OT (kinda): iRiver iHP-120

Poststructural Pub
1

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone else had experience with this MP3 player? I just ordered one. It has a line-in and maybe a mic-in, or maybe the line-in is also mic-in as you can adjust recording level. Anyway, has everything, in theorie, I would like a 20GIG MP3 player. It encode MP3 in real time, so you don’t need to encode as a WAV file, like you’d do with an iPod.

iRiver is currently building a multimedia player for Micro$oft, so I’m sure the company isnt crap, they must be good enough, or at least good actors enough to fool Micro$oft :slight_smile:

On paper the device seems allright, I’m just not sure if it really stands the road.

2

I just got the device and tried it for a few minutes… The only thing I can say is that the only time I’ve been that excited before is with my first girlfriend.

The player is just AMAZING! Anyway, for me, I’ve been using a Minidisc player for a while now and the iRiver is such amazing compared to a minidisc player.

First thing I did, I recharged it, then I plugged it in my USB 2.0 port and transferred about 3GIG of music (I own this music!) to my portable. Took only a few minutes. I listened to a few tunes, used the remote control, etc, eveything works fine, easy to go through directory etc.

Now I just did a recording test. This is when this device KILLS the iPod, anyway I think. There is an internal mic. I did a few tests, with the internal mic and with an extrernal Sony ECM-MS907. I uploaded a few sample. First is recording used the external mic at a 128kbps MP3, then using the INTERNAL mic as the same rate, and then using the external again, at a 64kps. There is no way to change the frequency, it’s 44khz and I don’t think you can change it, but when you record you can change from MP3 to WAV, and chose the recording rate. Here are the samples:

External](http://www.metayer.info/mp3/VOICE005.MP3%27%3EExternal) Mic, 128kpbs

Internal](http://www.metayer.info/mp3/VOICE006.MP3%27%3EInternal) Mic, 128kpbs

External](http://www.metayer.info/mp3/VOICE008.MP3%27%3EExternal) Mic, 64kpbs

There is a recording level gauge for the external mic, it’s at it’s default, it could be raised up. I you can see, it’s much louder with the internal mic. The device was at 2-3 feet from me when I recorded. To get the files? Piece of chocolate cake! Plug in USB, drag and drop the files, and that’s it! What’s also great is that once you’re in recording mode, a simple “stop” and “record” will start new tracks, and you can play the most recently recorded file with one button. Also, you can change the input channel with one button, you can go from Internal Mic/External Mic/Line In/Optical Line In, and then it’s real time encoding and you get a MP3 or WAV.

I’m not even sure I’m plugging the external microphone in the right plug, but I don’t see anything else. I will make some tests with the external mic recording level to make sure I’m handling this right. Also, I don’t see much diff from 64kps to 128kpbs recording for the whistle, but who cares really, 5GIG could give you 100hours recording at 128kpbs.

Anyway, I just thing I found the session recording tool I’ve always been waiting for. It’s about the same size as an iPod, and you don’t have to buy an extrernal mic like the iPod requires you to do, and I’m sure the recording functions and features are much more convenient and advanced than those of the iPod. I think they’re both the same price.

That’s it for now, I could post a more advanced review later this week if some of you are interested. Maybe I’ll find out some big flaws, will post them in this thread.

PS: I forgot to say that there’s an FM radio player which allows you to record from radio in real-time, and line-in recording allows you to record in WMA format. The flash memory is upgradable, meaning it will read new formats, and it comes with a belt case. Also, the battery will last 16 hours, much more than the iPod. Blabla…

3

This came out while I’ve been in Costa Rica and I’ve been waiting to come home to buy it. Keep us posted on how well it works. I hope to get one when I win the lottery in about a month.
By the way, for the rest of you, all the electronics/computer magazines have voted this the best mp3 player in the world. It’s a monster.
Best,
Chris

4

Yeah Chris go for it! Darn, I think I’ll sleep with the player in my hands for a few days.

5

By changing the internal recording level can you record through the internal mike without the distortion you have on clip 2?
Chris

6

This thing also plays OGG files, for those of you who are nerds like me and prefer OGG for MP3.

Chris

7

Hey, Az… do you have AOL Instant Messenger, or MSN Messenger? If so, what’s your info?
I’m windywizard on AIM and christopherlaughlin@hotmail.com on MSN (yeah, this is my SPAM address so I don’t care if the spambots gobble it up).
Chris

8

Hey man, gotta leave NOW but will give you all the info when I come back tonight. Have you got iCQ? Anyway will email you tonight.

9

While we’re on the subject of field recording, I’ve got one of these arriving tomorrow:

Marantz PMD-670 Digital Recorder
http://sldghamr.faithweb.com/PMD670.html

which I intend to use with:
Crown SASS-P HTF Stereo Microphone
http://www.crownaudio.com/mic_web/sass.htm
for concerts/workshops

and:
Sennheiser MKE44P Stereo Microphone
http://www.bayviewproaudio.com/sennheiser_mke44p.html
for field recordings/sessions.

Add a 512 MB CompactFlash card, and a 40 GB Xs Drive II for archiving and I’ve finally got my portable recording setup.

That iRiver unit looks really nice, nearly bought one myself a few months ago… I read that it has some issues doing uncompressed .WAV recording with clicks and pops (something about insufficient internal buffering), but that the live MP3 recording is fantastic.

If you don’t already have the link, here’s the URL for the iRiver user’s forum:

http://www.iriver.com/community/discussion_new.asp

I’m most interested in using a portable digital recorder as a true DAT replacement, with no compression, or at worst very high bit rate MP2 (not MP3) recording. With the PMD-670, I can get 48 minutes of uncompressed stereo CD quality, or about 4 hours of 384kbit MP2, which I can’t tell apart from the original. Plus, I don’t have to deal with the crappy AGC on the Sony MDs. I’ve had the microphones for many years, and nothing to plug them into ever since my portable pro DAT died a few years ago. Battery life on 8-AA NiMH is supposed to be about 7 hours.

