MP3 Players- suggestions/comments?

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:26 pm

Within the next couple of weeks I'm eager to buy a portable MP3 player because I'd find it useful whilst working.
I've not used one before, the last personal stereo I had was a Sony Walkman that played tapes ^__^
As such I've immersed myself in internet research to understand what's out there and what particular models can offer and have come up with a few shortlisted items- but there's room for others.

I'm sure some of you have experience with them so I'd like some input if you have time.

My preferences:
20-30gb hard disk;
Fast track searching capability;
Various Shuffle Play modes (ie general shuffle, shuffle by album, by band etc);
Removable battery;
Reliable software for bulk uploading tracks

What I don't want:
iPod;
Video capability;
To download songs from websites

These three are my current shortlisted players.
Sony NV-A3000 (Silver)
It's the best looking one I've seen and does everything I want but has 2 flaws- terrible software that's been causing every owner problems and limited encoding compatibility. [Cost = GBP 155.00]

Creative Zen (Black)
Has great reviews overall but searching time is fairly slow. [Cost = GBP 150.00]

iRiver H10 A good all-rounder with colour screen but doesn't have a 'wow' factor for me. [Cost = GBP 144.00]

Any good ideas?

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:31 pm

Wish I could help ya Krafty, but my experience and preference is with flash memory-based players. If it helps at all, I love my Creative Zen Nano player. This is a matter of personal preference (and a legacy of restrictive crappy software), but I'd stay far far away from Sony.

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:32 pm

That is just your personal opinion.

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:32 pm

Cloud wrote:That is just your personal opinion.

Yes it is, Cloud.

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:33 pm

You don't know that for a fact.

hobbywhelmed · Post by **hobbywhelmed** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 3:27 pm

You know, Dell puts out an MP3 player. I discovered that while I was looking for non-WinMediaPlayer-using units and was reading the computer mag articles on players. They advertise them on the Dell website, and they have gotten good reviews, and do go up into the 20-40 gig range.

Me, personally, only wanted a low-end one to start off with - I found a fairly cheap RCA Lyra that let me put in an SD card. Since I have lots of those from my camera use, I put in a gig card and put the unit in a case and it was fine. I also got a Rio on sale at Coconuts, that got me to 4 gig, and it's kinda pearly soft green and very flat.

I agree - no iPod for me.

But I will have to start reconsidering bigger players again this year, ever since I found out that you can have separate directories for audio books on them!

blueheaven · Post by **blueheaven** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 1:49 am

I hate to say it, but I've owned three mp3 players:

Creative Zen Xtra 40G
Iriver 20g
Ipod Mini6g

Of the three, the ipod is the best. It had the best sound, easiest loading program, and best construction. Most people don't want Ipods because they think they have to buy itunes. Not true. You can upload any kind of mp3 on to an ipod with no problem. I get all my music from Limewire. But, it's up to you.

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 6:15 am

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate what your saying about the quality of the iPod and its navigation, BH, but I can't bring myself to purchase the most popular player on the market. Plus, it's features are limited when compared to some of the other players.
The Zen Xtra is another option I should look into...

The Dell player is one I hadn't heard of so I looked it up. It doesn't appear on the UK site so I guess it was only available over the pond. Id have to stick with a player I could purchase locally.

After some more research I'm keen on the Creative Zen so I'll pop down the shops this week and see if I can test one out.

The music I'm interested in is quite specialised so I know I won't find much online, I'll still buy all my music on CD but this little player will be a useful tool.
With around 1,500 CDs in my collection, it'll take a while to transfer them but it'll be worthwhile in the end. I'll remember to back the tracks up on DVDs in case the new player's HD dies on me, LOL.

Cheers for the suggestions!