n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

anyone using n900 as a mp3 player and double as a phone? i wanted to know how is the quailty of the sound on $150 earphones?

i been reading on the quality thread, but mostly talk about speaker sound.

i was planning to get a decent $150 headphones with fiios portable amp to go with n900.

If anyone have $100+ earphones with a portable amp, please chime in.

This thread is only in-earphones only.

Thanks in-advance

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Has very good volume and sound stage from the 3.5 jack. Best "phone" I have listened to when all is considered. The audio is one of the reasons I am keeping the N900.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I borrowed my roommates nice earphones to compare them to the ones which came with the phone. I used to fancy myself a pretty decent audiophile but perhaps in my old age, I just didn't hear THAT much of a difference. The bass was definitely deeper but I actually preferred the high-end on the Nokia earphones. That being said, I am pretty picky still and I was VERY surprised with how nice supplied earphones were.

As for the audio quality I have never been able to afford a proper setup as you mention but that aside, the N900 is probably the best sounding phone I've heard. The audio player was lacking an equalizer for me to make fine adjustments and I was worried about that, but after listening the output I didn't really feel that it needed it at all. As this is a very subjective area your mileage may vary but I walked away pretty impressed.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

the sound is great even with nokia's. tried sehnheiser and it's absolutely great. it doesn't compare to any other nokia but N91

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Sorry to break the in-ear headphone only rule but I figured since we use the same phone and amp I could help out. (I switch between cheap sony earbuds for portability and convenience and Sennheiser HD-555's for when I'm not going anywhere for a while)

Sound on the N900 is very average. Don't let that fool you though, there has to be a standard set somewhere. The N900 is very listenable, but no more listenable than say, an iPhone. I find my G1 to have pretty good sound and my Cowon S9 to have excellent sound. The N900 is perfectly fine if you're walking/chilling between classes but won't be replacing any reputable media players anytime soon.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

The sound is great. I use it almost everyday while working.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Definitely, this model is not a replacement for any serious portable music players, which, in turn, are no replacement for any real music setup. Depends on the class you are interested in.
Among phones, N900 is decent, ability to play FLAC is an advantage (yes, you can hear the difference even on a phone, provided you have bought a bit better headphones).

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Key thing for me is the ability to index music between the internal storage and the SD card, amazing how rare this is in the MP3 player world even if they do have a SD card expansion slot.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

how would you define listenable ?

ive had the cowon a3, the iphone, and an argos pmp earlier, dont intend to force my opinion, but N900 stands pretty solid against the above ive had in terms of clarity in sound/vocals and volume levels.
The only downside ive seen is it doesnt have an equalizer and its a bit heavier on the bass, but the equalizer is just a firmware update that we could expect soon.

btw changing the earphones could help that bass heavinesss a bit.


Also the fact that we cant change the volume when screen is off is a missing feature.
vote for that bug here
https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6487

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I don't think so. Sliding the lock switch is the same as pushing the power button and "Lock screen and keys." To change volume while locked just push the power button first.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I got it to replace my ipod touch 32gb and my Nokia N95 so definitely in the same position as you. I tried it in the US where I bought it with the earphones that come with the device. I was so so disappointed and thought I had made a mistake. I like my music very very loud (one thing I enjoyed on the ipod - really loud) and even on the maximum volume the sound was still far too low and quality wasn't all that great. But then I got back home and tried it with my £15 Synthesiser. I immediately took back any negatives I previously said. Real loud and clear. Can't even consider going up to maximum volume. On $150 headphones I expect the sound quality would be even greater.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Never tried that. Better for volume just to work without having to press another button first though.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I'd rather have it as an option to choose. I prefer when the hardware keys can be locked together with the screen.

If I really want to be able to adjust the volume without unlocking the player, I use a volume control thingy (shure EA650, or headphones with volume control for example), but I don't want to have the volume adjust itself just because I like to have my phone loose in my pocket.


