How does one define the user interface of a product? This can be divided into hardware and software aspects. Let's take a closer look at each:
Software:
- This deals with how easy it is to navigate within the phone via the default user interface. Some manufacturers do a fantastic job while some just don't really put the effort in. Some devices don't even have a software UI - a case in point is the iPod shuffle.
Hardware:
- This deals with how well laid out are the buttons. Are the USB ports ideally placed? Is anything hindering usability eg. a button blocking access to another button?
MP3 vs MD:
Taking a swift comparison between MP3 and MD players, there's no question that the iPod alone gives weight to the fact that MP3 players have a better hardware/software interface.
iPod - clicking each menu will branch to a sub-menu and this relationship actually shown as the sub-menu is scrolls to the left within a split second, thus replacing the original menu. In most other MP3 players, similar clicking patterns will bring up a sub-menu but the relationship is not obvious due to the immediate change to the screen display. Songs are categorized neatly into albums/favorite playlists making searching very easy.
For the hardware, you have 5 clickable buttons and a click wheel. It's really as simple as it can get.
MD player - follows the same "immediate change" system where clicking a menu jumps to the next menu with an immediate visual change in the LED display. However, Sony's latest MD effort - the MZ-RH1 and recent MP3 players include a visual implication to the menu to sub-menu relationship. See this video that MDcenter.nl has posted to have a closer look at how the user jumps from "Menu - REC Settings - REC Mode - Hi-SP". One limitation is the number of lines of information displayed. Having more lines of display is far better for obvious reason. See the pictures below to understand the potential ease of use with multiple lines of display.
Song categorization is basic - the early generation of MD players simply had a single tracklist for each disc. Only during the MDLP phase,the Group structure (similar to Playlist) emerged where each Group supports one tracklist.
Hardware-wise, no MD player has been able to better the iPod in terms of user intuitiveness. However , considering the vast amount of customization it allows eg. dividing, recording tracks, Sony learnt and progressively got better with its joystick buttons as you can see on the MZ-N10.
Now it's time for a list of the players I've ever owned/tried (and when I mean 'tried', it's not just fiddling with it at a shop or show. It's actually bringing it home for a few days). I guess I'll have to seperate them by type 'cos there's simply too many to list down in one shot. I'll skip CD players 'cos I never really bothered to use them. I jumped straight from using my prized Walkman - the WM-FX50, straight to MD technology. I haven't regretted the decision at all :)
The talk of the town these days is of course MP3 players, but this is slowly veering towards MP3 phones. Its most prominent form are Sony Ericsson's line of Walkman phones. Watch out - convergence is here to stay!
MP3 Players
MD Players
To showcase the qualities of the audio players, I'll break them down into
a. Audio Quality
b. User Interface
c. Battery Life
d. Design
e. Other Features
I'll talk more about point a. first. We'll look at b. to e. in some later posts.
a. Audio Quality
Assuming that the earphones are the same for all the players, then the only item that is variable is the format. For the MP3 players, let's take the default audio format to be .mp3 128 kbps and for MD players, the default is ATRAC3 SP mode.
It is certainly possible to compare the Sony MZ-NH1 to several of the MP3 players due to its MP3 playback ability and the Sony MP3 players to the MD players due to their ATRAC3 support. Unfortunately, I no longer have the Sony MD/MP3 players in my possession so we shall limit the comparison to .mp3 for MP3 players and ATRAC3 SP for MD players.
If you are wondering how ATRAC3 and .mp3 square up, we'll leave that to a later date where we will compare the formats. Right now, we will focus solely on the players.
MP3 players do not disappoint in the audio department. Apple iPods and Creative Zen players are solid units with good all-rounded sound. iPods have one major issue - the lack of an equalizer and this lack of customization is a minus point. The Dance EQ setting tends to distort the audio too. The 5-band equalizer in Creative Zens are appreciated. Similar to iPod's Dance EQ setting, Creative players have a Bass Boost setting which should be disactivated at all costs. Most of the other MP3 players did fine though the Sony Ericsson W800i does have an obvious background hiss when the earphones are plugged to the ears.
