T30 battery life: 14 hours

[MRC01]

Using a 1000mAH rechargeable, UMS mode, playing MP3 VBR at LAME V0 (roughly 256 kbps average). Driving non-OEM headphones (Etymotic ER-6 and Senn HD-580) at volume 25-35, no EQ (normal mode).

Also this 14 hours includes a couple of file transfers and short recording tests.

Is this about what everyone else is getting?

[MRC01]

I deep cycled my new 1AH battery and now the battery meter begins to flash at 15 hours continuous play. So I got about 1.5 more hours or about 10% more battery life.

Still, 15 hours is shorter than the 24 the manual says. I suppose that's the price of listening at higher bit rates with higher quality aftermarket earphones.

[boondocker]

I used a 750mah RayOVac NiMH in similar test as you on my T30 1gb player. I got 9hrs continuous play with headphones attached and vol at 27 with SRS, no transfer no recording. This particular battery is several years old and used pretty well, so that may have adversely affected the battery life test. I will try again with brand new Sanyo cells rated at 700mah. I recall getting about 12hrs or so on Energizer non-rechargeables. I guess this is fairly typical of AAA players. My Samsung 1gb with AA goes for about 40hrs with Energizers. No comparison!!

[MRC01]

If you're getting brand new cells, might as well get 1000 mAH capacity - they are available for around $5 per pair. Well worth the money for the extra capacity. They last as long or longer than most alkalines. BTW, the best AAs are about 3x the capacity of AAAs (3000 mAH versus 1000 mAH).

[prongs131]

vol at 27 with SRS
SRS eates up a lot pf battery then the EQ

[ShyAnne]

Originally Posted by MRC01

Also this 14 hours includes a couple of file transfers and short recording tests.

I'm thinking the above explains shorter battery life. T30, like T10, still runs on the internal battery when transferring files through the USB connection and file transfers use more battery power. (Iriver should have designed them to run on USB power while connected, but they didn't and that can't be changed through a firmware upgrade since it's hardwired. Bad idea on iriver's part, and this is the only complaint I have regarding either of these players.)

Recording also uses more battery power than playback. With straight playback you should definitely get more than 14 hours from your T30, even with higher bit rates and using SRS or EQ effects.

[MRC01]

I'm using no EQ - normal mode - volume around 20-25 with Etymotic ER-6 plugs, playing MP3s encoded using LAME 3.97 at VBR V0. No file transfers, just continuous looping playback. A 1000 mAH NiMH AAA battery goes 15.5 hours.

Using it to drive my headphone amp makes no difference in battery life (though it should last longer since it takes less power than driving headphones). Seems to indicate most of the power is running the CPU, not driving the audio output stage.

Creative publishes specs for their players showing a linear relationship between battery life & bit rate. Higher bit rates = more CPU power to decode = faster battery drain.

Also it takes more power to write flash memory than to read it, so recording should suck down the battery faster than playback.

[RobM]

Originally Posted by ShyAnne

Iriver should have designed them to run on USB power while connected

I bet they are doing this to prevent problems with the USB bus incapable to deliver the required current. Especially laptops sometimes are not capable of delivering enough current.

[prongs131]

Any other bright ideas why Iriver doesnt provide USB charging with the T series players?
At the risk of getting off topic, what are the potential harms of using USB to charge your player battery- Li-ion or AA/AAA rechargeables ?

[traut]

Originally Posted by prongs131

Any other bright ideas why Iriver doesnt provide USB charging with the T series players?

price - you need dedicated extra hardware for USB power and you need proper charging circuitry which may handle both NiCd and NiMH - and will not charge primary cells (Alkaline, ZnC) at all.