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Suggestions for an MP3 player?

I'm hoping that, since there is a very diverse crowd here, I can get some good opinions on this.

My parameters:

-No Archos players (the one I am replacing is an Archos and has convinced me I never want another).
-Image and popularity has no meaning to me. I'm looking for the best compromise of quality and price, not a fashion statement.
-It should be around the 30-50 gig range.
-Will spend 95% of its time in my vehicle as a replacement for cds. This means it has to be reasonably tough to stand up to being banged around and somewhat high temperatures (although, I live in a temperate zone so it's never really all that hot, even in a vehicle).
-Large, easily accessible buttons would be nice so I can hit next track without taking my eyes off the road, but I can always just wait for a stop if necessary.
-Doesn't need to play video. Might be better if it doesn't if that would save money.
-Shouldn't really have any extra bells and whistles. I need a device for storing and playing music, everything else just adds to the cost.
-I'd like to not spend more than $150 for this, preferably less since what I want is pretty stripped down and basic.

I know this is a pretty specific list, but I'm hoping you guys can give me some suggestions to guide my research.

Thanks for any help. :)
 
The 30-50 gig range is kind of a no mans land right now. Hard drive based players are all at least double that, usually far more. Flash drive players are just starting to get into that range (iPod touch is up to 32 gigs for example), but those are still very expensive.

Looking through the consumer reports ratings (PM me if you want more details) there doesn't seem to be anything that fits your bill. Everything is either too expensive or doesn't have the capacity you want.

The cheapest you can get a minimum of 30 gigs is an iPod classic or MS Zune, both of which are 120 gigs for $250. The most memory you can get for $150 is an 8 gig flash based player, and there are 4 makers of those: Apple, Creative, Sansa, and Sony.

Your other option (and the one I would go with if I were in your position) would be to pick up a used iPod in the 60 or 80 gig range and replace the battery. You should be able to get the capacity you want and a brand new battery (the main problem with older iPods) well under your price cap.
 
If you go to the Apple store and look under refurbished ipods, You can find a 16gig nano for $149. If you are willing to spend a bit more, you can pick up a refurbished 120gig classic for $209. I am sure that you could find a used 40gig or 60gig classic on ebay for a reasonable price.
 
A referb'd Zune. I got a 30gig for less than 100 bucks and it's been stellar. I can't recommend iPods anymore. I've had my third one take a dump on me. They just don't seem to be built to last. eBay has a couple good BIN options that come with a ton of accessories for right around your budget.

Good luck!
 
I have an 8 gig Sansa and really enjoy it. It has a good screen, does music, pics, video, and FM radio and is considerably less than an Apple product. I have had it for over a year, put it through hell and absolutely no issues. It also supports micro SD cards up to 16 gig I believe. The model is the Fuse.
 
+1 for the Sansa. If you are using it for car mainly and don't care about video capability, the Sansa Clip is awesome (only up to 8 GB though, but has a Micro SD slot). Great little unit, good (if you're not a snob like me when it comes to audiophilia) sound quality, convenient size, great price, and feature packed. I will also refer you to THIS PLACE if you want to go down that rabbit hole...lots of good info and people are just as maniacal about their audio there as people are about their razors here...
 
Sansa View here, like it a lot. Mine is 8 gigs internal and it takes Micro SD cards.

I did have a Sansa E250 that had the headphone jack crap out on me after a year, so one thing you might consider for a vehice rig, no matter what you get, is getting a 3.5F to 3.5M adapter, and leaving it plugged in your player, so your player doesn't take the wear of the headphone jack going in and out all the time.
 
I did have a Sansa E250 that had the headphone jack crap out on me after a year, so one thing you might consider for a vehice rig, no matter what you get, is getting a 3.5F to 3.5M adapter, and leaving it plugged in your player, so your player doesn't take the wear of the headphone jack going in and out all the time.

Excellent advice...wear and tear on the jacks is the #1 killer of these little doodads. You'd be hard pressed to F them up by dropping them, as they have flash memory, but those little plugs are not meant to bear shock and awe.
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far, guys.

In researching the ones mentioned, I came across the difference between the large storage HDD MP3 players and the lower storage flash players. After reading about it, I have to wonder if the reason my Archos crapped out so fast was getting banged around during normal driving and the occasional off-road trip. Because of this, I think I'm going to have to go for a lower capacity flash player with a microsd slot for expansion.

Also, I kind of want to stay away from iPods. It was worth looking into them, but I can't shake the feeling that they are more expensive for the same quality because of their popularity, and that bugs me on more than one level.

In the flash player category, the two that stand out to me are the Sansa and the Zen. The Sansa is half the capacity of the Zen, but is also half the price. They both have microsd slots. An 8gb card is about $20, a 16gb $50. They both have very good reviews.

