Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

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Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby rtsyrtsy » Wed Aug 25, 2010 11:52 am

OK, especially if you frequent anythingbutiPod.com and subscribe to the garbage in, garbage out audio philosophy, I'm aware that the sound quality on stock Apple stuff can easily be bettered.

In my case though, the need for portability and its various functionalities, I went with an iPad. I now would like to maximize it for SQ for both movies and music. Listening material would be ALAC music files (CDs were read-until-right, many files would be transcoded from FLAC) and mp4 video files (ripped using Handbrake on a Mac).

Anyone who's been down this road before and can guide me to avoid traps and pitfalls (especially expensive ones!)?

For travel, I use a Shure IEM and a Sennheiser PX-100. I don't own a headphone amp / DAC or any after-market cables.

Thanks in advance!
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby detubo » Wed Aug 25, 2010 11:58 am

my son has an ipad and maybe its just me but i'm unimpressed. my own personal choice is to get a toshiba protege laptop for a music server.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby keith » Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:07 pm

am sharing an iPad with my wife and daughter. Still not up to par with a notebook. But portability-wise, can't complain. Surfing, checking mail, games, and movies on long trips, just excellent.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby Gino » Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:18 pm

My advise is to buy the best sounding IEM that your iPad can drive and enjoy it as is.

Apple sound changed since they dropped the Wolfson dac. Still it wasn't the very best sounding players back then. I use my iPod Touch 2G (very similar sound to the iPad) for playing games and web. I listen using my iPod Photo 4G. Sounds better. I use an unamped Head-Direct RE2 iem. Nothing spectacular but detailed enough to enjoy the music rather than analyze it.

An interesting project is to buy a TA2024 T-amp off eBay and build or buy small high sensitivity bookshelf speakers for a transportable or desk setup.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby rtsyrtsy » Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:28 pm

Thanks for the inputs thus far. Much appreciated.

I'm not using the iPad as a music server. This said, I'd probably use it as a slick remote control when I find time to replace the battery of my RWA-modified Squeezebox.

I think most will agree that it's not the ideal portable source, especially not for the money nor for SQ. But I use it for other things like Keith and overall, the SQ compromise and price penalty are acceptable comprimises.

I'd try my Shure IEMs, Senn PX-100, Senn HD495 over the weekend and see how it goes.

Is it possible to get a digital out from the iPad like we can with iPods then feed that signal onto a portable DAC / headphone amp?

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edit
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Added this:

I Googled and saw this: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue50/ipad.htm

Image

It's an amp from RSA--have not been in touch with the head-fi world. What's the hot portable these days for Shure IEMs / Senns?
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby fld » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:03 pm

Slightly off topic here, hope you guys dont mind. Other than email, websurfing, reading books downloaded from the net, games, music and movies, can one :

1. load & read PDF files ?
2. do microsoft word & excel (read & write)

In my short hour i had with it, it seems great for email and surfing with wifi, but other than that, not much use ?? correct me if am wrong.
I'm trying to justify myself buying one but can;t see much use for it other than what i already mentioned.


thanks guys.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby keith » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:19 pm

Ferds, for word, I think you have to get Pages. PDF files can I think be read.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby fld » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:21 pm

keith wrote:Ferds, for word, I think you have to get Pages. PDF files can I think be read.


Keith, how about for microsoft word & excel documents ? thanks!
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby rtsyrtsy » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:30 pm

http://www.headphone.com/rightbetweenyourears/?p=1512

Turns out that with the camera phone kit, the iPad can output a digital signal via USB which can then go into a USB DAC.

The question now is: which cables / DAC match the iPad as source and my Shure IEM / Sennheisers?

Ferds,

Short answers to your questions: yes, the iPad can read pdf files. It can also handle MS Office files. You can do so elegantly at a price (i.e. buy iWorks) or you can do so slightly less elegantly but for free via Google Docs.

The iPad is a much better travel companion than chunky Lonely Planet (or Rough Guide) guidebooks. It also won't crumble in your back pocket or melt in your sweat like paper maps do. In cities with lots of highrises, it's A-GPS is much more helpful than the best the likes of Garmin can offer. For me, it's typing area is far more useable (though not a Logitech ergonomic keyboard!) than a smart phone.