MD players are pretty powerful in terms of audio, especially if you were to choose a Sharp.
The initial Sharp units have 3 levels of bass settings (excluding default) - the 3rd level is rock solid for dance music as the bass reverberates strongly in the eardrum. This changed with the MD-DR480 where we saw 5 levels of treble setting included and more importantly, a 1-bit digital amplifier supported with a 4-pole earphone plug/jack. While this unit was supposedly one of the best MD units in terms of sound quality, unfortunately I did not get my hands on this unit to have a go.
Sonys tend not to have bass that isn't so strong but are good in terms of overall performance in the frequency spectrum. The older Sonys have 2 bass levels (excluding default) while the later models like the MZ-NH1 impress with a 6-band equalizer and 'Virtual Surround'.
The talk of the town these days is of course MP3 players, but this is slowly veering towards MP3 phones. Its most prominent form are Sony Ericsson's line of Walkman phones. Watch out - convergence is here to stay!
MP3 Players
- Sony Ericsson W800i
- iPod nano (2nd gen)
- Microsoft Zune
- Creative Zen V Plus
- iPod (5th gen)
- Sony NW-S705F
- Creative Zen Vision:M
- Transcend T.sonic 620
- Creative Zen Microphoto
- Creative MuVo V200
- iPod mini (2nd gen)
- Creative Zen Micro
- MPIO FL300
- Sony NW-E70
- Creative MuVo² FM
- D Cube NMP-612T
- Elson EM-250H
MD Players
- Sony MZ-NH1
- Sharp MD-MT877
- Sony MZ-E90
- Sharp MD-SR50
- Sharp MD-MT831
- Sharp MD-MS721
To showcase the qualities of the audio players, I'll break them down into
a. Audio Quality
b. User Interface
c. Battery Life
d. Design
e. Other Features
I'll talk more about point a. first. We'll look at b. to e. in some later posts.
a. Audio Quality
Assuming that the earphones are the same for all the players, then the only item that is variable is the format. For the MP3 players, let's take the default audio format to be .mp3 128 kbps and for MD players, the default is ATRAC3 SP mode.
It is certainly possible to compare the Sony MZ-NH1 to several of the MP3 players due to its MP3 playback ability and the Sony MP3 players to the MD players due to their ATRAC3 support. Unfortunately, I no longer have the Sony MD/MP3 players in my possession so we shall limit the comparison to .mp3 for MP3 players and ATRAC3 SP for MD players.
If you are wondering how ATRAC3 and .mp3 square up, we'll leave that to a later date where we will compare the formats. Right now, we will focus solely on the players.
MP3 players do not disappoint in the audio department. Apple iPods and Creative Zen players are solid units with good all-rounded sound. iPods have one major issue - the lack of an equalizer and this lack of customization is a minus point. The Dance EQ setting tends to distort the audio too. The 5-band equalizer in Creative Zens are appreciated. Similar to iPod's Dance EQ setting, Creative players have a Bass Boost setting which should be disactivated at all costs. Most of the other MP3 players did fine though the Sony Ericsson W800i does have an obvious background hiss when the earphones are plugged to the ears.
MD players are pretty powerful in terms of audio, especially if you were to choose a Sharp.
The initial Sharp units have 3 levels of bass settings (excluding default) - the 3rd level is rock solid for dance music as the bass reverberates strongly in the eardrum. This changed with the MD-DR480 where we saw 5 levels of treble setting included and more importantly, a 1-bit digital amplifier supported with a 4-pole earphone plug/jack. While this unit was supposedly one of the best MD units in terms of sound quality, unfortunately I did not get my hands on this unit to have a go.
