Author Topic: JB3 vs. H120 (Read 8520 times)

Dkrogh · « **on:** April 07, 2006, 08:25:33 PM »

just thought i would see what people are starting to lean towards

graemecogger · « **Reply #1 on:** April 08, 2006, 05:03:46 AM »

I'd be interested to see what advantages the JB3 has over the iRiver (with Rockbox installed).

The H120 is smaller and lighter and has decent level meters, including nice ideas such as the clip-light (you can set it so that the backlight comes on when you go into clipping).

From what I've heard, the recording quality is pretty much the same.

macacopowa · « **Reply #2 on:** April 08, 2006, 05:06:14 AM »

for now the optical in

graemecogger · « **Reply #3 on:** April 08, 2006, 09:12:55 AM »

Quote from: macacopowa on April 08, 2006, 05:06:14 AM

for now the optical in

I forgot about that...

divamum · « **Reply #4 on:** April 22, 2006, 08:55:56 PM »

I wrote this up for another forum about a year ago when I first got the JB3 to add to my collection (and before RB was available for the iRIver)

At this point I'd probably still say about the same, even though the RB on iRiver has narrowed the gap, particularly since it enables to iRiver to record for longer times. That said, I've found my RB'd iRiver a touch glitchy, so I think I "trust" the JB3 a little more, hence why I use it for performances.

I use the iRIver MORE however, since it's an ideal small mp3 player which records (which for me means lessons, coachings and practicies); I carry it with me most of the time.

Anyway, FWIW.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/179870/message/1110344544/Here+it+is%2C+shoppers-++iRiver+H120+vs+JB3

Aaron41 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 22, 2006, 10:51:23 PM »

I've been thinking about switching from the JB3 to the H120. I read that the H120 will power the DPA 4061s without anything in the middle. That would be even better when stealthing.

firmdragon · « **Reply #6 on:** April 23, 2006, 02:05:11 AM »

Quote from: Aaron41 on April 22, 2006, 10:51:23 PM

I read that the H120 will power the DPA 4061s without anything in the middle. That would be even better when stealthing.

it will. so far i haven't had any power issues either.

thierryhenry · « **Reply #7 on:** April 25, 2006, 01:33:36 PM »

Just sold one of my old Backup Jb3's and I am in the process of getting the IHP-120 to serve not only as a backup/primary recorder but also as the all allusive college quintenessential item, the ipod...alternative.

I think I am going to enjoy the IHP-120, everything I have read about it has been good.

BayTaynt3d · « **Reply #8 on:** April 25, 2006, 01:47:49 PM »

The JB3 is a proven workhorse. With proper maintenance (defragging), this thing proven itself in the field thousands of times over by hundreds of people, and with a second internal battery, the thing will run for more than 5 hours straight without any external batteries needed. Not to mention it has optical input, which cinches the deal for many folks. But hey, if smaller form factor is your thing, then the H120 might take the edge... Not for me personally though -- the JB3 has earned it's place in the taping community as far as I'm concerned.

George · « **Reply #9 on:** April 25, 2006, 03:45:30 PM »

The iriver H120/H140 is starting to prove itself, that's true. I've taped two shows with it and it worked perfectly. Plus, its internal batt with roxkbox yields 6-8hrs of recording time and folks on misticriver have swapped out the internal battery for a newer, higher mah battery that nearly doubles playback time. I think its a great, stealthy recording device and playback-wise, it sounds great with a pair if grado's.

Sanjay · « **Reply #10 on:** April 25, 2006, 06:30:57 PM »

Quote from: Tainted on April 25, 2006, 01:47:49 PM

The JB3 is a proven workhorse. With proper maintenance (defragging), this thing proven itself in the field thousands of times over by hundreds of people, and with a second internal battery, the thing will run for more than 5 hours straight without any external batteries needed. Not to mention it has optical input, which cinches the deal for many folks. But hey, if smaller form factor is your thing, then the H120 might take the edge... Not for me personally though -- the JB3 has earned it's place in the taping community as far as I'm concerned.

A few reasons you should consider the H120

- Smaller form factor (size of the ipod) and more rugged construction (metal)
- simple USB2 connectivity, no need for software
- active support of firmware (rockbox)
- I've run it for 9 hours on a single charge, if I were to replace the battery with a new higher capacity one the sky is the limit
- Optical input recording now works.
- handy remote for stealth taping
- much better metering (no need for SVU if using a UA-5)

personally i've never looked back from the jb3

BayTaynt3d · « **Reply #11 on:** April 25, 2006, 07:40:43 PM »

I didn't realize optical was a done deal. That changes things considerably...

whatboutbob · « **Reply #12 on:** April 26, 2006, 07:32:06 AM »

H1x0 optical recording is still only in alpha stage (the first patch was created 3 days ago).

