Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2010 12:54:33 GMT
Have they given you any idea of a UK price Mike? It looks really interesting.
There's something quite attractive about being able to store a load of music in one place. Especially if there's enough room to keep high quality files on it or on a drive close by.
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Will
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Post by Will on Dec 1, 2010 13:08:04 GMT
This little monkey does look very interesting, and I'll be interested in how people find it.
If I hadn't already decided on a mini PC, I'd be seriously looking at this.
Looking forward to the inside p0rn shots ;D
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2010 15:27:42 GMT
a mini PC is more versatile...
The mini APE is the better looking one.
Which one sounds best depends on the quality of the mini PC.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 3, 2010 22:07:58 GMT
The Mini Ape arrived today and I have just let out a scream like Tarzan!! I spent over 40 minutes writing about it and this bastard laptop blue screened.... I REALLY am NOT having a good run with computers at the moment.... my main one (which was struck by lightning last week) was only just picked up today to be returned for repair (they're blaming the weather on EVERYTHING at the moment).... I feel like letting out a scream again so will keep this short...... (I'll come back to it when I calm down) First off, the Mini APE doesn't appear to like / accept Apple Lossless files..... the only music files I have in my possession at the moment are on a USB drive and they are apple lossless (390 GB of them)..... Mr. APE recognises the album names but refuses to play them. Great!  Secondly, no instructions came with the APE.... it came with about 100 (MP3) albums preinstalled (for demo purposes only) but how they got them on there and what the internal storage capacity is will remain a mystery until I can work out just what the hell does what..... All I am armed with is this:  Doesn't seem to do a lot apart from let you see that there is 390GB of Apple lossless files (and names all the albums) that the APE can't play.... as useful as a chocolate fire guard...... The albums that are stored on the APE'S internal drive are easy to access and play but, again, I want to know how they managed to get them on there! An "INSTRUCTION" manual is a must have and I will be onto Candy as soon as I have finished writing this..... maybe I'm an idiot and should "know" what buttons to press.... thing is, there are a lot of fellow idiots who also require "instructions". I realise there is a language barrier but if they want to make inroads into the western market then there will have to be accompanying literature with the products. The Mini Ape was superbly packaged and included in the box was The Mini APE, a switched mode 12VDC (2000mA) PSU, A good quality USB cable, the remote and a 4GB Kingston SD card.... It also came filled with about 100 albums but these are purely for evaluation purposes and the production versions obviously won't come with these installed..... I will delete all of them (when I know how to!) as soon as my main computer is up and running again and I convert the Apple lossless files into something the APE likes. This is going to take a good few weeks..... firstly I have to get my main computer back, reinstall all the programs and then refit my main TB drive with all my music files on it.... pretty much a nightmare period for me this is.... bad enough my main computer being struck by lightning, this old laptop is now showing it's limitations and had BSOD'ed twice in two days.... if this packs in I'm down to a netbook. Bad times, at the moment, what with the weather / lack of computers so if there's anybody there who is "au fait" with these devices and has the time to road test the APE (whilst I rebuild my computers) then let me know...... In the meantime, here are a few pics (listening now to the supplied MP3 files and I'm not too impressed with the SQ but there are some fantastic albums  )       |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2010 22:28:31 GMT
Mike
Does it play .flac files ?
If so , I can provide a link to 2 x 24/96 .flac files from Claire Martin.
Alex
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 3, 2010 22:54:42 GMT
Mike Does it play .flac files ? If so , I can provide a link to 2 x 24/96 .flac files from Claire Martin. Alex Haven't got a clue mate.... I'm almost down to a mobile phone for my net connection.... |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2010 23:00:02 GMT
Mike Does it play .flac files ? If so , I can provide a link to 2 x 24/96 .flac files from Claire Martin. Alex Haven't got a clue mate.... I'm almost down to a mobile phone for my net connection.... Hi Mike Sounds like the shit you are in is almost as deep as the snow outside !  Might be a good time to do a few things for yourself ? Kind Regards Alex |
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leo
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Post by leo on Dec 4, 2010 0:11:04 GMT
Looks a nice little thing .
