mp3 player for running

aidanki · 20-11-2014 9:43am #1

what does everyone use as an mp3 player when running ?

my trusty old zen is no more good so need to upgrade

how do phones hold up ?

this is the phone I have samsung mini http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/phones/samsung-galaxy-s-3-mini

Amigaman · 20-11-2014 10:17am

I know its not fashionable but I use my Motoactv for music and GPS - supports bluetooth as well , I've had mine nearly 2 and a half years ( over 4200 km tracked ) and its never let me down :-) ( fingers crossed ) I do appreciate that others have had issues but if mine died tomorrow I'd get another and they have gone down in price since motorola stopped selling / supporting them ..

plodder · 20-11-2014 10:24am

I use this cheap as chips one. The sound quality isn't great, though that's possibly more to do with the earphones. I find phones are too bulky and I'd be worried about water damage.

Krusty_Clown · 20-11-2014 10:32am

These days I just use my phone (with a set of bluetooth headphones) and largely just listen to podcasts, but previously had great success with the Sansa Clip. It's relatively cheap and cheerful, with great sound.

seamus · 20-11-2014 10:34am

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Bluetooth-Wireless-Multi-Point-Connectivity-Black/dp/B00CZC8Q34/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416475821&sr=1-1&keywords=sbh50

Not an actual MP3 player, but it'll let you play music from your phone or you can listen to the radio. It's also insanely resilient. I run with it in all weathers and it's still going strong. I've never had problems running with a phone. Stick it in a sandwich bag and it's protected from the elements. Phone is a tad bulky for some, but get the right thing to carry it and you don't even notice.

George Chinaglia · 20-11-2014 10:39am

Another vote for the Sansa Clip. Tiny, weighs nothing, can clip on to anywhere and huge (expandable) capacity.

pointer28 · 20-11-2014 10:58am

How about another Zen?

I'm still on the original one I bought 5/6 years ago and it never misses a beat. It's a Zen Nano Plus, small, simple, lightweight and I'd had others since, all of which are gone by now.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it and when mine eventually goes I'll be looking for another one.

dintbo · 20-11-2014 12:29pm

I don't listen to music when I run any more, getting in touch with Nature and all that sh.. stuff!! Plus I like being able to hear the car that's about to run me down. But when I did I went with some class of cheap option from argos. small and light and with a clip in case you're running without pockets!!

opus · 20-11-2014 12:34pm

I got one of these yokes recently, built in radio & a slot for an sd-card so used an old 2Gb one I had lying around to hold podcasts. Working grand so far anyway and cost me just over a fiver via ebay.

Hannibal Smith · 20-11-2014 1:51pm

I use my phone as an mp3. .Samsung galaxy s2. Its grand, I slip it into the back pocket of my trousers/shorts and don't think about it. I use the runtastic app to keep track of everything which is why I need my phone.

Only downsides are:-

1. Sometimes the wire of my earphones slip around as I run and can tug the earphones out of my ears.

2. I have to make sure I get bottoms with a pocket in the back...which never seem to be on the sale racks so I have to keep waiting till they come around in Lidl

Dubgal72 · 20-11-2014 3:32pm

I don't, I'd be a liability with earphones! Several people have told me that when they ditch the earphones, they're more in tune with their body and running improves straightaway....just a thought :-)

plodder · 20-11-2014 4:19pm

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

1. Sometimes the wire of my earphones slip around as I run and can tug the earphones out of my ears.

Invest in one of these ...

you can clip the earphone wire to the neck of your running shirt.

KielyUnusual · 20-11-2014 6:44pm

George Chinaglia wrote: »

Another vote for the Sansa Clip. Tiny, weighs nothing, can clip on to anywhere and huge (expandable) capacity.

+1 to this and you'll get them for €20 on e-Bay

Hannibal Smith · 20-11-2014 7:26pm

plodder wrote: »

Invest in one of these ...

you can clip the earphone wire to the neck of your running shirt.

Jebus....so simple but so brilliant!

This Fat Girl Runs · 20-11-2014 9:34pm

I use an iPod shuffle that I've had for years. It's tiny but holds a ton of music. I have over 7 hours of music on it and it's still not full!

shane1981 · 20-11-2014 9:57pm

I tend to use spotify on my phone these days but for mp3s you cant go wrong with a Sansa Clip. Plenty of storage and the clickable buttons allow you to use it through your shirt/shorts without fiddling with a touch screen.

fletch · 21-11-2014 7:29am

iPod Shuffle for me. No screen so battery lasts ages. It's so small and light you can clip it anywhere and you can't even feel it. Buttons are easy enough to press while running.

