Classic Nook and audio playback, could be the thing that sways me...

[bbz_Ghost]

Howdy, new user, first post.

I'm pretty interested in getting a Nook, obviously, but I do have some questions. I did a search and didn't find anything relevant to go on and the posts were considerably old (almost back to the release of the Nook last year) so I wanted to broach the topic and bring into the limelight, so to speak.

I do enjoy listening to music while I'm out and about, and considering that I'm interested in a Nook, it would be nice if I wouldn't be required to bring along my typical mp3 device (which shall remain nameless for the moment) if the Nook can work in that capacity.

Now, I haven't tested or tried a Nook myself, I keep planning to get to a B&N here in Las Vegas where I live and do a hands on for a bit, but even if I do that I can't be sure if they'll have any audio/music on the demo devices and I will say it could be a deal breaker for me in the long run.

My Wife is deaf so the audio capabilities for her are meaningless, but she's been wanting an eBook reader for a very long time now (she is a voracious reader) and I figured now's as good a time as any to get more serious about a purchase.

I did take note of the 3rd gen Amazon Kindle coming near the end of August, and while the $10 difference in price isn't that big of a deal to me, the fact that Amazon will be allowing - per the info they've presented for the new Kindle - web browsing over the 3G wireless without cost to Kindle owners (apparently only on that model of Kindle, somehow), that definitely caught my eye.

But my ears are part of this as well so, I can't say that I've ever heard a Kindle or used one either, to be honest. I have used a JetBook in the past and thought it was pretty awesome for what it is/was but, they're tough to find anymore - they used to carry them at Fry's here in Vegas but have long since stopped stocking them in favor of Sony eReaders which I have zero interest in, even if someone gave me one. I'd just sell it and get something better.

So, if anyone out there can comment on audio playback with the Nook I would greatly appreciate the info or reviews. I'm interested in music playback, primarily, since audiobooks on an eBook reader are a bit ridiculous in my opinion and easily done. But music is important, and I sure hope someone can comment on whether or not the Nook can do it adequately. I have some Koss KSC-75 earclips as well as earbuds (aka IEMs, in-ear-monitors) and both offer great quality for their respective costs, I just want to make sure I don't end up having mono sound or AM-radio quality.

I can always just go buy a Nook and if I'm not happy return it but, I figured before I take that step I'll ask for advice from those of you that already own one and use it for such purposes (listening to music, etc). Any info is greatly appreciated and will help me make my decision that much easier.

Thanks for reading (no pun intended) and have fun, always...

[RyanMWilliams]

One of the first things I did was drop a couple albums onto the Nook in case I wanted to listen to music. Works fine as far as I'm concerned. And I like that the navigation gives easy access to the audio player while I'm reading.

[Doug Pardee]

The NOOK is darned big to use as a casual MP3 player. It's not something you can stick in your pocket or hang from a neck lanyard.

The NOOK only plays MP3 and OGG Vorbis formats.

There is no ability to organize your music. There are no playlists, not even albums. Just one giant list of every track that you have loaded. The songs appear on the list in whatever order the NOOK wants them to appear in; there's no sorting option.

The headphone jack is located on the bottom. This limits the ways that the NOOK can be positioned while listening to it.

You can play music while reading.

Sound quality on all MP3 players is about the same. There's nothing especially good or bad about the NOOK's sound quality.

[nyrath]

Nook does have a "shuffle" or "random playback order" mode.
It does have internal speakers so you do not have to use the headphones, which may or may not annoy everybody in your general vicinity.
A standard Nook has only 2gb of storage space, so you will have to invest in a memory card if you have a sizable music library.

I've got a relatively small music library (about 1.5 gb), so I didn't really need a memory card. But I got an 8gb card anyway, just in case.

[aagstn]

I added a 2GB SD card just so I could have some classical on my nook to listen to while reading. Definitely a feature I enjoy and use, but it wouldn't replace a standard mp3 player.

[curio]

With the softroot, a custom media application by craftycoder is available which is much better than the B&N audio player. However, due to the required softroot and the fact it may have to be installed manually on top of that, it's a little more demanding to get up and running. Screens and video here. nookMedia supports browsing by album and artist as well as playlists, and additional formats compared to the B&N player. It's still being actively developed, though, so there may be rough edges.