I, for one, find stealthing with the iriver very easy. I put the unit in my pocket, set my levels, and run the remote down my arm under my longsleeve shirt, clipped to my cuff. I wait for the band to come out and press record (thank you pre-recording). If I see a very faint light coming from my wrist (thank you clip light) I adjust levels unsighted @ the next break. At the end of the night I fire up my computer and dump the wav over in ~3 minutes..

I get about 16 hours recording w/ the US$15 ipod battery I installed in about 15 minutes.

FLAC playback on my Grado SR60's does sound nice too, though a little underpowered.

Having said all that, I'll be happier once rockbox development for the iriver has settled somewhat - i've ruined a couple of recordings now (out of ~100) because i've been testing experimental builds. Of course that's my own fault and I do it in the interests of advancing rockbox...but once optical's added to cvs I think I'll have a moratorium on new rb builds for a while.

Keep in mind that rockbox have not officially released their firmware to the h1x0 yet...though that should happen within the next couple of months.

terrapinj · « **Reply #13 on:** April 26, 2006, 01:31:46 PM »

how does the ADC compare between these two?

joolz · « **Reply #14 on:** April 26, 2006, 02:02:02 PM »

Hmm, sounds tempting. My JB3 screen broke yesterday and I need a new recorder before next weekend.

So, I guess it's reliable enough, bit worried about using it first time out at the biggest gig I've taped yet...

it doesn't seem that expensive...

looks like I might be sold on it.

Sanjay · « **Reply #15 on:** April 26, 2006, 03:03:15 PM »

Quote from: terrapinj on April 26, 2006, 01:31:46 PM

how does the ADC compare between these two?

Its no 722

but its the same as the jb3

whatboutbob · « **Reply #16 on:** April 26, 2006, 06:21:33 PM »

A bunch of 'new' H120s and H140s are going cheap on ebay atm. I'm not vouching for the sellers, but they're big and seem to have good feedback.

A H140 for US$180 just seems crazy...the supply on ebay until just recently has been next to nil so they've been fetching more than double that. Keep in mind that they're a little thicker than the H120...a couple of mm doesn't sounds like much until you've got to get it in your pocket.

Crumbo · « **Reply #17 on:** April 26, 2006, 06:36:53 PM »

what's the difference between the 120 and 140?

nevermind

20gb vs. 40gb

flintstone · « **Reply #18 on:** April 27, 2006, 08:30:42 PM »

It does seem like iRiver decided to dump some inventory. There are a large number of auctions right now for completely new machines, not the refurbs and used gear that are usually for sale. And prices are at least $50 lower than before. Cool!

Some of the auctions on eBay are for the H120D, a version that ships with a remote that lacks the fancy 3 line LCD screen. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just something the buyer needs to be aware of. Other auctions are for machines that have no remote at all. It's possible to purchase the 3 line remote separately on eBay. I picked a refurbed one up for $15.

Flintstone

George · « **Reply #19 on:** April 28, 2006, 08:42:42 AM »

Yeah, some killer prices up there right now. If I had the cash I'd pickup another one strictly for recording.

joolz · « **Reply #20 on:** April 28, 2006, 12:17:01 PM »

I now have a H120, little beauty

but I have a question for anyone in the know...

I have rockbox installed with the recording enhancements, all seems fine and dandy. In the recording settings there is an option to change sample rate but none to change file format like the JB3 (e.g. mp3, wav). I assume it only records in wav?

I would like to make sure before I go out with this assumption and end up with a 128kbps mp3 recording, haha.

Thanks in advance.

bgalizio · « **Reply #21 on:** April 28, 2006, 01:45:49 PM »

Wow, those are some nice prices on eBay. I may have to pick one up for a SBD recorder/FLAC player...

Rick · « **Reply #22 on:** April 28, 2006, 04:26:55 PM »

Anyone know if the iRiver IHP120 the same as the H120?

Thanks!

joolz · « **Reply #23 on:** April 28, 2006, 05:28:15 PM »

Quote from: Rick on April 28, 2006, 04:26:55 PM

Anyone know if the iRiver IHP120 the same as the H120?

Thanks!

AFAIK, yes they are the same. The one I have is named iHP120, I think they may have renamed it H120 at some point.

whatboutbob · « **Reply #24 on:** April 28, 2006, 06:30:35 PM »

Yeah, they're one and the same. Hewlett Packard forced them to change the name.

