What MP3 player to buy?

hughobrien

I know there's a load of topics like this on the boards, but I thought I'd ask myself so I can get some direct answers. I want to get myself an MP3 player. I'm looking for something with a large capacity (min 10Gb) and that can be used as a portable hard drive.

I was thinking of getting an iPod. I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard a couple of bad things about them. First, I was told that you can only put music files onto it and effectively not use it as a hard drive. Secondly, there's the thing about the battery only lasting 18 months and then cacking it. Any one know if these rumours or true.

My second choice was the Creative Labs Nomad Zen Xtra Player. From what I've read about it, it does the same as the iPod, but definitely works as a hard drive as well.

Other than that I might splash out on an Archos AV380, just becuase it plays movies and stuff and will impress the hell out of my friends (a bit pricey though!).

Anyone have any suggestions on what I should go for?

Woden

whatever with regards to your other questions i can reliabley inform ya that the ipod can be used as a hard drive. i currently have stuff sitting with mine alongside my music

with regards to the battery its well i know people that have there ipod a good while and have had no issues with the battery i suppose it depends on how much you use it charge it. i heard someone compare them to a normal nokia battery which will eventually last for less and less.

with regards to size and portability nothing beats the ipod. it still amazes me the sheer size of it when i take it out of its protective rubber cover. even with the rubber cover i can comfortabley put it into the pocket of my jeans if i dont' have a jacket on for example.

however a lot of people recommend the iriver stuff. the ipod looks great and is fairly cool and an idiot could operate it, but you'll get my hdd space on another player and perhaps better sound quality for the same price. you'll have to weigh what you want from it and make a decision

the smallest ipod these days is 15gb btw and it is the same price as the old 10gb used to be i think

data

Makaveli

Originally posted by Dataisgod
the ipod looks great and is fairly cool and an idiot could operate it, but you'll get my hdd space on another player and perhaps better sound quality for the same price.

So basically you're paying for fashion, for want of a better word.
Which is why I bought a Nomad Zen.

Woden

well i got it for 150euro as i signed up for bb at the time which i thought was a steal tbh. if i was to go out and buy an mp3 player now i wouldn't buy an ipod unless i badly needed the smaller size

qBot

Sorry if i'm hijacking, but i think this fits in well here.

Ya, i'm thinking about getting an iPod too, but till recently was thinking bout the ihp. Thing is, i figure the ihp is not as usable as the iPod. For instance, when navigating 30gb of mp3's id prefer the iPod touchwheel. I have an iRiver ifp and although the stick works fine when your dealing with 256mb, i don't think it scales well ( Can anyone tell me if this is true, it's the main reason i'm swaying towards the pod).
Second is the iTrip. I think this is magic, no need for leads or configuration, just simply broadcast your songs anywhere u go, be it your car, hi-fi whatever. Is there anything like this for the ihp?
My only beef with the iPod is it's 8 hour battery life, the ihp manages 16hours which is why i think ill wait for generation 4 before purchasing. This i think is one area apple will improve.


As for the zen, i've seen them and they are just too big and clunky for me.

Mutant_Fruit

i'd definately go with the new iRiver players if i was getting a player today. Better battery life, more codec spport (better codec's are now supported!).

And in response to the 'iTrip", you can get a tape adapter for MUCH cheaper (i'm assumgin the iTrip costs at least 30eur as its proprietry) and it also works with 100% of tape players.

Basically a little earphone jack sticks into your player where the earphones usually go, and on the other end of the wire is something that looks like a standard casette. I have yet to have problems with it.

hughobrien

Thanks guys. Definitely food for thought there.

eclectichoney

I'd recommend the iriver...got one a couple of weeks back & loving it. I find the navigation fine, but having said that I've never tried an ipod and i tend to just listen to the albums in the order that they play without moving around too much - boring i know but i've rediscovered a lot of records i wouldn't normally listen to this way.

anyway, the battery life in the iriver is good. i typically get about 5 days before charging and i use it 3 hrs a day i'd say.

Civilian_Target

Seconded. Never tried an iRiver HD player, but their other stuff is of solid quality (but comes at a price).

Second option would be the Archos, my reservation there being that it's a bit too bulky.

If you didn't need it as a hard disk, I'd recommend the player thats winging its way to me at the moment: the Rio Karma.

eclectichoney

latest prices on the iriver 20G 390 and 460 for the 40G both harvey norman

not too shabby

CiaranC

The iTrip alone makes me want to get an iPod. A tape adapter (which i currently use) doesnt compare. Take your ipod to a friends and put it beside their stereo - viola! Mobile disco.

KoNiT

can the iriver play mp3's?

from the iriver website >

Product iRiver H140
HDD TYPE (40GB)
File Support MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, ASF, WAV

Dimension Approx. 60(W) X 105(L) X 22(D)mm
Weight Approx. 175g
Power Supply DC 5.0V 2A
Operating System WIN98SE/ME/2000/XP


or is "layer 3" mp3?

if it can then I'll be getting it!

quarryman

mpeg layer 3 is "mp3"

twould be pretty dumb not to support it on a portable player.

eclectichoney

yeah of course it plays mp3s.....it offers ogg and wma as well though. also supports txt files so ya can read on the bus....but that does sound a bit silly

KoNiT

where can I get the iRiver H140??

DoesNotCompute

hughobrien wrote:

I know there's a load of topics like this on the boards, but I thought I'd ask myself so I can get some direct answers. I want to get myself an MP3 player. I'm looking for something with a large capacity (min 10Gb) and that can be used as a portable hard drive.

Go for the Nomad JukeBox Zen NX. I have a 30 GB model, and I use it as a portable hard drive. A word of caution, tho...

It uses USB 2.0, but it's still pretty slow when transferring big files, so you might need to carry the charger around with you if you're downloading big files (over a gig, say), because using the player as a portable HD eats up battery power...

Edit:
Also the zen NX supports WAV files...not sure if it has ogg and wma support

Makaveli

The Zen does support WMA.
Also you can buy a firewire version.

Woden

usb2.0 though i thought was faster then firewire? the good thing about firewire though is that it allows the players to be charged while connected to the pc (or it does with the ipod) this doesn't work when connected through usb

monk

hi guys,
I had a jukebox zen 20gb for the last year and a half until it died last weekend, so i was planning on getting a zen nx 40gb but when I was in the shop I saw the Ipod and for the same hd size it was 130e more expensive, and well I succumed to the advertising, and overall I think its great.
Georgeous interface, lovely size (compared to zen) overall very happy (yes I'll admit I also got it for the sheer style of it :P).

I'm just wondering wheres the best place to buy one of the iTrip ? is there anywhere in Ireland that sells them or will it have to ship from the US ?

Woden

check out the apple store on kildare street.

or www.apple.com/ie

qBot

Originally posted by Dataisgod
usb2.0 though i thought was faster then firewire? the good thing about firewire though is that it allows the players to be charged while connected to the pc (or it does with the ipod) this doesn't work when connected through usb

ya, tis slower alright. But not overly significantly IMO.