Looking into getting a new MP3 player.

Rusty Ghia

Rusty Ghia

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I've had my faithful iRiver H120 for years and I loves it to pieces, but its 20-gig harddrive is starting to feel cramped. I'm looking into getting another digital audio player, but there are so many that I don't know where to begin. I looked at iRiver, but they don't seem to make harddrive based players anymore.

I'm looking for:
- 30-gigs minimum. No flash based stuff. I listen to music all day at work.
- Ability to play OGG Vorbis files. From my cursory searching, it appears that knocks the Zune, Creative, SanDisk, and iPod out of the running.
- The ability to just plug-and-play. I don't want to have to use some crappy software to get music files on/off the thing. Basically, I want it to show up as an external harddrive when I connect it to my PC.

A quick search brings up the COWON A3 and COWON Q5W. Anybody have any experience with these?
 
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Ipods are da best.

Had mine 5 years...no problems whatsoever.

80GB of perfection! ;)

230403653.jpg
 
[quote name='Capitalizt']Ipods are da best.

Had mine 5 years...no problems whatsoever.

80GB of perfection! ;)

230403653.jpg
[/QUOTE]

But the iPod can't play OGG Vorbis files, and you have to use iTunes to get music on/off the thing. I buy my music on CDs (fuck DRM) and want to drag and drop.
 
@Rusty Ghia: On some sansa players, theres no OGG support. Although, installing Rockbox to the player will add vorbis support. drawback, dont think any rockbox supported sansa players arent upto 30gb. your best bet would be acquiring one of the older ipod models 30gb+ that support rockbox.
 
You can always use some third party software to put music on the ipod although the OGG is still a problem. Maybe an ipod with CFW can fix that?
 
[quote name='r1sky']@Rusty Ghia: On some sansa players, theres no OGG support. Although, installing Rockbox to the player will add vorbis support. drawback, dont think any rockbox supported sansa players arent upto 30gb. your best bet would be acquiring one of the older ipod models 30gb+ that support rockbox.[/QUOTE]

I know very little about Rockbox. What can you tell me about it?
 
It's kind of expensive, but it get's you everything you want. It's what I use for my MP3 player, and the best one so far.

- Dell Axim x51v: About $250 used on Amazon.com
- 32gb Compact Flash Card: Currently $129.99 on Newegg.com. This is flash, but actually with flash you get better battery life. Since hard drives are mechanical and have moving parts, it's going to have a shorter battery life.
- Mortplayer (which is free) plays MP3 and Ogg. I also like the Dark Glass skin which has big buttons on it so you can just use your finger to hit play ect. You can also make playlists ect on the device it self too (which if I remember right iRiver Hxxx didn't)
- You can also install Windows Mobile 6 (for free) and get SDHC compatibility too. Currently SDHC cards are 16gb, but I hear they're going to get upto 32gb in the future.
- Though you do need to install Active Sync or Windows Mobile Device Center, it still is drag and drop. The x51v, SD and CF card show up as drives in My Computer. Or you can just take the cards out and stick them into your computer's card reader (which I like doing better).
- I haven't tried it myself yet, but I hear Bluetooth wireless headphones work with it too.

The only nagative thing I can think of is that the 2400mAh removable battery lasts about 10 hours of MP3 playback. I can listen to it all day at work (for 8 hours) and by the end of the day it still has at least one bar left (out of 4) of battery life. The Axims originally came with 1100mAh battery's so I'd recommend getting a bigger one, like the 2500mHa (if it already doesn't come with one when you buy it). There is a 3600mHa one, but it looks pretty bulky and requires a seperate charger for it to charge. Most cases aren't compatible with it either.

