iPAQ as an MP3 player

nobody · Joined: Mar 09, 2008 Posts: 1687 Location: Not here

I dug out my iPAQ H2200, with Windows CE 3.something on it, intending to load up a Linux distro on it. I've put that idea aside for now, but I realised it would make a handy MP3 player, especially if I want to have my tunes handy to show other people (as was the case today).

It has a WinCE version of Windows Media Player on it, but all it does is play. I'm hoping to find something with an EQ and a preamp, so I can fine tune the listening experience and maybe make it a little louder.

Any suggestions? Oh - it should be free stuff.

nobody · Joined: Mar 09, 2008 Posts: 1687 Location: Not here

I just observed that 320 kbps MP3s onto my iPAQ are MUCH louder than the same song at 128. Both versions were mixed from the same session without changing the volume.

Does this sound right to you? I'm happy this is so because the 128 kbps versions are too quiet, and don't sound as good on my iPAQ.

The 320 versions sound better through headphones (the tiny built-in speaker is crap, of course), but still sound like shit when I plug it into my mixer and studio monitors. The only thing I can think of is the hardware is designed to pipe sound through headphones only and there's no software in the world that can make it sound right otherwise.

I'd love to be wrong, though.