Yes, its much bigger and heavier than the iRiver… :slight_smile:

M

10

The IRiver sounds nice. Unfortunately, way out of my price range considering my modest needs. In addition to quickly recording sketches of songs, a second use would be to record voice interviews. Does anyone use an inexpensive digital unit to record live music and voice? MP3 encoding not required, high capacity not a big deal, USB transfer or similar a must. Minidisc is out because the primary storage will be on a PC and there is no easy way to transfer.

I have been looking at eBay auctions for out-of-date or discontinued players with a voice record feature. Most do not have a mic port or a line-in port. Anyone use one of these? I have seen MTV MP3 players for under $20, though those auctions usually have a $10 shipping charge making returns impractical and boosting the actual cost by 50%.

I have also seen the Archos 20 gig player/recorder on Amazon for $179 with a $50 rebate. Obviously the IRiver is superior, but it is also double the price (almost triple after the rebate). Sigh.

  • Bill
11

Chris, I don’t have MSN, you got ICQ? Anyway, I don’t think you can adjust recording level for the internal mic, but I was very close to my whistle so maybe other instruments would sound less shrill? The recording level is used only for the external mic, but I still don’t get how it could only affect external mic and not the line in as as far as I know they use the same jack (not Murphy).

I will try to use the iRiver as a test in our next session on saturday, the music will suck I’m sure but will give you a better idea of the quality of the music recorded in a session.

12

For session tune grabbing I use a Sony ICD-ST10 voice recorder, put together this article on the subject:

http://www.uptospeed.net/hoi/digitalrecorders.html

With the new Marantz recorder arriving tomorrow, I will probably have an as-new Pogo Ripflash MP3 recorder w/256 MB (128 MB internal, 128 MB SmartMedia card) RAM and a Sound Professionals stereo pre-amplified (line out) microphone for sale at a fair price or trade if anyone is interested. I used this last year to record all my classes at Miltown Malbay and had fantastic results.

Info on the RipFlash available at:

http://www.pogoproducts.com/ripflash.html

and on the stereo preamplified microphone at:

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=165&type=store
similar to the SP-PASM1

Probably want about $200.00 for both together…

Cheers,

Michael

13

Approximately how long do the two AAA batteries last on the Sony? Did you find the need to go to rechargeables? I take it the Sony does not play MP3 files (though for me this is a want not a need).

For those reading along who want to do quick recordings, a search turns up the Sony unit at simplycheap.com refurbished for $70 plus $9 shipping. There are also several on eBay at around $75 to $80 also refurbished. //edit: Also found several on Amazon refurbished for $70 plus $5 shipping (4-14 days) and a Sony warranty, so odds are that is where I am going if I decide to buy. //2nd edit: tried to order off Amazon but that seller does not have any more refurbs, may try eBay. To answer my own question, I downloaded a PDF version of the manual and battery life is rated 10 to 12 hours. Even if that is optimistic, it sounds okay for AAAs.

Thanks,
Bill

14

Yeah I got one of those digital records, mine is from Panasonic. It’s just that less than two hours, or less than 15 hours while I’m at it, isnt enough. I plan weeks long trips in Ireland, that’s why the 20GIG is the real only option for me.

15

Chris,

To answer your previous question, no you can’t change the internal mic recording level, just the external. I guess the thing to do is to make sure your iRiver is a few feet away from the music, and then, it’s only the whistle that will sound that shrill will it? For me it’s really not a big deal since I’ve been dealing with a MD which never had good MIC preamp, and my recordings were always really, treally quiet.

So far, as the player itself goes, I’ve been walking all around, using it for many hours, and no problem so far, works perfectly.

There’s even a feature which I couldnt believe they’d add: you’ve got a “a → b” button, and while listening, you press the button once for section start, the button again for section end, and then it starts looping through the “a - b” section you just set. Another click on that button will cancel the loop. It’s like very useful for learning tunes, anyway for me, I had to split tracks with my MD to achieve the same, and then bind the tracks again after I learned the tune.

So far the only weakness I see is that you can only record in MP3/WAV, and frequency is stucked to 44khz (48khz methink for optical recording).

16

Hello guys,

First post here. I’ve been watching this thread for info about the iRiver ihp-120 and it looks like it’s a good machine.

One thing though, which I don’t think is a big problem for most people here: it can’t read any legally-bought MP3 (or ACC for that matter).

It’s unclear wether iRiver will add this feature as a firmware update, but as of yet, none of their players can read legal MP3s.

I’m still quite eager to try it Azalin. Tomorrow at the session? :wink:

Loa

17

Hey my goodness, my pal on Chiff! Can’t believe it! :wink: Man, poor ya, you’re gonna have to play pirated MP3s if you want to use the device!

18

Finally I think I have found a “weakness” in my iRiver. Yesterday night I started converting my Minidiscs to MP3 using the iRiver, so I plugged my MD in the line-in of the iRiver. Everything worke fine, but my disc had only an hour or so of music, and in the iRiver manual is says that the device will automatically stop recording after 5 hours OR 150MB file. A 150MB file is only like 150 minutes at 128kpbs, so I couldnt leave my iRiver recording a whole disc, which is 5 hours. That’s a theorical pain.

19

Oooohh… Poor Az!

Are you going to need my MAC to be able to transfer your MiniDisc tunes?

:smiley:

See you tomorrow!

Loa

20

Hey Loa,

Actually, I might need your Mac 'cause I’m gonna go fishing this summer and will probably need a good anchor that won’t scare the fish away!

See you tommorow :slight_smile: