MP3 Players (again)

[Tak]

I am torn so thought I'd come here for some advice.

I have been looking at mp3 players to replace my huge 128mb one

Current forefront options are:

Archos Gmini XS202S 20GB
IPod 30GB
Creative Zen Vision M 30GB
Creative Zen Vision M 60GB MP3
Creative Zen V Plus 8GB MP3

I am looking to use this in the gym so was looking at something not too big and bulky which is why I'm hesitant about the Vision M or Ipod players (I have this imaginary number of 7-8cms being the biggest I would be happy with - I have no idea where this came from and would be happy for someone to dispel it for me). But I would probably use it more in day-to-day stuff than my current one purely on the basis I could get more on it.

Every time I think I've convinced myself which one I'm going to get, I spot something or read something that means I change my mind or get all indecisive again

Help

[Tak]

Oh, just so people know what I like, my old player is a Digital Square Zillion PA30B-21 and I love it to bits.

If I could get the same thing with more memory I would but the best I can do is put a 128mb SD card in it taking it up to 256mb :undecided:

[kaiowas]

Would an Ipod nano not be more suitable than a full blown iPod? OK you've not got the capacity of a HDD based player but it's smaller, lighter, more suited to gym use and still a fair bit more capacity than what you have now

[Tak]

TBH I don't know if I would like ipods at all but thats more because of what I've heard about them/how they connect to the pc etc than any logical reason. If people want to convince me they're not as bad as everyone keeps saying then I'm more than willing to listen

[kaiowas]

Well I've not had any experience with anything other than iPods as I've had mine since before there were any viable alternatives. I've got no issues with it at all and I've always put a lot of peoples need to critisise it down to a backlash against their popularity and that geekish desire to shun the mainstream products in favour of less well known alternatives.

[Garp]

Why buy an iPod?! There is no need to get yourself stuck with proprietary codecs and vendor tie-ins, particularly when you can generally (but not always) pay less and get the same functionality.
Look for players that have the "Plays For Sure" logo on them, and you're guaranteed no hassles with any Windows system you plug it into.
About the only thing that should weigh in to any decision on iPod vs any-other-brand is whether or not you want what is available on iTunes and no where else. There are alternatives to iTunes such as Napster that provide pretty much everything iTunes provides, and which works on any music player (if you've got the cash to spare they've got cool subscription services too.) About the only thing going for iTunes at the moment are the films they have available for download.

If you're going to be using it in a gym I'd recommend you go for a smaller capacity player that uses solid state (flash) rather than a small hard disk for storage. Its not recommended to use Hard disk ones where they're going to be bounced around at all when they go to read the drive.

[kaiowas]

Eh? My Ipod plays mp3s. I can get mp3s from anywhere. Most of mine originate from that rather old fashioned idea of buying my music on CD and ripping it myself.

Whilst apple's marketing department like to make you think that ipod, itunes and the itunes music store are inextricably linked and that it's impossible to use one without using all of the others that's quite simply a pile of crap. I've never even installed itunes and I've no desire to pay for poor quality downloads from any site whether controlled by Apple or otherwise.

[Belmit]

I've had three mp3 players and have just purchased a 4th (it's on its way as we speak).

The first was an ancient 128MB iBead and was basically a memory stick with an earphone jack. Considering this was about 6-7 years ago, it was fairly pricy as it had a backlit display and FM radio. It was excellent and I would consider even now buying the same one if it had a larger capacity. Fished it out the other day and unfortunately it has corrupted somehow which is a shame as it had the perfect capacity for a longish jog!

Second was a 1GB flash with pretty much the same features. Still have it and it's useful as a temporary measure but it takes a AA battery. Handy because you can carry spares but eats one up every 10 hours or so.

My current one is an iPod mini, which is HD based. Had it for almost three years and not had any problems with it on either PC or Mac. Since I only ever buy CDs and rip to mp3, I don't have any problems with compatibility and stuff like that. Also, if you unhide it in Windows it just appears as a removable device and you can use it like an external HD if you want to bypass iTunes. Only reason I'm upgrading is because the battery is finally having issues. You can buy battery replacement kits for less than £20 but I wanted something slightly smaller for the gym anyway so I'll be donating this one to someone at work who has the inclination to replace the battery.

Since I have personally had a very good experience with the mini I have opted for the 4GB nano as a replacement. These new generation ones seem to have all the features I want - colour screen, ample battery life, moderate capacity (I only ever half-filled the mini anyway), and they've been out for a while so they've had time to iron out the grumbles. It made sense for me as I have recently bought a Macbook Pro so it will integrate well.

That said, you're spoilt for choice these days and a lot of it is down to personal preference. A solid state device is probably the way to go unless you're looking for huge capacity, especially like Garp says if you're using it at the gym. I've used my mini at the gym for years and never had an issue, but I guess it has to do a lot of correction due to movement, which puts added strain on the battery.

Take a look at www.advancedmp3players.co.uk - I've bought from them multiple times and are very good on delivery, price, and range. You can select a player based on your needs using their little wizard thing too

[Garp]

Originally Posted by kaiowas

I've never even installed itunes and I've no desire to pay for poor quality downloads from any site whether controlled by Apple or otherwise.

So why chose an iPod then when there are other players cheaper that do the same thing?

As far as "poor quality" goes, Napster downloads are 192kbps, far higher quality than most people rip stuff at! I pay them £13 a month and have complete free reign over their music library to download, play, listen, and use on my mp3 player any track or album I like. I go through a lot of albums that way, though now I'm cycling to work and not using the MP3 player for the commute, I'll probably ditch the "to go" part and save myself a few quid each month.

[Mark]

I'd agree with those who have said don't get an HDD player for use in the gym. If you're excercising, the last thing you want to worry about is an HDD getting jostled about in your pocket. Don't get me wrong, HDD players are great, just not in a gym environment.

As for the iPod, it's a techy thing to not want to go with the masses (same deal with Linux and numerous others), and an audiophile thing to not like the output stage on the iPod (though how much you'll notice it if you're not using a lossless format is debateable). I don't like the proprietary tie-in either, which is why I don't own an iPod, but I'm well aware that there are ways around this. But then again, if you're avoiding the proprietary stuff then why bother with the iPod in the first place?