BTW, I don't think the N900 will replace my current DAP, because of battery life.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

all my life i've been through all types of mp3 players and the best in the market starting from creative zen,ipod,ending with the best of all Cowon s9 and guys believe me when i say the precious n900 is no much adifference from them with ofcourse the huge advantages the n900 deliever begining from as it's a phone and smal pc,and don't need to carry much portables like PMPs and Mp3 in addition to ur phone.

bottom line N900 SOUND QUALITY ROCKS ALTHOUGH wished it hase the same level as the n810:) and yes it replaces the mp3 player.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

um, dont mind, but i doubt that.
maybe you never had good headphones? because the best audioplayer is useless when the headphones are bad.

i normally listen to music through my creativ zen, which i think has a pretty good sound quality, and with sennheiser cx500, with are not the best headphones in the world, but definitely good. i'll compare the n900 sound quality to it (when i receive it.... in OVER 9000 YEARS!! :D )

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

i didn't compare att all! all i said is the the good sound quality of the n900 with its advantge can replace the mp3 i mentioned but not beat them or better than them,got it? cozbit's a phone my friend.

p.s. i have sennheiser cx500 and creative aurvana and cowon s9 which is much much better sound quality than zen which i love too :-)

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Agreed!

I use Sony X series Walkman as my music portable..
I thought n900 would be good enough so i'd get rid of a separate MP3 player but no....
N900 is good from other phones but not even close to Dedicated MP3 Players..

Btw I tried Bose & Senheiser Earphones...

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

People talking about MP3 sound quality is funny to me. MP3 is inherently lossy.

Speaking as an audiophile - if it aint Analog - it aint music :)

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

@Bratag, of course, but even withing mp3/other lossy formats there are different classes.
People have various needs when talking about music. I would say that for majority mp3 players + any non-totally-crappy headphones is enough. The sound quality sucks, but they don't care. That's just the way it is, we like it or not :)

I like to really listen to music, not just to have it in background. Thus, I don't use mp3 players, and listen to music at home. But I'm perfectly happy for people who like to listen music on the go, if they are happy with that. And yes, there is sense in talking about quality of mp3, although it's entirely different than talking and comparing quality of two lamp amplifiers.

[edit] so please, don't take this discussion to 'mp3 sucks' (everyone knows it does :) ), the fact is, that there are mp3 players on the market and people use them. And they are asking how N900 looks in this department.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

MP3 quality can sound worse the better your headphones and player if you have recorded at low bit rate. ie you get to hear the imperfections better :eek:.

Would be good if people can post the bit rate they are recording at.
I prefer to use FLAC on the hifi and 320kbs on the MP3.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I totally disagree. n900 soundquality beats both of my ipods and my girlfriends ipod touch. Stereo image is more accurate and the mids are just as crispy as I like them to be. Using Akg K 271 MKII and sennheiser cx550.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

to add my two bits into the thread, if you are using a fiio amp with a 150$ headphone setup, you should stick with an mp3 player that supports line out via the dock, my setup for listening is a nuforce mobile amp and phillips noise cancellation headphones, driven by the iphone. The amplifier is useless if you simply connect it to a 3.5 mm slot, the real rich audio is the pre-amp audio coming from the line-out which gets amplified by the expensive amp not the cheap circuit inside, and then fed to the headphone, using an amp with the n900 will actually be useless, as its pre amplified and not pure sound..also i use the same setup to connect it to my harmon kardon amps and then to the 1977 Bose 321 setup, and everyone who has said that the ipod/iphone sounds bad should try this setup with Apple Lossless files to feel the warmth and purity of the sound, in comparison to any other mp3 player out there.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I'm going to test the N900 with my Westone UM1 ($150 in past times, now $109) [and my AKG K240S ($160 in past times, now discontinued)], when it finally arrives.... of course with FLAC or HQ Vorbis. ;)
I will also test whether a dedicated volume control is necessary to kill noise.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

without EQ i think its hard to say something. i have a Bang & Oulfsen heahphone to test. I think the sound is more clear than iphone(my previous phone). With EQ im sure will be better.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

How is the headphone volume output compared to the N95 8GB? The N95's output is quite bad :(

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

N900 sounds very good and about 20% more volume than Droid or G1.

