Just bought a T10 2GB, I have a T10 1GB also...

[Sesquash]

Some might ask why someone would go out and buy ANOTHER EXACT D.A.P. model other than one being twice the memory capacity as the first blue 1 GB model I bought.

I'd like to answer that.....

I have owned my blue bodied 1 GB T-10 for a few months. In that time, I have grown to appreciate just how magnificent this little gem of technology truly is.

The sound rivals $5,000.00 stereo systems that I have auditioned, when using it with my Bose Tri-Port and my Bose Quiet Comfort 2 noise cancelling head phones.

Frankly, I'm quite blown away by the T10's performance using SRS 2 and for live performances, of course the LIVE EQ setting.

I reasoned that having 2 GB's of on-board memory would give me a true ability for the portable full cross section of music that I love, Jazz, classical, opera...etc. Knowing that the T10's main board is engineered and set to recognize a maximum of 2GB, there was no logical reason to 'wait' for a model of the T10 to come out with greater memory capacity. There won't be one.

I find the shape to be natural for one-handed operation and the sub-control features of the three top-board buttons to be intuitive. Well done, iRIVER! With its sport clip at the top, it is a natural for an active life-style as well as built like a brick ****-house to be there in an active life-style.

The fact that the T10 does NOT require the user/owner to charge a proprietary battery...but instead uses a very inexpensive and long-lasting Alkaline AA, is a MAJOR plus. A T10 user can have constant uninterrupted power and use from his/her D.A.P. without the need for recharging downtime and resultant inconvenience. Having just two small AA's in your shirt pocket means you are set for nearly 90 hours of constant power and listening pleasure. Again, just showing the fantastic power management of the T10's electronics! A very well engineered and thought-out technical design!!!

Knowing that manufacturers routinely abandon a great product so as to always have something 'newer' to offer the fickle public, I knew that I wanted a redundant (spare) T10 sitting in my drawer for the time that I could not repair or purchase a new T10 for when they are discontinued, as they shall be, no matter how excellent they are..... That is corporate logic.

I knew, that I could 'replace' (earn more...) the $149.00 that the new T10 2GB cost me today, and also knew that one day, it might not be for love or money that I could buy a NEW T10 2 GB for when I might have a need, or just merely want a 2 GB model.

There will be a time when they are no longer offered for sale (discontinued). I believe that that time might be actually around the corner for there are already two 'later model' D.A.P's being offered by iRIVER.

Also, firmware MTP 1.71 seems to be the final offering (I have the MTP 1.71 firmware version on my new 2 GB)...they are now concentrating on the newer units.... (this is usually the tip-off, as with my Creative Zen Touch 40 GB....)

Funny how the iRiver firmware updater does not find this version for my T10 1 GB and says that version 1.70 is the latest. Hmmm.....

Perhaps MTP v1.71 is only intended for the black 2 GB unit?!?

I do not need to watch a video on the go, so have no need of anything with that capability. I wanted a superb-sounding D.A.P. and the T10 is just that beast.

If anyone reading this, truly loves the performance and feature set of THEIR T10, I might suggest that while you have the chance, getting the last generation T10, would be a very good and most wise investment. They are going to get snapped up, and become rare as a new-for-purchase unit. Other owners are going to see the 'T10 writing on the wall' and to wish to have a back-up T10 as well, which will make the black bodied 2GB a rare bird....(smile)

Just something to ponder before they are all gone.....

Now to take the battery out of my 1 GB and put it away for a rainy day....lol.

BTW, as you would expect, the black 2GB unit dangling around my neck sounds just as good....as 'old blue', but now with twice the amount of music files to choose from.

Cheers!

Sesquash

[jstme46jstme46]

I've had mine for about 2 weeks!.. my first player I can connect, drill down to the subfolders under MUSIC, make a new folder and do drag and drop!!! Excellent!
i couldn't find it in any store, had to order through iRiveramerica. It's different from the others and just plain COOL!

[ShyAnne]

Originally Posted by Sesquash

Some might ask why someone would go out and buy ANOTHER EXACT D.A.P. model other than one being twice the memory capacity as the first blue 1 GB model I bought.

Well I wouldn't ask, considering I have both a T10 and a T30. Got the T10 first and no complaints other than nitpicking stuff. (Like it's not USB-powered during transfers ... so, just remember to check the battery level before connecting..and the T30's not USB-powered either, sooo ...) So why get a lesser-featured T30 after already having the full-featured T10? Because the T30 has the same great sound while being much smaller and it's a featherweight, which is sometimes better depending on situation of use. Also, T30 has line-in while T10 does not. Line-in is also handy for some situations.

T10's color screen looks slick and is easier on eyes, but T30's screen is still bright and has crisp text despite being monochrome. No dull backlight or hard-to-see fuzzy text as seen on other brands. Bummer about the lack of FM in the T30 U.S. model though, I like NPR and a few other FM stations. They left FM out of the European version because the EU's mandatory (and high) tax on all radio-capable devices would have made the price higher than iRiver thought consumers would be willing to pay. (I understand the European T10 also does not have FM.) But there's no corresponding radio tax in the U.S. and the U.S. T10 does come fully equipped with FM, so go figure. <shrug>

Originally Posted by Sesquash

there was no logical reason to 'wait' for a model of the T10 to come out with greater memory capacity. There won't be one.

