Need help deciding on an Mp3 player.

scdoanintendo

scdoanintendo

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I am debating between two color screen mp3 players. They are the Zen micro photo and Philips go gear HDD6330. Here is a link to them

Zen
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=14107

Philips
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000620056959/

The msrp for the Zen is $250 for 8 GB and the msrp for the Philips is $300 for 30 GB. These are just rumored since neither has a set release date but more than likely are coming out in October. I was really looking forward to the Zen micro photo but the extra $50 for 22 more GB is really tempting. Any help would be appreciated or any other mp3 players (no iPods). Thanks for your time.
 
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I just took back my Zen Micro to BB for the third time since June. While it was a good player, it died quite often, obviously. Make sure you get the product replacement for it if you do.
 
[quote name='GuitarGuru']I just took back my Zen Micro to BB for the third time since June. While it was a good player, it died quite often, obviously. Make sure you get the product replacement for it if you do.[/QUOTE]

I've heard of things like this for mp3 players but it's not common for the Zen micro touch is it?
 
I'm gonna say yes, since it did happen to me three times. I could have sworn I said that though.

*scratches head*
 
[quote name='GuitarGuru']I'm gonna say yes, since it did happen to me three times. I could have sworn I said that though.

*scratches head*[/QUOTE]

Hopefully the Micro Photo will fix problems like this. Can anyone else give me some impressions with Creative or Philips brand mp3 players. I'm just dying for one of the above mentioned mp3 players to come out. I also like the Zen Vision but it's $400 price tag is a little to high for me, especially with the Xbox 360 coming out.
 
[quote name='kimsh0t']just get a ipod nano :D[/QUOTE]


I just ordered one. I was wondering what was the return policy on it? I can't reach the site for some reason after my firefox had a illegal procedure.
 
[quote name='skinsfan56la']I just ordered one. I was wondering what was the return policy on it? I can't reach the site for some reason after my firefox had a illegal procedure.[/QUOTE]
Probably just warrenty. Hopefully your getting the 4gb one.
 
ive been getting firefox has been doing an illegal procedure recently too. its coming up more and more often. whats the exact reason this happens?
 
Okay, I'll need to ask several quick questions before determining the best digital audio player for your situation.

1) Have you already encoded your music? If so, in which audio format and at what bitrate?

2) How many songs do you plan to put on your player/what is the amount of memory your music files take up?

3) Are you interested in viewing video/viewing photos/listening to radio/recording with your digital audio player?

4) How much are you willing to spend?

5) Do you plan to use the player for jogging or any similar physical activity?

6) Of how much importance is a color screen/graphical user interface?

7) How large is your ideal digital audio player?

8) Do you like to listen to clear, accurate sound or bass-heavy music?

9) Of how much importance is the player's resistance to scatches and minor cosmetic defects?

10) Any color or case material preferences?

11) Would you prefer scroll pads or click buttons for file navigation?

That should be enough information. If there's anything else you want to add, let me know.
 
[quote name='Eastsidecracker']Probably just warrenty. Hopefully your getting the 4gb one.[/QUOTE]


Of course i'm getting the 4gb. Every place near me is sold out of the 4GB and have plenty of th 2gb.
 
Just for fun: does any MP3 player have a built-in clock?
I know somebody who's looking for one with a voice recorder, but the catch is that it has to tag the recording with the real time and date. Which I don't think any MP3 players can do since I haven't seen any that even know what time it is - but they must, otherwise time-limited DRM can't work.
 
The majority of hard drive players have internal clocks, in addition to a few flash players, such as the iPod nano. It's a common feature because it's easy to implement (even the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP have clocks, for instance).
 
I like how in the OP's post, it says:

(no ipods)

And yet, some people still offer them to him. He obviously doesn't want one...yeesh...

I only have experience with the Zen, and I loved it. I had it for a few weeks while my brother went on vacation....no problems from it...
 
1) Have you already encoded your music? If so, in which audio format and at what bitrate?
Yes, and can't remember ( was for phone ).