[bbz_Ghost]

Thanks for the replies, folks. As far as 'all mp3 players sound alike" well, you couldn't be more wrong. That's more accurately stated from personal perspectives like "I can't hear a difference myself" or something similar because I can hear a difference and it does matter to me.

I've never used playlists, I consider them irrelevant. I put the music on the device and hit Random/Shuffle/Repeat and just let it go...

It wasn't my intention to get a Nook just for audio, that would be silly. I just wanted to make sure that if the potential is there that it's actually useful. In the long run I'll just have to buy one and do some testing and see what's up, it's the only way.

I've been reading "eBooks" on devices since the early 1980s so, this stuff has been a very very long time coming I suppose.

I'll try to get to B&N this week and get a hands on for a bit to make the decision. I do like the redesign of the Kindle coming later this month but, no ePub support is a deal killer and I won't support Amazon in that respect. It's Nook or nothing at this point...

(I wonder what B&N has coming in the next few weeks as I suspect they're going to announce a new Nook between right now and August 27th...)

Thanks for the information...

[bbz_Ghost]

Just an update:

Found a Kindle 1 on craigslist here in Vegas for $60 so I grabbed it. Works fine, has a tiny hairline crack on the back (above and to the left of the power switch) but, it's functional, the wireless works fine - I live about 700 feet from a Sprint cell tower so the EVDO signal is about as strong as it can get - and for the time being it'll make the Wife happy.

I'm a bit disappointed in the audio playback, not the quality but the controls which basically are non-existent but, it is an eBook reader first and foremost. Perhaps if B&N does roll out an improved Nook soon I'll consider getting one for myself and let the Wife take full control of the Kindle.

Thanks again for the input and suggestions...

[ProfCrash]

If your Kindle is within the one year warranty period you should be able to return it and get a replacement.

[bbz_Ghost]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

If your Kindle is within the one year warranty period you should be able to return it and get a replacement.

It's an original model (meaning 2.5 years old), and... why would I return it? It's 100% functional in all respects, so I plan to put it to great use.

The tiny hairline crack is actually much thinner than a hair to be honest, it's entire cosmetic and not even noticeable (I care about function, not form) and it has no bearing on the functionality of the unit. After doing even more research into the 1st gen model, and so many of the useful keyboard shortcuts you don't find out about in the manual/user guide, it's far more useful now even as an audio device too.

But this is the Nook subforum so... that's enough about this Kindle.

[ProfCrash]

ahhhh I love my K1. I just retired Tavar in favor of the DX Graphite. The K1 will serve you well.

There have been folks who had small cracks that have grown into something larger. If it was cracked and under warrenty I would have it replaced.

You can move to the Kindle forum if you have questions.

[FourOhFour]

Originally Posted by Doug Pardee

The NOOK only plays MP3 and OGG Vorbis formats.

It also plays AAC (m4a) files. At least, it plays my m4a files.

There is no ability to organize your music. There are no playlists, not even albums. Just one giant list of every track that you have loaded. The songs appear on the list in whatever order the NOOK wants them to appear in; there's no sorting option.

Yeah. It works fine if you just want to stick a bunch of tracks on it and play them in shuffle. (Or straight through in whatever order it decides they're in... never looked, but I bet it's ascii-betical by file name.)

[jdarnold]

No, the order is, sort of, artist, album, track but even then it gets a little random. I don't believe filename has anything to do with it.

[Tim Brown]

When I bring albums from my iTunes library to the nook they maintain the track order. I really enjoy the fact that I can read and listen to tunes with one comfortable device. Yes the nook is enormous as an mp3 player, but I use my nook cover as a wallet and it works out great.

I was disappointed the new wifi nook has no audio player.

As far as audio quality goes I have to say that the nook sounds great. I have an iPhone 4 and the sound quality is to my ears harsh compared to the nook. I mostly listen to classical music and installed an 8gb microSD card into my nook so I could access more music.

Until I installed 1.7 I had some problems getting the nook to recognize the microSD card. There are some funny things with audio and the nook though. Occassionally I get drop-outs, and when I press play after the nook has been off for a while, audio doesn't always output. I have to either insert the headphone jack a bunch of times, or let the sound output via the speaker before I can hear music.

All of that taken into consideration I still love the nook. It makes my commute to and from work (bus/train/subway) much less stressful and I always have something to read.