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View Full Version : Question about Inoi hard drive player at Maplins



freddiecas
01-03-2009, 16:10
Could I ask Stan if he is around or anyone else if the Inoi hard drive player is gapless and silent? I would like to get the 500G one to transfer my cds as waves into the 7510.

I have a Freecom network player with 400G and optical and coax s/pdif output but it gives a little "spit" on both digi outs at the start of waves, and I cannot get rid of it reliably though tried editing fade ins and dc bias fade ins with Audition etc. This tick annoys very quickly at realistic volumes, if the Inoi is silent between waves I'll buy it like a shot.

thanks.

StanleyB
01-03-2009, 16:35
I got the Freecom 350 but it is with only 80GB. I should invest in a 500GB IDE drive...

Anyhow, I also got the INOI. The digital noise you hear is from a mute circuit that is a fraction slower than the data signal. I have detected that noise on CD players etc. The INOI is a lot better than the Freecom as far as the speed of the muting circuit is concerned. It is also my preferred HD media. I don't know why folks need to play music through their PC when they can get one of these drives. It connects straight into the TC-7510 COAX input.

Stan

freddiecas
01-03-2009, 16:53
Hi, thanks.

In that case I'll get one next week.

The Freecom is the 35 network player (wired version) and it is full of divx and vob movies through the component to tv at the moment. They have a newer 45 enclosure that is sata and wireless to your router but I believe that is the only change so it still might have that muting "tick". It's a shame because they have both optical and coax outputs :(

I decided to back up my DAT archive a while ago since if my mains and portable machines go bust they are now totally obsolete and my tapes useless. It meant burning something like 300cds from real time s/pdif transfers. I think having all the waves on hard drive too is a good backup but being able to play them through something as good as the 7510 so easily is a great bonus, so now want to add my cd collection too :)

thanks again,

Fred

ReachtheSky
02-03-2009, 06:16
I am not familiar with these INOi and Freecom Media hard drive players. How or where do you control the music playing selection? Do you need to be connected to a TV or computer screen? Or is there a handheld device?
Thanks Granville

freddiecas
03-03-2009, 00:10
Yes they are designed as a video player for vob/divx etc etc so normally the menu and any folder system you copy will be viewed on tv. I have a 8in lcd digital tv that will serve fine for selecting tracks near the hi-fi. The only connection needed is a video composite just for the viewing function. One advantage is you have digital volume available through remote control.

However this is my full backup, I use a 160GB handheld Archos player for wave playback, this sits in its cradle which has a co-ax s/pdif output connected to Beresford and hi-fi. The archos has its own 5in screen so music selection/playlists etc is not a problem also via remote control, and can also have a screen feed to tv etc. Thus the same high quality source is available "take-away" for holidays etc with shure earbuds.

ReachtheSky
03-03-2009, 10:28
Thanks Fred. Sounds convenient.

freddiecas
04-03-2009, 18:58
I bought the 500G version of the Inoi but unfortunately it had to go back. The fan was very quiet but the drive spinning continually was quite a noticeable whine which was not condusive to relaxed listening during classical pianissimos. It had a bad click output between wave files when co-axed into the TC7510+, worse than my Freecom drive when optically connected (which is not the same as Stans, mine is the network player 35).

By experimentation I found how to minimise the Freecom click at the start of waves. If you magify the silence at the beginning of tracks 60 or 70 dB down there is often an offset from zero. If you edit insert a silence it gives a step jump to this miniscule dc voltage - this is audible from the mute circuit on both players. Audition has a normalise function which includes a dc bias to zero option. If I process the wave without any normalisation but with the dc bias selected the whole waveform is moved up or down a fraction of a mV for the silence "noise" to be around true zero. The muting click is all but un-noticeable on the majority of tracks now on the Freecom. Unfortunately on the same tracks the Inoi was still very noticeable at realsitic volumes.

The search for the perfect stand alone hard drive player goes on.

Starburst
05-03-2009, 08:19
I have 2 of the older version IDE Ioi units. The hard disk noise on mine has become pretty bad. The new SATA units use differen drives of course.

Other points to note. All my comments relate to Version 1.9 IDE units.

The remote is nasty. I use a learning remote and have transferred all commands to that so this aspect doesn't worry me.

The biggest problem is that once playing, you cannot browse your files without stopping playback. This will work fine if you are the sort of user that plays complete albums but will become a pain if you select individual tracks to play.

The screen will let you see 8 or so folders or files in a page, I've not found navigation too bad.

As we all know they come at sale prices frequently. Maplins know way in advance when certain units will be at a sale price. It's always worth asking on what date it will be cheaper and what the sale price will be if you can wait a few weeks or months.

freddiecas
05-03-2009, 10:15
Hi, the 500G sata has quite a whine, too much for me in a quiet room. Strangely the Inoi only has the loud crack at the beginning of waves files, mp3s made from the same waves are totally silent. But I wanted to backup and play the waves rather than 320 mp3s so if I wanted to convert to flac or something else later for the next player I won't have to rip the DAT archive now transferred to 300+ cds all over again

The advantage of the archos player is you can browse the folder structure while playing and queue up the next track etc. It is also silent and very good with waves. They have a 320G model now with 7in screen (and coax out via base station) which would be nice - but that is a very expensive way of doing it :)