I am keeping the N900 due in part to the good sound of the device from 3.5mm jack.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Well I wouldn't want to have to pay extra money to be able to control the volume without unlocking the phone. I don't think there is any way the volume buttons could accidently be pressed with the device in my pocket so I would prefer for the volume buttons to remain unlocked. This would mean I could easily change the volume with device in my pocket rather than having to bring it out of my pocket to do so.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

volume buttons work when the device is locked. You just have to press the power button once.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I think people use the the word, "mp3" as a general reference to music. I don't believe your average music person considers the quality when they hear, "mp3".

Just a thought.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

Most people can not tell the difference between analog, high bit rate and 160kb in a car or on portable devices. I have been around long enough to own a collection of four hundred LP's. Sound is warmer and better stage with LP's on a good home sound system, but I can not pick up much difference in a car or portable device. Cymbal decay is my favorite sound to reference for how well playback is. Kind of covers all traits for parameters of audio definition and are "acute" points in a song that stand out.


Thinking about it more:

Perhaps firing weapons including LAW rockets killed my ears.... Those things do not go "woooosh" like in the movies- they go BOOOOM!

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I use the N900 with a pair of Sennheiser IE8 and I must say the quality is excellent. This week I will get a Fiio E5 and will check if that does anything to the quality.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

its good. as good as my iphone, better than my archos/psp. you wont have a problem. unless you are used to sony walkman(newist) quality

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

its nice although it lacks some features such as equalizer and such :D

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

it's funny, but i do not miss an equalizer at all. I understand perfectly , it is a feature some people need. but honestly good headphones are way better than software manipulation.

since i got my n900 my ogg-player has retired.
listening to webradio / last.fm on the go is like old school radio.

i even did not load that much music on my device because i've got all the world to listen to.

Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?
 

I have been using portable music players since the earliest cassette Walkmans, typically 8 hours a day. I was hoping the N900 (32GB plus FLAC) would allow me to retire my Sansa Fuze (16GB plus FLAC). But I'm not convinced for two reasons:
1. size (Fuze is just soooo much smaller)
2. battery life (Fuze will play for 24 hours per charge)

The audio quality of the N900 is very good through my Bose in-ears. I have the complete Beatles Remastered (stereo) in FLAC on both the Fuze and N900. I would compare them as follows:
- Fuze is brigthter with slighty more presence (mid-range) so vocals are somewhat more prominent. NOTE: I'm running with the equalizer normal/flat. But the Fuze therefore can sound a bit strident. Of course I can adjust the EQ on the Fuze, but that wouldn't be fair to the poor N900. :-)
- N900 has more bass and is smoother overall, less edgy but has slightly less output at the same volume setting.

The differences in sound quality are not dramatic. But other difference are important if you want your N900 to be a dedicated music player. I thinks the big one is battery.

Since N900 is my business phone/PDA, I need it charging at night so I can't realistically be listening to music or audio books in bed on the N900. That's why I'll probably continue to use the Fuze. The Fuze is very smal and will run for 3 nights between charges, and has EQ. That's hard to beat with any phone.

Oh yeh...the Fuze also plays Audible.com files and the N900, well, not yet.

Best MP3 player application (was: Re: n900 as dedicated mp3 player?)
 

I can confirm the above.
Now that I have my N900 I must say it cannot reach the sound
quality of the Cowon U3 MP3 player.
At least not with that MP3 player application.
I am using Sennheiser and Koss Porta Pro headphones.
The N900 sounds somehow "flat".
The MP3s are ripped from my CDs with quite good quality.
At least so good, that sound on the Cowon is very "moving". ;-)

The strange thing is: if I listen to the sound of the videos that came
with the N900 (it's a preview of the film "9"), the sound is much, much better and equal to the Cowon!

I suspect that the MP3 player application is doing some bad
thing to the MP3 files because obviously the N900 is able to
do better sound with the hardware.
Does the videoplayer use some different Audio hardware within
the N900?

Is there a better MP3 player application than the built-in?
Preferable with equalizer and some more possibilities?
One which uses the same Audio hardware/software as
the video player?