Any audible users out there? Worth it?

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lightheir
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Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by lightheir »

Any audible users out there? Worth the $14.95/month?

I'd be listening to the audiobooks for commutes of 20-30 mins each way on average. So about 4-5hrs of audio time per week, roughly.

I do like audiobooks, I just never liked subscription services, but it does seem like a reasonable proposition.
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Toons
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by Toons »

A lot of audible reviews to read :happy
Pro and Con

http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.audible.com
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
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Will do good
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by Will do good »

I got the 24 books/1 years deal. I love my audible and it's worth it to me.
There's also daily deals where you can get additional books for .99 to $4.95.
If you wanted to save money, you should be able to get books on CD from your local library.
davebo
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by davebo »

With my kids being young, I found I didn't have too much time to read so I tried out audible. I do the annual thing and love the service when I can find a book that is interesting. I'm just now getting into more fiction books so that should open up my world a little bit.

It's also kind of nice because Audible seems to be a little more lenient with allowing you the ability to "return" books if they aren't what you expected.
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BarbaricYawp
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by BarbaricYawp »

Love Audible. It makes really tedious chores (weeding springs to mind) really bearable. I've used Overdrive in the past, but the download system was so byzantine and it seemed like the book titles I wanted were never available. Plus I like the fact that if I want to listen to a book more than once I 'own' it and can do so.
"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." --Dorothy Parker
GoldenFinch
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by GoldenFinch »

Both my husband and my dad love it. I've never used it.
Topic Author
lightheir
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by lightheir »

Just a question for you Audible users -

Are these mp3 format? Or is it proprietary Audible app audio format (meaning the content can't be replayed outside the Audible app.)

It makes a huge difference to me whether, if I cancel my Audible membership, I can keep the audiobooks I have received, or if I have to be a paying Audible member to access them due to a proprietary audio format.
Bungo
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by Bungo »

lightheir wrote:Just a question for you Audible users -

Are these mp3 format? Or is it proprietary Audible app audio format (meaning the content can't be replayed outside the Audible app.)

It makes a huge difference to me whether, if I cancel my Audible membership, I can keep the audiobooks I have received, or if I have to be a paying Audible member to access them due to a proprietary audio format.
Propietary encrypted format: http://mp3.about.com/od/Digital-Music-G ... Format.htm

There are third-party tools to convert the Audible formats to standard MP3 files, e.g. http://sourceforge.net/projects/aaxtomp3/ but I haven't tried them and don't know how well they work.

If you stop subscribing, you can still play the stuff you purchased, presumably until Audible goes out of business.
Last edited by Bungo on Tue Feb 09, 2016 6:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Topic Author
lightheir
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by lightheir »

Bungo wrote:
lightheir wrote:Just a question for you Audible users -

Are these mp3 format? Or is it proprietary Audible app audio format (meaning the content can't be replayed outside the Audible app.)

It makes a huge difference to me whether, if I cancel my Audible membership, I can keep the audiobooks I have received, or if I have to be a paying Audible member to access them due to a proprietary audio format.
Propietary format: http://mp3.about.com/od/Digital-Music-G ... Format.htm

If you stop subscribing, you can still play the stuff you purchased, presumably until Audible goes out of business.
Cool, that helps.

My last question, is if anyone knows how hard it is to cancel or put membership on hold, like when you're on vacation for a month. If it's a few simple mouse clicks, it would be great - if it's a long dragged out telephone conversation, not so hot.
Bungo
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by Bungo »

lightheir wrote: My last question, is if anyone knows how hard it is to cancel or put membership on hold, like when you're on vacation for a month. If it's a few simple mouse clicks, it would be great - if it's a long dragged out telephone conversation, not so hot.
Cancellation is a few simple mouse clicks. Not sure about putting it on hold during vacation - that's not really necessary since you can accumulate the monthly credits; you do not have to use them in the month you receive them.

