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Sorry mods if this should have been put in the cool gadgets section, but I was wondering what people would recommend for an MP3 player. Something I could take w/ me to the gym or on vacation so that I wouldn't have a huge CD player and my case of CDs lugging around with me. Price doesn't really matter, nothing over 100-150. I don't really know alot about the MP3 players, but... whats out there?
See if you can find an Ipod 10gb. I remember looking for the 5gb's a while ago and them being will under $150. You should be able to get the 10gb now for that much.
You might also wanna look at those Panasonic portable CD players that can read MP3 files. One CD-RW/CD-R can hold ALOT of mp3's.
Where do you find the refurbished stuff on Apple's site? I can't find it. That's a great deal on an ipod!Quote:
Originally posted by XP18004life
See if you can find an Ipod 10gb. I remember looking for the 5gb's a while ago and them being will under $150. You should be able to get the 10gb now for that much.
iRiver SlimX!
www.iriver.com
I have the iMP-350 and it's awesome.
the 550 is out I believe.
get that tiny little ipaq 1945, and a big card. i got it for 200 + 60 bucks on a 256mb sd card. all the mobile pc you need, and an mp3 player! that, and it looks so nifty.
From what I've heard, Ipods aren't very functional and lack options in comparison to others.Quote:
Originally posted by XP18004life
See if you can find an Ipod 10gb. I remember looking for the 5gb's a while ago and them being will under $150. You should be able to get the 10gb now for that much.
Then again, he doesn't seem to be too concerned with sound quality, so it may suffice.
If he's after an absolute winner, I'd say try to find a NJB3. Within his budget, a good 'active' mp3 player I would say would be the Muvo 256MB.
Quote:
Originally posted by CrawlingEye
From what I've heard, Ipods aren't very functional and lack options in comparison to others.
Then again, he doesn't seem to be too concerned with sound quality, so it may suffice.
If he's after an absolute winner, I'd say try to find a NJB3. Within his budget, a good 'active' mp3 player I would say would be the Muvo 256MB.
The ipod is FULL FEATURED ;)
I used a friend of mine for a little bit and it had some really nice and easy to use stuff. I especially like the automatic playlist (i.e. Top 25 most listened to songs), not to mention the new ipods have games... Games!
It's almost like a tiny PDA. It even has a calendar.
Features like 'bump-resistant' buttons?Quote:
Originally posted by Mr Cherry
The ipod is FULL FEATURED ;)
I used a friend of mine for a little bit and it had some really nice and easy to use stuff. I especially like the automatic playlist (i.e. Top 25 most listened to songs), not to mention the new ipods have games... Games!
It's almost like a tiny PDA. It even has a calendar.
IIRC, they get scratched very easily, are flimsy, have mediocre sound quality and lack a lot of connectivity options to boot.
Check out www.head-fi.org.
-I thought the new iPods don't even have buttons, just touch pads.Quote:
Originally posted by CrawlingEye
Features like 'bump-resistant' buttons?
IIRC, they get scratched very easily, are flimsy, have mediocre sound quality and lack a lot of connectivity options to boot.
Check out www.head-fi.org.
-The sound might be the mp3's, have you tried apples AAC format with 5.1 sound?
-Connectivity? You mean firewire isn't good enough?
nice link.
Quote:
Originally posted by Mr Cherry
-I thought the new iPods don't even have buttons, just touch pads.
-The sound might be the mp3's, have you tried apples AAC format with 5.1 sound?
-Connectivity? You mean firewire isn't good enough?
nice link.
1. Point taken on the buttons, however many users have had problems with the buttons getting bumped in their pockets.
2. The sound of a LAME mp3 played on two mp3 players back to back?
3. Most mp3 players come with USB 2.0 and 1394. ;)
1. I own a 10gb 3rd gen. iPod. I have carried it many places, never having trouble with bumping, although mine is carried in a rubberized skin. Bumping, I can see that. Yet you can "bump" mechanical buttons too. That's why there's a "hold" button.Quote:
Originally posted by CrawlingEye
1. Point taken on the buttons, however many users have had problems with the buttons getting bumped in their pockets.
2. The sound of a LAME mp3 played on two mp3 players back to back?
3. Most mp3 players come with USB 2.0 and 1394. ;)
2. If you're looking for audiophile sound quality, why are you listening to mp3's? If you want to listen to high-quality mp3's, encode them at a higher bitrate. I understand that LAME has a higher quality sound than AAC--but I'm a Windows user, so I only deal with mp3 formats (for now :D).
3. Many new ones do. You will not find many old players that have high speed connections though, unlike the iPod which has used 1394 since the beginning.
What mp3 player has the design and interface the iPod has? Which has clean, more configurable sound with 23 EQ settings? It has smooth syncing with Windows PC's and Mac's, optional remote and cradle; contact list; games; firewire and USB 2.0 connectivity; and can also function as an external hard drive. Plus the size and weight of the iPod is unparalleled. Plus, it just plain looks cool. Everything is backlit when needed in red's and blues, and you can't deny that being touch-sensitive is a prodigy among mp3 players.
