MP3 Insider

MP3 Insider 172: Subdued in sickness

Donald Bell, Jasmine France — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:20:00 PST

As Jasmine France battles yet another cold, she defaults to Donald Bell for most of the talking, though her monotone voice intervenes at a few soothing intervals. On deck for this week: an unpopular story about popular gadgets, talks about Apple acquiring music cloud site LaLa, tips on how to ditch the iPod for the Zune (without hurting anyone's feelings), and a brief look at a new video service. Also: a listener looks for a mom-worthy MP3 player.

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Episode 172

Apple acquires Lala

How to switch from iPod to Zune

VEVO launches tonight

----Listener voice mail----

Which (blank) do I get for (blank)?--Ask the Editors

Jasmine France — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:52:00 PST

CNET editor Jasmine France answers a variety of questions about which headphones and MP3 players are good for certain people, uses, and prices.

Top 10 2009: Most popular MP3 players and accessories

Jasmine France — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:26:00 PST

There is no shortage of portable audio gadgets on the market today, but not all of them can be part of the cool clique--some are just more popular than others. Here is our list of the top 10 most trafficked MP3 players and headphones during 2009.

Originally posted at Crave

Goodbye iPod, hello Zune: Tips for the switch

Donald Bell — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:22:00 PST

Learn how to transfer your Apple iTunes music, podcast, video, audiobook, and playlist collections over to a Microsoft Zune HD.

An MP3 player for the vintage hi-fi set

Donald Bell — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:31:00 PST

A retro-inspired concept MP3 player from Mintpass includes three VU meters and big, chunky buttons.

Originally posted at Crave

Hands-on with Vestax Spin

Donald Bell — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:16:00 PST

CNET's Donald Bell gives the Vestax Spin DJ controller a test drive and shows off the results in a photo gallery.

Originally posted at Crave

MP3 Insider 171: Slow news day

Donald Bell, Jasmine France — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:36:00 PST

Jasmine stifles yawns as Donald tries to convince her that, yes, there are worthwhile things to talk about today, such as Sony dropping the price of the 32GB X-Series Walkman to a level that it should have been at to begin with (yawn), and Microsoft announcing two new subdued colors for the Zune HD (yawwwwwn). Also this week, Donald reviews the Zoom Q3, a video recorder that's much more impressive for audio, and we answer some listener email about MP3 player life spans. Plus, some hard facts on wood enclosures.

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EPISODE 171

32GB X-Series Walkman gets $100 price cut

Purple and magenta Zune HDs coming soon

Zoom Q3 review

--------LISTENER EMAIL---------

I am considering purchasing an mp3 player for one of my kids for Christmas. In considering value, the life expectancy of the player becomes a critical factor in my purchasing decision. What is the reasonable life expectancy of an mp3 player? Do more expensive players have a greater life expectancy? What features of a player impact life expectancy? What uses impact life expectancy such a frequency of charging, exposure to temperature, etc.? Do particular manufacturers make better players than others with respect to players? -- Philip or Julie

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Your commentary on the wooden ear buds brought back some interesting work and discussion I/we had decades ago. At the time I was living in Boston and a very active member of http://www.bostonaudiosociety.org/

One study we did was to look into why something "Sound Better" but in reality is actually quite inaccurate. One is the ages old vacuum tube vs Solid State thing. Tube's "Sound Better" to just about everyone. Open, air, warm are all are pundits assigned to Tubes. Wooden things "Sound Better". That's why a violin sounds better as do all the other musical instruments.

It's long been known that if you construct a sound reproduction device, like a loudspeaker, out of solid wood 99% of the people you present that to will say that "Sounds Better". In reality the wood is imposing a few subtle, or a lot, of layers of 2nd order distortion that give the sound that "warm and open" experience.

Well designed sound reproduction instruments are never constructed from wood. Anything but. Re-enforced particle board, phenolic and the best thing to build a sound reproduction instrument from is re-enforced concrete. No resonances there.

Anyway love the show and I'm sure those wooden ear buds "Sound Better". Accurate? Not hardly. -- Bill

MP3 Insider Podcast 170: Holiday hullabaloo

Donald Bell, Jasmine France — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:23:00 PST

Jasmine and Donald discuss the implications of MOG's new $5 music service and lament Spotify's disappointingly slow start in the States. Also, Jasmine falls in love with a tiny speaker that is oh-so-wallet-friendly, and we give props to the Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide. You'll also get treated to some off-the-cuff gift suggestions from the esteemed audio editors. Finally, a listener tip on shaking up your iPod's Shuffle.

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EPISODE 170

MOG $5 monthly music service

X-Mini Max II Capsule Speakers

Holiday gift guide

Donald & Jasmine's top 4 gift picks

------LISTENER CALL------

Car docks for the iPod--Ask the Editors

Jasmine France — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:38:00 PST

CNET editor Jasmine France answers a question about in-car charging and mounting solutions for the iPod.

The LP/CD smackdown

Steve Guttenberg — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:58:00 PST

What's better: CD or LP? Many audiophiles favor LPs for sound quality, but CD wins on convenience and portability counts.

Originally posted at The Audiophiliac