Probably just plays WAV files like most other SD card readers? also with it being called APE I wonder if it plays Monkey's audio APE files ?
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leo
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Post by leo on Dec 4, 2010 0:22:20 GMT
Going by reply 7 of this thread it'll play APE ,WAV,FLAC, AAC ,MP3 format. should also do up to 24/192 Try again, my bloody internet connection is jacking about . Some info for the larger APE some probably applies to the Mini APE forum.hifidiy.net/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=19 |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 4, 2010 20:33:20 GMT
Candy says they have just finished the instruction manual and will be e-mailing it to me soon.... I'll upload it here so you can have a look.
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pagan
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Post by pagan on Dec 10, 2010 8:53:10 GMT
Going by reply 7 of this thread it'll play APE ,WAV,FLAC, AAC ,MP3 format. should also do up to 24/192 Try again, my bloody internet connection is jacking about . Some info for the larger APE some probably applies to the Mini APE forum.hifidiy.net/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=19I see they haven't upgraded the hdd support yet. It's still IDE....... "This product is currently playback support APE, FLAC, TTA, WAV, MP3, CUE and other audio file formats; audio files can be stored in a variety of storage media, product offerings, IDE, USB, SD card storage media interfaces." |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 11, 2010 20:19:45 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 11, 2010 20:20:55 GMT
By the way..... shouldn't there be a battery in that battery holder or am I missing something here?
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xerxes
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Post by xerxes on Dec 11, 2010 20:35:44 GMT
Does/can the unit display date or time when it's on? Looks like a CMOS battery holder on a PC motherboard for a 3v CR2032 lithium coin battery, which maintains the date and time when the PC is unplugged from the mains.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 11, 2010 22:06:08 GMT
Does/can the unit display date or time when it's on? Looks like a CMOS battery holder on a PC motherboard for a 3v CR2032 lithium coin battery, which maintains the date and time when the PC is unplugged from the mains. Haven't got a clue Owen.... I haven't received the instructions yet. I am leaning toward preferring "old school" CD's / LP's at this juncture, you shove them on / in and play them.... they are not affected by lightning and don't require a degree in Chinese to understand them...... Sorry, nope, I don't WANT to review (or become interested) in this "format"... too many variables involved and WAY too dependant on having a stable computer on tap to process all these "files". To me, "music" is all about placing a disc in the tray, sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the music..... it is NOT about spending hours downloading stuff, spending more hours getting it to work (in the correct format) and spending weeks "retrieving" it all when your computer goes pear shaped! This is not musical "enjoyment" this is STRESS! It's WORK! It's the OPPOSITE from "relaxation"!! From today I am going back to my CD collection for my musical pleasure.... this "computer" based music source is just SO bloody stressfull! I still think that vinyl sounds best, CD comes a close second and this "downloadable" format nowhere close to either.... Music is a form of "relaxation", you shouldn't be spending your time stressing out over "downloads" and the best method of conversion..... FFS! the world HAS gone mad! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2010 22:30:44 GMT
Mike
Perhaps you should pass the unit directly to Leo for initial evaluation ? The format doesn't faze Leo,so he will have suitable music software to use for an evaluation of the unit, and more importantly perhaps, he also has your favored Panda, and to top it off, you both much prefer the same headphones.