I also recommend the Sena leather case found here: http://www.aximcases.com/store/aximx50.html

Oh, one other last thing. The Dell Axim x51v isn't being manufactured anymore, but you can still buy it used at Amazon.com or eBay. Accessoresies are still being sold new. Don't let that discourage you though, it's still a pretty nice PDA/MP3 player; the best one out there in my opinion. But if you still would rather buy a brand new one you can get the HP iPaq 210. It is basically the same as the x51v, but with a few minor differences like a bigger screen (4" compared to 3.7), 128mb ram vs 64mb on the x51v and the 210 has WM6 pre-insalled (the x51v is upgradeable to it). One thing the x51v does have though is a 16mb 3D accelerator. It also helps with decoding video too (you can basically watch any video in the native format without converting it normally at 640x480 using the free TCPMP application). The iPaq also costs a bit more (if you look a the used prices).

You can get more infomation at http://www.aximsite.com too.
 
[quote name='Rusty Ghia']I know very little about Rockbox. What can you tell me about it?[/quote]

It's Linux to be put on a variety of mp3 players, but is also a pain in the ass setting up and dealing with.
 
I used to own the Cowon iAudio X5 60gb and the Cowon D2 8gb and was satisfied with those. I haven't tried the listed models you posted, but I'd also recommend those. I think the only draw back about those is they look reletively big, though I've never held one in my hand. I think those players are mostly for video playback.

There is also the Archos 605/705 MP3 players with 30gb/80gb/160gb that look pretty interesting too. Though I didn't see any Ogg support.

A good website to go is www.anythingbutipod.com for reviews of verious MP3 players too.

Though I still believe the Axim x51v with a 32gb Compact Flash card is the best deal and has everything you want. You can also have both Compact Flash and SDHC in at the same time. So currently you could have one 32gb CF card and one 16gb SDHC to get a total of 48gb's of space. Plus of course there removable too.
 
[quote name='bobthegoat2001']I used to own the Cowon iAudio X5 60gb and the Cowon D2 8gb and was satisfied with those. I haven't tried the listed models you posted, but I'd also recommend those. I think the only draw back about those is they look reletively big, though I've never held one in my hand. I think those players are mostly for video playback.

There is also the Archos 605/705 MP3 players with 30gb/80gb/160gb that look pretty interesting too. Though I didn't see any Ogg support.

A good website to go is www.anythingbutipod.com for reviews of verious MP3 players too.

Though I still believe the Axim x51v with a 32gb Compact Flash card is the best deal and has everything you want. You can also have both Compact Flash and SDHC in at the same time. So currently you could have one 32gb CF card and one 16gb SDHC to get a total of 48gb's of space. Plus of course there removable too.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I was looking at that website earlier, and their MP3 comparison feature came back with the Cowon players.

But I have to look into Rockbox a bit more as it seems to enable Ogg Vorbis playback on other players that can't normally play it.
 
I forgot to mention that if your work has Wifi, you can download the Last.fm program for the x51v and listen to thier internet radio. It's pretty nice, you can listen to artists you like rather than the 10 track playlist on ragular FM radio.
 
Sigh. I like the Cowon X5 60-gig, but I can't find one anywhere.

After checking out Rockbox, it looks like that I'll get a used iPod Video 80-gig and put Rockbox on that. It will be able to play OGG and FLAC, and you don't need to use iTunes to get music on/off the player. Now I just need to find one at a good price.

Edit: checked a bit more into Rockbox. It seems to have some problems, and I don't want to deal with that. I'll get the Cowon A3....eventually.
 
I'm looking into buying a new mp3 player now. I have a 6gb Creative Zen rigt now and that's pretty much obsolete. I really like the layout for it because it has a scroll bar in the middle with sensor pads for play, menu and whatever. It's easily the best layout I've ever used because you can navigate through it without even looking at the player. That evolved into the Creative Zen: Vision I believe but I can't seem to find anything on those. I don't know if they discontinued that or not but I had enough problems finding accessories for Zen that I own as it is and that player was fairly easy to find in stores in '05. 80gb Zune is about $100 cheaper than an 80gb Ipod, and as far as I'm concerned, it does all the same things. It holds pictures, playes music, has fm radio, and plays videos. You're going to have to use whatever program that comes with whatever brand player you get so I'm not going to worry about that. It will just take some learning but the Zune seems to have the most support behing the ipod as far as accessories and availibility but it's $100 cheaper.