2) How many songs do you plan to put on your player/what is the amount of memory your music files take up?
Not sure but if I have a bigger size, I'll probably go with near CD quality.

3) Are you interested in viewing video/viewing photos/listening to radio/recording with your digital audio player?
Yes to all especially radio play.

4) How much are you willing to spend?
$200 - $400

5) Do you plan to use the player for jogging or any similar physical activity?
Nope already have one for that

6) Of how much importance is a color screen/graphical user interface?
Extremely.

7) How large is your ideal digital audio player?
The palm of my hand to finger tips.

8) Do you like to listen to clear, accurate sound or bass-heavy music?

9) Of how much importance is the player's resistance to scatches and minor cosmetic defects?
Somewhat but most likely I'll leave it in the case.

10) Any color or case material preferences?
None

11) Would you prefer scroll pads or click buttons for file navigation?
Doesn't really matter.


I've been looking into these and it seems like a good deal

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PMP-120&cat=MP3

Anyone have impressions on it? I just wish it had recordable FM radio.
 
I would steer clear of Zen. Apparently the 5 GB micro's have a well know issue with the headphone jack. (check the creative boards). I know several people who have also had the problem.

[quote name='GuitarGuru']Overpriced and overhyped. Bottom line.[/QUOTE]

ignorance. Bottom line.
 
[quote name='scdoanintendo']I've been looking into these and it seems like a good deal

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PMP-120&cat=MP3

Anyone have impressions on it? I just wish it had recordable FM radio.[/QUOTE]

Ahh... That's a good price, but I'm not a real fan of that particular PMP. It has bad battery life and is quite large. In my opinon there are better players out there.

Based on your answers, I think you would do quite well with an Cowon iAudio X5. For $300, you get 20GB storage, a FM radio (w/recording), support for music/photos/video, 14 hours of battery life (35 hours with the X5L version, which costs $30 more), and USB-OTG (allows you to download stuff from digital cameras and other devices directly to the unit without a PC). Here's a neat little review of the player:

http://www.dapreview.net/content.php?review.201

There are other options, but that's the one that comes to mind first, based on your answers. I'll try to mention some others later.
 
The Creative Zen Vision would also be a great player for your needs. Here's the official page:

http://creative.com/products/product.asp?category=210&subcategory=211&product=12985

Much like the iAudio X5, the Zen Vision has FM recording, video playback, and a bunch of other features. The obvious benefit over the X5 is the big, high-resolution screen. However, that does make the unit a good deal larger, and more expensive ($400). If you want to go the PMP (personal media player) route, I would suggest either the Zen Vision or the new Archos AV500.

http://www.archos.com/products/av_500/features.html

As the site suggests, the Archos has the ability to record TV, in addition to the features of the players I've mentioned before. It isn't available yet, so it's an option only if you're willing to wait for a while.

EDIT:

Haha, you were one step ahead of me there. Yes, the Zen Vision has been getting some mostly-positive reviews. I'd recommend it.
 
Sony VGF-AP1L is a nice player. You can find them now for between 250 and 300. 40 Gig hard drive, color screen, can view pics. Sony did a firmware update so it will play MP3s now also.
 
[quote name='scdoanintendo']Also in the newest Sync magazine they have a Cowon iAudio U2 video player. It's 20 GB has a 4" wide screen and only $350 but I can't find it anywhere.[/QUOTE]

That PMP has been quite elusive over the past few months. Cowon hasn't actually released it yet, much less given any release date. It looks like a really nice player, but there's no telling when it'll actually be available.

[quote name='mmercer13']Sony VGF-AP1L is a nice player. You can find them now for between 250 and 300. 40 Gig hard drive, color screen, can view pics. Sony did a firmware update so it will play MP3s now also.[/QUOTE]

It is a nice player, but lacks many of the features scdoanintendo wants. It's worth looking at if you're just interested in the music side of things, I suppose.
 
