A quality MP3 player that will not crap out on me...

[DarkOne]

Let me throw out another recommendation for the Creative Zen. I have the 32 gb and love it. While the Ipod is a quality product, I was turned off by

1) The fact that most everyone has one and doesn't even know that other brands exist
2) The higher cost for no better features
3) The proprietary deal

The Zen has the same or better sound quality and ease of use. There's only two things that make me like the Ipod better:

1) Accessory envy - everyone has cool apps for the Ipods. There's not much out there for other brands. However, if you have one, check out the FoxL portable speakers. They're expensive, but they sound incredible.

2) Video output. I can't use my Zen to output video to a TV or PC. This would be a nice feature on vacation.

Otherwise, I love my Creative (3rd one I've bought over the years) and recommend it.

No matter what you get, make sure it's a flash drive. I went through my 80 gb mini hard drive phase. While I loved being able to have all of my music on the drive, it was heavier and too many potential problems. I had a few drives die, and went flash. Now the thing is the size of a few credit cards, and I don't have to fear drops nearly as much.

Have fun shopping.

Steve in Philly

 

[Jibrille]

I've had an 8GB Sansa e200 for a while now and love it. One of the reasons why I love it is because I can put Rockbox on it. I sync it up with a random selection from my MP3 library every once in a while.

My husband just got a new Blackberry which he's going to use as an mp3 player so I'm taking his old iPod. Rockbox is the first thing going on it.

My sole complaint is the necessity of using proprietary software, i.e., iTunes. It's not a horrible program but it's not great either. Also, I've had problems putting video files on it successfully, but that's no biggie because its first role is as a music machine.

You don't have to use iTunes if you look around. First, there's the aforementioned Rockbox. It doesn't work on the 6g classic though and I don't know if you have the video or classic. It completely removes the need for iTunes or any other program. It's basically a custom firmware that opens up the iPod and other players. One of the best things is that it adds playback for OGG, FLAC, and WMA filetypes.
If you don't want to chance a problem with a custom firmware, there are a few programs out there that will manage it. MediaMonkey is the one I've heard very good things about.

However, I'm not likely to buy an iPod again (at least the classic version anyway). Unlike most here, we've both had an iPod completely fail just over the year mark. Even before that I had a lot of problems with mine with freezing while it'd sync.

 

[RagePSV]

I have a 4GB Sansa clip. It's really nice and small, works perfectly for what I use an MP3 player for - mainly working out, doing yard work, and traveling. I think you can find them for around 40-50 beans.

Ditto, got one of these about a month ago and love it. And it plays .flac files. I'm trying to find a good keychain case for it, but haven't had any luck. Anyone have any ideas?

I also have a 2nd gen 20gb ipod, but I only use it for audio books in my car.

 

[General Zod]

Buy an iPod:

• the iPod has 10x the accessories of all other MP3 players combined
• even many car manufacturers come from the factory specifically built to work with an iPod (not Zunes & Creatives)
• home stereos, car stereos, etc. are often designed to work specifically with the iPod (not Zunes & Creatives)
• longevity is not an issue, as you should be buying an extended warranty
• if your MP3 player does break, it's better to have an Apple store to go to, where they'll fix or replace it the same day

Zod

 

[J-Man]

I recently purchased my first ipod, to say that I am happy with it is an understatment, the ease of use, and the quality are top notch, and yes i still have a sansa, but had nothing but problems with it(right now it will not allow the replacement or addition of new songs), so for me now its ipod and apple all the way.

 

[Midihell]

Here's another recommendation for a Sandisk Sansa. I have had my 8g(10g w/2g SD card) e280 for 1.5 years and haven't had a single problem. Bought the wife one for less than I paid for mine and she loves it as well. She and I both bought car dock adapters. Needless to say, our cd players in our cars get very little use these days. I use mine daily in a warehouse and it's survived quite nicely. It has good battery life and when you use it in your car it charges the battery. Transferring files to it is a breeze. Just drag and drop. One thing tho, make sure your mp3's have the ID1/3 tags or you'll only see the song title without any other info.

Anyway, that's my .02 worth... YMMV

 

[Dragongrrrl]

I've got an Archos 605 30GB mp3 player, and I love it. It might be a little big for some, but I like the large touch screen, and the video quality is excellent. The only complaint I have is that it takes a long time to charge.

 

[sccaldwell]

Buy an iPod:

• the iPod has 10x the accessories of all other MP3 players combined
• even many car manufacturers come from the factory specifically built to work with an iPod (not Zunes & Creatives)
• home stereos, car stereos, etc. are often designed to work specifically with the iPod (not Zunes & Creatives)
• longevity is not an issue, as you should be buying an extended warranty
• if your MP3 player does break, it's better to have an Apple store to go to, where they'll fix or replace it the same day

Zod

All EXCELLENT points that no one else had mentioned. Nice post, as usual, Zod.