I really want nothing to do with the Ipod and that's not even in consideration for me. So far the 2nd Gen Zune is pretty much on the top of my list.
 
[quote name='emceelokey'] You're going to have to use whatever program that comes with whatever brand player you get [/QUOTE]

Not with all players. With the iPod and Zune, yes, you HAVE to use their proprietary software when connecting to a PC, but other players are MSC (mass storage class) and show up as an external harddrive when connected.
 
[quote name='emceelokey']I'm looking into buying a new mp3 player now. I have a 6gb Creative Zen rigt now and that's pretty much obsolete. I really like the layout for it because it has a scroll bar in the middle with sensor pads for play, menu and whatever. It's easily the best layout I've ever used because you can navigate through it without even looking at the player. That evolved into the Creative Zen: Vision I believe but I can't seem to find anything on those. I don't know if they discontinued that or not but I had enough problems finding accessories for Zen that I own as it is and that player was fairly easy to find in stores in '05. 80gb Zune is about $100 cheaper than an 80gb Ipod, and as far as I'm concerned, it does all the same things. It holds pictures, playes music, has fm radio, and plays videos. You're going to have to use whatever program that comes with whatever brand player you get so I'm not going to worry about that. It will just take some learning but the Zune seems to have the most support behing the ipod as far as accessories and availibility but it's $100 cheaper.

I really want nothing to do with the Ipod and that's not even in consideration for me. So far the 2nd Gen Zune is pretty much on the top of my list.[/quote]

I really enjoy my 2nd gen 8 gb Zune.
 
[quote name='Rusty Ghia']Sigh. I like the Cowon X5 60-gig, but I can't find one anywhere.

After checking out Rockbox, it looks like that I'll get a used iPod Video 80-gig and put Rockbox on that. It will be able to play OGG and FLAC, and you don't need to use iTunes to get music on/off the player. Now I just need to find one at a good price.

Edit: checked a bit more into Rockbox. It seems to have some problems, and I don't want to deal with that. I'll get the Cowon A3....eventually.[/quote]

Hate to say it but, I told you so. Rockbox is a pain in the ass.
 
You don't seem interested in the Axim? What's holding you back from getting one of those? It seems like it has everything you want. I'm just curious.
 
[quote name='Rusty Ghia']Not with all players. With the iPod and Zune, yes, you HAVE to use their proprietary software when connecting to a PC, but other players are MSC (mass storage class) and show up as an external harddrive when connected.[/QUOTE]

nope i use wmp with my zune
 
[quote name='bobthegoat2001']You don't seem interested in the Axim? What's holding you back from getting one of those? It seems like it has everything you want. I'm just curious.[/QUOTE]

I like simple (fewer things to break,) and a PDA is more than I need. And if I'm going to spend ~$400, I'd want more than just 32gb.
 
I don't have any iPods, but I really would recommend against listening to music while riding a bicycle. I ride my bike to work every day and I'm constantly amazed by the oblivious morons on the streets and sidewalks. They can't hear what's going on around them and then get angry when a bike "suddenly" pulls past them. Well, I'm sorry, I rang my bell but you didn't hear it.

/rant
 
Bit the bullet and ordered an 80-gig Cowon A3 today. I've been hemming and hawing, but I had to get it as my iRiver is basically out of room.

But $500 for the player and case? :shock: Ouch.

Well, at least it comes with a free screen cover and remote. Some cheap ass I am.
 
[quote name='Rusty Ghia']Bit the bullet and ordered an 80-gig Cowon A3 today. I've been hemming and hawing, but I had to get it as my iRiver is basically out of room.

But $500 for the player and case? :shock: Ouch.

Well, at least it comes with a free screen cover and remote. Some cheap ass I am.[/QUOTE]
You could have found a 32 gb Itouch for around that price and it's much better
 
That's funny, I could have sworn that I mentioned that I don't want an iPod because it does not play Ogg Vorbis files, and is not MSC (plug-and-play.) Oh, that's right, I did.

Please read the other posts, people.
 
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