Sonys tend not to have bass that isn't so strong but are good in terms of overall performance in the frequency spectrum. The older Sonys have 2 bass levels (excluding default) while the later models like the MZ-NH1 impress with a 6-band equalizer and 'Virtual Surround'.
Ok, I'll delve into all the earphones I've ever owned or tried out and guess what, I'll put them in chronological order, newest first. Here goes:
To break them down, I'll split them into 3 categories where b. and c. are purchased seperately (ie. non-supplied):
a. Supplied Earphones
b. Good Earphones
c. Others
a. Supplied Earphones:
b. Good Earphones
1. Price-point ie. bang for the buck
2. Comparisons with earphones of similar type
There is absolutely no way you can compare normal earphones like the Sony MDR-E888LP with full-grade headphones like the Grado SR60 in terms of price, bass/treble response hence they have to be gauged with their peers. In-ears are compared with in-ears. Headphones with headphones. You get the idea.
I'll give some in-depth reviews over the next few postings. For now, to explain their 'good' status, take the Sony MDR-E888LP. These are Sony's top earphones and when I'm talking about earphones, I'm not talking about in-ears or headphone types. The bass and the treble are clear and resonant. No doubt it has a 16mm diameter driver which produces great sound. I'd have to say its only failing is when it's used on the train - I only hear the treble, the bass is pretty weak. However in a quiet environment, I'd give my thumbs up.
The Sharp earphones I listed are bound to cause certain consternation among audiophiles. For one obvious reason, these are supplied earphones! Then again, I state - based on price point (being bundled is already a bonus for users) and compared with its peers, these are solid earpieces. I just chose to close my eyes and listen. For a simple earphone comparison, this gives the Sennheiser MX-400 a good run for its money and totally blasts the Sony MDR-E515 away and I did pay for the E515s.
c. Others
The 'others' are the earphones apart from the 4 I listed under b. Special mention goes out to the Aiwa HP-V161 and the Sony MDR-G82SL.
The Aiwas are interesting because they have a silicon bubble that is meant as a cushion within your ears and what's more, they are pretty affordable too! Sound quality is decent...as long as it remains in your ear properly. While some users say it provides a perfect fit where sound actually doesn't leak, my experience says otherwise. The diameter is pretty small. As such, only when I stuff the earpieces into the ear, then I get pretty good bass. Since I bought them in 2002, the cables frayed and one side became mute so I placed them aside.
The Sony MDR-G82SL are around-the-neck headphones. These were pretty expensive and not really worth it. The sound quality is indeed isolated as your ears fit into the cups. Once in, the experience is kinda forgettable. The treble and bass aren't too distinct though the emphasis is more on the bass. As one of its redeeming factors was its excellent industrial design, I managed to get a buyer for this model.
- Creative Zen Aurvana DJ
- Razer Pro|Tone m100
- Sony Ericsson HPM-70
- Etymotic ER-6i
- Apple iPod earphones (1st gen)
- Sony MDR-E888LP
- Sennheiser PX-100
- Sennheiser MX-400
- Creative EP-480
- Aiwa HP-V161
- Sony MDR-G82SL
- Sharp earphones (bundled with Sharp MD-MT877)
- Sony MDR-E837A/L
- Sony MDR-1122
- Sony MDR-E515
To break them down, I'll split them into 3 categories where b. and c. are purchased seperately (ie. non-supplied):
a. Supplied Earphones
b. Good Earphones
c. Others
a. Supplied Earphones:
- Sony Ericsson HPM-70 (with Sony Ericsson W800i)
- Apple iPod earphones (1st gen - with iPod mini)
- Creative EP-480 (with Creative Zen Micro)
- Sharp earphones (with Sharp MD-MT877)
b. Good Earphones
- Etymotic ER-6i
- Sony MDR-E888LP
- Sennheiser PX-100
- Sharp earphones (with Sharp MD-MT877)
1. Price-point ie. bang for the buck
2. Comparisons with earphones of similar type
There is absolutely no way you can compare normal earphones like the Sony MDR-E888LP with full-grade headphones like the Grado SR60 in terms of price, bass/treble response hence they have to be gauged with their peers. In-ears are compared with in-ears. Headphones with headphones. You get the idea.