Never say never.
Considering it's weight and bulk, T10 is ripe for a 4 gig version but T30 will likely top out at 2GB.

Originally Posted by Sesquash

With its sport clip at the top, it is a natural for an active life-style as well as built like a brick ****-house

Well .... not quite an 'active-lifestyle natural' with that "built-in sport clip".

It can be clipped onto a belt loop but most exercise clothing doesn't include belt loops, and the T10's 'sport clip' does not secure the player very well at all to running shorts or sweat pants. Try that and it WILL fall off, and the included lanyard isn't very practical for sports either as the player bounces around too much. For a supposed "sports" player, they really should have included the armband and silicone shell as standard equipment, like iRiver used to do with their IFP players. But no ... now they sell them separately, for twenty bucks each. But the T10's certainly built solid, and so is the T30, small and featherlight as it is ... it still does not feel at all 'flimsy' or cheap like some other smaller DAPS.

Originally Posted by Sesquash

The fact that the T10 does NOT require the user/owner to charge a proprietary battery...but instead uses a very inexpensive and long-lasting Alkaline AA, is a MAJOR plus.

I use rechargeable NiMHs anyway, but it certainly IS nice to have that choice. No worry about when the rechargeable is nearing the end of it's life cycle after numerous recharges. No pain the *** routine of sending the player in just to have a battery replaced, and no bother with tiny screw drivers and dull knives to crack the case open just to change a battery either. Spend another buck or two on a new NiMH and you're set to go. Forget to charge your NiMHs? No trouble, just pop in an alkaline in the meantime.

Not to mention the battery life! I don't get the raves over certain built-in battery players, especially when hearing "...and it gets up to 12 hours on one charge!!!" ....usually uttered by someone who has that lemming-itis children-of-the-corn look in their eyes. TWELVE hours?!? Big freakin' deal ... how about 45 hours on one AA, now that's impressive. Plus, when the specs say "UP TO" 12 hours ....translate that as "you won't get near 12 hours in actual non-laboratory use". But when you're starting with 45-53 hours, what's a few lost hours? So go on ahead and fiddle with those features, you won't even notice the missing hours. 'Course those with only 12 to start with are constantly concerned with minimizing battery usage. Features should be there to USE, not to shut off while nervously staring at a battery indicator!

Originally Posted by Sesquash

Knowing that manufacturers routinely abandon a great product so as to always have something 'newer' to offer the fickle public,

In certain ways iRiver's already done that, and did it prior to the release of the T-series. Their older IFP flash players had both FM and line-in, instead of splitting it between two models. They also removed selectable bit rates for recording, it's now just "low", "medium" and "high". (The manual won't tell you, but you can see the bit rates by just recording test files on each level and then checking the display during playback of each ... but they don't go as high as they used to, max is now 128.)

They also removed the AGC (automatic gain control) from the internal mic, which makes these devices far less useful for recording lectures or meetings. (Unless you ask the prof to wear your player ...., yeah, like that's gonna happen.) You can still record lectures and meetings, but you better hope to get a chair up front. If not then you either won't get anything useful on the recording or will have to use editing software to modify the file so that you can actually hear it.

They also removed the external mic option from the line-in, that was a selectable feature that gave the line-in plug-in power to act as an external mic jack. That's gone ... so now you need a pre-amp and powered mic, which adds a lot to the cost of the player if you want to do live recording. Volume is significantly reduced on all recording, whether line-in, FM, or voice.

Volume on playback of ripped tracks is fine, though some would argue that's too low too. Not me ... I like my hearing and hope to continue enjoying audible subtleties for a long time thankyouverymuch. (If you gotta keep crankin' it up more & more then you've already lost some hearing range.) But there's a huge difference in the recordings. Volume sounds fine at '15' with ripped tracks but needs to be up past '30' with recorded ones, and sometimes even then it's still too soft. It's a shame they crippled the T-series out of so many of the recording features, since this was an area in which iRiver excelled. Not anymore, though they can still beat most recordable DAPS out there. (But they can't touch minidisk.)

Originally Posted by Sesquash

Also, firmware MTP 1.71 seems to be the final offering ([b]I have the MTP 1.71 firmware version on my new 2 GB)

Originally Posted by Sesquash

Funny how the iRiver firmware updater does not find this version for my T10 1 GB and says that version 1.70 is the latest. Hmmm.....

Perhaps MTP v1.71 is only intended for the black 2 GB unit?!?

Hmmmm .... ya sure? v1.70 is the latest for T10, v1.71 is the latest for T30. It's more likely they just tacked on the "one" to add support for WMP 11 to the new 2GB unit. Check the history lists for each model, that's the latest added feature for both. v.171 doesn't have anything that v1.70 doesn't have. One thing though, the MTP<->UMS conversion utility does not recognize the T10 2GB, only the 1 GB and the 512, so you can't convert it to UMS .. at least not through the official firmware.

Originally Posted by Sesquash

They are going to get snapped up, and become rare as a new-for-purchase unit. Other owners are going to see the 'T10 writing on the wall' and to wish to have a back-up T10 as well, which will make the black bodied 2GB a rare bird....

Funny ...., the same was said about the IFP series when iRiver started REMOVING features from their flash players, especially those superior recording options.

[xnr]

Sesquash you've just said everything I think about this wonderfull player... Thanks !