Suggestions for an MP3 player?

[stobes21]

I don't understand the complaints about the iPod being more expensive.

In every category the iPod is among the cheapest options. Within HDD models it is priced identically to the Zune and cheaper than any of the others, even cheaper than models with less capacity (the Archos players, for example, are way more expensive, they have a 30 gig HDD for $300, a 160 for $400, and a 250 for $450).

The 8 gig flash nano at $150 is priced identically to Sony, Creative, Sandisk, and iRiver players of the same capacity. Sandisk Sansa has an 8 gig player for $120, and iRiver has 2 8 gig models for $100. That's it for cheaper in that capacity. The 1 gig Shuffle at $50 is a bit more ($10-15) than some of the others, but certainly not exorbitantly so.

So what's the beef? Their pricing seems to be very competitive to me.

 

[stobes21]

The Zune also has 2,4,8, and 16 GB flash players...

The 8 gig Zune has an MSRP of $199, considerably more than the others I listed. Since we're talking about bang for buck, that rules out the Zune flash drive models.

 

[sol92258]

So what's the beef? Their pricing seems to be very competitive to me.

they've only dropped the prices once competitors started, otherwise they were way too expensive. and to be locked into itunes, and limited audio formats, you were paying a premium

things are leveling out a bit, which is why I gave it an honest consideration when I did, but it still left me wanting. all the other players have more features, more formats, better bang for the buck as you put it, with comparable/better quality.

don't worry, Ipod still has the snob appeal for those looking for it
we're a fairly edumacated bunch here, so comparing apples to, umm, everything else, makes sense, but to most people out there, they see your mp3 player, and say "nice ipod", you say "it's not an ipod", and they immediately think it's not a real player. Marketing genius for them, made me despise the device from the start.
I don't not like it now for that reason, it is a good device, and if you get one will probably enjoy it, but there are better options out there if your not looking for prestige of having the "in-style" device

 

[HankG]

I don't understand the complaints about the iPod being more expensive.

In every category the iPod is among the cheapest options. Within HDD models it is priced identically to the Zune and cheaper than any of the others, even cheaper than models with less capacity (the Archos players, for example, are way more expensive, they have a 30 gig HDD for $300, a 160 for $400, and a 250 for $450).

The 8 gig flash nano at $150 is priced identically to Sony, Creative, Sandisk, and iRiver players of the same capacity. Sandisk Sansa has an 8 gig player for $120, and iRiver has 2 8 gig models for $100. That's it for cheaper in that capacity. The 1 gig Shuffle at $50 is a bit more ($10-15) than some of the others, but certainly not exorbitantly so.

So what's the beef? Their pricing seems to be very competitive to me.

On, Ebay, the 8gb Nano is about $25 more than the 8gb Fuze, but the real difference is the microsd slot. For the cost of a Nano, you can get a Fuze and an 8gb sd card, doubling the capacity to 16gb or more with a higher capacity card. This allow allows more storage space at the cost of a new card rather than needing to buy a new player.

 

[sol92258]

The 8 gig Zune has an MSRP of $199, considerably more than the others I listed. Since we're talking about bang for buck, that rules out the Zune flash drive models.

you must be getting prices from The Price Is Right, those prices are all over what I'd pay for anything

8 Gig Zune, $129 at Amazon, $140 at Wal-Mart

 

[sol92258]

On, Ebay, the 8gb Nano is about $25 more than the 8gb Fuze, but the real difference is the microsd slot. For the cost of a Nano, you can get a Fuze and an 8gb sd card, doubling the capacity to 16gb or more with a higher capacity card. This allow allows more storage space at the cost of a new card rather than needing to buy a new player.

there you go!
this guy here gets it!

 

[rabidpotatochip]

The fact that it'll be spending 95% of its time in your car is the only reason I'm suggesting this, why not build a car PC? You probably won't get it under the $300 mark but it can have all the features you're looking for and then some.

Otherwise, Meizu is a brand I've been having a lot of fun with. I have an M6SL and love it. It's only 8GB but that's enough for me.

 

[no_pants_cat]

Yeh - as I posted earlier, you can get a 2GB sandisk for $20, and a 16gb SD card for $30.

That's 18GB for $50, way way under the "8 gig flash nano at $150 ".


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edit: that car PC idea is pretty neat. Me and a friend tinkered around with that idea when the first really small form-factor motherboards started coming out. It's VERY do-able and you can do some really cool stuff with them.

 

[Corey]

I'll give Apple one thing: their customer service (for me at least) has been excellent. They're very kind, courteous, and worked quickly towards a solution on the few times I had to call them. Problem is, I had to call because iPod 1 died after a month and a half, iPod 2 died two months later, and iPod three, though two years older, has gone schizo and will probably die soon. This time, it's out of warranty and there won't be a free replacement, so I picked up a refurbed Zune and, as previously stated, it's been excellent so far. I like the UI better, it feels more solidly built, and I find the Zune software to be more stable and user friendly than iTunes.

 

[rabidpotatochip]

Yeh - as I posted earlier, you can get a 2GB sandisk for $20, and a 16gb SD card for $30.

That's 18GB for $50, way way under the "8 gig flash nano at $150 ".


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edit: that car PC idea is pretty neat. Me and a friend tinkered around with that idea when the first really small form-factor motherboards started coming out. It's VERY do-able and you can do some really cool stuff with them.

I just caught your edit when I hit reply... I was just about to say the Sandisk idea was really neat.