I'll give some in-depth reviews over the next few postings. For now, to explain their 'good' status, take the Sony MDR-E888LP. These are Sony's top earphones and when I'm talking about earphones, I'm not talking about in-ears or headphone types. The bass and the treble are clear and resonant. No doubt it has a 16mm diameter driver which produces great sound. I'd have to say its only failing is when it's used on the train - I only hear the treble, the bass is pretty weak. However in a quiet environment, I'd give my thumbs up.
The Sharp earphones I listed are bound to cause certain consternation among audiophiles. For one obvious reason, these are supplied earphones! Then again, I state - based on price point (being bundled is already a bonus for users) and compared with its peers, these are solid earpieces. I just chose to close my eyes and listen. For a simple earphone comparison, this gives the Sennheiser MX-400 a good run for its money and totally blasts the Sony MDR-E515 away and I did pay for the E515s.
c. Others
The 'others' are the earphones apart from the 4 I listed under b. Special mention goes out to the Aiwa HP-V161 and the Sony MDR-G82SL.
The Aiwas are interesting because they have a silicon bubble that is meant as a cushion within your ears and what's more, they are pretty affordable too! Sound quality is decent...as long as it remains in your ear properly. While some users say it provides a perfect fit where sound actually doesn't leak, my experience says otherwise. The diameter is pretty small. As such, only when I stuff the earpieces into the ear, then I get pretty good bass. Since I bought them in 2002, the cables frayed and one side became mute so I placed them aside.
The Sony MDR-G82SL are around-the-neck headphones. These were pretty expensive and not really worth it. The sound quality is indeed isolated as your ears fit into the cups. Once in, the experience is kinda forgettable. The treble and bass aren't too distinct though the emphasis is more on the bass. As one of its redeeming factors was its excellent industrial design, I managed to get a buyer for this model.
How are you doing folks? For the record, this is the first blog that I'm putting online. Prior to this, I've had a website on my interests that was taken down 'cos it was put up on my Uni's server space.
What can you expect to see on this site? Well, my focus is in expressing my interest in audio and giving you ways to reach Audio Nirvana! My focus will be more in personal audio and earphones and not so much on full sound systems, though of course, I will be open to this area. It is not so much a hardcore audio site but more a blog where I can learn from people and post reviews of the players and earphones that I am using. Reviews of players and earphones will be as accurate as possible and will remain as such.
I have lived through the LP, Walkman, CDs, MDs and now the MP3 player phase. When jumping from phase to phase, I have realized the importance of 3 components:
a. Format
The format of the audio that you are listening to plays a part. Popular formats include LP, analog cassette, PCM (CD format), ATRAC (MD format) and currently the .mp3/.aac/.ogg standards.
b. Bitrate
Within each digital format lies a bitrate which further affects the quality of the source. Take .aac for example - Apple's iTunes store sells its music in 128kbps bitrates. From the layman point of view, the higher the bitrate, the higher the quality of the source.
c. Music Type
There are different types of reference music. To make the lines clearly drawn, we need to have music to test the bass, the midrange and treble of songs. Some songs emphasize each very clearly. Some examples of songs with bass emphasis are Pulp's intro to This is Hardcore and Sophie Ellis Bextor's Murder On The Dancefloor (G-Club Vocal Mix) from 1:31 onwards.
2. THE PLAYER:
The player is of course important. When some people are more passionate about their players, it is for a reason. Let's take the iPod mini vs Creative Zen Micro duel as an example - both were solid players in their own right. Both had their pros and cons. Factors include player form factor, user interface, battery life and simplicity of PC connectivity.
While some people may focus on the user intuitiveness of the software or cost, my goal is to focus on the audio precision a player is able to deliver.
