MP3 Players

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

So I've had a couple of MP3 players in the past, but they all broke after 6 months of use or were just plain cheap, and this time I want one that'll actually last longer than the warranty . I'm just asking what you guys have or would suggest. Personally I wouldn't go over 140$ or so, and I don't really want an Ipod.

 

So... help, please?

[Pidesco]

What do you want out of it?

[Lare Kikkeli]

Creative Zen. Have had it for 4 months now and it's really good. Not as slick as an ipod, but well worth the price.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

What do you want out of it?

I want to listen to music. Add in videos if you really feel like it, but MP3 players really don't need many features, IMO.

[Pidesco]

Yeah, but how often do you want to use it? How many songs do you want keep in it at all times? Is sound quality important? Do you want to use it at the gym? Or when jogging? Is size important to you? How do you want to upload music?

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

I would think the answers to those questions are pretty obvious, no offense.

 

How often - on the bus? Even the smallest battery life would be fine.

How many songs - Anything over 4GB should be fine, and the smallest you can usually buy is about 8GB so this is a non-issue.

Sound quality - All Mp3s sound the same to me. I haven't seen any horrible sound quality yet. Most MP3s do this well enough for this to be a non-issue.

As for uploading music, how about I just copy/paste music files onto the MP3 players manually? No iTunes bull**** and the like. Most MP3s I've had before worked like this.

 

 

The only thing I'm worrying about is how sturdy the player is. I'd prefer something that didn't break after six months, which is pretty much what I got with all my previous MP3 players.

[Pidesco]

Oh, then it's easy. Buy the cheapest 4 to 8GB MP3 player you can find. You shouldn't need to spend more than, say, 30 bucks.

[Tigranes]

Yep. Just get something cheap, you wont' be able to tell much of a difference for your needs.

[Lare Kikkeli]

I disagree, I really wouldn't buy any cheapo **** brand. My old Ipod lasted for 4 years before it died due to a power surge from a faulty stereo. I expect my Zen to last at least that long, unless the battery dies. Cheapo brands will last up to a year and then die.

 

You'll save money in the long run if you buy a higher q. player.

[Spider]

I've had a Sandisk Sansa for I don't know how long and it still works flawlessly. So cheaper brands doesn't have to mean it'll break after a year.

 

If longevity is a concern, I think getting a player without a built in battery is something to consider, since the battery is what is most likely to give in.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Ha, actually I had a Sandisk Sansa and they used a godawful cheap glue to put the thing together, so after a while the case just unglued itself and everything else just fell apart.

Edited December 22, 2009 by WILL THE ALMIGHTY

[Guest Slinky]

I'm with Lare in this one. I've been itching for a new mp3 player for a while now and Creative Zen is most likely the one I will buy.

 

I didn't even concider iPod's because everybody has them and I stay as far as I can from iTunes. I think every Creative player work as a mass storage, so no extra progs needed. They have their own prog if someone wants to use it but surprise, surprise, it's buggy. Oh and while the official site only speaks about 32Gb version, there are atleast 4Gb and 8Gb versions available as well.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Slinky

[Lare Kikkeli]

I have the 8 gb version.

 

The only problem with it is that you have to install some drivers to be abled to add or remove music, so you can't just plug it in and drag and drop on any computer. Drag & drop works though, after you've installed the drivers.

 

Depending on which model of Ipod you have, you can always install the custom firmware Rockbox. It adds drag & drop function, removes iTunes of the equation and gives you a buttload of different configuration options, from the GUI to the font used. I really wish they'd make a Zen version of it

 

Oh and iPods are damn good players, their only issue is the high price and the diabolic firmware and copy protection.

Edited December 23, 2009 by Lare Kikkeli

[Dragon Lord Jones]

i've had my creative zen ... 60 gig (largest they had) vision m for 7 years now and it still works beautifully. use it everyday at work (steel factory ... dirty, oily) have a good leather protective case and screen protector. was $240 back when it came out though. software is easy to navigate ... hard disc that came with it (didn't have to download from internet), supports many file types. as this is an old model now (don't make it anymore, but you may find it at amazon or ebay ... maybe), not sure how the newer ones for creative are. i believe 32 gig is the largest they make now. headphones suck though, had to buy better ones.

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Creative-Technology-ZE...=item2a03cefced this is from e-bay used for $149 buy now ...

 

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Zen-Vision-...4460&sr=1-5 amazon used $274

more than I paid new ..... but still a very good mp3 player ........... not sure on videos: use mine strictly as mp3 player

 

 

had a 40 gig zen before that for 4 years until i dropped a bar stool on it

 

 

i like my zen better than ipod (bought the classic 160 gig) just because I needed the space for my cd collection. nice slim design though ... don't care for the software or itunes

 

 

i've also used the zune 120 gig (i believe it was around $160) liked it better than ipod also ... not sure how durable it is though as it's my nephews. fairly good software though as far as use (have to download from the internet ... like ipod)

Edited January 8, 2010 by Dragon Lord Jones

[mkreku]

If you have a big budget, then I'd recommend Sony's X-series of walkmans (yes, they are still called that!):

 

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores...mp;N=4294955150

 

Expensive, but very stylish, high tech (OLED, built in wi-fi etc.) and no need to use proprietary software to use them (**** Itunes).

[Pidesco]

That's way, way overpriced.

 

I have the 120GB version of this and, through EBay, only set me back 200€. It's awesomely brilliant, reads about every format under the sun and has the best touch screen I've ever used.

[mkreku]

Actually, I don't think it's overpriced. I've tried it and the noise canceling headphones are amazing (those alone are like 80

[Pidesco]

Actually, I don't think it's overpriced. I've tried it and the noise canceling headphones are amazing (those alone are like 80

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Ironically I received an Ipod touch at Christmas.

 

Anyways, it's great once you manage to get around iTunes.

[Theseus]

You can get THIS 16GB S Series Walkman

[Walsingham]

I agree with mkreku. The sony walkmans seem good.

[Tigranes]

Got one of them, an 8gb, for birthday and it's pretty good. Does everything it's mean to do. The interface is horribly dry and ugly, and it won't even let you look at its clock easily, but at least it's not a pain to use.

[Pope]

I have a Zen X-Fi and am satisfied with it. If I had known, however, that the X-Fi 2 was just a month away back then, I would've waited, since the latter one is FLAC-compatible.

[Walsingham]

I've always favoured those cheap USB plug and play ones. Because I tend to use them most when exercising, and it would suck to have the rain get into something expensive.