when I do air travel or go on long road trips.

[cdifoto]

Yes... Planes are noisy - that's why I have ear plugs and a book.

Some people have books. Some people have music. Others have both. None is a "racket." ;)

As far as the street is concerned, I'll put my wits and a 9mm up against your tinfoil hat any day.
Sarcasm, Rhys. ;)

Although I must say, the thought of you packing any kind of weapon scares the daylights out of me...and it's NOT because of the weapon itself. Normal people with firearms do not concern me.

[Mark_48]

It cracks me up to see people buying these things. Singing some tawdry song, making records and selling them then persuading people they sound better on some electronic widget seems to me to be a great racket. I'd rather listen to the sounds of nature and the environment. Additionally, I'd rather hear street noise when I'm out and about so that I can at least get some warning if somebody's trying to sneak up behind me.

"Tawdry" :rolleyes: songs are only a small piece of what you can listen to. There are plenty of MP3's that can be downloaded that can give insight and education to alot of other things in the world.

This is just one example in a Google search. If you click on the "LAPL Podcasts" maybe there'll be something there of interest to you.
(This link will make this thread at least a little relavent to photography)
http://events.lapl.org/podcasts/PodcastView.aspx?pid=113

Sometimes if the wife is watching FoodNetwork, HGTV, or something else similar that holds no interest to me, these types of MP3's make a good alternative listening.

[Mark_48]

Some people have books. Some people have music. Others have both. None is a "racket." ;)


Sarcasm, Rhys. ;)

Although I must say, the thought of you packing any kind of weapon scares the daylights out of me...and it's NOT because of the weapon itself. Normal people with firearms do not concern me.

Normal people in a normal environment don't need to carry firearms.....

[cdifoto]

Normal people in a normal environment don't need to carry firearms.....
Agreed. :)

[Nickcanada]

I'm amazed about how much guns come up around here! It's a photography forum why are we always talking about Rhys' guns? lol

[cdifoto]

I'm amazed about how much guns come up around here! It's a photography forum why are we always talking about Rhys' guns? lol
He challenged my tin foil hat, dammit! :mad: :eek: :D

[Mark_48]

He challenged my tin foil hat, dammit! :mad: :eek: :D

Rhys has posted pics of his firearm once or twice here. Could you post a pic of your tin foil hat? Being worn of course. :D:D

[cdifoto]

Rhys has posted pics of his firearm once or twice here. Could you post a pic of your tin foil hat? Being worn of course. :D:D

No problem!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cdifoto/misc/foilhat.jpg

*You didn't say I had to be the one wearing it. :D

[Mark_48]

No problem!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cdifoto/misc/foilhat.jpg

*You didn't say I had to be the one wearing it. :D

It was rather implied when I said "your" tin foil hat....

.....unless this might be a close friend of yours wearing your hat.

[talkingdog]

He challenged my tin foil hat, dammit! :mad: :eek: :D

If its thick foil a 9mm will probably bounce off of it anyway.:rolleyes:
I carry a gun also, but I consider myself normal. Then again I also live near Detroit.

[talkingdog]

I'm not sure if that would qualify as a hat, looks more like a beany

[cdifoto]

It was rather implied when I said "your" tin foil hat....

.....unless this might be a close friend of yours wearing your hat.
That's Schap. Not sure I'd call him a close friend though. :eek: :D

[Rhys]

Normal people in a normal environment don't need to carry firearms.....

Who was the last person you met that could be described as 100% normal? What environment could be described as 100% normal?

These days with the current economic depression, the increasing incidence of terrorism, the increasing incidence of armed robbery, murder, burglary etc does it not make sense to prepare for the worst?

Let me quote you an example: A student from the Citadel, aged 22 was looking for a doctor. Unsure of the address, he was driving slower than normal. He pulled over to the side of the road to consult a map. The driver behind enraged at his slow driving, leapt out of his sports car, armed with a baseball bat. He approached the student, waving his baseball bat menacingly while uttering curses and accusations. The student was perturbed by the imminent attack, pulled his Glock 23 and pointed it at the baseball-wielding thug. The thug then dropped his bat and ran back to his car never to be encountered again. The student continued on his way to the doctor. Had the student not been armed, the situation could have become very violent with blows being exchanged. As it was, it passed peacefully - because the student was prepared.

[FLiPMaRC]

No problem!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cdifoto/misc/foilhat.jpg

*You didn't say I had to be the one wearing it. :D

LMAO!!! :D

Dude, buy a comb :p :D

[cdifoto]

Who was the last person you met that could be described as 100% normal? What environment could be described as 100% normal?

These days with the current economic depression, the increasing incidence of terrorism, the increasing incidence of armed robbery, murder, burglary etc does it not make sense to prepare for the worst?

Let me quote you an example: A student from the Citadel, aged 22 was looking for a doctor. Unsure of the address, he was driving slower than normal. He pulled over to the side of the road to consult a map. The driver behind enraged at his slow driving, leapt out of his sports car, armed with a baseball bat. He approached the student, waving his baseball bat menacingly while uttering curses and accusations. The student was perturbed by the imminent attack, pulled his Glock 23 and pointed it at the baseball-wielding thug. The thug then dropped his bat and ran back to his car never to be encountered again. The student continued on his way to the doctor. Had the student not been armed, the situation could have become very violent with blows being exchanged. As it was, it passed peacefully - because the student was prepared.
If that student had pulled the trigger out of reflex or nervousness, he'd be up on murder charges.