ThisRegard · 21-11-2014 1:07pm

I prefer to use my phone as I Spotify, Google Music and a radio on it. Problem is it's bulk (and it's not even a big phone) so I only really use it in the winter when I have heavier tops which would have secure pockets.

Any other time I use my Sansa Clip, mostly for the radio though as the majority of my bloody music is in the format for an iPod and I couldn't be arsed going through the process of changing format.

I have it years. It's as hard as nails, has often popped off, receiving a boot in mid air, and bouncing several feet down the road and still working when I picked it up afterwards. It's more roundy than square at this stage from all the falls.

I can't see the image of the thing for holding the headphone wires as I'm on a corporate network and it's blocked, but I imagine it's like a little clip to hold then ? Many running tops have built in loops on the inside of the back collar that do the same.

lway · 21-11-2014 3:20pm

Ipod shuffle user here, easy to clip to waistband of shorts though I've heard good things about the Sansa Clip that people here are talking about.

plodder wrote: »

Invest in one of these ...

you can clip the earphone wire to the neck of your running shirt.

^^ no need to spend money on these, if like me your missus has long hair just check the filter on your washing machine for a seemingly infinite supply.:D

huskerdu · 21-11-2014 8:05pm

Another vote for the Sanza clip. Cheap as chips, great sound, easy to use.

Also, for those of you who wear a bra, it clips really easily to a bra strap.

Mind you, I'm very disappointed by the radio reception on my current one.

donnacha · 21-11-2014 8:07pm

ipod shuffle user here... did purchase a sansa clip but the clip mechanism broke. I also didn't find the buttons on the sansa as easy to use when moving as the shuffle.

ThisRegard · 22-11-2014 11:12am

huskerdu wrote: »

Mind you, I'm very disappointed by the radio reception on my current one.

Yeah, it can be pretty poor. It relies on your ear phone cable as an aerial so if it's bunched up it suffers, but even at that it suffers very easily from interference, even the direction your facing can affect it.

[Deleted User] · 24-11-2014 12:22pm

yes the radio reception on the clip is not great. the radio reception on something that small is never going to be great. works fine in Dublin/city areas but around the country it's not liable to be great.

Hannibal Smith · 24-11-2014 8:05pm

ThisRegard wrote: »

Many running tops have built in loops on the inside of the back collar that do the same.

They all have the loop! I never noticed it before!

Rega · 25-11-2014 12:03pm

The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 4 GB MP3 Player - Black is going for £20 on Amazon's Black Friday deals for the next 3 hours. 23% claimed already so go fast if you want one.

George Chinaglia · 25-11-2014 12:04pm

The Sansa Clip (4gb) is on the Amazon Black Friday deals for the next couple of hours for £21 by the way.

squirrel84 · 21-03-2017 6:05pm

Just curious & considering purchasing an mp3 player whether there is any recommendations on them? & Whether there is anything new on the market worth looking at?

Hatcho · 31-03-2017 4:15pm

squirrel84 wrote: »

Just curious & considering purchasing an mp3 player whether there is any recommendations on them? & Whether there is anything new on the market worth looking at?

I bought one of these recently. Sound quality (using decent Bose headphones) was surprisingly good. Usability is fine - easy to change song, increase/decrease volume etc. All songs must be in one folder - I just loaded my favourite running tunes into it so no using playlists etc. Has an SD card slot up to 32Gb so you can carry a fair few tunes with you.

It's cheap and basic with virtually no bells or whistles, but at that price ye really cant complain...

rom · 16-04-2017 9:13pm

Apple iPod Nano 8G - 6th Gen.
Have used the stanza clip but its buggy and not very user friendly.
Even though the port is big having it under the t-shirt in all types of rain is fine.
Price varies greatly but you can get one for less than 50 if you look around. I listen to a lot of podcasts and iTunes and syncing is hard to beat for ease of use.

Some people seem to like TomTom Spark Cardio music which is a watch with gps,heart rate and mp3 player with BT basically a new version of motoactv.

hot buttered scones · 20-04-2017 12:08pm

I've an 2Gb iPod shuffle for ages now. Easy to use, clips onto the waste band of my shorts and I can operate the buttons without looking. I can highly recommend it.

ipod-shuffle-product-silver-2015?wid=300&hei=300&fmt=png-alpha&qlt=95&.v=HBgl70

ipod-shuffle-product-silver-2015?wid=300&hei=300&fmt=png-alpha&qlt=95&.v=HBgl70

mp3 player for running

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