Update 17 Dec 2005
With the vast improvements in the iPod over the past year (especially in its former Achilles heel, battery life), and the lack of any real leaps forward by iRiver, I have to say, the iHP-140 is looking more and more like a dinosaur. It's too bulky by current standards, and while its strengths are still durability and memory space, I'd have to go with the iPod at this juncture. Still, if you're interested, read on.
Overview
I'm putting this in under the IMP-350, since there is no category for the iHP-140, a 40 GB portable hard-disk MP3/WMA player. I looked around at various sites for a player that I could download my 400-odd CDs into for an upcoming trip to India. I'll be away from the U.S. for four months and want a lot of listening options. I wanted a player that would have a long battery life between charges, would have a lot of storage space, was durable and easy to use, and wouldn't break the bank.
The first player I looked at was, of course, the Apple iPod. I love its sleek design and ease of use, but two things made me steer clear of it: reports are that it will only go about 3 hours between charges, and that it takes hours to recharge, making it virtually useless for a long airline flight. I also checked the format, and found that it isn't as Windows-compatible as the advertisements tout, and prefers Apple iTunes over MP3 or any other format. I then looked at reviews (mainly on CNET and similar sources) of the Creative Nomad Zen series and the Rio--the Zen has a lot of glitches (a coworker has one and it doesn't work half the time), and I don't care for the design of the Rio. CNET gave the highest ratings to the iRiver, so that's what I decided to order.
Downloading into the iHP-140
The iRiver iHP-140 is very easy to use. If you have Windows XP, the necessary software is probably already on your computer; if not, there is a CD-ROM that easily installs in minutes, and you're ready to go. I began by downloading all of my CDs onto my Dell desktop in Windows Media 9 WMA format (I had heard, perhaps incorrectly, that the sound quality is a bit better than simple MP3). You can download music into WMA using different levels of memory, depending on the quality you want in playback. I chose WMA-variable, which takes up between 50 and 90 kb per song (MP3 is around 25 kb per song). At this rate, my entire collection took up a little over 30 GB on my hard drive.
I then plugged the iHP-140 into the USB port of my computer. Unfortunately, my computer has USB 1.1, the older version, and the iHP-140 is USB 2.0 compatible. So, even though you can, if you have the 2.0, download songs at the rate of about one song in less than a second, it took me a good 15-20 seconds per song. So I'd just let it download and do something else for a few hours. I noticed a strange thing--the songs which took up about 80 kb on my computer, would actually take up 200 kb on the iHP-140, so be aware of this when you are downloading--it will take more hard disk space on the player than you think.
Formats
The iRiver is compatible with MP3, WAV, WMA, and ASF formats. If you use MP3, your songs are fully indexed, by artist, title, album, genre, and playlist. However, other formats (including WAV) are only indexed by artist, album, and title. The best way to organize your music is to do it on your computer while the player is plugged in.
Features
The iHP-140 not only plays back music files, it also functions as an FM tuner and can digitally record from other sources, including analog sources. This means that you can plug the player into the headphone jack of your stereo and digitally record cassettes, LPs, and radio programs, if you wish. The toggle button works much like the controls on the iPod, left to go up in file rank, right to go down, up for increased volume, etc. I find it easy to navigate through music files, but then I only have about 70 artists in my player. If you are more of a song than album collector, and have hundreds of artists, you will probably find navigation cumbersome and it will take 30 seconds or more to find the song you are looking for.
You can use the WinAMP program on your computer to help organize your files, if you wish, and to create playlists. However, again, I think this works better with MP3 than with WAV (I haven't used it yet). There are a lot of EQ options, and you can easily change to optimum EQs for classical, jazz, rock, etc., or create custom EQ readings. There are also megabass and WOW functions (the latter creates a kind of echoey effect that I don't find too interesting). You can also connect the iHP-140 to an external source if you want to hear songs in your car, stereo, or another computer, though you'll need an adapter kit for your car. It also has a remote control device that plugs into the main unit (main unit is a bit bulky and heavy); the remote control is about the same size as an MP3 flash player. It's useful for working out, since you can place the main unit on the treadmill or stairclimber or what-have-you, and just clip on the flash player.
iRiver advertises that the player is firmware upgradeable, but it has been a long time between upgrades. There is a user forum on iRiver that you might be able to register for ( http://www.iriver.com) to hear what other users are saying. A lot of users are holding out for the next generation of iRiver players (probably a 60 GB or 80 GB with longer battery life and more features), so you might want to, as well.
Battery Life
The iHP-140 advertises a 16-hour playback between charges. I haven't actually timed mine, but it seems to fall short of this figure. I have gone as long as 10 hours between charges, and charging time is around 3 hours. This is around what I had expected from the reviews I had read, and is more than sufficient for my purposes.
Summary
This is my first MP3 player, and I am enjoying it tremendously. At home, I have a pair of top-end Sennheiser headphones that I use with my stereo system, and they are the standard by which I measure sound quality. I bought a pair of noise-cancelling portable Sennheisers for this player, and the sound is pretty good, but nowhere near what I have on my home system. Bass response seems a little weak, but I think that is more due to the headphones than the player. It is a real boon to have most of my CD collection at my fingertips, and I am finding that I'm listening to a lot of CDs that I ignored before, simply because it's a pain to keep getting up and rummaging through stacks of CDs to find somethng new to listen to.
I hear that Apple has a new iPod with longer battery life that is out now, so it might be an option (though I'd want to hear what users are saying about the actual battery life). All in all, the iRiver has everything I need--easy to use and navigate, good battery life, and adequate sound quality. And the price? I got it on the web for $349, (about Rs. 15000), $150 cheaper than a comparable iPod.