MarkE · « **Reply #25 on:** April 28, 2006, 11:36:30 PM »

Ironically I was online tonight trying to fing an alternative to the JB3 / MT24/96 and found the iRiver H140.. This looks great!. Does anyone know this.......
It shows on the ebay models that it has optical in.. Somewhere in this thread, I read it didnt used to, but now it does?
If it does have optical in, can I just get it and use it from my UA-5, or do I need some other program? I read of this Rockbox program..Whats that?
It sounds like a nice answer for what I need one to do..
Sorry to sound like such a newbie, Im not, no really.....
Mark E

terrapinj · « **Reply #26 on:** April 29, 2006, 12:01:14 AM »

Quote from: MarkE on April 28, 2006, 11:36:30 PM

Ironically I was online tonight trying to fing an alternative to the JB3 / MT24/96 and found the iRiver H140.. This looks great!. Does anyone know this.......
It shows on the ebay models that it has optical in.. Somewhere in this thread, I read it didnt used to, but now it does?
If it does have optical in, can I just get it and use it from my UA-5, or do I need some other program? I read of this Rockbox program..Whats that?
It sounds like a nice answer for what I need one to do..
Sorry to sound like such a newbie, Im not, no really.....
Mark E

check out this thread here, should answer all your questions http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=57068.0;all

bgalizio · « **Reply #27 on:** April 30, 2006, 07:43:58 AM »

Quote from: bgalizio on April 28, 2006, 01:45:49 PM

Wow, those are some nice prices on eBay. I may have to pick one up for a SBD recorder/FLAC player...

Well, the price was nice enough that I picked one up yesterday!

udovdh · « **Reply #28 on:** April 30, 2006, 09:11:08 AM »

Quote from: whatboutbob on April 26, 2006, 07:32:06 AM

I get about 16 hours recording w/ the US$15 ipod battery I installed in about 15 minutes.

Exactly what ipod battery do I need for replacing/upgrading the original battery?

whatboutbob · « **Reply #29 on:** April 30, 2006, 09:44:23 AM »

Quote from: udovdh on April 30, 2006, 09:11:08 AM

Exactly what ipod battery do I need for replacing/upgrading the original battery?

I used the UP325385A4H 2200mAh sourced from ebay.

eg auctions (I don't vouch for the sellers...can't remember who i bought mine from): http://cgi.ebay.com/BATTERY-for-IPOD-MP3-1G-2G-1-2-Gen-NEW-TOOLS-2200mah_W0QQitemZ9717021268QQcategoryZ56172QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2200MAH-BATTERY-FOR-APPLE-IPOD-1ST-gen-2ND-gen-2-BuyNow_W0QQitemZ9717928633QQcategoryZ94930QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

IMPORTANT: With that battery you'll need to switch the wires on the battery around. There's a massive thread on it all over at http://www.misticriver.net/showthread.php?t=4680. Also, you'll need a torx t5 screwdriver to open the case.

udovdh · « **Reply #30 on:** April 30, 2006, 10:34:26 AM »

Thanks for the info. Found the batteries.
Now I `only` need a european outlet for a H120 to be able to try it out.
Anyone got a tip for a place that sells them at reasonable prices?

joolz · « **Reply #31 on:** April 30, 2006, 10:58:33 AM »

Quote from: udovdh on April 30, 2006, 10:34:26 AM

Thanks for the info. Found the batteries.
Now I `only` need a european outlet for a H120 to be able to try it out.
Anyone got a tip for a place that sells them at reasonable prices?

If you're happy buying on ebay, then this seller has them 'new' - £89.99 to £94.99, postage is a bit steep but it's special delivery...

http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZemilyandlily

I may pick up a second new of this seller eventually.

Edit: but no remote though, you can pick one up on ebay for £15-20

Rick · « **Reply #32 on:** April 30, 2006, 06:11:00 PM »

Just picked up an iriver for $150 shipped.

How do people like the remote?

whatboutbob · « **Reply #33 on:** April 30, 2006, 06:37:22 PM »

Quote from: Rick on April 30, 2006, 06:11:00 PM

How do people like the remote?

I rarely touch the main unit. I particularly find the remote handy for stealthing. The main lcd lights up like a xmas tree. The smaller remote is a bit more subtle. Having said that, there are some users that never touch the remote.

Poll

Just wondering which is better or people prefer over the other

Author Topic: JB3 vs. H120 (Read 8520 times)

thierryhenry