[quote name='GuitarGuru']Overpriced and overhyped. Bottom line.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='usickenme']ignorance. Bottom line.[/QUOTE]

I agree with GuitarGuru's opinion. The iPod, while white, shiny, and easy to use, is relatively overpriced considering its lack of features. And there's no question that the iPod has been overhyped. So, I would like to submit the following to your chain of flames, usickenme:



Don't label someone as being ignorant without backing up your claims. Bottom line.​
 
[quote name='Murcielago77']My personal suggestion is to go with an IRiver[/QUOTE]

Which iRiver? The H320 is discontinued, the H10 lacks video support, the U10 is limited to 2GB, and iRiver's PMPs suck.
 
Forgive me for butting in here, but I could use some help in this area.

I want to get an MP3 player again. I don't need anything fancy like an iPod or such. Just something cheap that I can use to go walking/jogging, and possibly something to play some music to help me sleep. Like I said, it doesn't have to be fancy or such, and nothing really expensive, please.
 
[quote name='Saucy Jack']Forgive me for butting in here, but I could use some help in this area.

I want to get an MP3 player again. I don't need anything fancy like an iPod or such. Just something cheap that I can use to go walking/jogging, and possibly something to play some music to help me sleep. Like I said, it doesn't have to be fancy or such, and nothing really expensive, please.[/QUOTE]

So... You just want a player for music... And you plan to use it for jogging.

Okay, how much music does it need to hold?
 
[quote name='Gregory Kimball']So... You just want a player for music... And you plan to use it for jogging.

Okay, how much music does it need to hold?[/QUOTE]

Well, it doesn't have to have much "shockproof," if any. I tend to do more walking than jogging. Also, my doctor suggested that I try listening to some of my favorite music to help me sleep, so it'd be used for that too.

Umm... it doesn't really matter how much it holds. Maybe 512 MB or 1 GB. It can operate on memory cards or a hard drive. Doesn't really matter. Do mp3 players even operate on memory cards for storage anymore? I remember having an old mp3 player from when they first came out that operated on CompactFlash cards. Also, I wonder if they make them that operate on Sony MemorySticks, because I have several of those in various sizes for my Cybershot camera.

Thank you for the help. :)
 
Okay, here are a few decent flash players to consider.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ce&n=172282&n=13873651&s=electronics&v=glance

Ahh. The iPod shuffle. Definitely not the best value, but if you want something that's simple and easy to use, it's something to consider.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ce&n=172282&n=13873651&s=electronics&v=glance

Rio makes some decent flash players, and Amazon seems to have this one at a decent price.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ce&n=172282&n=13873651&s=electronics&v=glance

I own one of these myself, and would recommend it. It's very thin, and is about the size of a credit card.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ce&n=172282&n=13873651&s=electronics&v=glance

There's not much to say about this one... But iAudio makes quality products.

http://www.walmart.com/search/brows...868038+500842.500869&path=0:3944:133251:96469

The mobiBLU cube has been getting a lot of attention recently, so I might as well include it. The controls might be a little hard to operate, considering the unit's size.
 
[quote name='GuitarGuru']Overpriced and overhyped. Bottom line.[/QUOTE]

You're full of shit. Have you ever used one for an extended period?

Get an iPod nano. Or be a loser. I don't care.
 
[quote name='redgopher']You're full of shit. Have you ever used one for an extended period?

Get an iPod nano. Or be a loser. I don't care.[/QUOTE]

iPods have fewer features than their competitors, yet cost as much or even more. But they receive more attention than all other DAPs combined. Overpriced and overhyped.

How can you order the OP to purchase an iPod nano without any reason or justification, and then tell somebody else that they're full of shit?
 
[quote name='Gregory Kimball']Shut up and stop spamming.[/QUOTE]

No. I like the iPod and feel that everyone should have the chance to get one for free. If you don't like it, keep your mouth shut and go bother someone else.

