So, is the iPOD still the top mp3 player?

[gizbug]

I have heard nothing but positive from the ipods. Although they are pricey, I am told they are still the best.
Any input out there from others who do or dont have an ipod and what their experiences have been?

 

[SneakyStuff]

iPODs are great, the CreAtive ZEN models are nice too, but the iPOD interface is a tad better. Good luck

 

[DannyNYC]

I'm on to my 2nd IPOD and you can't get any better in a HD based MP3 player. I've also had the Archos GMini 220, and it pales in comparision to the IPOD. The best thing about the IPOD is its simplicity and software. It has the most intuitive and easiest to use interface. There is a bit of sticker shock, but I can gurantee that once you get one, you won't want anything else. If you want more opinions on the IPOD, go to www.ipodlounge.com where they have lots of info and forums on the IPOD. Good luck!

 

[Kaido]

I stopped by the Apple store in a local mall a few weeks ago and played with the iPods. Those little monsters are incredible. If I listened to more music on the go, I'd get one. I'll probably buy a pink mini for my gf for Christmas.

If you're not so concerned with "coolness", you might want to check out this Creative Nomad - 60 gigs for just under $400. It's cheaper than the 40gb iPod by $110.

But iPods are so cool...

 

[Sideswiped]

As stated the creative Zen models are quite nice. Has anyone been able to demo a Zen Touch? it looks like a nice alternative to the Ipod(similar form factor etc) and the 24hr on one chrage is killer.

That said I would still have a hard time ditching my 2nd Gen Ipod

 

[CSMR]

Originally posted by: gizbug
I have heard nothing but positive from the ipods. Although they are pricey, I am told they are still the best.
Any input out there from others who do or dont have an ipod and what their experiences have been?

Depends on what you want it to be the best at. If it's sound quality only the ipod is thought to sound good, but the best sound quality according to some chaps on head-fi is the creative nomad jukebox 3. I have one of these; it's now discontinued but you can get it on ebay for under $150 now (20gb, accepts laptop HDs for future upgrades).
Be sure to check their forum.
http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=77243

 

[Phooey]

iPods are cool, but they aren't perfect.

See ipodsdirtysecret.com.

I'm still sporting around a 128MB Rio 500, but I'll probably upgrade to an iPod if/when it dies.

 

[Cawchy87]

if you need all that space, then yes it is worth it. otherwise the tiny 128 mb ones are great, 150-180 minutes of music. all i need

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Phooey
iPods are cool, but they aren't perfect.

See ipodsdirtysecret.com.

I'm still sporting around a 128MB Rio 500, but I'll probably upgrade to an iPod if/when it dies.

*grabs a 2x4 and swings*

For the last time: Apple has a battery replacement program if the worst does happen, and you can even get an extended warranty for less than that.

 

[Illissius]

Candidates:

- Apple iPod 20/40GB
- iRiver iHP-120/140
- Rio Karma 20GB

Pros/cons of each:

iPod:
+ Best UI
+ Most popular
+ Arguably looks the best
+ Supports AAC including DRM
- mediocre battery life (~6hrs)
- $100 more expensive than the other two

iHP-120:
+ Analog/digital in/out
+ FM tuner
+ voice recording
+ Looks better than the iPod if you prefer black to white, though not as good as a black iPod
+ works as USB mass storage (this is the biggest reason I'm getting one myself)
+ Comes with a fully functional remote, complete with LCD - everything you can do with the main unit, you can with the remote (and this is second)
+ Supports Ogg Vorbis and WMA sans DRM
+ Good battery life (~16hrs)
+ Better sound than the iPod (according to IGN Gear, anyways)
- No on the fly playlisting, though they're promising it in a firmware upgrade (this is the *sole* reason I would get a different player, otherwise it's nigh-perfect)

Karma:
+ Powerful on-the-fly playlisting
+ Ethernet connection
+ Supports Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, and WMA including DRM
+ Good battery life (~15hrs)
-+ Less flashy, but possibly more practical - it's thick rather than tall
- Reliability issues - the hard drive tends to die

I'll let you make your own evaluation. Useful resources while researching are misticriver.net for iRiver stuff, riovolution.com for Rio stuff, and the rest of the intarweb for iPod stuff.

 

[CaptnCarnage]

Sony has released a MP3 player that is iPod quality

 

[LuDaCriS66]

The one negative of the iPod is the battery life. If you can live with 5-6 hours of playtime on an iPod, then by all means go with an iPod.