Whether or not an iPad is worthy of your hard earned cash really depends on individual situations.

In my case, I needed to replace an ageing Dell Precision laptop. It's a 15 incher so not really portable. It ran Core2Duo and Windows XP, both of which are far from ideal for the applications I run, most notably, vidoe editing.

So in my case, the obvious candidate to replace my Dell would be a MacBook Pro. My daughter runs a 2 or 3 year old entry level white MacBook which I much prefer over any Windows machine (I've used Dells, Lenovos/IBMs, Toshibas, Compaqs, Sonys, etc. in the office, some with Windows 7).

Thing is, if I specced out a Core i7 MacBook Pro with a solid state drive, I'd be spending ~US$2,500. Now this got me thinking. I can add a bit more and I'd get the portability + SSD on an iPad plus a much larger screen, quad core, and more memory headroom on an iMac--which is exactly what I did.

If you ever go the iMac route, I highly suggest you have it delivered. I lugged it across 2 uptown New York blocks (5th to 7th) and would never, ever do that again!

It's not perfect. It's a lot heavier than e-Readers--I've handled the Kindle, Kindle DX, Nook, Sony e-Reader. This matters if you are a book person and if you read with the lights on. In my case, I read more magazines than books so I need color. I also read in the dark (before sleeping) so backlighting is practical for me.

I won't recommend writing your memoirs on an iPad--that's what netbooks or a MacBook Air are for. Unless of course, your memoirs are as short as mine, i.e. "don't be like me." I won't recommend extensive spreadsheeting or powerpointing either--basic lease vs. buy stuff is doable but I won't write a billion dollar pitch on an iPad--I'd present big pitches using one though.

Battery isn't user replaceable. Using external memory cards is inelegant (store in the cloud instead).

My biggest negative on the iPad is that it doesn't lend itself well to one of my habits: eating while working!
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby O.D. Yeo » Wed Aug 25, 2010 5:00 pm

Another very useful feature for me is the 3G service on AT&T. I am in the US regularly, but not often enough to justify a long-term internet service contract.
AT&T has a plan where you choose the amount of data you want to buy for one month — 250MB or 2GB. Best of all, there’s no long-term contract.
So if you have a business trip or vacation approaching, just sign up for the month you’ll be traveling and cancel when you get back.
I don't think this service is available on anything other than the iPad.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby rtsyrtsy » Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:11 pm

O.D. Yeo wrote:
AT&T has a plan where you choose the amount of data you want to buy for one month — 250MB or 2GB. Best of all, there’s no long-term contract.


This saved me a ton when I was in the U.S. recently (not having to roam to use data, being able to send Facebook / Twitter messages to friends instead of SMSing / calling, etc.).

AT&T's 3G data service actually works so much better than their prepaid GSM service--not recommended at all! I figured out how they can offer US$1 a day for unlimited calling and SMS amongst AT&T mobiles--you can't get any signal even in metropolitan areas!
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby desmo » Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:02 pm

Any feedback on the Globe micro-SIM 3G service for the iPad? I think it's the only one available here so far for using the 3G feature of the iPad.

If it's as good as Tattoo, then I know it'll suck. So I do hope it's better.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby dante » Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:16 pm

I wonder if the iPad can take the usual wear and tear that carrying it around will give it? At least laptops and netbooks have lids that close up for protection, but what about for the screen-only interface of the ipad?
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby keith » Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:26 pm

desmo wrote:Any feedback on the Globe micro-SIM 3G service for the iPad? I think it's the only one available here so far for using the 3G feature of the iPad.

If it's as good as Tattoo, then I know it'll suck. So I do hope it's better.