[edit] However, there is a limit to how many you can accumulate (roll over): see http://audible.custhelp.com/app/answers ... -expire%3F
Topic Author
lightheir
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by lightheir »

Cool, thx. It sounds like I'm in, then! Looking forward to some quality audiobooks.
b4real
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by b4real »

Well worth it IMO. I get the annual deal but sometimes skip a year because I have so much to listen to and sometimes re-listen to books or series. In boglehead fashion I try to get longish books to get the most out of the membership. I listen at the gym and while traveling.
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walkabout
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by walkabout »

I'm on the 24 credit per year plan which puts my cost per credit around $9.50.

The Great Courses are also available through Audible now.
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surfer1
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by surfer1 »

I suggest playing the tracks at 2x speed (the iphone has a setting to change the playback speed like this). Your brain really does adapt to it.
Katietsu
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by Katietsu »

I have had an Audible subscription off and on. Good deal if you want to purchase books. You can accumulate up to 6 credits. After that you will still get charged but will stay at 6 credits. Avoid this by simply buying books before this happens. If you cancel your membership, you lose any unused credits. Again, avoid losing credits by buying books before cancelling the membership. All books purchased with credits are always available to you in the cloud or on your device whether or not you are currently an active member.

There is a way to put your membership on hold. Though, I would just use my credits to purchase then cancel.

Additionally, see if you have a local library with digital lending. Many libraries now have an online lending library for both audiobooks and e-books.
vtjon
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by vtjon »

If you're an Amazon Prime member, there is a free 3-month free trial:
http://www.amazon.com/Prime-special-off ... B00XJU4UDG

You'll get 1 credit per month though you'll need to remember to cancel. You can do this online.
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Watty
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by Watty »

Will do good wrote:If you wanted to save money, you should be able to get books on CD from your local library.
+1

In addition CDs our local libraries have a service where you can download many books pretty much like Audible but their selection is of course not as good.

My wife listens to these all the time and will listen to several a week. The libraries here are by county and to get access to the libraries in the county next to us she pays a fee of about $30 a year to join the library system of the other county. In addition to getting access to other books on CDs that county has other audible books that she can download.

In some areas if you live in one county but work in another county then you are eligible to join both library systems for free. This is because your employer is paying local property taxes.

They also have some online courses and I am currently taking an online photoshop course through my library.
ccieemeritus
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by ccieemeritus »

I use the audible app on my iPhone and like it. But I don't churn through enough audio books to make the monthly subscription worthwhile. Instead I buy my audio books one at a time, which is also an option.

I suggest you buy one book and see how it works out.
shelanman
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by shelanman »

I really don't like the subscription model for buying stuff, and I also don't like proprietary encrypted formats, but...

...I have been an audible subscriber forna decade or more, because they have most audiobooks, and their monthly subscription price gets you audiobooks for so much less than they cost in any other format, it's silly.

I used to pay $50-75 for a book. Now, almost every book is $14.99 (a credit) or less.

The proprietary thing sucks. They have a crappy Windows app, and decent iOS and Android apps. I haven't tried the encryption-removal thing. I used to burn audio CDs and then reencode them, back when audio CDs weren't silly, but that isn't worth it anymore.

The one way they get you is that you can only have so many credits at a time, but they still charge you every month even if you go over the limit -- you pay your $15, but you don't get your credit. This is also sucky, and I've lost out this way before, but not enough to undo the money I've saved.
Topic Author
lightheir
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by lightheir »

It seems like you can theoretically convert their subscription model to essential a non-subscription model if you can all your credits if you're falling behind or decide you want to take a 6-month hiatus, cancel, and then rejoin once you've caught up with your audiobook listening and need new ones. Is there a catch I'm missing here?
Big Dutch
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by Big Dutch »

Love it, great service. Different than reading yourself, but it's a great alternative. Many narrators add so much with powerful performances. It makes chores around the house, extended workouts and my commute much more enjoyable. Most of my limited daily reading time is dedicated to current events, finance, etc. Audible enables me to expand my range to books that I likely wouldn't otherwise read.
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whatusername?
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Re: Any audible users out there? Worth it?

Post by whatusername? »

Love it. Have had it for about 6 years now, and it makes manual labor and solo voyages both a lot easier.
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