Looking for a Mp3 player.

[Thrawn183]

So, I'm interested in buying an Mp3 player that I can take running. I know that this means solid state memory, and no spinning hard drive. I'm not particularly a fan of apple, so I'd rather not purchase an ipod unless it's head and shoulders above the competition. Any suggestions?

[Klose_the_Sith]

How epic are your runs going to be? Cause personally from experience I recommend Samsung mp3's, the simplest seems to be this one (http://www.samsung.com/au/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=mp3audiovideo&type=mp3player&subtype=mp3player&model_cd=YP-U3JQB/XSA) which I can remember using for excercise for ages without any issues until it got put through the wash :smallfrown:

[Thajocoth]

I've got a Zen Stone. It's like a Shuffle, but 1/2 the price and twice as reliable.

Though... I do have iPod ear-buds. I've tried a few other ear-buds, but the iPod ones seem to last me more than the 2-month average of other ear-buds. Good thing you can buy them separately.

[Player_Zero]

Don't buy an MP3 player, become an MP3 player!

[shadowxknight]

Don't buy an MP3 player, become an MP3 player!

This. :smallbiggrin:

Although I don't like to admit it, I feel that ipod products pretty much ARE head and shoulder above competition. They last a decent long time and the OS is easily manageable.
The only down side I have against them is having to use itunes, but otherwise I would recommend the ipod.

[Mystic Muse]

I like my sansa fuze. however if you drop it or something you're probably screwed. it doesn't exactly feel durable.

my cousin had an MP3 player that felt durable but it also felt extremely cheaply made. turns out I was correct about the cheaply made part.

[Thajocoth]

Here's the Zen Stone... It only came in black three years ago when I got mine... I would've gotten a blue one.

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=16424

Amazon's price is $10 more than I paid for mine. I think I got it at a Staples or someplace similar: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Zen-Stone-Player-Black/dp/B000PHQEV2

And a pic for size comparison (Zen stone is on the left): http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/images/creative-zen-stone/zen-stone-25.php

The shuffle I used to have lasted me about a year. (Just long enough for warranty to expire.) My Zen Stone is still good, and it's hit countless things and been dropped countless times in Manhattan (which has an awful lot of concrete).

[Dispozition]

What size do you want it to be, hard drive wise. Because if you want anything more than about 20gb, iPod is the only way to go.

[Thrawn183]

Yeah, my runs top out at 5k. My joints just can't handle anything more than that, I'm built for power not endurance.

I don't need a large hard drive. The max I would need is.... 2 Gb? Heck, I don't think I could fill all of that up, I mean isn't that like 1500 Mp3's?

[Ecalsneerg]

The Sony Walkman MP3s are surprisingly good.

One problem... after a couple of months, Vista hates them. As in, with the burning passion of a billion fiery suns.

[Mauve Shirt]

4 gigs is 1000 songs, judging by the amount I can put on my 1st gen ipod nano.

[Erloas]

Song to memory ratio has a lot to do with song length and quality. You can get a lot more 3 minute songs at 128 quality then you can for 5-6 minute songs at 256.

Personally I would never buy an Apple product because I actually know how to research products a bit and refuse to pay the Apple tax.

Right now I have an RCA pearl MP3 player. It takes normal AAA batteries so I never have to worry about the built in battery going bad or some unusual hard to find battery and it is easy to carry replacements. It takes normal micro-SD cards so I can add storage easily and cheaply. And it plugs into a normal USB port without any adapters or cables or proprietary software. I can plug it into any computer and transfer files onto or off of the device without anything special. I've had it for 3-4 years now and have had no issues with it, and I use it almost exclusively when working out. As far as sound quality, there aren't any issues I notice, but I know that is fairly subjective.

The only thing I would change is to find one that takes the high capacity micro-SD cards, which didn't exist when I got my MP3 player.

There are a few companies that make similar products, the RCA just happens to be the one I have that fit my requirements.