Not sure what this has to do with my mp3 player though.

[Rhys]

If that student had pulled the trigger out of reflex or nervousness, he'd be up on murder charges.

Not sure what this has to do with my mp3 player though.

No. He'd be defending himself against an armed aggressor. The guy was armed with a weapon.

[Nickcanada]

Rhys do you really believe that craziness you just posted or are you really a complete nutter.

That kid could have more easily put his car in drive and have driven away. What if the dude when back to his car to get his gun? then you got a shoot out because some kid flashes his gun around. Common sense isn't so common is it?

[Rhys]

Rhys do you really believe that craziness you just posted or are you really a complete nutter.

That kid could have more easily put his car in drive and have driven away. What if the dude when back to his car to get his gun? then you got a shoot out because some kid flashes his gun around. Common sense isn't so common is it?

It could quite easily have been that the guy pulled in, blocking him. We don't have the full story. If the other guy had gone for a gun, it wouldn't have been a shoot-out because the student pulled his to attempt to deter an assault. It would have been because the bad guy had murderous intent from the start.

[Mark_48]

..........
Anderson's a rough area which makes it trickier since many of the events are in Federally-regulated no-carry zones................

I gotta ask......

1) Per the quote from your other thread, do you intend to carry when you do the Special Olympics events? IMHO, really bad idea for a number of reasons.

2) When is the last time you've been accosted or assaulted either verbally or physically out in public that warrants the degree of protection you feel you need?

[S_p_i_d_e_r]

:eek: 256kbps?! How big are your MP3 files? LOL! Tone it down to 196. It'll save space and the sound difference is minimal.

Mine are 320kbps... :)

[Rhys]

When is the last time you've been accosted or assaulted either verbally or physically out in public that warrants the degree of protection you feel you need?

Several times. The last was about 2 years ago. About 10 years ago, I narrowly escaped from being kidnapped.

[Visual Reality]

Mine are 320kBps... :)
What encoder do you use? I hope it's LAME...if those are Windows Media 320kbps .mp3's they will sound worse than something encoded in LAME at a lower bitrate.

I rip with EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and compress to VBR (Variable Bit Rate) with a Preset of 1...gives 200-275kbps files that sound flawless compared to the originals. This is the way to go for portable music.

128-160k mp3's are terrible. 192k is good, but once you've heard a VBR MP3 encoded w/LAME you can never go back. You'll wonder how its possible to compress audio that much (uncompressed CD Audio is well over 1000kbps) with no audible quality loss to the human ear.

[cdifoto]

What encoder do you use? I hope it's LAME...if those are Windows Media 320kbps .mp3's they will sound worse than something encoded in LAME at a lower bitrate.

I rip with EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and compress to VBR (Variable Bit Rate) with a Preset of 1...gives 200-275kbps files that sound flawless compared to the originals. This is the way to go for portable music.

128-160k mp3's are terrible. 192k is good, but once you've heard a VBR MP3 encoded w/LAME you can never go back. You'll wonder how its possible to compress audio that much (uncompressed CD Audio is well over 1000kbps) with no audible quality loss to the human ear.
I won't do variables. Reviews on the Sansa say that it glitches and/or freezes (requiring a re-install of the firmware) on variables but is fine on non-variables.

I'm not sure if that only applies to v1 or to v1 and v2. I have a v2 but I'm not gonna chance it. Storage is too cheap to take unnecessary risks like that.

[Visual Reality]

That's a shame :(

Oh well, you can still use the same method but do a CBR (Constant Bit Rate) at 320kbps. 256 will actually be lower quality since with VBR, the bitrate is always changing. Some parts of the song may spike at 300+kbps, while others are dropped to 150 (silence), thus the beauty of having your cake (storage space) and eating it (high quality audio) too :)

Most people can't tell the difference above 192 until they get some decent headphones. I start to hear the difference on my Koss KSC75's, which at $15 are the best sounding headphones under $100 as mentioned by enthusiasts all over the web. I can't make out the difference between 256 and 320 in my files rendered with LAME 3.97 and I have some very high quality music (Nine Inch Nails is one of the best to test audio quality).

Lastly, storage space on small flash-based players can make these high bitrate files out of reach for some unless you are willing to carry less.

[jamison55]

Nice.

I had no idea I'd get the 4GB filled up so quickly and easily (256kbps on all mp3s). I've already placed an order for an 8GB microSDHC. Where'd you get one for $20 though? Cheapest I found was $24 for a Kingston.

The one I have takes full sized SD cards, and it looks like the prices have come down even more!

I use one of these Transcends: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208293

[cdifoto]

The one I have takes full sized SD cards, and it looks like the prices have come down even more!

I use one of these Transcends: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208293
Ahh that explains it. micro hasn't dropped as much. I wish mine took the full size SD...I have quite a few of those for my P&S and 1D II already.

Oh well. The micro I bought was $23.99 w/free shipping from Meritline. Kingston Class 4.