I know nothing about MP3 players or internet MP3 providers, but I'm getting a player this Christmas and I need info on the easiest way to get going. I have a computer at home and at work, so access is no problem. What I need is info, pricing, and specs on players that store about 8-16 hours of music, and info on which providers have the widest range of music, preferably jazz from the late 50s to about the late 60s and rock from the early 60s to about the late 80s. If there's anything else out there, I can probably find it myself. Thanks in advance for any assistance provided.
I recently purchased the IAudio U2, which is a 1GB flash player. 250 tunes = 10+ hours of music. It's very small, about the height of the box I am typing in, and the width of 10 characters. I am very happy with the overall quality. The only downside, and it is a real consideration, is that IAudio has a software package that comes with the player that requires some finesse. Once you master it, no problem, but it's tricky at first. I have a very large collection of music, around 2500 CDs, of all musical genres, so downloading hasn't been a priority. You might look into the Samsung YEPP series, which cost about the same as the IAudio ( $150 USD ). http://reviews.cnet.com/Cowon_iAudio_U2_1GB/4505-6490_7-31129769.html?tag=pop Having had some dissatisfaction with earbuds that come with players, I bought some 35 buck Sony buds, and I compared them with those a buddy bought for his iPod. The Sonys sounded as good, to me, and they were 1/4 the price. http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_MDR_EX71SL_WK_white/4505-6468_7-31080073.html?tag=pdtl-list
http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat74200050025&type=category if you are trying to find some MP3 players
If you have a budget of about $150 I suggest the one below: Archos Gmini XS 100 * 3 GB (up to 50 hours of music or 1500 songs) * supports MP3, WMA and WAV files * rename, delete, move files, create folders/playlists right on the player * 1.5 inch grayscale lcd * up to 14 hours battery life * 3.6" x 1.7" x 0.5" dimensions (not much bigger than an ipod nano) * 100 free mp3's with eMusic trial subscription * compatible with most online music services http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16855501125
If you need a program to download music, download Ares: www.aresgalaxy.org It's easy to use, and there is no adware/spyware.
Well, I've been on ebay and th ipods I see are above my price limit except the Shuffle, and that one appears to lack some important features, like a screen (so I can see where I'm categorizing my tunes- I want to group them). Does this mean I should raise my limit a bit (duh)? Excuse my ignorance, but does the ipod require an Apple computer or Mac software? I have a PC. Am I limited to itunes for my downloading? Here's what I must have: The ability to categorize my tunes A screen so I can see what I'm doing About 500-1000 tune capability (at around 4:00/song) The ability to use normal headphones instead of buds The ability to interface with more than one computer (I'll be using this both at home and at work if I can) Here's what I'd like as well: An eq of some sort, even if it's just presets ("Rock"/"Jazz"/"Deep Bass"/"Classic", etc.) The ability to play it thru my car stereo I won't go over $160.00, and I'd like to stay around the $120.00 range. Are there any gems or lemons in this range? Thanks again to all who are offering help. I'll give rep as I'm able.
I swear you must have their stock or be related to someone who works there. The new 30g ipod is .43 inches thick. The nano is .27. Thread starter: It seems ipods are out of your price range. In that case, I'd spend as little as possible. I have never known someone who had an ipod and switched to another mp3 player, but I know several who have switched to ipods from others. Oh, Itunes works with windows, and you can use one ipod with more than one computer as long as you don't have autosync turned on. Also, you can buy songs from itms and burn them to a cd and reimport them as other types of files if you get a player that doesn't support aac files. It's effort, to be sure, but it let's you take advantage of the "store".
I wouldn't buy their stock if someone held a gun to my head. Not because I don't like their products (I love them) but because they lack creativity in marketing or are just too afraid to compete. The dimensions are the same except maybe the thickness which is just right for me. We are talking about half an inch of thickness. Besides, the nano 2gb costs $50+ more and holds 33% less songs. Also, songs bought from the itunes won't play on any other players (I hate the practice). So you're stuck with an ipod or have to sacrifice the songs if you want to go with another player later.
My brother is getting one of these for Christmas. They are the best on the market, and they are oh so stylish.
I may be blowing smoke, but I have heard that the iPod sound quality is only average, compared to some other players. Is that generally agreed-upon, among mp3 aficionados?
Apple lovers will never admit that but I've compared the two (iPod and Archos AV120) and the difference is huge, especially on some good headphones. To be fair, most of them probably have not tried any other players. So they think it is as good as it gets. The sound quality of Archos is almost as good as the $80 Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS card I have on my pc. The maximum treble is not as sharp as the max on Audigy 2 but I hardly use the max on my pc anyway so I don't notice much difference. I don't know how bad the ipod sound quality is compared to others players though.
I'm also in the market for an MP3 player (for the wife). I want at least 1gb and it has to be small. I was looking at the Creative Zen nano plus. It looks good with plenty of features for a fairly low price (about 110-130). I like the FM tuner and record functions. It is said to show up as a removable drive so she could easily use it to move data. I have Windows XP and wanted to avoid the apple products. Anyone know about it?
Difference is huge? How so? I've tried to find definitive reviews of differences in quality and while I would be very willing to believe the iPod isn't the best - but are there any good side by side comparisons or reviews of iPod quality vs. other players?
You are insufferable. You assert your position and claim that anyone who disagrees with you must be an Apple lover. My ipod sounds good. I have a lot of high quality mps and I have used - gasp - another player. It is not an audiophile device. I even hook mine up to my stereo and to my outdoor system, and, although I am sure you will claim I am wrong, it sounds good. It is hardly surprising that you claim what you do given your history of posts in which you play out some goddam pariah/messiah complex steering away the you-called stupid from buying ipods DEPSITE nearly everyone who has an ipod advocating them. You're such a non-conformist.
They might sound ok to most people because I don't think many of them have tried any other player. With itune's policy of not supporting other players I expect people to be 'happy' with ipod for the rest of their lives. Many people are also happy with onboard sound on their PC or a standard TV with 4:3 aspect ratio. http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7595-0.html?forumID=71&threadID=103650&messageID=1187409 I've come across quite a few but don't have the time to dig them up.
Some links for those looking to buy an mp3 player: iPod Killers for Christmas 2005 Part I iPod Killers for Christmas 2005 Part II iPod Killers for Christmas 2005 Part III
Could you be any more precious? 1. Some people who have iPods have had other players. You're just an idiot for claiming otherwise. 2. Over half of my library is in mp3 format. So I can, gasp, use other programs. 3. You don't know sh!t about what I am happy with. 4. Finding complaints on the internet is like finding an idiot on bigsoccer. It's easy. And it's meaningless.
I have a Creative Labs NuVo (or sumpin' like that). Pretty low capacity...like 256mb. But it's able to save around 10 or so CD's worth of songs if you pick the option on the included software to "compress" as much music as you can into it. The sound is decent...the earbuds it came with are pretty cheap. I suppose a more decent pair would work. It's extremely light. Mine runs off a single AAA battery and it goes through it pretty quick. I just use my MP3 player at the gym and on road rides and runs so I don't need it to be audiophile quality. The controls are very small and you have to squint at the screen. The FM reception on mine is pretty decent too.
This is a very good feature to have. I wish more mp3 players had the option to run on AAA batteries whenever it's not possible to charge the internal one.
Thanks for the review. I think the version I'm looking at is just an updated (and renamed) version of yours. I had heard the complaint about the earbuds but with quality replacements being so cheap that won't put me off. The battery time I've seen everywhere is about 18 hours per AAA. Does that sound right to you?