MP3 Player

[randomint]

hello guys i need your advice once again. i'm condering getting an mp3 player. i am not too inclined towards an ipod because you can only download songs through iTunes right?

What are some of the good ones out right now. i have a small budget of about $180. I don't need more than like 5GB of storage or not even that much. Also i don't want to put in batteries all the time so a li-ion rechargeable battery would be great.

thanks a ton guys!

i should also add that I would prefer if the sound quality is very good like some of the iriver players.

 

[Lonyo]

Creative Zen Micro 8GB? Not sure of US prices, but it should be within budget.

 

[Aisengard]

I like the Cowon iAudio line. They let you have a file system instead of the 'syncing' BS that Apple lives by, and they can play multiple audio types, like OGG and FLAC.

Though the upcoming Zune looks to be cheaper and significantly more capable than what they have to offer. Personally, if I didn't already have an iAudio, I'd wait for that.

 

[KeithTalent]

I have heard great things about the Sandisk ones:

Amazon.com

Edit: good price plus they are expandable

 

[lobbyone]

Originally posted by: randomint
because you can only download songs through iTunes right?

not really, you can upload your existing mp3s into the ipod, its just a headache to get itunes to work properly.
I personally own a Sansa E250, and love it. Its not as thin as the nano is, but i can play videos and listen to radio, and another cool feature is i can add additional memory if need be by plugging a microSD card in there.

 

[Ensign]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Creative Zen Micro 8GB? Not sure of US prices, but it should be within budget.

I've got the Zen Micro Photo 8GB. I've got a problem with it where it doesn't remember where it left off in a playlist after more than about two hours. This is VERY annoying. Creative is saying it's a problem and I can pay $25 to have them check it out. Amazon will let me return it for 80% of purchase price. I think I'll be returning it.

How do most other players handle resuming play from a playlist after powering off? I'd love to hear from a Sandisk E200 series owner.

 

[lobbyone]

Originally posted by: Ensign

How do most other players handle resuming play from a playlist after powering off? I'd love to hear from a Sandisk E200 series owner.

hmm, during a song, as I turn off my Sadisk Sansa E250, and turn it back on, it goes to the last song played at the exact track time left off. Tried this couple times to make sure, and surely enough it was the exact song after turning it back on again.

 

[Operandi]

I have 4GB a Nano. None of the songs I listen to are downloaded from iTunes.

I do use iTunes to transfer my MP3s but there are other software solutions also.

I'm far from an Apple fanatic but they still have the best hardware in my opinion, especially in the Nano's class.

 

[randomint]

Originally posted by: Operandi
I have 4GB a Nano. None of the songs I listen to are downloaded from iTunes.

I do use iTunes to transfer my MP3s but there are other software solutions also.

I'm far from an Apple fanatic but they still have the best hardware in my opinion, especially in the Nano's class.

i see. well there must be a reason why the ipod has so much appeal. I mean Apple must be doing something right!

Well let me ask you, if you want to store a file or a folder onto the Nano, can you just drag and drop? and how is the sound quality?

 

[Ensign]

Originally posted by: lobbyone

Originally posted by: Ensign

How do most other players handle resuming play from a playlist after powering off? I'd love to hear from a Sandisk E200 series owner.

hmm, during a song, as I turn off my Sadisk Sansa E250, and turn it back on, it goes to the last song played at the exact track time left off. Tried this couple times to make sure, and surely enough it was the exact song after turning it back on again.

Thanks for the reply.

How about if you wait, say 8 or 9 hours? My problem with my Zen Micro Photo is I have a huge playlist of a bunch of songs and it's annoying to walk out to the car after work and have it start back at the beginning of the playlist rather than where it left off.

Can you load multiple playlists into your E250? I'm also wondering how it handles being plugged into a USB port on something like a FM transmitter in the car. The Zen Micro Photo looks like it's charging, but it doesn't actually charge.

 

[lobbyone]

Originally posted by: Ensign

Originally posted by: lobbyone

Originally posted by: Ensign

How do most other players handle resuming play from a playlist after powering off? I'd love to hear from a Sandisk E200 series owner.

hmm, during a song, as I turn off my Sadisk Sansa E250, and turn it back on, it goes to the last song played at the exact track time left off. Tried this couple times to make sure, and surely enough it was the exact song after turning it back on again.

Thanks for the reply.

How about if you wait, say 8 or 9 hours? My problem with my Zen Micro Photo is I have a huge playlist of a bunch of songs and it's annoying to walk out to the car after work and have it start back at the beginning of the playlist rather than where it left off.

Can you load multiple playlists into your E250? I'm also wondering how it handles being plugged into a USB port on something like a FM transmitter in the car. The Zen Micro Photo looks like it's charging, but it doesn't actually charge.

the interface of the E250 is very similar to a nano, you can have as many playlists in it as you want, i only have a few my self, and charging time for me is around 2-3 hours and can play nonstop from 6am which is when i start work, till 9pm, which is by the time i go home from school, pretty crazy i know, its not like i keep the earpiece on all the time but i let it run to see how long will the battery last.

 

[Ensign]

Originally posted by: lobbyone
the interface of the E250 is very similar to a nano, you can have as many playlists in it as you want, i only have a few my self, and charging time for me is around 2-3 hours and can play nonstop from 6am which is when i start work, till 9pm, which is by the time i go home from school, pretty crazy i know, its not like i keep the earpiece on all the time but i let it run to see how long will the battery last.

How about if you're playing one of those playlists, turn the player off for like 8 hours and then turn the player back on? Does the E250 remember where it was playing in that playlist?

 

[Slammy1]

The e260 does, but you get resets when recharging (20 hr battery lifetime). The e260 has some weird random function. It always starts with the first title (alphabetically), and seems to hit the same songs a lot. I've turned it off for an hour and had it play back the last few song I'd heard in a row.

 

[randym431]

Three words (and I've tried them all)

iRiver, iRiver, iRiver

model T10
512 memory
battery lasts forever!
powerful amp, no cutouts
plays all mp3 bitrate
$99 (or less)
resume from power off