The OP wanted help with an mp3 player, and i feel the iPod is a great choice, despite his reluctance to hear about them. With a little work and determination anyone can get one for free. For someone with a little patience and maturity it's a perfectly reasonable option. If you don't agree with me, fine, but keep it to yourself.

As far as flash players, the iPod Nano is available through the link i posted earlier. Very small. Very easy to use. Very cool. Great storage (4 or 2 GB).

Out of the two the OP posted, I'd say go with the Philips. Bigger drive for only a little bit more cash. I'd still prefer an iPod, but that's me. Good luck with your search!
 
The headphone jack problem isn't really your main concern with a Zen mp3 player; although apparantly, they all suffer from it :whistle2:\ (if you don't believe me, go to creative.com and ask the boards).

The Zen mp3 players have the best sound (As good as a high end stereo system!), and.... That's about it. Scrolling around is annoying as hell. You click once on something, then again to select it (Or, you can delete it accidentally if you're tired, yes, you can delete anything while on the mp3 player, how lovely if you let an asshole friend borrow it huh?).

There are other problems... I have owned a Zen Xtra for about half a year now... (The Zen line) is about a year old. The people who originally got it, and the Zen Touch, were promised support for Napster to go. ONE YEAR AGO.

It has never come, and Creative is still fucking people over, telling them it's on the way... Yeah fucking whatever (Check Creative.com boards for topics about this).

So why should you care about these slightly older models? For the simple reason that they are older. What happens when you model gets 6 months, or even 3 months, old, and something new comes out. Is Creative gonna pull this bullshit again?
 
I've been looking for a new mp3 player too since my iriver h-140 died on me. I've been trying to find one that did most of the features of the h-140 (ogg support, no software required aka a mass storage device, about 40 gigs, fm radio and a line in/out).

So far the iAudio X5 looks good to me. That might be the one that I get right now unless some one else can find another one. Right now ogg support and large size are the biggest things I'm looking for along with it showing up as a mass storage device.

The biggest thing I see nagative about the X5 is the biggest one they have is 30 gigs and I wanted one to be at lest the same as my 40 gig iriver. One other thing that's not that big of a deal is (I think) that if you want mass storage support you have to have the cradle with you... you can't just bring a usb cable.

Although I heard rumors that iAudio is coming out with a 60 gig X5. If they are that whould most likely be the mp3 player for me.

Anybody else know of any ogg players out there that are about 40 gigs or bigger?

Oh, and ipod and sony are out of my vocabulary. Even if I got one free, I would sell it. When I buy an mp3 player I want features, not what looks "cool". Not because it's a fad. Redgopher even said it him-self "Get an iPod nano. Or be a loser." I like features, not becuase I don't want to look like a loser.

And yes ipods are overpriced if you compares features with any other mp3 players out there (except for maybe sony, which not until recently didn't even play mp3's, which they only played there crappy drm'ed atrac3 bs).

And I've never really like sony either. Just about everything I've bought from them has been poorly made and don't last long. And I don't like how they proporitise everything. For example right now SD is the standard (for the most part) for camera's pda's etc. But anything sony makes uses there own "memory stick" including the psp. Which is not to mention a lot more expensive.

So anywhy my post is getting way off topic. So I just end it with this, f#$k you apple and F#$k you sony.

PS: I almost forgot to say that if I were going to choose either of those first to that you listed I would get the philips, but I would still choose the iaudio those two and over creative and iriver. iRiver's H-100's and H-300's were good, but they don't sell those anymore. There new players suck (the biggest is 20 gigs and no ogg support, less features).

Please Note: I don't mean to offend anybody. If you like sony or apple and you enjoy there products, well good for you. Everybody has there own opinion's. These are just mine (don't steal them :) ).
 
