Is buying from Audible.com a good deal?

[RamistThomist]

I saw some interesting Peter Kreeft courses at audible.com. They said they were free with 30 day trial. I was wondering if I could purchase them, download them, then cancel. Has anyone worked with audible.com and is it worth it?

 

[Rev. Todd Ruddell]

I have found it to be so. They have a program that depends on how much you actually use the product. The more you purchase and listen, the more they give you "credits" which go to purchases. As of right now, I think that at least half of the stuff I have from from them I got in this way--as credited. Further, the readings are done by professionals, with professional equipment, and are extremely high quality. If you're going to start, begin with Holiness, JC Ryle, even if you've read it. It will be a great review, and it is expertly crafted.

Once you cancel your account, you will no longer have access to the materials. They are protected.

 

[Pergamum]

I absolutely LOVE audible! It is wonderful to listen to while hiking or lifting weights or in the car. I use a sanza fuse mp3 player as my device or my Samsung phone. Ipads also have Audible apps.

I can give you a list of about a dozen MOST AWESOME listens.

 

[RamistThomist]

I wondered if they would take away access. So it isn't like downloading mp3s?

 

[ooguyx]

If you cancel your account, you will still have access to the materials that you purchased (through credits or through $). However, any unused credits will be forfeited and you lose the chance to return books your don't like.

I know because I cancelled my account and had to talk to customer service last month because I didn't know about losing the credits. Thankfully the gave me back the credits to use within 30 days (which I did). If you listed to a lot of audio books it can be a good resource. For instance RC Sproul's "Foundations" can be purchased for 1 credit, even though it's over $100.

 

[Pergamum]

Yes, once you buy the books you have them. I just re-listened to a book I bought 5 years ago. You can play them from your laptop, put them on an ipad or phone through an app, or download them onto an mp3 player and carry with you (my option). I think you can even make them into cds (I did this for With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge).

Some books are narrated very professionally. Here are two other recommendations to get you hooked:

Empires of the Sea: The Contest for the Center of the World Audiobook | Roger Crowley | Audible.com | Audible.co.uk
Empires of the Sea


And the Siege of Malta: The Great Siege: Malta 1565 Audiobook | Ernle Bradford | Audible.com | Audible.co.uk

Check the reviews before buying to check out audio/narration quality first.

 

[Pergamum]

Max McClean's reading of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God or reading the whole bible can also be purchased cheaply. Lots of Will Durant and Philip Schaff's Church History is on there, too. Harold Lamb books (like his works on the Crusades or Hannibal) are also excellent.

 

[aadebayo]

This has been an eye opener to me, because I have never used audible before. I am still old school because I like to mark my books as I read an option that audio books do not offer me.

 

[Pergamum]

Audiobooks offer me the chance to listen to books while I do others things (drive, hike, exercise, clean, etc). Also, some folks retain info better through the ear-gate rather than the eye-gate. Also, some books are much more stirring when heard rather than read. Finally, this can be especially so with the Bible when read...I "hear" things in the bible that I don't normally notice when I listen to it rather than read it.

 

[Pergamum]

Here are some excellent choices:

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa Audiobook | E. B. Sledge | Audible.com | Audible.co.uk

Augustine's Conversion Audiobook | Augustine | Audible.com | Audible.co.uk

Lectures to My Students Audiobook | Charles Spurgeon | Audible.com | Audible.co.uk

The Pilgrim's Progress Audiobook | John Bunyan | Audible.com | Audible.co.uk

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Audiobook | Jonathan Edwards | Audible.com | Audible.co.uk


Note: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is especially powerful when read by Max McClean.