Best MP3 player?

[GTIcrazy]

Some of you have got to have an opinion on which MP3 player is the best for whatever reasons. I'd like to hear the pros and cons. Please post opinions on iPods and similar products from Rio, Dell, Creative Labs, and others. My main use will be to loan my CD's onto the player and maybe some downloads. Thanks.

- Eric

[mitssn]

I feel the iPod is the best. It's sleek, sexy, hold 40gb (depending on what you get), reliable, can be used as an external harddrive, great battery time, tons of accessories available, easily connects to car/home stereo, uses itunes for transfer and song management, and has a great user interface.

[fcastle]

I'd also look into the Creative Labs stuff. They've got some great stuff on their site and most of it interacts w/their sound cards too. It's usually less than the IPOD too.

[Brk4Euros]

I have been using my Rio for about a year now and I honestly love it. Memory wise...I would definitely go with the ever so popular iPod! Wait till after Christmas to purchase that one!

[paultakeda]

Apparently the Dell model is pretty decent.

But I refuse to pay for an MP3 player (still waiting on that free iPod). I already sport an iPaq and the 512MB memory card is more than enough for me to plug in enough music to last the commute to and from work. Sure, I need to switch out music frequently, but since I just recently ripped my entire CD collection (apparently 309 CDs) doing this is quite simple, if a little slow (SD card a slow 5 mbps).

Oh, and the iPaq doubles as an eBook reader while I listen to music.

I also use it to check and clear codes in the car, and the WiFi lets me do all sorts of neat things when someone leaves their WiFi network unprotected.

[GTIcrazy]

Thanks for your input so far.

eBay prices on new players are attractive, so I'm not sure about waiting.

Any battery issues with other players like with the iPod?

[fcastle]

I also use it to check and clear codes in the car

How are you doing this? Are you just running Vagcom on your IPAQ. I'd like to do this also, will any Pocket PC do?

[paultakeda]

How are you doing this? Are you just running Vagcom on your IPAQ. I'd like to do this also, will any Pocket PC do?

ArLab Vag-Check (http://www.arlab.it/home.html)

Note: PDA must have a serial port, you must possess a serial interface cable (most new PDAs come with USB-only interface cables), a null cable modem adapter, a female-to-female converter, and a serial/OBDII adapter (if you have VAG-COM, you have the adapter). :D

[fcastle]

ArLab Vag-Check (http://www.arlab.it/home.html)

Note: PDA must have a serial port, you must possess a serial interface cable (most new PDAs come with USB-only interface cables), a null cable modem adapter, a female-to-female converter, and a serial/OBDII adapter (if you have VAG-COM, you have the adapter). :D


I wonder how hard it would be to run VAG-COM thru a Pocket PC, it's Windows based and should have enough power to meet their basic specs?

[paultakeda]

Hard.

[fcastle]

Damn maybe I'll get one of those little laptops like a libretto or something.

[oldschoolvdub]

I have a panasonic... it's not the best.. but it uses a 512 SD card... I love that thing...

[front9]

Hands down the best MP3 players are the Creative Labs.
For compact flash memory, the MuVo, for large storage hard drive, the Zen (or Nomad Zen), i have owned several of these and have never been let down. MUCH more cost efficient than an iPod.
20GB ipod- $299.99
30GB Zen - $199.99
http://images.nomadworld.com/products/jukebox_zenxtra/images/Jukebox_ZenXtrapix2.jpg
40GB Zen - $229.99
60GB Zen - $299.99
5GB Zen Micro - $249.99
http://nomadworld.com/products/zen_micro/images/feature_connectivity.jpg
20GB Zen Touch - $229.99
http://nomadworld.com/products/zentouch/images/touchpad.jpg
The Zen has better sound quality (higher SNR, signal to noise ration) than the iPod. http://nomadworld.com/
Afterall, isn't that why you buy a music player... for the sound.
It is less propietary than the ipod and has excellent software included.
Basically the ipod is alot of hype and slick marketing. Usually if someone disagree with this statement, it's because they haven't tried something else, or have just bought all the hype and marketing garbage. if you actually look at the specs and equate value and performance, the Creative Labs product win out most every time.