 

[Creeps]

I use the Creative Zen (mine's 32gb - not sure if that model is still available) - I prefer Creative players because they don't require any proprietary software to load your music up (no iTunes etc). It works just like a flash drive, you drag your music from your hard-drive onto the player and it just automatically knows what to do with it. No logging all your music into a superflous library, no waiting on the program to process every single track etc. And if you want to use it as simply a nice large portable file storage device, it works for that too.

I personally will never buy another iPod (had a shuffle once and I hated it) simply because I absolutely hate iTunes. And my understanding is, the software you have to use with the MS Zunes is even worse. Can't speak for any other brands, as those are the only ones I know.

I use Creative Labs players as well. Never had a problem with any of them. Been using them for years.

I've tried ipods (friends) and watched them set up playlists and have to jump through hoops and complain about itunes, etc. So I bought a Creative Labs player. I've been using their sound cards for years, as well as PC speakers so I can trust the company.

The first one I had was a 20g Zen extra that I ended up selling on ebay (still worked flawlessly) I just wanted an upgrade. I got a Zen micro and a 30g Zen Wide. Video is nice.

The Creative software is VERY easy to use (drag n drop) and you don't have to use it if you don't want to. Both of my new ones were purchased "open box" from a retailer around Christmas time and I got huge deals on them a couple years back.

I really don't like Itunes. I've tried many times (and still do) to give it a fair shake but I don't like it. I'm spoiled by the easy use of MusicMatch (now Yahoo) for years and like WinAmp now that I've sat down with it too.

 

[eaeolian]

I have an 80GB iPod classic. I've had no issues with it, but I've only had it about a year. I went with the iPod because the interface made the most sense to me, and for pretty much ALL of the reasons Zod listed.

I, too, hated iTunes. So, guess what? I don't use it. (I don't buy from the iTunes store, anyway.) I generally use MediaMonkey. The pro version has killer library management stuff, which is very cool since my wife (8GB Nano) and I share a library on a SAN device at home. For the few things that MediaMonkey doesn't behave correctly on (may be user brain damage, I dunno), I use SharePod. SharePod makes things like copying from the iPod to a computer and making playlists without the client trying to add the songs a breeze.

Note: I don't do video, so take that into consideration.

 

[General Zod]

I use to hate iTunes. Now I love it. That said, I've never bothered with the iTunes store.

Zod

 

[VenomGA]

I don;t use the iTunes store either. Not sure what everyone's beef with iTunes is, I have no issues with it.

 

[Soundscape]

Itunes slows my pc up every time I try and use it.
It forced me to put everything "in the library" including files I had no interest in putting in an ipod.
And the sync-function that was described so unclearly on their site and in the ipod booklet I got NEVER SHOWED UP ANYWHERE IN THE ITUNES SOFTWARE.

not to mention the fact every file in the "Itunes Store" is an m4a file, lol.

 

[Burnout]

I have an iPhone, I just wish I'd jumped for the 16GB instead of the 8GB. 70 albums just isn't enough.

 

[ratanda]

I use the Creative Zen (mine's 32gb - not sure if that model is still available) - I prefer Creative players because they don't require any proprietary software to load your music up (no iTunes etc). It works just like a flash drive, you drag your music from your hard-drive onto the player and it just automatically knows what to do with it. No logging all your music into a superflous library, no waiting on the program to process every single track etc. And if you want to use it as simply a nice large portable file storage device, it works for that too.

I use a Creative Zen also, but it needs proprietary software to work. It would be great if it was recognized as another ordinary drive that you just plug in, but it's not. Cowon's X5L is great in that way, but is pretty damn bulky.

 

[No Username]

I've had an 8GB Sansa e200 for a while now and love it. One of the reasons why I love it is because I can put Rockbox on it. I sync it up with a random selection from my MP3 library every once in a while.

+1

Best value. I gave one to both my kids, and two friends as xmas gifts. They all loved them My kids both had iPods, and said iTunes was teh suck.

Also
At least you can replace the batteries on it without going through hell.

None of the iPod lovers will tell you that the batteries are non-removable and non-replaceable by 98% of the population. I have a kit that I bought, and I replace batteries for 50 bucks parts and labor. But you CANNOT just buy batteries and slap them in when the one in your iPod dies.

 

[Magius]

At least you can replace the batteries on it without going through hell.