I haven't really had any interest in looking for any of the higher capacity, not very useful for working out, multimedia based MP3 players that have taken over.

[Dispozition]

While I hate apple with a passion, I admit the iPods are the best for me, simply because there's a 160gb version that I own. I'm quite close to filling it up, about 110gb of music and 40gb of videos and such. I'll need to start deleting more videos to make room for music soon.

[xPANCAKEx]

DO NOT use ipod standard issue earphone - they're terrible. They let far too much noise filter in so you'll have to crank them to drown out the outside world

i use eytmotic's 6I's - 35db of noise filtration may be a bit much if you're running city (need to hear traffic etc if you're crossing the road), but if you're running track, gym, or cross country, they'll do a treat. Downside is they're pricey, but the build quality is definately reflected by this, although they are out-performed by the bass punch of some other headphones.... otherwise the sound quality is exceptional

no point getting yourself a decent mp3 player if your headphones are trash

[drakir_nosslin]

Try the Isound Cowon D2 or the D2+ It has the best sound I've ever experienced, though you'll need to buy another set of headphones... Really nice batterytime, especially on the D2 version.

[Mystic Muse]

okay, since It makes no sense to make a new thread while there's a perfectly good one here maybe you guys can help me with my query.

I'm looking for an MP3 player with just a few features.
A. decent construction. I don't think it's asking too much for an MP3 player to last more than two months.
B. a screen. I need photos and videos to work on it.
C. Ubuntu 8.10compatible.
D. user friendly if possible.
E. able to put the music I already have on it rather than having to buy it through Itunes or something.

anybody know of an MP3 player that can do that? mention the brand name as well so I can see if any of the stores near my provide it.

[Thrawn183]

My thread got rogued!

[Mystic Muse]

My thread got rogued!
the mods don't like us making several threads of the same topic.

on a more related note I'm not a rogue. I'm a Drow Warblade of Eris who happens to be a pyromaniac

[Moglorosh]

mp3 players are obsolete, buy a memory card and use your cell phone. Barring that, my wife has one from Sony that she uses at the gym, and she's had it for years.

Odds are that if you find an Apple product you like, you can find something equivalent for far cheaper if you shop around.

[Mystic Muse]

you mean my cellphone that has no headphone jack, no music playing capabilities whatsoever, that I have to share with my brother, has no charger because my brother who lives three hours away lost his and one bar of energy?

yes that would be an extremely good idea. /SARCASM

also I don't know of any apple products I like so I have nothing for comparison. that's why I'm asking here.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Zen Fuze, or Sansa watchamacallit. Those are what me and my sister use.

Edit: I like the tag at the end of your post, Kyuubi. :smallcool:

[Alteran]

yes that would be an extremely good idea. /SARCASM


It's not like he could have known that.

I'm afraid I won't be too much help either. I don't know much about MP3 players, although I'm very happy with my 4th Gen iPod Nano.

[Mystic Muse]

Zen Fuze, or Sansa watchamacallit. Those are what me and my sister use.

Edit: I like the tag at the end of your post, Kyuubi. :smallcool:

I have a sansa watchamacallit. also known as a sansa fuze but none of my photos will go on it unless I convert them to BMP and when I do that They're all messed up. Also the MP3 players converter doesn't work on ubuntu.:smallfurious:

and thank you Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

[Mystic Muse]

It's not like he could have known that.
.


I know. I'm just saying why his advice wasn't viable and also wouldn't be valid for a lot of people. some people don't care enough to upgrade their phones to do something else something they have can already do. I guess I was being a little bit hard on him.

the fact is that not everybody has a phone capable of doing this and will find it easier to go buy an MP3/MP4 player.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Why does everyone on this forum seem to bash Apple and Apple products?

[Thajocoth]

Why does everyone on this forum seem to bash Apple and Apple products?

iTunes. It's really annoying. That and their mp3 players break after about a year of use on average.