[P1RboostedDSM]

I use a Sony MD player, small, cheap ($80-$100) no scrolling through libraries trying to find stuff, pop in a minidisc and have over 4hr of play time per disc. Uses 1 AA battery that last arounf 9-10 hrs of playtime. I use it when I go mountain bike riding and doesn't skip at all. Also bought the Best Buy 4yr warrenty so if I crash and break it, I get a new one w/o any questions asked.

I had this one before but was always a pain to upload song and it was a bit smaller then the Sony MD which offers faster/easier music changes. http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI700587,00.html

[slowjet]

The phatbox is a nice choice if you are going for the OEM look. It integrates soooo nicely into the stock headunit of your dubs and i think kenwood has units out there that are plug and play too.

[fcastle]

Hands down the best MP3 players are the Creative Labs.
For compact flash memory, the MuVo, for large storage hard drive, the Zen (or Nomad Zen), i have owned several of these and have never been let down. MUCH more cost efficient than an iPod.
20GB ipod- $299.99
30GB Zen - $199.99
http://images.nomadworld.com/products/jukebox_zenxtra/images/Jukebox_ZenXtrapix2.jpg
40GB Zen - $229.99
60GB Zen - $299.99
5GB Zen Micro - $249.99
http://nomadworld.com/products/zen_micro/images/feature_connectivity.jpg
20GB Zen Touch - $229.99
http://nomadworld.com/products/zentouch/images/touchpad.jpg
The Zen has better sound quality (higher SNR, signal to noise ration) than the iPod. http://nomadworld.com/
Afterall, isn't that why you buy a music player... for the sound.
It is less propietary than the ipod and has excellent software included.
Basically the ipod is alot of hype and slick marketing. Usually if someone disagree with this statement, it's because they haven't tried something else, or have just bought all the hype and marketing garbage. if you actually look at the specs and equate value and performance, the Creative Labs product win out most every time.

I completely agree. I only have an Ipod because of the incredible deal I got. I just bought a 40Gb Zen for one of my cousins. If he's disappointed it's not an Ipod, he can have mine and I'll keep it, lol.

[Alan_One]

I'm sure all the other players are great but they're all iPod wannabe's.

The first question you get asked when a person is curious about your player is "is that an iPod?"

"It's a what? a zen?.. oh it comes in different colors just llike the iPod?.. and the interface is exactly like the iPod's?.. Oh, but it's less expensive... aight, I gotcha"

I'm biased, I have an iPod.

One iPod.

haven't had to buy more than one MP3 player. holds my music and files just fine. Plays them just fine. Batterty life is great. I don't have any complaints... and my player isn't trying to be an iPod.

[boragirl]

i'm biased toward the iPod too.... i just can't believe mine hasn't broken yet after all the crap i've put it through (seriously, that's saying a lot... it's been through countless snowboard crashes, been dropped on the pavement, gotten wet.....) still going strong. plus can't beat 40 gigs, plays music in my truck (no more cd cases lying around), easy for stupid people like me to use... ok you get the picture, i like my iPod.

(by the way, i haven't seen/tried any other players so can't really compare.. that's just my opinion on what i have)

[Dnc215]

Alan_One Hit the nail right on the head.
I've had about 4 different iPods, I now have a Silver Mini for everyday stuff and a 20 Gig regular iPod for trips and the car. Newer iPods have better battery life and like Alan_One said everybody else waits for apple to make the next move... Just save up and get an iPod you won't regret it, OH and DON'T BUY THE DELL it's crap, I've had it and the fit/feel and overall quality is nowhere Near the iPod. Just my 2 cents


I'm sure all the other players are great but they're all iPod wannabe's.

The first question you get asked when a person is curious about your player is "is that an iPod?"

"It's a what? a zen?.. oh it comes in different colors just llike the iPod?.. and the interface is exactly like the iPod's?.. Oh, but it's less expensive... aight, I gotcha"

I'm biased, I have an iPod.

One iPod.

haven't had to buy more than one MP3 player. holds my music and files just fine. Plays them just fine. Batterty life is great. I don't have any complaints... and my player isn't trying to be an iPod.

[front9]

I'm sure all the other players are great but they're all iPod wannabe's.

The first question you get asked when a person is curious about your player is "is that an iPod?"

"It's a what? a zen?.. oh it comes in different colors just llike the iPod?.. and the interface is exactly like the iPod's?.. Oh, but it's less expensive... aight, I gotcha"

I'm biased, I have an iPod.