Alex
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Post by clausdk on Dec 11, 2010 22:45:27 GMT
Does/can the unit display date or time when it's on? Looks like a CMOS battery holder on a PC motherboard for a 3v CR2032 lithium coin battery, which maintains the date and time when the PC is unplugged from the mains. Haven't got a clue Owen.... I haven't received the instructions yet. I am leaning toward preferring "old school" CD's / LP's at this juncture, you shove them on / in and play them.... they are not affected by lightning and don't require a degree in Chinese to understand them...... Sorry, nope, I don't WANT to review (or become interested) in this "format"... too many variables involved and WAY too dependant on having a stable computer on tap to process all these "files". To me, "music" is all about placing a disc in the tray, sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the music..... it is NOT about spending hours downloading stuff, spending more hours getting it to work (in the correct format) and spending weeks "retrieving" it all when your computer goes pear shaped! This is not musical "enjoyment" this is STRESS! It's WORK! It's the OPPOSITE from "relaxation"!! From today I am going back to my CD collection for my musical pleasure.... this "computer" based music source is just SO bloody stressfull! I still think that vinyl sounds best, CD comes a close second and this "downloadable" format nowhere close to either.... Music is a form of "relaxation", you shouldn't be spending your time stressing out over "downloads" and the best method of conversion..... FFS! the world HAS gone mad! That is not fair, it is not the Mini apes fault that you do not back up your music or have it on a seperate HD.. Or dislike the format.. I fully respect you whish to change CDs, fine by me, but you are not being fair to the product.. I bet many here would have it up an running in 5 minutes.. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 11, 2010 22:47:41 GMT
Haven't got a clue Owen.... I haven't received the instructions yet. I am leaning toward preferring "old school" CD's / LP's at this juncture, you shove them on / in and play them.... they are not affected by lightning and don't require a degree in Chinese to understand them...... Sorry, nope, I don't WANT to review (or become interested) in this "format"... too many variables involved and WAY too dependant on having a stable computer on tap to process all these "files". To me, "music" is all about placing a disc in the tray, sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the music..... it is NOT about spending hours downloading stuff, spending more hours getting it to work (in the correct format) and spending weeks "retrieving" it all when your computer goes pear shaped! This is not musical "enjoyment" this is STRESS! It's WORK! It's the OPPOSITE from "relaxation"!! From today I am going back to my CD collection for my musical pleasure.... this "computer" based music source is just SO bloody stressfull! I still think that vinyl sounds best, CD comes a close second and this "downloadable" format nowhere close to either.... Music is a form of "relaxation", you shouldn't be spending your time stressing out over "downloads" and the best method of conversion..... FFS! the world HAS gone mad! That is not fair, it is not the Mini apes fault that you do not back up your music or have it on a seperate HD.. Or dislike the format.. I fully respect you whish to change CDs, fine by me, but you are not being fair to the product.. I bet many here would have it up an running in 5 minutes.. I agree, sorry. Will ship to Leo next Tuesday. Mike. |
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xerxes
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Post by xerxes on Dec 12, 2010 1:53:06 GMT
Send it to me, I promise to do a complete review and finish my sen...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2010 2:04:57 GMT
Send it to me, I promise to do a complete review and finish my sen... Owen What kind of equipment do you intend to use in conjunction with this unit ? Several members are interested in the output resolution and SQ via SPDIF into a far better than averge DAC such as the Buffalo 11. This would help to make a purchasing decision where file resolutions as high as 24/192 are available. Alex |
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xerxes
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Post by xerxes on Dec 12, 2010 6:31:10 GMT
I was just being facetious. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with this piece of kit, it seems to be made to fulfil a need I don't actually have. There just isn't an APE shape hole in my life. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 21, 2010 21:51:28 GMT
leo,
I have boxed the Mini Ape up and will send it to you for technical evaluation once Christmas / the weather has subsided.... can you please remind me of your shipping details?
Mike.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 7, 2011 10:43:46 GMT
Should be with you now Leo?
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leo
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Post by leo on Jan 7, 2011 18:29:01 GMT
Not yet mate, I'm still on the farting little Netbook but will let you know soon as the APE arrives. When did you send it?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 7, 2011 20:21:06 GMT
Not yet mate, I'm still on the farting little Netbook but will let you know soon as the APE arrives. When did you send it? Yesterday afternoon, recorded delivery so should be with you tomorrow.... did you get the manual I e-mailed to you? Mike. |
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Might be a good time to do a few things for yourself ? 