It's still my dream to put one together myself... I went so far as to learn the electrical system of my vehicle (tried anyway) buuut it's a work vehicle so I'm not allowed to install one. Now the research is focused on making it portable without too many cords. I figure I can power it off the cig lighter and then I'll just need an FM transmitter or a tape deck adapter.

 

[sol92258]

The fact that it'll be spending 95% of its time in your car is the only reason I'm suggesting this, why not build a car PC? You probably won't get it under the $300 mark but it can have all the features you're looking for and then some....

I toyed with that idea a loooooooong time, but then decided the mp3 player route was cheaper, more durable, and more versatile..........but even then I'm still planning to do that someday

 

[sol92258]

Yeh - as I posted earlier, you can get a 2GB sandisk for $20, and a 16gb SD card for $30.

That's 18GB for $50, way way under the "8 gig flash nano at $150 ".
...

when you get in the 4GB and up SD cards, they're going to be SDHC, so make sure the player you get is SDHC compatible, like the Fuze (can't remember if the View is or not, I think so, but it's been awhile since I checked)

I think there were some 4GB standard SD cards, but they had issues I believe, I'm pretty sure anything 4GB and up in micro will be SDHC

 

[stobes21]

they've only dropped the prices once competitors started, otherwise they were way too expensive. and to be locked into itunes, and limited audio formats, you were paying a premium...

So they used to be more expensive?

As for being locked into iTunes, yeah. I like iTunes, so that isn't a problem for me. The format thing...meh. You can't play WMVs, and you need a converter for FLAC and ogg files. But you still have mp3, aiff, wav, aac, and apple lossless. Seems like you aren't missing too much.

...don't worry, Ipod still has the snob appeal for those looking for it ...

Heh, the only snobbishness I've seen in this thread are people who reject the iPod because it's too popular. It's hard to be snobby about a music player that is so common.

 

[HankG]

The car pc is a pretty awesome idea. I might do it if not for the fact that I'm not confident a HDD could survive in a vehicle for very long. The Meizu player looked cool, but as I really want at least 20 gb of space, I think I'll have to go with a player that has a microsd slot.

Still trying to decide if a Sansa Fuze or a Creative Zen would be better. The Fuze player itself seems to have better reviews, especially here on B&B, but the 16gb internal memory on the Zen allows for greater storage capacity with current sd cards.

 

[rabidpotatochip]

The car pc is a pretty awesome idea. I might do it if not for the fact that I'm not confident a HDD could survive in a vehicle for very long. The Meizu player looked cool, but as I really want at least 20 gb of space, I think I'll have to go with a player that has a microsd slot.

Still trying to decide if a Sansa Fuze or a Creative Zen would be better. The Fuze player itself seems to have better reviews, especially here on B&B, but the 16gb internal memory on the Zen allows for greater storage capacity with current sd cards.

Yeah, supposedly a standard 3.5" hard drive would die within 6-12 months. What I was thinking was either a milspec SSD or just an SD card or two.

For what it's worth, I think a player with a slot gives you the best options too. If you buy two cards you can load them up and swap them out if you get bored with one or the other.

 

[stobes21]

you must be getting prices from The Price Is Right, those prices are all over what I'd pay for anything

8 Gig Zune, $129 at Amazon, $140 at Wal-Mart

I was going on MSRP. If we're talking amazon, then the 8 gig zune is $129, and the 8 gig nano is $134. Again, the pricing is at least competitive.

 

[no_pants_cat]

Yeah, supposedly a standard 3.5" hard drive would die within 6-12 months. What I was thinking was either a milspec SSD or just an SD card or two.

For what it's worth, I think a player with a slot gives you the best options too. If you buy two cards you can load them up and swap them out if you get bored with one or the other.

Definitely would need solid-state storage.

Our plans were to use a power converter running off the cig lighter. Low-wattage psup in the PC itself, as well as a micro form factor mobo (microBTX, etc.) with built-in video and at least 4-channel audio.
Wire the audio directly to a car stereo with input capability (lazy way) or re-wire the audio directly to the PC (to get fancy).
Run a small touchscreen LCD up to the dash for control.
Load XP MCE as your OS.
Whambam - you've got a car PC to put others to shame.

 

[mretzloff]

I don't understand the complaints about the iPod being more expensive.

In every category the iPod is among the cheapest options. Within HDD models it is priced identically to the Zune and cheaper than any of the others, even cheaper than models with less capacity (the Archos players, for example, are way more expensive, they have a 30 gig HDD for $300, a 160 for $400, and a 250 for $450).

The 8 gig flash nano at $150 is priced identically to Sony, Creative, Sandisk, and iRiver players of the same capacity. Sandisk Sansa has an 8 gig player for $120, and iRiver has 2 8 gig models for $100. That's it for cheaper in that capacity. The 1 gig Shuffle at $50 is a bit more ($10-15) than some of the others, but certainly not exorbitantly so.

So what's the beef? Their pricing seems to be very competitive to me.

These players that are more than the iPod also have more features. You need to look at more than size and price. Also, Apple doesn't even sell a 30 GB iPod anymore.

iPods are overpriced.

 

[rabidpotatochip]

These players that are more than the iPod also have more features. You need to look at more than size and price. Also, Apple doesn't even sell a 30 GB iPod anymore.

iPods are overpriced.

I don't usually defend iPods but more features doesn't always mean better. If an iPod is good enough for a person and that's what they want, I say they should buy it. If they want something else they should buy that instead.

 

[Fnord5]

I don't usually defend iPods but more features doesn't always mean better. If an iPod is good enough for a person and that's what they want, I say they should buy it. If they want something else they should buy that instead.

Of course, YMMV.