None of the iPod lovers will tell you that the batteries are non-removable and non-replaceable by 98% of the population. I have a kit that I bought, and I replace batteries for 50 bucks parts and labor. But you CANNOT just buy batteries and slap them in when the one in your iPod dies.

Not true.
Most iPod batteries can be changed by the user. Tutorial videos are here: http://www.ipodhowtovideo.com/index.html

If the user isn't adventurous enough to go inside an iPod iPod Battery iPod Battery Depot will change one for $35 including shipping both ways.

 

[MEGALOUD]

IPOD no freaking doubt, I have a 3rd gen that is still in mint working order, wife has the 4th gen video, son has the newest ipod touch it freaking rox! No doubt Ipods are the best.

Regarding rechargable batterys, remember, you always want to run out before you recharge, or almost out, it lengthens the life of rechargables. if your always charging it before it needs it the batteries die FAST.

 

[SkiBumMSP]

I have a 30 GB iPod
Upgraded to a 160 GB iPod because I need more space
Also have a 32 GB iPod Touch because of the Applications you can put on there and the wireless internet

Exact same thing here, except, in my case, I gave away my 30 gig iPod to my nephew as a x-mas present year before last. He is still using it to this day (find out my brother uses it even more, especially while mowing the lawn).

That being said, I also have a Creative Zen 8 gig version (did not realize they came in 32 gig ). I pretty much use that for working out at the gym. I had (actually still have) a 512meg Creative MuVo Slim, which still works perfectly, but wanted more capacity.

Also, I am finding that my BlackBerry Storm has a really nice MP3 player functionality built in (with 8 gig capacity). I've used that on occasion, mainly as a "backup", especially as I only got a tiny handful of tunes on it - mainly just to try it out, plus it is true "drag-n-drop" as my computer just sees it as another drive (just drop the tunes in the "music" folder, plus you can organize it by artist/album within sub-folders - same with the Zen)

The iPod spends most of its time in the car via my trusty ol' Alpine car kit hookup. Nothing like those 11 hour drives to Indianapolis and being able to queue up all that music, without having to "chase" radio stations, or dealing with retarded commercials or sitting through bullshit to get to those couple songs that I may actually like. Unfortunately, it seems satellite radio, which I also have in my car, seems to be going the same direction. At least did not have to deal with commercials (although they did "advertise" a lot of their own programs on other channels) but still had to sit through a bunch of bullshit to get to the songs you want to listen to.

Also, yes, iTunes can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but it does serve its purpose. Plus, you are not required to use iTunes with your iPod. I was able to do an effective job just using WinAmp to manage my iPod, plus with WinAmp, you can also copy files back from the iPod to the PC (how you think I've transferred my entire music library so I have it on my computer at work, on which I don't even have iTunes installed). For those bitching about iTunes, Windows Media Player as well as that Zune Player/Marketplace software is not exactly a picnic either (plus what is up with that retarded "Micrsoft Points" bullshit anyway for the Zune Marketplace?). To be honest, I'll take iTunes over WMP or Zune Player anyday. Talk about POS software! Also, if anybody tries to tell you that you have to get your music through iTunes (the store that is) on the iPod, they are feeding you a line of bull. I had one guy at work try to tell me that you had to go through iTunes to get your music until I educated him otherwise (showing him that you don't even need the iTunes software to get music on an iPod in the first place - in my case, using WinAmp). The only thing I've ever bought through iTunes where a couple of games for my iPod Touch.

Lastly, I would also recommend investing in a pair of good headphones/earbuds. Yeah, the stock ones do server thier pupose, and admittedly, the stock ones that comes with iPods are actually pretty decent, but still nothing like getting a good quality pair. I personally use a pair of Klipsch Custom-3 IEMs with my iPod and they sound incredible (albeight a bit pricey at around $300/pair). I also have a pair of Shure e3c's (again, a bit pricey at around $200/pair), again, way better than the stock pairs. You can find plenty of good headphones out there that are fairly inexpensive that will blow away the stock ones that typically comes with the players.

For an excellent site that has all kinds of reviews of headphones and accessories for iPods, I'd highly recommend checking out iLounge.com. Even if you don't have an iPod, they still got good reviews for things like speakers and headphones that could be used for non-iPod devices.

 

[Perpet]

I have a 4GB Sansa clip. It's really nice and small, works perfectly for what I use an MP3 player for - mainly working out, doing yard work, and traveling. I think you can find them for around 40-50 beans.

+1 I have the same thing. It's tiny and works really well. i got mine off woot for 18 bucks. Worth it for twice the price. Like others have said, it's very important to get decent earbuds. I have Sony EX-81 and they sound great. There are lots of good ones out there. You don't need to spend a ton, but get something adequete.