mp3 Player

[TimmyBoston]

I'm getting my dad an mp3 player for Christmas. I had wanted to get him a Sandisk Sansa and equip it with Rockbox, but prices have gone up quite a lot since I bought mine.

A basic player is all I need, I would prefer something that also takes an sd card. I also want one I can load with Rockbox. Ipods are great, but they are just too expensive.

What do you guys recommend?

 

[sol92258]

I still recommend the Sansa

 

[jkchuma]

I still recommend the iPod. IMO it's worth the money. The nano even has an FM tuner and a video camera now.

 

[TravelingMan82]

I still recommend the iPod. IMO it's worth the money. The nano even has an FM tuner and a video camera now.

+1

iPod's rock.

 

[razorrookie]

I have a sansa that I've really enjoyed. No experience with rockbox, but I've heard good things.

 

[moonshine44]

Another vote here for the Sansa. I've had mine for almost two years, and no trouble at all...

 

[ouch]

I just bought my daughter an iPod nano, so the rope burns around my neck should start healing soon. I don't know a thing about it, other than my kid is now the world's leading authority on it after two days. I'd ask her, but she hasn't put it down long enough to talk to her.

I would think that all of them would be pretty good at this point compared to the walkman/albatross I used to wear around my neck.

 

[KarthVader]

If you're looking for a basic player, a non-iPod would probably get the job done. But if your Dad is willing to learn how to load movies and music on a SD card, you may want to consider an iPod. They are expensive, but (knock on wood) I still have a fifth generation video iPod that works as well as the day I bought it.

I would go to Best Buy and try different players out. Also, if you are a member of Costco or Sam's Club, I would buy it there. Their return policies are the best.

Edit: I meant to say that if your Dad was willing to learn the ins and outs of SD cards, an iPod isn't anymore complicated. Also, don't buy from Best Buy; check online and discount sources first.

 

[SmoovD]

Cowon makes great mp3 players but they are pricey. My wife has Sansa and likes it. My son's Sansa bricked. I tried a Meiszu and it bricked but the replacement is working well.

For a cheap, small player you might want to checkout Philips Go Gear player. I have seen 8gb players for ~ $65. They are not fancy but they are reliable.

 

[ouch]

Can anyone recommend a good pair of headphones for them?

 

[jkchuma]

These look good. Sennheiser makes good products.

 

[sparkchaser]

iPod but only because of the exhaustive aftermarket support.

 

[Biffo]

iPod's all the way, I have 3, a 2nd Gen Nano, a 3rd Gen Nano and an iTouch, they are all just superb and worth the extra money for the quality and the add-ons available. Having said that bin the bundled earphones they really aren't that good and get some "cheap" Sennheisers like the CX300's and be amazed

 

[ironbrewer]

I hate Ipods. I had 2 that failed right after the 1 year warrantee. Brought them to the apple store and they just said you should have bought the 100 a year extended warrantee. I would recommend the Sansa Fusion. They are great and I believe you can rockbox them.

check out this forum

http://anythingbutipod.com/

 

[cybrok]

I still recommend the Sansa

They don't live long.

The volume wheel doesn't work anymore on mine, and the software crashed last week. I have to format it, right in my exam week.

I won't get another Sansa when mine will officially be dead.

 

[SiBurning]

My rig:
HiFiMan: http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=72
Portaphile V2^2: http://www.portaphile.com/ordering.html
Etymotic ER4S

No rockbox, and expensive, but they sound awesome.

 

[faster_than_u]

I had a sansa it froze and i cant use it except for the radio. It wont load music anymore. I would not but another one. I got an open box ipod nano for $50 working great

 

[ironbrewer]

My rig:
HiFiMan: http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=72
Portaphile V2^2: http://www.portaphile.com/ordering.html
Etymotic ER4S

No rockbox, and expensive, but they sound awesome.

Nice set up.

 

[mr_economy]

I hate Ipods. I had 2 that failed right after the 1 year warrantee. Brought them to the apple store and they just said you should have bought the 100 a year extended warrantee. I would recommend the Sansa Fusion. They are great and I believe you can rockbox them.

check out this forum

http://anythingbutipod.com/

Most of the iPod failure problems were/are probably with the models using hard drives. The Nano, Shuffle, and Touch models all feature flash storage, which is much less prone to failure. Also, the Applecare Protection Plan (aka 2-year warranty extension) for an iPod Nano is only $40. You can even wait until the day before the standard 1-year warranty is about to expire to purchase Applecare. To me that's a pretty good value.

 

[dpm802]

I have a Zune 120 ... I chose this for two reasons:

1) I like Microsoft hardware. Even though their OS and Apps are mediocre at best, when Microsoft puts their name on tangible gear, its nothing but top-notch. I've had great luck with other products like MS keyboards, mice, joysticks, etc. I haven't found this Zune to be any different.

2) I didn't want to buy my songs a la carte for $1 a pop from the iTunes store. I'd much rather pay a flat-rate $15/month and be able to download anything and everything that I want. As such, I have over 800 albums, over 5,000 songs, and lots and lots of PodCasts. All for just $15 a month.

+1 to whoever recommended Sennheiser headphones. I upgraded to a pair of PX-200s earlier this year, and they deliver a much richer sound than any pair of earbuds I've ever tried. And they do a good job of sealing out ambient noise, too. And they're comfortable. This model is a $70 pair, I got it from Amazon for $45 shipped.