One iPod.

haven't had to buy more than one MP3 player. holds my music and files just fine. Plays them just fine. Batterty life is great. I don't have any complaints... and my player isn't trying to be an iPod.


lol. You have just reinforced my whole point:

"Basically the ipod is alot of hype and slick marketing. Usually if someone disagree with this statement, it's because they haven't tried something else, or have just bought all the hype and marketing garbage. if you actually look at the specs and equate value and performance, the Creative Labs product win out most every time."

Apple has spent millions of dollars to get people to do exactly what the people asking you about your mp3 player are doing. They should have spent that marketing money on the actual product instead, cuz the Zen beats it on just about all the REAL attributes that make a music player.

Also, I don't see how a product with superior sound quality, versatility, price, and interface, could be a "wannabe" of an inferior product.

If you're buying an mp3 player for jewelry, then by all means, get an ipod. You will then be officially "cool", and envied by all :rolleyes: . And as long as the people you are trying to impress do not know the actual specs of your ipod vs. a Creative Labs product, then your golden.
But if you want the most storage, the best sound quality, the most compatible, the best price, etc... device then pick up a Zen.

[ROKABLOK]

is there a car kit for the creative zen micro. I can't find one

[Tom (aka Godzilla)]

I got my ipod for free....so I'm more than a little biased.

[br14n22]

where are you going to go to get your zen micro serviced? certainly not the zen micro store.

[ROKABLOK]

I would have to ship it back to creative

[paultakeda]

Things you want to see in an MP3 player: small form factor, large data storage, easy and intuitive user interface, can connect with external devices.

The iPod is overpriced, but it's selling an image.
The Zen is not overpriced and works just fine. It is not trying to be an iPod.

Besides, why buy an MP3 player? Especially now? The rise of the all-in-one is nigh.

I walk around with three devices that equal an all-in-one: a data cellphone with bluetooth, a bluetooth PDA, and an iPod.

I could fork over the money for a smartphone and reduce the devices to two, but I'd much rather wait a few more years for a 60GB smartphone with a display the size and quality of a PSP. Not far now.

The MP3 player is an evolutionary dead-end, so to be honest, the cheapest one you can find that meets your needs is the best one.

For me, it turned out to be a free 20GB iPod (all right, the subscriptions ended up being about $30), but I could easily have gone with a Zen or iRiver or Rio or what have you.

[ROKABLOK]

thanks bro. good info

[cynicalgeek]

Another vote here for the Zen Micro. After researching, I bought one for Greenwing last Christmas, but I'm using it right now. ;)

I like that it comes with two batteries, so you can swap them out, has a radio tuner built in, and you can partition a portion of the HD to operate as a USB drive. Plug it into the PC and use it, no drivers or software required. And no proprietary AAC format to worry about.

[ROKABLOK]

do you have it hooked up to your car. What are you using to transmit it.

[SELFatvi]

Creative makes decent Mp3 players with mass storage for cheap. They have good software as well.

However, if you want to use it in your car you will find that only IPODs get supported by Head unit makers if you want head unit mp3 controls. This will allow you to control everything via the head unit and you can have the ipod hidden out in the trunk.

Sure you can plug any mp3 player via the cassette or RCA imput but then you have to look down and control it every time.

Of course, using the head unit is not perfect. Seek time sucks, playlist is the only way to go but it sure beats having this long cable going down into the cabin.

I have a Alpone with the kc420i and have my ipod safely hidden away and do everything with the head unit. Plus Itunes works really well

[lostntainted]

I'd also look into the Creative Labs stuff. They've got some great stuff on their site and most of it interacts w/their sound cards too. It's usually less than the IPOD too.

my wife got the creative labs and i have an ipod and despite the difference in price.. i'd go with an ipod.. the creative labs was too bulky to really use in the car... and there are a lot more products for the ipod as well ;)

[mcinvale]

used 40GB ipod from craigslist. then you need to get the dension setup to play through your stereo.

ipods have the most accessories which is why i got mine.

http://mattmcinvale.com/albums/2002_VW_GTI/IMG_0083.jpg

[paultakeda]

I'm not replacing my HU for one that's specific to a particular company's product. And again, this is all going to be moot very soon. For the money, you might as well have a mini PC installed. Then you get a complete setup and can load whatever media center OS you want.