Audiobooks discussion
Technical stuff
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What do you use to listen to audiobooks?
Jan wrote: "I thought I would post this here and in the thread devoted to the Amazon Echo. I'm considering getting an Echo to put in my kitchen for listening to audiobooks I have purchased from Audible. And wa..."It does play from the cloud... and it plays books from Audible.com... although my hope is that they will also consider Overdrive audiobooks as well.
It will go back via voice command but there's also an app for your phone that has functions and it comes with a remote that will rewind, fast forward, pause etc. Since it's on the cloud, it will sync with other devices that you listen with. Hope that helps. :-)
Jan wrote: "That helps alot...thank you!"You're welcome. :-)
The new Amazon Echo seems a good idea, especially as apparently the sound quality is good.
I listen with my iPod with either my skull candy ear buds, if I am at my desk and alone I will use a little dock on my desk, I plug it in the USB in my car for driving. Or I will use my phone and the Audible app. just depends. But I find I pay better attention if I have earbuds, the speaker I find myself doing other things and drift off.
On my laptop. Here was I thinking I was rather progessive but having read your comments above, it seems I'm still a dinosaur! Happy to be so, though. Love my "music to listen to while doing other things". Interesting discussion!
P.r. wrote: "On my laptop. Here was I thinking I was rather progessive but having read your comments above, it seems I'm still a dinosaur! Happy to be so, though. Love my "music to listen to while doing other t..."Lol... that's pretty funny... thanks for the chuckles. I can't listen on my PC because I can't stay in 1 place more than 5 minutes... busy, busy, busy. I have to listen on the go.
❆ Crystal ❆ wrote: "P.r. wrote: "On my laptop. Here was I thinking I was rather progessive but having read your comments above, it seems I'm still a dinosaur! Happy to be so, though. Love my "music to listen to while ..."So do I, but with the laptop centrally located, the sound follows me around. Joys of a small apartment.
I have a Sansa SanDisk mp3 player just for audiobooks. The one I use - an older model - is just 4 gig. There are some issues, particularly if I have ripped the book from CD. But, still, it's the best I have found.
John, do you use the 'file' rather than 'audio book' option with rips that don't have proper tags? That's what I do & it works fine on mine, but I have the 8gb Sansa.
Has anyone tried the Shure SE315 sound isolating in ear headphones? The quality is good but the wires around the ear tend to slip off!
Jim wrote: "John, do you use the 'file' rather than 'audio book' option with rips that don't have proper tags? That's what I do & it works fine on mine, but I have the 8gb Sansa."I dunno. I use Windows Media Player to rip them. I'll look at the settings to see if I can find something different.
My main problems with ripping from CDs is that:
a) they have to be labeled as "Disc 1," "Disc 2," etc.;
b) if WMP finds label information online, it won't actually let me rename the discs (it says it will, but...)
c) even when everything is labeled properly, it still wants to play disc 1, then disc 10, then disc 11, then disc 2, then disc 3.
Not insurmountable by any means, but...
John
John wrote: "c) even when everything is labeled properly, it still wants to play disc 1, then disc 10, then disc 11, then disc 2, then disc 3...."
In iTunes, you can re-label the discs, too, and it seems to stick. I use 01, 02, etc, and that takes care of the 1, 10, 11, 2 problem.
I forgot a problem with ripping discs - my MP3 player doesn't automatically move from one to another. I have to go to the menu, scroll to the next one, pick it, etc.. Overdrive files just play and play and play, on the other hand.
John
If you just change the file names from Disk1.mp3 to Disk01.mp3 & then use the 'folders' option, that should fix the problem. I use LupasRename for mass rename operations. I've had to fix this same problem even with files from Libervox, Libraries Unbound, & Overdrive. You wouldn't think it would happen, but crops up occasionally.
I've tried changing names, but for some reason, when I move them over to the player, it doesn't recognize the new names. For example, if WMP goes online and says the name of a particular disc is "Book Disc 2" (which is problematic is all the others are "The Book Disc 01," "The Book Disc 03," etc.), it won't let me alter it.