Players Tested Part 1
Players Tested Part 2
Players Tested Part 3
3. THE EARPHONES:
a. Supplied Or Not?
Last but certainly not least are the earphones being used. From the user perspective (at least from mine not so long ago), the earphones supplied with the player may be impressive. Thankfully I learnt otherwise. Buying better earphones does make a difference.
Take for example the in-ear earphones (HPM-70) that's supplied with Sony Ericsson 1st generation Walkman phones. Pairing the Sony Ericsson W800i with the HPM-70 provides supposed in-ear sound isolation...NOT! For starters, the buds that come with the earphones do not fit properly. Secondly, the sound quality is very poor. Upon changing to the Creative Zen Aurvana DJ headphones and the Razer Pro|Tone m100 earphones, the difference becomes very apparent - the midrange and vocal clarity of the supplied earbuds is very poor to the point of being muffled.
b. Earphone Type
There are several types. To name a few, we have the in-ear, clip-on, normal and noise-canceling earphones. And that's excluding the headphone range. All offer different types of audio performance and of course, it all depends on what the user needs.
Earphones Tested
What can you expect to see on this site? Well, my focus is in expressing my interest in audio and giving you ways to reach Audio Nirvana! My focus will be more in personal audio and earphones and not so much on full sound systems, though of course, I will be open to this area. It is not so much a hardcore audio site but more a blog where I can learn from people and post reviews of the players and earphones that I am using. Reviews of players and earphones will be as accurate as possible and will remain as such.
I have lived through the LP, Walkman, CDs, MDs and now the MP3 player phase. When jumping from phase to phase, I have realized the importance of 3 components:
- The Source
- The Player
- The Earphones
a. Format
The format of the audio that you are listening to plays a part. Popular formats include LP, analog cassette, PCM (CD format), ATRAC (MD format) and currently the .mp3/.aac/.ogg standards.
b. Bitrate
Within each digital format lies a bitrate which further affects the quality of the source. Take .aac for example - Apple's iTunes store sells its music in 128kbps bitrates. From the layman point of view, the higher the bitrate, the higher the quality of the source.
c. Music Type
There are different types of reference music. To make the lines clearly drawn, we need to have music to test the bass, the midrange and treble of songs. Some songs emphasize each very clearly. Some examples of songs with bass emphasis are Pulp's intro to This is Hardcore and Sophie Ellis Bextor's Murder On The Dancefloor (G-Club Vocal Mix) from 1:31 onwards.
2. THE PLAYER:
The player is of course important. When some people are more passionate about their players, it is for a reason. Let's take the iPod mini vs Creative Zen Micro duel as an example - both were solid players in their own right. Both had their pros and cons. Factors include player form factor, user interface, battery life and simplicity of PC connectivity.
While some people may focus on the user intuitiveness of the software or cost, my goal is to focus on the audio precision a player is able to deliver.
Players Tested Part 1
Players Tested Part 2
Players Tested Part 3
3. THE EARPHONES:
a. Supplied Or Not?
Last but certainly not least are the earphones being used. From the user perspective (at least from mine not so long ago), the earphones supplied with the player may be impressive. Thankfully I learnt otherwise. Buying better earphones does make a difference.
Take for example the in-ear earphones (HPM-70) that's supplied with Sony Ericsson 1st generation Walkman phones. Pairing the Sony Ericsson W800i with the HPM-70 provides supposed in-ear sound isolation...NOT! For starters, the buds that come with the earphones do not fit properly. Secondly, the sound quality is very poor. Upon changing to the Creative Zen Aurvana DJ headphones and the Razer Pro|Tone m100 earphones, the difference becomes very apparent - the midrange and vocal clarity of the supplied earbuds is very poor to the point of being muffled.
b. Earphone Type
There are several types. To name a few, we have the in-ear, clip-on, normal and noise-canceling earphones. And that's excluding the headphone range. All offer different types of audio performance and of course, it all depends on what the user needs.
Earphones Tested