 

[Cawchy87]

Originally posted by: CaptnCarnage
Sony has released a MP3 player that is iPod quality

It only plays sony compression files and not mp3's so you have to buy your music! (uh... not that i don't now)

 

[Illissius]

Sony has released a MP3 player that is iPod quality

I'd wait to see some actual reviews before claiming that. Plenty of companies have released "iPod quality" players, only it turned out afterwards that they weren't.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Phooey
iPods are cool, but they aren't perfect.

See ipodsdirtysecret.com.

I'm still sporting around a 128MB Rio 500, but I'll probably upgrade to an iPod if/when it dies.

LOLOL nice video.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

the Rio Karma has better all around sound quality,plus supports more formats, and its slightly smaller overall(slightly thicker but a smaller package).

i never heard anything about the hard drive dieing. its a Hitatchi 1.8" drive that IBM developed with its pixie dust tech or whatever prior to selling its hard drive division to Hitatchi. its the same drive used in the IHP-120 and 140 and its found in many small form factor laptops, esp IBMs.

edit: typos ahoy!

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

Originally posted by: Hardcore

Originally posted by: Phooey
iPods are cool, but they aren't perfect.

See ipodsdirtysecret.com.

I'm still sporting around a 128MB Rio 500, but I'll probably upgrade to an iPod if/when it dies.

LOLOL nice video.

THEY OFFER BATTERY REPLACEMENT. the person that made that site should take it down.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: AWhackWhiteBoy
the Rio Karma has better all around sound quality,plus supports more formats, and its slightly smaller overall(slightly thicker but a smaller package).

i never heard anything about the hard drive dieing. ...!

Read the user reviews on Amazon (ASIN: B0000AQIFZ) -- some people have had several die on them, and replacements can take awhile:

I'm now on my 4th Rio Karma. The prior three units all suffered the same fate- hard drive failures. Imagine the frustration of taking the time to load 11 gigs of music on the player and then try to turn it on one day and you get a face with a thermometer in its mouth frowning at you through the screen. I hate that little guy.

Customer service is good, but not great. They've replaced my player for the fourth time now- although it does take about 2 months each time. Also, I've gone a month without getting responses to my emails and I've gotten some conflicting information (Operator 1: We never received your old unit so we didn't send out a new unit. Operator 2: We sent your new unit to you last month, if you didn't get it, call the Post Office)

I'd love to have a player with native FLAC support, but right now it doesn't seem like a safe buy without at least a year extended warranty.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

sounds like he is either lieing or has extrodinary bad luck. he probably abuses the unit, goes running with it,etc. i find 4 failures hard to believe. the download.com reviews for the karma are extremely good.

your always going to have a few whiners among the silent satified users. i'd say is a solid buy reguardless.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: AWhackWhiteBoy
sounds like he is either lieing or has extrodinary bad luck. he probably abuses the unit, goes running with it,etc. i find 4 failures hard to believe. the download.com reviews for the karma are extremely good.

your always going to have a few whiners among the silent satified users. i'd say is a solid buy reguardless.

That was just one example of many in the Amazon reader reviews.

They may all be lying, or pounding their Karmas with rocks, or there mght actually be a problem.

For $300 and only a 90-day warranty it's worth being careful.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

$245 at newegg with free shipping

 

[Relayer]

If the Dell DJ didn't use that nasty Music Match, could it be considered? I have been mulling over getting another DMP to compliment my 2nd gen iPod. I just got a Muvo2 4GB for my "roommate" to use. She was tired of the Rio 500 and deciding which songs to take off and put on. I have been very impressed with the Muvo2. It is nice and small and sounds good. I'm not sure I can tell the differnce from it and my iPos as far as sound quality. I am trying to decide if I want a small light HHD based player like the iPod mini or Muvo2, or a bigger player with lots of HDD space. The 10GB iPod seems small now. I will probably eventually do both. I would like to see the 4th gen iPod. (I guess what I want and what's available are 2 different things) I like the iriver models optical in/out, large hard drive and battery life and the ethernet of the Karma and the tinyness of the Muvo2.

 

[mb]

I was looking at MP3 players and I came across the xclef hd-800.

It looks pretty nice and has great features, and is only $299 on ebay.

I am very tempted to get one, but I'm going to wait till the holiday season and see if anything gets released around then.

 

[Illissius]

An iRiver iHP-120 is $299 at Amazon. I doubt the Xclef has any advantages over it... in every review I've read it seemed to be basically a cheap as in inexpensive iRiver knockoff - it's not crap, but it's not on par with it, either. And if the price is the same, the cheap as in inexpensive part of it sort of becomes a nonissue.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

the iHP-120 is $290 at newegg with free shipping