I've tried correcting it before I rip it, before I transfer it to the player, and after transferring it to the player, but nothing seem to work.
Which...shrug. It's a bit of a pain.
But I'm more irritated over the OneClick and Overdrive DRM issues.
John
If it won't recognize the name changes, that's because you're not looking at the file name on the player but the MP3 tag. In the menu, you at AudioBooks & then into the proper one. Sometimes you'll see book(s) listed as Unknown & they'll be mixed together. Instead stop go from Music over to Play All & then up to stop at Files then go down to Audiobooks & over to pick the book. This way it works on file names. You'll never see an Unknown folder since it works just on file names. If you've renamed them correctly, they'll play just fine.
Alternatively, you can use an MP3 tag editor. I've tried that but it's a pain. Takes a lot longer. I've never found one that will rename files easily the way Lupas Rename does.
As for DRM issues, there are some DRM strippers out there. I generally avoid any files with DRM on them since those utilities for audio files tend to be chancy (buy one as free ones often contain spyware or worse) &/or take a long time & I've never known one to get the MP3 tags right. Still, if you really want to listen to a book & DRM is stopping you, it can be worth it. I generally just limit myself to getting MP3 files from OneClick & OverDrive, though. MP3 doesn't support DRM. WMA does, though.
I'll look at that next time I can get it to work.But the DRM issue is that OneClick and Overdrive have either stopped carrying certain titles because of DRM or are only, basically, allowing Apple users to check titles with DRM out.
John
Just saw a new update for the Bookmobile app on iOS 9 that promise to have chapter support for Audible and iTunes bought audiobooks.I've only waited 3 years for this... (thank you Apple for screwing the chapters in iOS 7). And yes, I have heard the move to iBooks but that's on iOS 8 + I now am used to audible app and Bookmobile since iOS 7.
Bookmobile will be my back up for the non audible/iTunes books.
I love Bookmobile! I won't use the Audible app and I listen on my iPad.
I've been using Bookmobile but can't seem to figure out how to transfer all the tracks at once in a zipped file. Any techies out there who can guide me?
I use a Cowon iAUDIO 7 MP3 player that I bought in 2008 and it's still going strong. Great battery life and it has a bookmarking feature that I love.I hook it up to my AUX jack when in my car and use Philips ActionFit Sports In-Ear Headphones the rest of the time.
I download most if not all of my audio books from my library which has a wide selection.
I use my Republic Wireless Moto X cell phone with Audible and Overdrive. I love the bluetooth capability for my car sound system and my Bose mini speaker.
I use Overdrive on my iPhone. I generally just use the phone speakers or headphones if it's a particularly quiet recording. I'm hoping to get a cord to hook up to my car so it will go through the car speakers.
I use the audible app on my iPhone almost exclusively. For books I don't buy from audible, I convert them to chaptered m4bs and download them to the phone using iTunes. The audible app can then play them too.In the car, I use a gogroove X2 Bluetooth to FM adapter. This thing is great. It plugs into a cigarette lighter socket, pairs with the phone, and transmits on an FM frequency that you tune your radio to. Sound quality is decent for an audiobook - for music, less so, but still better than others I've tried.
Oh, and the Kindle Fire I bought when they were on sale just arrived today. A few quirks, but I eventually got the apps to load my full kindle and audible libraries, and got the Immersion Reading feature to work.The screen is surprisingly good, and the audio is decent through earbuds; the external speaker is a bit tinny. I think it will support Bluetooth speakers, though. The Immersion reading with be useful for books with diagrams or odd names.
Not a bad little device; amazing for $35. I wish it would detect my chrome cast though; I suspect Amazon deliberately suppress that.
This wifi phone has gotten great reviews for use as an audiobook device. Don't register the phone and just use it over wifi with Audible app.On sale now for $11.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listin...
Nospin wrote: "This wifi phone has gotten great reviews for use as an audiobook device. Don't register the phone and just use it over wifi with Audible app.On sale now for $11.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer..."
