Efficient MP3-Player (1 Viewer)

[Cyphorhinus]

Hello everyone,

Can anyone recommend an efficient MP3-player with built-in speakers which produce a reasonably loud sound, so that I could use it in the field for playback without external speakers?
The one I use - GoGear Ariaz 16 GB - only produces a "loud whisper".

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cyphorhinus

 

[Mono]

The standalone MP3 player has basically been killed off by the mobile phone. Those still out there rarely have integrated speakers. The way forward would be either to use a mobile phone directly, some can be annoyingly loud. Or to use a battery Bluetooth speaker, there are lots on the market, either bluetoothed from a phone or MP3 player or with an old fashioned wire.

 

[Jim M.]

I'm still fond of my imaingo speaker; it's designed so you can fit a small mp3 player, such as an ipod nano, inside its case, so you only have a single unit to carry w/o wires to get tangled. Plenty loud enough in my experience. Google it to find out more.

 

[pshute]

The standalone MP3 player has basically been killed off by the mobile phone. Those still out there rarely have integrated speakers. The way forward would be either to use a mobile phone directly, some can be annoyingly loud. Or to use a battery Bluetooth speaker, there are lots on the market, either bluetoothed from a phone or MP3 player or with an old fashioned wire.

I agree, assuming the OP already has a suitable phone.

I like the idea of Bluetooth speakers. Depending on the species, putting the speaker down a few metres away and playing it quietly can be much more effective than blasting it with speakers in your hands in the hope that the volume will help overcome its reluctance to come near you.

 

[Cyphorhinus]

Thanks to Mono, Jim M. and pshute,

your helpful answers encourage me to ask some further questions. I understand I'll have to scrap my out-dated
equipment. Considering my ignorance, I would be very grateful for some more basic information: What kind of mobile phone, for example, could you recommend: reasonably large display, easy transfer of bird sound files (i.e. 'Bird Sounds of S.-E Asia" ...) from the computer, storage capacity ... ? I bet you ( or another expert) know the answers.
Thanks in advance.
Best wishes,
Cyphorhinus

 

[Bellbirdsong]

Playback system

Hi all,

If anyone also has recommendations for wired or bluetooth playback systems, that would be of great help since technology is constantly changing.

I'm currently using a system than was recommended to my supervisor almost 10 years ago except that I've changed from a cd player to an Ipod touch with a fairly big speaker that is powered with one D battery. However, when I use the 10m extension cable, the volume is dropping dramatically and I can’t get to my minimum level of 60dB.

So I am currently trying to search for advice on whether to get a higher quality cable or update to a new speaker system. Any advice would be great, thanks!

 

[Mono]

Phone wise there are so many out there, different regional markets and ever changing ranges that any specific recommendations would be difficult. Broadly speaking you need a smartphone so have the choice of an iPhone, an Android based phone or a Windows based phone.

iPhone: Pros. Well made, lots of apps, lots of support from other people who will have done what you have done. Cons. Expensive, limited range or models, fixed storage capacity, if you don't use iTunes it can be complicated to get stuff on and off.

Android: Pros. Huge range of phones at all budgets, lots of apps, most have expandable storage, easy drag and drop transfer. Cons. Sheer range of apps and different manufacturer tweaks can make things overly complicated.

Windows Phone: Pros. Different User interface, Good free stuff( Microsoft Office, offline worldwide sat-nav), drag and drop, expandable storage. Cons. Limited range of apps, different user interface, less "community" support.

Speaker wise, again there are many Bluetooth speakers out there, judging by the shops at Christmas they were the must have! They are all aimed at the leisure or hifi market rather than luring birds but the sheer number available offer a range of capabilities. The only ones I have personal experience of are at the hi-fi end that would be too big or expensive to hum round the woods. But a quick search has produced the UE Roll, small, loud, waterproof and well reviewed.

http://www.ultimateears.com/en-gb/ueroll#ueroll
http://www.whathifi.com/ultimate-ears/roll/review

 

[pshute]

Have you checked that your current iPod doesn't already have Bluetooth? If so then you just need to find a Bluetooth speaker. These used to be uncommon and expensive, but in the last couple of years they'vesuddenly become fairly common, with lots of cheap no name brands appearing.

I don't know what brand mine is, but it was about $30 Australian, and I think it's only mono. It's several times louder than my iPhone, but I couldn't tell you how many dB. It's rechargeable via a USB connector, which might or might not suit you. If it goes flat in the field, I can't just change the batteries.

If your iPod has Bluetooth, you might find it fairly easy to pair it to models on display and try them out.

 

[Bellbirdsong]

Thanks for the advice. My current Ipod doesn't have bluetooth so if I go wireless, I'll probably need to update that too. The UE Boom speakers seem to have a good frequency range, up to 20kHz, but our cut off is usually at 22KHz, so I'll have to check our playbacks don't go over 20kHz as we want the sound to be as natural as possible. Cheers.

 

[jurek]

Smartphone wise, it is good also to have one with good camera, to do occasional digiscoping.

My bluetooth speaker currently is called Scotsche Boombottle, and for small songbirds I use directly phone. One advantage is that it can hang easily from my belt. There should be many alternative ones to choose from.

Tip: buying the speaker, check that it covers very high sounds and very low sounds. In the shop I checked that my one plays both Goldcrest contact call and booms of Sulawesi Sombre Pigeon and Southern Cassowary. Check also how loud it really is, by walking 10 0r 20 meters away from it. Some speakers are not better than mobile phone speakers.

Good advice to put the speaker some distance away and look from distance at the bird.