Should you sign up? Here's how to decide...
Written: Mar 13 '02 (Updated Mar 27 '02)
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Audible.com and I have a love hate relationship, and so will you.
I love it!
The concept is exceptional. For $12.95 per month, you can download a book AND get an audio subscription each month. For $15.95 a month, you can buy two audiobooks each month. If you have been a frequent renter of audiobooks (like me), you see the value immediately. This is the cost of a one-month rental from Blackstone or BOT! In addition, the list of subscriptions are comprehensive. I selected Fresh Air, my favorite NPR program, but you can choose between the Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and tons of other selections. Other reviewers have complained about the Audio quality, but I have not yet experienced any problems. Sure, it isn't the greatest sound, but it is comparable to the audiobooks I have rented and purchased. The only complaint I have regarding their selection is their reliance on abridged books. This is anathema to most audio-bibliophiles that I know.
I hate it!
Audible.com's problems are not really of their own making, but they are devastating nonetheless. In order to take content on the road, you have to buy a portable MP3 player, not just any player, but a player that supports the Audible format. Unfortunately, this market is very immature. All the players that Audible supports are either out of production (Iomega Hipzip, Phillip's Rush), too big/expensive (the PDAs), or downright defective (Rio, eBookman, Digisette).
(reviewers note -- see my other review where I unabashedly pan the highly dysfunctional Rio 800)
This leaves the Audible Otis. It seems like a great deal, and it is... so long as you stick to Audible.com files. I tried to load some WMA files, and the unit completely ceased to function. Audible is kind enough to tell you that their customer support function is terribly understaffed, so I sent an email to the CEO. After that, customer support became very responsive, and worked hard with me to get the unit running again. But this was to no avail -- I had to send it back.
We're still friends
There is another option... but it took me awhile to find it. Audible.com's .aa files can be converted to MP3s. My guess is that Audible.com would not approve of this (since it means that the files can then be distributed over one of the file-sharing programs), but for me, it's essential. Now I have a fairly time-consuming process to take Audible content on the road: I download it through the Audible Manager, I convert it to the MP3 format using another program, I use yet another program to split the large MP3 file into 30 minute tracks, then finally, I burn the MP3s to CD. I bought a Rio Volt CD player for this purpose (review coming soon). I can fit about 10 hours of audio on one MP3-CD. It takes time to do this, but most of it is CPU time, and not my time.
Should YOU buy Audible?
Good question... assuming you like audibooks and Audible.com's value proposition resonates with you, here's the decision tree.
1.) Do you have a high-speed Internet connection?
No? Forget it. Audible files are large and need plenty of bandwidth.
Yes? Go on.
2.) Will you listen to Audible content solely from your laptop or desktop (and/or do you have an existing Audible-ready player that works for you)?
No? Go on to question 3
Yes? Audible is for you, go sign up right now, but don't buy a player.
3.) Do you need to be able to load music and Audible content on the same player?
No? Audible is for you, go sign up right now and buy the Audible Otis.
Yes? Go on to question 4
4.) Do you have the patience/computer skills and a powerful enough computer to do audio file conversions and burn CDs?
No? Forget it
Yes? You're in business. Pick your favorite MP3 CD player and get to work.
Now, just to be on the safe side, allow me to say this: I will not provide information on how to convert Audible files, nor am I interested in trading. This is one company that I would very much like to be successful, and every $12.95 contribution to their cause helps. In my opinion, this is one of the best deals on the net, but the limited range of players supported in addition to the lousy customer service seriously limit Audible.com's potential market. If you got through the decision tree and hit the "no" answer -- just wait a while. They will certainly need to improve their service in order to survive.
Updated March 27, 2002
Audible has just released new functionality to the Audible Manager application that allows Audible content to be burned to CD. This is a great addition, that is limited only by the CD format itself. Essentially, a CD will hold 74 minutes of Audio, so burning a book to CD will require multiple CDs. Fortunately, the Audible Manager update provides good functionality to support this. You can span books across CDs, or record partial tracks (in the event that you only want part of the program). I have a 4x CDRW drive, and it recorded a full CD in about 20 minutes... not bad! Most CD burning programs, except for the one that came with my computer, produce coasters. But this one went without a hitch.
My preferred way of listening to Audible content is still to burn it to MP3 CDRs. I can fit about 13 hours on one CD -- this is good for portability. However, if you have a fast CD burner (minimum 16x), then using Audible Manager's new CD-burning capabilities is an excellent option.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
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