I can't really say anything regarding their other products as I haven't used them.

[Don Julio Anejo]

iTunes. It's really annoying. That and their mp3 players break after about a year of use on average.

I can't really say anything regarding their other products as I haven't used them.
My 2nd gen 2 gig iPod Nano has been with.. well, almost 3 years now, since December 2006. Used 6-8 hours daily year round. Dropped, soaked in booze, mud puddles and coffee, left in direct sunlight for two days straight, left in a freezer for a day (don't ask), been to three different continents... Still works perfectly except the battery doesn't last as long as it used to... (12 hours now vs. original 20+ish), which is still on par with anything non-Apple competition can offer in the same price range and with the same size.

In fact I'm actually trying to break it now so I have an excuse to get something new and shiny.

iTunes is annoying but not much more so than any other proprietary software you have to use. Probably easier for many things since I like to keep my music super organized.

[Dispozition]

iTunes. It's really annoying. That and their mp3 players break after about a year of use on average.

I can't really say anything regarding their other products as I haven't used them.

My mini has lasted over 3 years...Still going strong. Also iTunes really isn't that bad. I prefer it to anything else...

[Yrcrazypa]

I had some form of Insignia MP3 player that lasted me several years, and I've dropped it countless times. I don't use it anymore though, since I have no real opportunities to do so, when I can listen to music, I'm in my room with my laptop. The model I have has about 4 gigs of space, and can take micro SD cards, and I've had it for a good 4 years or so I think. Still works decently, though it bugs out every so often now.

And over a thousand songs at 4 gigs? I'm at 4.2 gigs and I have around 868 songs. Of course, I've got a lot of songs that are more than twice the length of the typical songs you young whipper snappers listen to.

[Thajocoth]

My 2nd gen 2 gig iPod Nano has been with.. well, almost 3 years now, since December 2006. Used 6-8 hours daily year round. Dropped, soaked in booze, mud puddles and coffee, left in direct sunlight for two days straight, left in a freezer for a day (don't ask), been to three different continents... Still works perfectly except the battery doesn't last as long as it used to... (12 hours now vs. original 20+ish), which is still on par with anything non-Apple competition can offer in the same price range and with the same size.

In fact I'm actually trying to break it now so I have an excuse to get something new and shiny.

iTunes is annoying but not much more so than any other proprietary software you have to use. Probably easier for many things since I like to keep my music super organized.


My mini has lasted over 3 years...Still going strong. Also iTunes really isn't that bad. I prefer it to anything else...

Well, my shuffle only lasted a year, my 2nd shuffle only lasted a year, and everyone else I know with iPods, they've only lasted a year. (Though, some of them right before the 1 year mark, giving them free upgrades.)

And I prefer just loading up my mp3 player like I would any other form of file storage... Through simple file copying in Windows Explorer. That's how it works with the Zen Stone. I'm pretty sure iPods are the only mp3 players that need some app installed on your machine to put files onto it.

[Dispozition]

And I prefer just loading up my mp3 player like I would any other form of file storage... Through simple file copying in Windows Explorer. That's how it works with the Zen Stone. I'm pretty sure iPods are the only mp3 players that need some app installed on your machine to put files onto it.

With about 160gb of music and movies that gets a bit hard :P

[Thajocoth]

With about 160gb of music and movies that gets a bit hard :P

I wouldn't think it would... It's still just files. But I wouldn't want a portable movie player only have about a gig of music, so I guess...

[Dispozition]

I wouldn't think it would... It's still just files. But I wouldn't want a portable movie player only have about a gig of music, so I guess...

Keeping track of what's on a 4gb MP3 player can become troublesome, now imagine keeping track of 120gb of music. Have fun!

[Thrawn183]

Well, in case everybody is interested, I ordered a Sansa Clip 1.0'' Black 2GB Mp3 player for $30 and no shipping and handling.

Slickdeals.net is my hero.