That's a great idea Nospin! And nice price point! In case anyone is not aware, wifi with the app is only needed to download the audiobook, after that it can be listened to without wifi.
I gave an old iphone to a friend to use as an ipod, for things like this and it works very nicely for that purpose.
I listen to Audible books via my iPod touch or iPad.
This is an interesting idea, but how can you download the app and use the wifi if you don't have an account open with the phone? I have an older smartphone but it doesn't do anything at all.
❆ Crystal ❆ wrote: "This is an interesting idea, but how can you download the app and use the wifi if you don't have an account open with the phone? I have an older smartphone but it doesn't do anything at all."You can bypass activation and use it like an ipod touch.
There is a 90 second Youtube video showing the process.
I have two new toys for my music and audiobooks. I picked up two Moto E 2nd Gen phones for $10 each during Black Friday. I didn't activate the phones and will use them just like I'd use a tablet.No contract / unlocked phones make great media players.
tubemonkey wrote: "I have two new toys for my music and audiobooks. I picked up two Moto E 2nd Gen phones for $10 each during Black Friday. I didn't activate the phones and will use them just like I'd use a tablet...."
The Moto E is the phone we bought for our 11 year old son, and it's been great. No issues whatsoever. It would be a great device for listening, and $10 is a steal! Prior to that he had my old Galaxy SII with no phone/data plan on it that he used as you would an iPod touch. That also worked just fine, and it extended the life of my old phone.
I listen on my Amazon Echo. I have one in the kitchen so I can listen while I cook and clean, and another in the living room for when I'm relaxing.
Nospin wrote: "This wifi phone has gotten great reviews for use as an audiobook device. Don't register the phone and just use it over wifi with Audible app.On sale now for $11.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer..."
But this phone doesn't support a SIM card and only has 4 GB. Other phones might be a better choice, such as the Moto E discussed above...
4gb is a lot of audio books. Most of mine only run a few hundred mb.
Jim wrote: "4gb is a lot of audio books. Most of mine only run a few hundred mb."It really isn't that much if you have a large audio backlog. Just on the external SD card on my Sansa, I have 4GB. And that's just for the audios I think I will be listening to in the near future. :-D
I only keep half a dozen on mine MP3 player, although I could fit a lot more. I plug it in to charge every few days to the computer, so swap out books then.
Nospin wrote: "You can bypass activation and use it like an ipod touch.There is a 90 second Youtube video showing the process. .."
That's awesome!
Melanie wrote: "Do you listen with quality headphones, the usual MP3 earphones or speakers? Just a curiosity question!"I got my Bose earphones while listening to my audiobooks. When cleaning at work i turn over to the original iPhone headphone .
I listen on my iPad speakers while reading the ebook on my Kindle App. I am retired and have the house to myself all day so I don't need headphones. I do have an expensive pair of bluetooth hearphone which I rarely use.
Audible app on iphone with a Dell bluetooth speaker when driving or earbuds when running.
I listen to my audiobooks at work and I have to say I look forward to going to work now, I always have two audiobooks ready to go on my iPhone and use a headset.
I listen to my audiobooks at work and I have to say I look forward to going to work now, I always have two audiobooks ready to go on my iPhone and use a headset.
I currently work as a security guard so I do a majority of my listening while at work I have one of those clear tube FBI style earpieces that make me look official while no one knows I'm really just listening to my books
Car speakers (when driving) or the built-in ipod touch speaker (in bed or at computer) for the most part. I have earbuds I use when needed. Audible app.
Presently I am listening to chapter 16 of On Basilisk Station by David Weber on my laptop while I am on the internet. Normally though I listen via my Android tablet.
I haven't used my Sansa Clip in a while, but have transferred a book to it because I hated the cover art (which would appear on my phone).
I use my DVD player, computer, and the app on my iPhone.
Audiobooks
Books mentioned in this topic
Becoming (other topics)On Basilisk Station (other topics)
I'm assuming that it reads them from the cloud and will keep track of where you are when you stop and start. But I was wondering if it will go back (15 seconds/last chapter start) if you tell it to in case you missed something and want to hear it again?