Does anyone have any experience with the Zen? Or is there another flash player with a microsd slot that would be worth considering?

And that's a really good tip, Topgumby. :001_smile
 
All I'll say is watch out for proprietary software required to load music onto whatever player you get. While some love it , I for one hate it.

I won't mention brand names that do this ( though I must admit I've had 3 of this brand )..... :tongue_sm

The other thing to look at is alternative software.

I have a Toshiba Gigbabeat X30 a really nice piece of hardware however the software was even worse than Apples !!!!

I've loaded Rockbox on it which makes it the best MP3 player I've had.

www.rockbox.org

( Actually rerading OP, Rockbox supports some of the Archos, if it's just the software that you're jack of, have a look at Rockbox. You might save some coin by not having to replace the hardware)

Cheers
 
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Even though I have owned three iPods in 5 years, I can understand the dislike for them. Sansa and Creative have generated some truly useful MP3 players (video, FM radio, recording AND music), but for some reason, I can't seem to be swayed into purchasing them. I'm not sure whether it's the aesthetics of the iPod, the five button interface, click wheel/touch surface or just being used to it.

I have used many MP3 players and other music player formats (Sony Mini-disc anyone?) and I guess iPods work for me. I started out with a 4th gen iPod (non-color), then a 5th gen (color, black) and now I currently own a 2nd gen iPod Nano and a 1st gen iPod Touch (gave it to my Dad for Father's Day). I also have a car set up and control all 4 gb via the receiver and a remote.

After saying this, I would go with what you like. Definitely shop around and make sure you don't have Buyer's Remorse. For me, the iPod is very sufficient. For others, it may not have everything they are looking for.

One thing is for certain: Thank the maker that we have such a variety of choices!

Good luck in your search!
 
Pretty solid advice here. I agree with the OP though if it is going to get banged around and subjected to less than gentle treatment I'd stay with a flash drive MP3 player. I actually have two MP3 players, one is a larger Hard Drive that I use in easier going situations and the other is a flash drive that I use for off-roading, running, cycling... etc. etc.
 
After a lot of research and a visceral distaste for proprietary software, I went with a Cowon D2. It's a nifty machine. Flash based with an expansion SD slot. SD cards are growing in capacity and shrinking in price all the time. It's not all that ideal for the car because its interface is a little small. Although, as I've become used to it, I can quickly and safely zip through my music folders at red lights, or FFWD to the next track/folder without looking.

As with all things YMMV. It has its weak points (playlist creation is a big one), but I think they're being addressed in firmware updates. In fact, I haven't looked at the forums in a few months, the playlist thing may have already been updated.

Basically it's a drag and drop drive with no special software and its sound quality is great. The display is amazing. It's a little small to watch videos on, but I have and they look really good. Battery power is INCREDIBLE. The manufacturer says 52 hours (I think), and it's very close to that. I've forgotten to power it off on a Friday after work and not driven my car again until Sunday morning and the thing's still going strong with juice left to spare.

Some info: http://iaudiophile.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=53
 
What happened to your archos to make you so upset?

Ive had a Creative zen micro, a Ipod, and an Archos 404 and ive never been happier than with the archos. perhaps you got a dud?
 
-It should be around the 30-50 gig range.
-Will spend 95% of its time in my vehicle as a replacement for cds. This means it has to be reasonably tough to stand up to being banged around and somewhat high temperatures (although, I live in a temperate zone so it's never really all that hot, even in a vehicle).
-Large, easily accessible buttons would be nice so I can hit next track without taking my eyes off the road, but I can always just wait for a stop if necessary.

It's out of your price range but I say iPod, no doubt about it. The iPod has the best and most comprehensive aftermarket support for car stereo integration. Depending on your head unit, you can use the CD controls to control the iPod.
 
You've left out a few critical pieces of information.

What is your source for music? Do you own hundreds of CDs that you want to rip and burn to the MP3? In that case, any brand will do.

Or do you want to subscribe to a flat-rate service where you can "rent" millions of songs for $15 a month? In that case, a Zune or Rhapsody compatible player will fit the bill.

If you do choose to download your songs from the internet, make sure you get a service that offers songs in a large bandwidth format. I get 192K from Zune, when I was on Rhapsody, the songs were only 128K ... there is a big difference in the sound quality.

And when you play it in your car, do you have an in-dash stereo with an AUX-IN jack? Any brand will work. If your car has an iPod specific interface, your choice is limited. A generic USB port (either on the front or the back of the stereo) will open up a larger pool for you to choose from.

Despite the fact you want something in the 30~50 gig range, I can assure you that there is no such thing as having too much storage. My Zune has 120 Gigs, and even though I've only used up about 25G so far, I'm glad that I opted for the largest size.
 
Why not use a Sansa Express?

