Philips GoGear Opus personal media player

When we reviewed the diminutive Philips GoGear Spark MP3 player back in March, we were quietly impressed. Now that Philips has introduced the larger Opus, it’s time to see if the Spark was just a flash in the pan. Philips GoGear SA5295 Opus Philips GoGear SA5295 Opus Philips has clearly followed the old axiom of 'if it ain …

[Bad Beaver]

I see...

"just like sleeping with a close relative, it does feel rather unnatural."

Ah, really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pack in headphones don't determine sound quality!!

Arrgh

I hate comments like "the sound is considerably better than anything you get from Apple".

I can only assume judging by the review that the reviewer is making this statement based on the PACKED IN HEADPHONES.

Apple packs in are shite. Try any ipod or iphone with a decent set of headphones, and you wont be complaining about the sound quality.

[Anonymous Coward]

@AC

back in your box fanboi. Of course El Reg is comparing the device + bundled phones with like - what the hell else would they be comparing? Its a review of a device as purchased off the shelf by Joe Public after all. And truly crap bundled phones is only part of the problem with Apple audio product. Use the same 3rd party phones with any device from Apple and Sony (or Cowon or iRiver) and the Sony will wipe the floor acoustically. If you think different then you are clinically deaf.

[Anonymous Coward]

Back at AC

Don't talk total pish. And fanboi, please. How old are you?

Everyone knows packed in headphones are shit - you must have mumbling ears. Paying top dollar for something like a top end ipod or sony walkman and using the pack ins is like hooking up a blu ray player to a CRT.

And you have the cheek to call me deaf.

I'm concerned enough about sound quality to use Shure 500s.

[Peter Bond]

Back at AC #2

No, not all bundled phones are "shit". The phones that come with a Sony S639 are pretty good. The bottom line is you shouldn't have to pay $500 for phones (Shure's RRP for a set of SE510s) on top of the cost of your player. Supplying terrilble phones is a con Apple have been allowed to get away with for far too many years. But be that as it may, the problem with Apple products is only partly down to the quality of the standard phones, its also down the electronics. I recently tried my son's iPod Touch through a set of Sennheiser HD465s. What a racket! I'm concerned enough about sound quality to not use an Apple music player.

[Britt Johnston]

the key issue isn't screen size

This is the third generation of sound devices making progress, only to be hijacked by visualists. The useful functionality, which could be used for good sound playback, is piped into pictures, and handling or listening suffers. Why is a 4 inch screen better than 3 inch one? Why not wait for a 21 inch beauty? Or why not get a media laptop?

These things are all much better than tape walkmen. I enjoyed the step-up that the Shuffle brought, even with the earbud headphones, I'm moving on, for two reasons mainly: I'tunes has lost its simplicity, and the useful USP file access has been blocked by my IT department.

What had good sound, and is simple and enjoyable to use? Philips, as a hi-fi company, had a chance, but the enhanced MP3 playback of Creative or Sony made the front running - I ended up getting an X-FI.

OLED, cameras, bluetooth etc, are a risk of distraction from the main job.

[Anonymous Coward]

Navigation

"Another feature worthy of comment is that, when navigating through long lists, you can hold the navigation arrow down and the player will start to flip through the letters of the alphabet, rather than title by title. It’s an idea nicked from the iPod, but one worth nicking."

This idea has been on GoGear mp3 players for a number of years now; so did iPod nick it from GoGear or vice-versa. Apple are not unknown for adopting good and often naturally intuitive ideas!

[Britt Johnston]

re: screen size

The Archos 9 looks like blurring the line between an MP3 player and a PDA, for people with 9" pockets.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/12/archos_9/