Most mp3 players are playing catch up to the iPod. You will be hard pressed to find an mp3 player with the same features.
Quote:
Originally posted by tarentinos
1. I own a 10gb 3rd gen. iPod. I have carried it many places, never having trouble with bumping, although mine is carried in a rubberized skin. Bumping, I can see that. Yet you can "bump" mechanical buttons too. That's why there's a "hold" button.
Many people don't use carrying cases. Also, the Zen has recessed buttons with a 'tighter' feel to prevent accidental volume adjustments and so forth.
Quote:
2. If you're looking for audiophile sound quality, why are you listening to mp3's? If you want to listen to high-quality mp3's, encode them at a higher bitrate. I understand that LAME has a higher quality sound than AAC--but I'm a Windows user, so I only deal with mp3 formats (for now :D).
Most people use 196 bitrates in LAME, which supposedly parallels CD's easily, without any noticable difference. This would be considered audiophile approved SQ with compression.
Quote:
3. Many new ones do. You will not find many old players that have high speed connections though, unlike the iPod which has used 1394 since the beginning.
NJB3 has had 1394 and USB 2.0 since the beginning. It's a bit large (about the size of a CD player) but has plenty of more options than most all mp3 players.
Quote:
What mp3 player has the design and interface the iPod has? Which has clean, more configurable sound with 23 EQ settings?
Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen and Zen NX for the design and interface. Both the Zen and Zen NX come with a 4 band user-adjustable equalizer, which offers more flexibility than 23 presets.
Quote:
It has smooth syncing with Windows PC's and Mac's, optional remote and cradle; contact list; games; firewire and USB 2.0 connectivity; and can also function as an external hard drive.
Obviously an Apple item would contain Mac support, that's a no-brainer. The optional remote and cradle come with most any high-quality mp3 player. The Zen series come standard with them. The remote is an optional item which can be purchased. Contact lists are great but unneccessary. It seems to me that Apple tried to compensate for the lacking sound with excessive nonsense features and games.
USB 2.0 and 1394 comes in most any 'current' mp3 player. As for external hard drive space, any hard drive player will come with this. Current two that come to mind being the Zen NX and Zen. Hell, the Zen's you can even manually replace the HDD's with and format them, to allow more space.
Quote:
Plus the size and weight of the iPod is unparalleled. Plus, it just plain looks cool. Everything is backlit when needed in red's and blues, and you can't deny that being touch-sensitive is a prodigy among mp3 players.
Again, Zen and Zen NX are backlight with LCD screens varying in sizes. The NX has a slightly larger screen area but comes in a green back-light LCD screen, while the regular Zen comes in a blue back-light LCD with a slightly smaller size.
The difference in weight with the NX vs the iPod is roughly 2oz. Considering the NX and Zen are made of aluminum, the weight difference is obvious.
Contrary, most are playing catch-up with the obesely large (and obesely featureful) NJB3.Quote:
Most mp3 players are playing catch up to the iPod. You will be hard pressed to find an mp3 player with the same features.
I too am looking for an MP3 player. I work out and run pretty much every day. I kinda went jogging during Isabel and killed my Nomad II :D Creative labs warranty eats large donkey scrotums and they conned me out of 20$ for a "testing" fee, took an entire month just to test it, then wanted me to pay more charges for repair.... Doesnt sound like any kind of warranty to me. F*****g B******s Thats how I feel about creative labs POS support. But anyways, I spent like 60$ to have that Nomad II delievered to my door and another 30$ to get a 128mb smartmedia card.
I need a solid state MP3 player, so no juke boxes nor CD player so IPod is out. I'd either break the HD or laser mechanism or it would just skip constantly. I know a hand full of people work out with IPods but I was pretty hard on my MP3 player.
I havent paid attention to this market in like 2 years so I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction. Money is a factor but Im sure if the player is quite popular I can find it for a good price on ebay. I would like it to have a smartmedia slot unless it has atleast 128mb of internal memory then I dont really care about expansions. Any suggestions? Thanks
Edit------------
The iFP-380T and iFP-390T look quite nice. Any one ever use these? Everyone has different opinions on its size... Anyone have a pic of it next to something which I can guage for size??
Checkout the Zen series, james. They're made of aluminum.
The problem with the old zen is that it is like a brick in your pocket. the ipod is nice and small. the new zen fixes this but also it makes you feel sek z to havve an ipod. I am saying that the ipod itslef is a symbol in society of coolness. basicly if you want the to impress your friends get the ipod, if you want to impress your ears with the best sounding mp3s (not that good) get the NJB
The iPod can also be doubled as a portable HD, so not only can you play your MP3's on there but you could also carry any files you want with you and take them to any computer and transfer them. And with iTunes coming out on Windowz in 7 days you can't go wrong. Smaller then a CD Case too.