When I ordered my iPad, the 3G version was out of stock. I ended up with the iPad WiFi unit. Am very happy though, as I ended up getting the Globe Tattoo MyFi. It's basically a small device that uses a sim (regular or micro) to access the 3G netowrk of Globe, and then change it to WiFi. I've used it in the car with my wife while using laptop, phone or iPad. Should I decide to go abroad, I can just get a prepaid sim 3G, put it in the MyFi, and voila, I got me my portable wifi router. Am really loving it. Only complaint is the battery life which is roughly 4-6 hours only. Speed-wise I can't complain. Used it in Subic with my laptop and speeds were still pretty decent.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby keith » Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:28 pm

dante wrote:I wonder if the iPad can take the usual wear and tear that carrying it around will give it? At least laptops and netbooks have lids that close up for protection, but what about for the screen-only interface of the ipad?


Getting a case that has a flip cover like a folder should allay any fears. My other problem with the iPad, I end up using my laptop because my wife and daughter now prefer surfing with the iPad. :(
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby O.D. Yeo » Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:01 pm

desmo wrote:Any feedback on the Globe micro-SIM 3G service for the iPad? I think it's the only one available here so far for using the 3G feature of the iPad.

If it's as good as Tattoo, then I know it'll suck. So I do hope it's better.


Smart has a micro sim too, which I use for backup when no wifi is available. No plan necessary, pre paid @ P10 per half hour.
I think this is better than Globe in most locations.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby rtsyrtsy » Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:23 pm

dante wrote:I wonder if the iPad can take the usual wear and tear that carrying it around will give it? At least laptops and netbooks have lids that close up for protection, but what about for the screen-only interface of the ipad?


I got it with the iPad cover from Apple. No problems whatsoever. My laptop is permanently on my desk now. :D
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby Pause » Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:32 pm

fld wrote:Slightly off topic here, hope you guys dont mind. Other than email, websurfing, reading books downloaded from the net, games, music and movies, can one :

1. load & read PDF files ?
2. do microsoft word & excel (read & write)

In my short hour i had with it, it seems great for email and surfing with wifi, but other than that, not much use ?? correct me if am wrong.
I'm trying to justify myself buying one but can;t see much use for it other than what i already mentioned.


thanks guys.


Ferds, for pdf files you have to download a pdf reader from the app store and transfer files using itunes, super easy. I use it for presentations.
MS Word and Excel files you can download Numbers and Pages, Apple's answer to these two microsoft apps.

There are a TON of other uses for the ipad, it all depends on what apps you download, my kids regularly draw on it, play tons of games, access youtube with it, I've downloaded Zinio and turned it into a magazine reader ( for example Stereophile, I've bought a 1 year subscription for just P500 and it gets delivered wirelessly ( also maxim, p[opular mechanics, mental floss, dwell, destinasian, empire, US etc )

Also have a kindle account so you can download ebooks, if you want to you can download a calorie tracker, excercise planner, there are lots of things to do with it. That innocuous little pad will soon be the center of your family digital universe.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby desmo » Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:37 pm

I can see this thing replacing the laptop when I travel.
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Re: Anyone here "auditioned" iPads?

Postby keith » Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:19 am

Pause wrote:
fld wrote:Slightly off topic here, hope you guys dont mind. Other than email, websurfing, reading books downloaded from the net, games, music and movies, can one :

1. load & read PDF files ?
2. do microsoft word & excel (read & write)

In my short hour i had with it, it seems great for email and surfing with wifi, but other than that, not much use ?? correct me if am wrong.
I'm trying to justify myself buying one but can;t see much use for it other than what i already mentioned.


thanks guys.


Ferds, for pdf files you have to download a pdf reader from the app store and transfer files using itunes, super easy. I use it for presentations.
MS Word and Excel files you can download Numbers and Pages, Apple's answer to these two microsoft apps.

There are a TON of other uses for the ipad, it all depends on what apps you download, my kids regularly draw on it, play tons of games, access youtube with it, I've downloaded Zinio and turned it into a magazine reader ( for example Stereophile, I've bought a 1 year subscription for just P500 and it gets delivered wirelessly ( also maxim, p[opular mechanics, mental floss, dwell, destinasian, empire, US etc )

Also have a kindle account so you can download ebooks, if you want to you can download a calorie tracker, excercise planner, there are lots of things to do with it. That innocuous little pad will soon be the center of your family digital universe.


Ter, that Zinio looks interesting. Time to Google. :D
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