How big is 20gb?

[kokoshka]

I'm about to buy my first mp3 player. My choice is limited, being a Mac user. It seems that iPod and Archos are my best options, Archos winning out on battery life with the 202. I have been using md for many years, usually recording on the LP2 setting, and use shure earbuds. This combination was easily good enough for me, in listening terms. I'm nervous about mp3, will it sound ok? What do the bitrates mean in terms of good, medium, bad etc? How many cd's roughly will I get on a 20 gig player? I'd have stuck with md, but it's fizzling out, becoming obsolete.

[extremelydodgy]

LP2 on MD is equivalent to 160K~192K MP3. LP2 is actually 132K ATRAC Type-R but I think I'm backed up by listening tests that it's noticeably better than the 132K ATRAC3 encoding used on non-MD machines. Encoding at 192K, you shouldn't have any issues with relative sound quality.


The older iRiver H320 and the newish iAudio X5 are also an option as they are USB Mass Storage players like the Archos. If you have a Mac, the choice of iPod does seem like a no-brainer as the integration is tight. But if you want an alternative, those would be the ones to consider.


Assuming a conservative 60 minutes an album, you should be able to pack in 220 albums at 192K MP3 on a 20Gb player.

[kokoshka]

Thanks extremelydodgy fo your very comprehensive reply. `i hadn't heard of the X5, but will most definately follow up on that suggestion, and the iRiver.

[extremelydodgy]

www.iaudiophile.net should be able to help you with any specific queries for the X5.