I cannot use any juke boxes.... They are just a small HD inside. I will either kill the HD or it will just skip nonstop due to how I work out...
It's still bumpable though. The iPod is not as touch sensitive as you would expect, and it also has a much larger consumer base to draw criticism from. The Zen, on the other hand, has a much more acute following.Quote:
Originally posted by CrawlingEye
Many people don't use carrying cases. Also, the Zen has recessed buttons with a 'tighter' feel to prevent accidental volume adjustments and so forth.
So encode the mp3's with LAME... what's the big deal?Quote:
Most people use 196 bitrates in LAME, which supposedly parallels CD's easily, without any noticable difference. This would be considered audiophile approved SQ with compression.
That's why I didn't buy one. I wanted something portable. The NJB3 is good at what it does, but so is the iPod.Quote:
NJB3 has had 1394 and USB 2.0 since the beginning. It's a bit large (about the size of a CD player) but has plenty of more options than most all mp3 players.
To a degree, but I'm not sure if I would rather try to figure and adjust the EQ setting myself or just select the EQ for the type of music I'm listening to.Quote:
Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen and Zen NX for the design and interface. Both the Zen and Zen NX come with a 4 band user-adjustable equalizer, which offers more flexibility than 23 presets.
I could say that the Zen comes standard with remote and cradle to make up for it's less than stellar size and weight, but that doesn't really get us anywhere. Personally, I like the contacts, games, and notes features. I even put the weather forecast on mine.Quote:
Obviously an Apple item would contain Mac support, that's a no-brainer. The optional remote and cradle come with most any high-quality mp3 player. The Zen series come standard with them. The remote is an optional item which can be purchased. Contact lists are great but unneccessary. It seems to me that Apple tried to compensate for the lacking sound with excessive nonsense features and games.
True, if it's got a hard drive, you can format. I wouldn't say that it's quite as integrated on other mp3 players though.Quote:
USB 2.0 and 1394 comes in most any 'current' mp3 player. As for external hard drive space, any hard drive player will come with this. Current two that come to mind being the Zen NX and Zen. Hell, the Zen's you can even manually replace the HDD's with and format them, to allow more space.
To add, the buttons on the iPod are backlit as well.Quote:
Again, Zen and Zen NX are backlight with LCD screens varying in sizes. The NX has a slightly larger screen area but comes in a green back-light LCD screen, while the regular Zen comes in a blue back-light LCD with a slightly smaller size.
Making the iPod a more portable option.Quote:
The difference in weight with the NX vs the iPod is roughly 2oz. Considering the NX and Zen are made of aluminum, the weight difference is obvious.
The NJB3 is good at what it does, as is the iPod. My point is, there are many alternatives, but only one iPod. Get what works for you.Quote:
Contrary, most are playing catch-up with the obesely large (and obesely featureful) NJB3.
(Can't forget iTunes for Windows soon-to-be integration also ;).)
Does anyone have any MP3 solid state player recommendations other than the Irivers??
Checkout the new muvo. It's a 1.5gig mp3 player. I don't believe it uses a HDD either.Quote:
Originally posted by jamesavery22
Does anyone have any MP3 solid state player recommendations other than the Irivers??
Very tiny, as well.
Read a few reviews but found this was the overall opinion on it:Quote:
Originally posted by CrawlingEye
Checkout the new muvo. It's a 1.5gig mp3 player. I don't believe it uses a HDD either.
Very tiny, as well.
=\ Im not gonna go back to Creative in that case.Quote:
Obviously, if you have really good ears and are simply in the market for a plain MP3 player then you would want something superior - the Nomad II if you wanted to stay with Creative. Most potential owners, however, would be looking at the MuVo for the straight USB storage as well as music.
What kind of excerise do you do that you can't use hd players? Running, mountain climbing, biking... not gonna skip it. Maybe if you jump off of mountains and roll down them for a half hour straight you'd get some constant skips. You might wanna check out the sony ones though with their memory stick things, more expensive than you want to spend but you have a pretty set idea on what you want might have to change your budget.
Ooooooh trust me Ive killed an Ipod by just running :D Prolly why I have bad knees but hey Im a big guy. Anyways yeah the IPod didnt skip "constantly" but it was pretty close... Before my run was over it stopped recognizing the drive.Quote:
Originally posted by DAoC
What kind of excerise do you do that you can't use hd players? Running, mountain climbing, biking... not gonna skip it. Maybe if you jump off of mountains and roll down them for a half hour straight you'd get some constant skips. You might wanna check out the sony ones though with their memory stick things, more expensive than you want to spend but you have a pretty set idea on what you want might have to change your budget.
As for the memory stick players, just like to muvo, you sacrafice SQ for size... Not really acceptable to me. Not to mention the nomad II was tiny to me, as I said, Im a big guy.... So the micro memory stick players are really a waste to me.
Ok well your not going to find what your looking for, for 150 dollar budget. Multiply that by like 5 and you might be more in range for a very high end solid state mp3 player with high sq.