Walkman or ipod/mp3 player
- Thread starter ozone
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and an mp3 player, I don't have a lot of audio cassettes 
what aboaut you Ozone? 
When I am working with my parents I usually use my walkman. I enjoy listening to it more than my mp3 player.
With the right mp3 player and a proper set of headphones the digital sound quality of an mp3 player is hard for a Walkman to even compete with. I have tested and owned several different mp3 players and have settled on 2 for different reasons...My Creative XFi2 Touch offers the best audiophile sound quality and my Ipod Touch offers all the apps one could possibly handle. My headphones of choice are my Sennheiser HD800's...best cans on the planet, but very expensive ($2,000). When on the go I use my Sennheiser HD238's or for in ear listening Sennheiser CX 500's. Regardless of which portable device you choose a headphone upgrade will make the biggest difference in the sound quality.
I have also noticed that different headphones sound better with the music players.
Good to see you around, Chris. 
Even the best walkman can't come close to the quality sound of an ipod touch. And I would much rather carry a small device that can hold 10,000 songs than one that only holds a single cassette tape, but that's just me.
the advantage that a walkman has over an ipod is tunable tape compression. if you've been making tapes for a long time, and you make lots of mixes on certain brands of tape you can get your touch together on hitting things to tape in a certain way that brings out the bass and squishes the cymbals in a really cool way. i haven't been able to replicate this even in a DAW. one can get fairly close but it's a simulation of something easily done on tape. also, like if you watch a movie, they use filters to adjust the color palette in certain ways. most films aren't just a "picture" of a scene. the colors are processed to create a thematic unity therewith. a really badass filter to run music through is just a slight amount of surface noise or tape hiss. this is why many hip hop records and experimental guys will cut in a sample of a run out groove off a vinyl record. it adds a very flattering filter to the music. one which a person making a cassette can control. {tape type, machine type, how hard the tape is hit} if you ever go to a live show and you see the lights on the stage, they'll pump some smoke out there to give the light something to bounce off of. filter.
i'm a big believer in using the right tool for a job. if you want to take a zillion songs and pack lightly, of course the ipod. if you really want to juke, you're going to need some cassettes, a walkman, and some badass headphones.
i should also mention pause button editing, and controlling how tight the gaps are. this can be done digitally in a DAW, but the basic itunes software does not allow this type of creative listening as far as i know.
i'm a big believer in using the right tool for a job. if you want to take a zillion songs and pack lightly, of course the ipod. if you really want to juke, you're going to need some cassettes, a walkman, and some badass headphones.
i should also mention pause button editing, and controlling how tight the gaps are. this can be done digitally in a DAW, but the basic itunes software does not allow this type of creative listening as far as i know.
For those who have time to manipulate the source, and have the equipement to make a perfect recording on a high quality metal tape with zero tape hiss, there may be a way to get better sound recorded onto a tape. I would have to hear it to believe it but I do not doubt the possibility exists. I personally do not have the time or recording equipement to take such steps to make 1 tape. I have a top end computer that downloads music at the highest bit rate possible and my music sounds absolutely stunning and clear and it only takes a few seconds to download dozens of songs. I am aware there are those who do not care much for ipods but as a personal device it is quite handy with all it can do. If music is all I am going to use a device for I personally think my Creative X-FI2 touch sounds much, much better...and in CNET.COM sound tests it was voted best audiophile mp3 player. I would love tro see someone do a side by side comparison with that mp3 and your favorite walkman...my money would be on the digital device but that is only my personal preference, other's views may differ depending on how they use there chosen portable device.
mellymelsr said:
Agree 100%...those Sennheiser cans are magic.
The Creative is a great unit, but IMHO, the Sony A Series Digital Walkmen sound massive, using AAC @ 256k
Coupled with Sony's EX Series in ear phones (EX-85,EX-90, EX-500) makes for one heck of a portable unit too.
Walkman everytime
flat spiritless mp3's do not move me like natural analogue playback
The TDK D90 in the pic was brought back from Singapore in the early 80's by my father - and it still makes tunes sound more musical (inc drop outs) than a digital file
flat spiritless mp3's do not move me like natural analogue playback
The TDK D90 in the pic was brought back from Singapore in the early 80's by my father - and it still makes tunes sound more musical (inc drop outs) than a digital file
...actually if cost were not an issue the Hifiman 801 is the absolute king-of-the-hill in sound quality, and its has dual internal amps that can easily power full sized cans. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and 3.5mm output jack. The Cowon J3 and S9 can't compete with it. But for mainstream mp3 players the Cowon gets very high ratings.oldskool69 said:ozone said:
Best MP3 player out there...Cowon....and I want one.
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