Whew! Had a Queensryche flashback there for a minute.

Anyway, I'm trying here to pick the brains of those who ride and listen to music. I'd like some input on what types of MP3 players you guys are using, what kind of headphones (earbuds), which players you feel are most durable, have the best sound quality, ease of operation, etc...
I tried my son's on a couple of trips and ended up getting frustrated with it. He has one of the Sony models and to me it is too heavy, not easy to operate, atleast with gloves on, has way too many functions. I want something simple, lightweight, doesn't have to hold the Congressional Library worth of info...
About the headphones, I know digital music is inherently tinny, especially for those of us who grew up on Vinyl, it leaves alot to be desired, but I tried a pair of Koss and a pair of Sony earbuds and can't seem to get very much bass, even with manipulation of the equalizer. Now these same headphones hooked up to a Discman sound excellent, on the MP3 player the bass is near nonexistant. Is it like this with all of them?

While cruising the dunes I listen to Iron Maiden, Godsmack, Disturbed, Black Label Society, Pantera, you get the idea. Hard and Heavy. Lots of screaming guitars, pounding bass... The volume doesn't seem to be an issue, just the bass.

Alright, you younger folks clue this old guy in on these new technological masterpieces and let me know what to look for. As long as it has the performance I'm looking for, the ease of use, and the lack of weight, price is not really an issue.

I'm all ears!

 

I listen to the purr of my 730 and the voices in my head!

 

I think that part of the problem is the small ear pieces combined with a limited amount of amplified power. The trend to reduce the size of the MP3 players leaves the power source as the weak link. Bass reproduction requires the most power in the frequency band, and is therefore often filtered out to increase battery life. Its a trade off I guess. Your best bet is to find a set of larger earpieces that do not have to work as hard to reproduce the sound. Also I would look into a set that would seal more effectively to your ear. It should be no surprise that if you press the small ear buds into your ears they become louder. Often there is a significant amount of sound lost through poor ear seal. If you can find a set that fit better and stay in place longer the sound levels can be increased.

I don't have specific brands to suggest but I'm sure you can find something that should work better than what you have currently. Good luck.

 

ace, I recommend for the player an Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word  shuffle. It will hold 120 songs, which is plenty,and it is tiny with the only buttons being play, pause, volume up and down. They run about 67 bucks at wal mart.

 

Ace I like your choices in music![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I usually do not ride with an mp3 player, but I have before. I use my Dell DJ. It is a 20G mp3 player and I have roughly 2000 songs on it. I bought an armband that the player fits tight in. You just wrap it tight around your upper bicep and off you go. I did buy a different set of headphones. The earbuds are junk in my opinion, they always fall out. I bought some from walmart that are about two inches around and they have a plastic spring operated clip that go over the top of your ear like glasses to keep them on. My helmet COULD not rip them off of my ears and the sound quality was good. I made up a 'riding' playlist and it was pretty cool. Dell does note make the Dell DJ anymore, but there is a few players on the dell.com website that are definately worth it. I take mine EVERYWHERE. It plays in my car, on my home stereo and if I want to walk around like it's the 80's again, I can carry it like a walkman! I take it to the gym as well to work out. I think the mp3 players are a great invention and I would suggest everyone to get one. The one I have was somewhere around $350.00, which is really expensive to me, but it was a gift from my wife. She saved for a while because she knew I would love it. Hope that helps!

 

You must have found a job hey Ace? Nice choice of tunes, but sounds pretty unusual for an old grunt [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Nope, no job yet. But I can still afford a toy or two now and then.

Unusual??? Nothing goes better with the Corps than Metal. I still dig the classic stuff like Zeppelin, Nugent, Bad Co, Trick, Journey, Styx, Kansas, Boston, Skynyrd, Blackfoot, AC/DC, the Who, and countless others. But to get the mind on par with the body (adreneline) it's got to be Motorhead, Saxon, UFO, Thin Lizzy, something in the harder/heavier vein.

Just my body is old, the heart and soul still have the desire I had many moons ago.

 

Check the software you use when converting to mp3 files. Mine has a volume setting, that if not put to the highest level, leaves it hard to hear. Also check and see if it will play wav files. Don't know if that will make adifference, but you can try.

 

From the list of the music you like to listen to... I thought you should check these guys out ...you might like themLab-O Sort of bad recordings on here ...on myspace they sound better...and new recordings are coming...let me know what you think......

Thanks,
Tom