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"I compared Ipod Shuffle/Creative Zen Nano and iRiver T30 side by side" on by Jimro
Pros: Superb Sound, size, SRS WOW
Cons: Doesn't come with a case
Summary: couldn't find any posting of side by side comparisons of these three
units...so already owning a Ipod Shuffle, I purchased both a Creative
Zen Nano Plus and an IRiver T30. I loaded the same song files into all
three so that the comparison would be valid. I used only the earphones
that came with each unit.
The Ipod is simple as can be to use. Partly good design and partly
fewest features.
The Creative Zen Nano has a decent LCD and a menu system that has a
short learning curve. It is also the only one of the three to have a
built in radio.
The Iriver has the greater learning curve partly because it has more
customizable options.
Both the Creative and the IRiver have line in ability to copy directly
from CDs.
Of course only the Shuffle has a bulit in rechargable battery (not user
replacable) while the other two use AAAs. Of course you can purchase
rechargable AAAs (Rayovac makes ones that take 15 minutes to
recharge!).
Sound quality...My primary concern.
All three have pleasant sound with plenty of volume (too much!).
First of all the Ipod Shuffle has no controls at all to customize the
sound. It does sound very good, however.
The Creative Zen Nano has an equalizer.
The IRiver T30 has both an equalizer and an entire set of other sound
controls from the SRS WOW component.
A fair comparison requires us to set both the Creative and the IRiver
to what I and my son believe to give the best combination of bass and
treble response. Of course that is somewhat subjective. However we both
agreed on the settings.
I know that some 'tests' /reviews say they leave the settings at
'neutral' to be fair...I beg to strongly disagree...after all why
shouldn't the Creative Zen Nano and the IRiver benefit from a
capability that they have built in! Users would surely use those
controls..so they should be evaluated. Each unit producing the best it
can!
Again..all three sound very good.
Treble...The Apple Shuffle Ipod and the IRiver T30 had the best treble.
Clear. The Creative was somewhat muddied in response, but not bad.
Bass...Here the IRiver shone above the others... definitively. The
Creative was second with the Ipod Shuffle not far behind.
I found the following SRS settings to be the 'best' on the IRiver;
SRS...08
Focus..Low
Trubass...10
Boost...60
Overall..the IRiver's sound was definitely the best of the three.
By the way, the iRiver is the only one of the three to support OGG. In addition..I have now compared interchanging the headphones between the Ipod and the iRiver. The iRiver remained the richest sounding in all cases. A firmware upgrade was posted for the iRiver on October 30th. -
"cheapest entry into portable subscription based downloads" on by phoenix888
Pros: good sound, works with subscriptions
Cons: it's no ipod
Summary: I got the yahoo music engine subscription service (5 bucks / month for unlimited downloads). I've been waiting for a cheap flash based player that works with it so I jumped on this one right when it came out. So far I'm satisfied with it; good sound and form factor. Getting the subscription downloads onto it is a little klunky. I found its better to download the songs first in yme and then transfer them via windows media player. The interface on the player is far from elegant but I got used to it pretty quickly. Battery life not too great. Did what I wanted it to, thats the bottom line.
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"Decent player with problematic Audible file implementation" on by gordonbw
Pros: Compact form factor, nice display, good sound, excellent voice recorder
Cons: Issues with Audible support -- don't buy it for this feature
Summary: I was looking for a "do-it-all" player for music, voice and audiobooks. Although the iRiver T30 handles the first two functions pretty well, I advise you not to buy this unit for its support of Audible files. In this mode it works (sort of), but I have discovered several very annoying quirks.
As soon as I use the voice recording feature, the unit:
1) Will not save bookmarks in an Audible file.
2) Will not retain the last position in memory when I exit from an Audible file.
When this happens, the only solution I have found is to completely reformat the device and reinstall the operating system.
As well, when the unit's battery runs out in the middle of listening to an Audible file, the entire file is no longer recognized by the player. I must load a new copy of the file to continue. -
"an excellent, but not perfect player" on by gsingh5
Pros: small, light, big screen, excellent sound quality, easy software
Cons: so-so battery life, bad controls, no fm tuner, no carrying case
Summary: After the 700 series, iriver practically crowned themselves the kings of flash based players. The iriver t30 does and doesnot live up to my expectations.
This players is smaller, and lighter than previous models, and features a brighter, larger screen. The main menue includes, My Music (a plus for those who want a player that can browse music) Now Playing, Settings, and Recordings. The player's controls are decent, but after a while, the buttons become indented, and seem to lose sensitivity.
The battery life is so so. I managed to get 19. hrs, which kinda sux for a flash player.
The t30 does not have a fm tuner which is strange, considering the fact tht iriver emphasizes features.
The sound quality is simply unbeleivable. There are 12 preset eq settings, and a custom. The sound is very rich, gets loud, and sounds good with the comfortable earbuds provided.
The t30 requires wmp10; transfers are quick and painless. However, when syncing, you must resync all current files on the player, in order for them to stay on.
THe accessories are not outstanding, but are ok. The t30 comes with the necessities, along with a carrying cable. no carrying case.
overall, the iriver t30 isn't perfect, but is a solid choice. For those iriver lovers, and those who want gud sound quality in a small device, this baby is 4 u.
My rating: 7.5 (design = 8.5, performance= 8, features=7.5, accessories=6, price=7) -
"Awesome Player" on by drunknmunki
Pros: great format compatiblity... but
Cons: doesnt support ogg properly, no FM tuner
Summary: OK, this MP3 Player is the nearly the best.
it has one MAJOR flaw and two nearly excusable flaws
The MAJOR MAJOR flaw is that OGG support is limited to OGG's encoded at 44khz. If you put an OGG that is not at 44kHz then it will either play really fast (less than 44) or slowly (greater than 44) almost as if it playing them at 44kHz, despite the actual sample rate. This really annoyed me, becuase i had to resample a whole bunch of music which took an eternity.
Other minor flaws are that theres no FM tuner, which is OK, and that the Player doesnt act as a Mass Storage device under Windows. As well the battery life is sort of sad, but this ok as my house is full of rechargeable batteries(actually i just bought two and switch them whenever one runs out.
On the flipside I love the recording(line in and voice) and the EQ settings.Updated
I would have given the T30 a 10 were it no for the shody OGG support
iRiver T30 user reviews (512MB, silver)
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