I bought a brand-new Sansa off Amazon for $20. It has a lowly 2 GB of space, but here's the catch = it has a SD card slot. You can get a 16 GB SD card for about $30.

Soo... add it up and you can get a 18 GB solid-state MP3 player for $50. :001_smile People laugh at 18 GB nowadays, but that's still over 200 albums worth of music...

Personally, I love mine. It's tough, lightweight, 15 HOURS of playtime between charges, and it's about the size of a USB flash drive. Loading music is so simple on it I don't care that it's not huge.

Also (and this is BIG plus for me) it was so inexpensive I won't cry if I lose it or it breaks!
 
All I'll say is watch out for proprietary software required to load music onto whatever player you get. While some love it , I for one hate it.

I'm pretty sure the Zen and the Sansa both work as external hard drives so I can just drag and drop. That was one of the things I was looking for as I tried using Windows Media Player to load things on my current mp3 player and it was much more hassle than just transferring them directly.

After a lot of research and a visceral distaste for proprietary software, I went with a Cowon D2. It's a nifty machine. Flash based with an expansion SD slot. SD cards are growing in capacity and shrinking in price all the time. It's not all that ideal for the car because its interface is a little small. Although, as I've become used to it, I can quickly and safely zip through my music folders at red lights, or FFWD to the next track/folder without looking.

Looked at the Cowon D2 a bit just now. It looks like a great little machine, but is a bit above what I want to spend for the 16 gb version, especially since I want to purchase a microsd card as well.

What happened to your archos to make you so upset?

It's been slowly getting harder and harder to use. Sometimes it won't turn on at all, sometimes it randomly restarts, sometimes it just keeps restarting over and over, sometimes a screen comes up saying the disk is corrupted or something and needs to either be formatted or repaired or ignored, and yet every one of the options just returns you to the screen in an endless loop that can only be gotten out of by turning it off, waiting a while, and praying. I've tried reformatting and loading the latest firmware with no improvement. As I type this it's sitting on my desk stuck at the Archos screen making funny sounds. Now it's off and completely unresponsive to the power button. I do believe it's breathed its last. It's possible that a HDD mp3 player just wasn't the right choice for me, and it wasn't really the Archos' fault that it died, but I'd still prefer to try a different brand.

It's out of your price range but I say iPod, no doubt about it. The iPod has the best and most comprehensive aftermarket support for car stereo integration. Depending on your head unit, you can use the CD controls to control the iPod.

Unfortunately my head unit doesn't have any mp3 interfacing. It has an aux in port on the front but everything has to be controlled with the player.


You've left out a few critical pieces of information.

Music source is stuff I've downloaded on my computer. I won't be using any subscription services. My head unit has an aux in port only. You're right that more space is always better, but I think I'd just be wasting money if I bought another HDD player and killed it in a year.

Why not use a Sansa Express?

I want to end up with at least 24 gb of space. I had around 20 gigs of music on my Archos with more I wanted to add but didn't bother because of the problems I was having. However, were I to buy a player that'd be used for more than my truck, I'd probably do what you suggested.


I'm really leaning towards the Creative Zen 16gb right now, but I would like to get some first hand opinions before buying if anyone has any experience with one.
 
If you want style, get an iPod.

If you want the most bang for your buck, get a Sansa.

Just make sure you're getting an MP3 player with flash memory. Flash memory rarely fails.
 
The most memory you can get for $150 is an 8 gig flash based player, and there are 4 makers of those: Apple, Creative, Sansa, and Sony....
The Zune also has 2,4,8, and 16 GB flash players


It's out of your price range but I say iPod, no doubt about it. The iPod has the best and most comprehensive aftermarket support for car stereo integration. Depending on your head unit, you can use the CD controls to control the iPod.
meh, Ipoo...
I actually did give them an honest look when I got my Zune, still prefer the Zune faar over the Ipod
but, if accessories is your thing, go with the fashion statement....
BAAAAAAA!
:biggrin1:


I have an 8 gig Sansa and really enjoy it. It has a good screen, does music, pics, video, and FM radio and is considerably less than an Apple product. I have had it for over a year, put it through hell and absolutely no issues. It also supports micro SD cards up to 16 gig I believe. The model is the Fuse.
If I was currently looking, the Fuze is what I'd go with, here's why....
I have both an 8GB Sansa E280, and an 80GB Zune, love them both.
The only reason I added the Zune is for the capacity. The e280 has an expansion slot, but can only take up to 2GB.
The Fuze, however, can handle SDHC, which at the moment is at 32 GBs, I believe (may not be in the market yet, though). While more expensive now, will come down in price, thus making your capacity basically infinite. You could even make it easier on yourself and have different cards for different genres, moods, etc.

another option would be to check out some of the lesser known stuff over at mp4nation.net

also, check out anythingbutipod.com
 
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