[quote name='Gregory Kimball']Which iRiver? The H320 is discontinued, the H10 lacks video support, the U10 is limited to 2GB, and iRiver's PMPs suck.[/QUOTE]

Mine was probably a case of extreme luck, but I stumbled on a post on misticriver.net (in their Bazaar section) selling a H320 for $250. The guy just got it back from iRiver so they could replace the battery, but it was a brand new unit instead, so even better. I'm not doing this to brag, but to let you know that there are avenues to acquire a H320 (and H340, but those will be much more expensive). Ebay is another way, just be careful and ask lots of questions to make sure about length of usage (for battey info), which firmware is on the unit, etc.

I love my H320 as I can finally have ALL my 50+ CD's in my pocket, as well as watch a South Park/Ali G episode on the train when I want. It's about an inch thick though, so it could be thinner, but considering what it can do (I have yet to use recording, but it's always there), I'm very happy.

If I didn't get a H320 though, I'd probably go for a Zen, as the price is unbeatable. The H10 almost got me, but I realised it was a stripped down (albeit smaller) H320.
 
[quote name='Xtreme331']No. I like the iPod and feel that everyone should have the chance to get one for free. If you don't like it, keep your mouth shut and go bother someone else.

The OP wanted help with an mp3 player, and i feel the iPod is a great choice, despite his reluctance to hear about them. With a little work and determination anyone can get one for free. For someone with a little patience and maturity it's a perfectly reasonable option. If you don't agree with me, fine, but keep it to yourself.[/QUOTE]

Don't try pulling that bullshit on me. You gave the link to freeipods.com so you could get some referrals. I suppose that such a link would be acceptable in a signature, but your post contributed nothing to our discussion. Therefore, you were spamming.
 
[quote name='bobthegoat2001']Although I heard rumors that iAudio is coming out with a 60 gig X5. If they are that whould most likely be the mp3 player for me.[/QUOTE]

Yes, iAudio will release the 60GB X5 soon. They had cancelled it, but apparently there were enough complaints that they decided to build it anyways.

[quote name='humidore']Mine was probably a case of extreme luck, but I stumbled on a post on misticriver.net (in their Bazaar section) selling a H320 for $250.[/QUOTE]

Awesome. I'm also a member of misticriver.net, even though I don't own an iRiver. Don't ask me why.
 
[quote name='nickmad']ipod. no other choice. apple rules the market for a good reason.

on another note....lets hear it for Gregory Kimball and his amazing 1 million posts in one topic...:applause:member.php?u=2705[/QUOTE]

And that good reason is what?
 
iriver is a better choice for alot of people. the extras like fm radio and voice recording is great. I just need better naviagation and a larger mp3 player.
 
[quote name='Chris Dillon']iriver is a better choice for alot of people. the extras like fm radio and voice recording is great. I just need better naviagation and a larger mp3 player.[/QUOTE]

The iAudio X5 has all the features of the iRiver h-300's plus a few other's (like flac support) and it looks like, according to Gregory Kimball, the 60 gig is coming out. So why not that one? It'll be the one that I'm most likely going to get.

I guess I also like being able to sort my music by folders that I make, not sorted out by id3 tag's. I normally like to sort by artist, but then when there are compilations with various artist's, id3's don't work. It'll just have one song in each artist.

Also when I sorted out my music with my h140 (with folders), I sorted it out like this [while "\" indicates a folder]

C\Cold\A Different Kind of Pain\01. Track One.ogg [with all songs listed]
K\KoRn\Follow the Leader\01. It's On!.ogg
S\System of a Down\Mesmerize\04. Cigaro.ogg
etc.

That way I dind't have to scroll through hundreds of albums. I chould just to to like S then go to System of a Down and Mesmerize.

And for soundtracks and compilations I just put them in a folder cold "- Compilations" and it would put that folder first.

But anyway I have a nasty habbit of getting off topic. Sorry about that.
 
[quote name='nickmad']ipod. no other choice. apple rules the market for a good reason.

on another note....lets hear it for Gregory Kimball and his amazing 1 million posts in one topic...:applause:member.php?u=2705[/QUOTE]
Thank you very much. :D

And while I'm still on the subject of iPods, now is a really good time to puchase one from eBay. There are many in good condition for $170 or less.
 
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