Best MP3 player ~$300?

[prism]

So I got around $200 from parents, friends and relatives for Christmas, and I want to know what kind of MP3 player to get. I've heard alot of good things about Sandisks, but I have no idea which models. Also, are Creative Labs still the bees' knees'? And don't say iPod, I've ruled them out...

Thanks for any advice!

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Is video playback important to you? How big is your music collection? Do you want to carry thousands of tunes with you all the time? If you just need audio-playback and have a moderate-sized music collection, there are some pretty good options available for half your budget.

Add some details.

 

[ranmaniac]

You almost have enough for an eepc, not that it would make a great mp3 player, but you'd get a 7" lcd screen and a solid state hard drive, and can use Sandisks.

Otherwise, I guess a Zune might be a good choice.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

ipodtouch!

I have an Archos POS. I think it's the worst thing in the world. Actually it's not mine. My uncle bought one for my mom and wanted to mail me one also but I didn't want it. After I used my mom's I concluded it was a POS. I'll go back to my old broken Apple IPod 4th Gen anyday.

What about the Cowon D2?

 

[ed21x]

get the sansa view. it's amazing.

 

[jpeyton]

zen vision m

 

[Anubis]

creative Zen

 

[austin316]

why would you rule out iPods? Now, maybe you choose to go with something else, thats cool, but just to rule them out is stupid. They consistently get great marks and they are extremely cost effective too when compared to other players.

The iPod classic is perfect if you want to hold A TON OF MUSIC (80/160GB respectively) and if you are more interested in the interface, wifi connectivity or videos, the ipod touch is incredible.

I would skip the nano though. A better alternative is the Creative Stone for only $30. Great for the gym.

 

[austin316]

one more thing, the Sansa e280 is pretty cool, but stack it up against an iPod Classic and there really isn't a comparison.

 

[secretanchitman]

Originally posted by: austin316
why would you rule out iPods? Now, maybe you choose to go with something else, thats cool, but just to rule them out is stupid. They consistently get great marks and they are extremely cost effective too when compared to other players.

The iPod classic is perfect if you want to hold A TON OF MUSIC (80/160GB respectively) and if you are more interested in the interface, wifi connectivity or videos, the ipod touch is incredible.

I would skip the nano though. A better alternative is the Creative Stone for only $30. Great for the gym.

qft. exactly what i was going to say. there isnt anything wrong with an ipod classic (unless you want an fm tuner, and even then, you can buy an official apple add on or a 3rd party one). 80GB/160GB is plenty enough or if you want, you could get an ipod touch, but imo, those are stupid.

 

[neegotiator]

Got a sansa sandisk e280 for $150 after busting my ipod nano, i've been pretty happy with it so far. Doesn't get scratched up as easy. Wheel's a little annoying because it sticks out and interface isn't as intuitive i feel, but not a big deal, got used to it pretty quick. Does vids, photos, fm radio, recorder if ever feel like recording a mental note i guess.

 

[DaveSimmons]

A Sandisk Sansa e2xx is nice if you only need 2-8 GB of storage, or if you want to get Napster2Go for legal unlimited downloads at $15/month (rental).

iPod Classic is a great MP3 player if you want 80 or 180 GB of storage to carry your whole collection.

I have an iPod Video (old version of the Classic) and a Sansa and am happy with both of them.

I had the older Zen Xtra and it died soon after the weak 90-day warranty was up. Luckily I'd paid extra for an extended warranty.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: secretanchitman

Originally posted by: austin316
why would you rule out iPods? Now, maybe you choose to go with something else, thats cool, but just to rule them out is stupid. They consistently get great marks and they are extremely cost effective too when compared to other players.

The iPod classic is perfect if you want to hold A TON OF MUSIC (80/160GB respectively) and if you are more interested in the interface, wifi connectivity or videos, the ipod touch is incredible.

I would skip the nano though. A better alternative is the Creative Stone for only $30. Great for the gym.

qft. exactly what i was going to say. there isnt anything wrong with an ipod classic (unless you want an fm tuner, and even then, you can buy an official apple add on or a 3rd party one). 80GB/160GB is plenty enough or if you want, you could get an ipod touch, but imo, those are stupid.

Plenty of people rule them out solely because of its dependence on itunes. I am one of those people. They're a great device being held back by god-awful software. Yes... I just said the ipods were being 'held back'. They would definitely sell more if they would have other options, as those like me would have nothing else to bitch about.

 

[TimeKeeper]

will it be cheaper just upgrade your cell phone?

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: austin316
why would you rule out iPods? Now, maybe you choose to go with something else, thats cool, but just to rule them out is stupid. They consistently get great marks and they are extremely cost effective too when compared to other players.

The iPod classic is perfect if you want to hold A TON OF MUSIC (80/160GB respectively) and if you are more interested in the interface, wifi connectivity or videos, the ipod touch is incredible.

I would skip the nano though. A better alternative is the Creative Stone for only $30. Great for the gym.

i ruled tem out because ive never liked them, ugly, bad interface and fucking shit ass itunes are reasons never to buy one IMO

 

[prism]

Is iTunes the only way to get music on the iPod? Because if that's the case, I definitely stand by my original statement. Do all mp3 players nowadays require you to use some sort of subscription service to put your music on them, or are there some that work just like a flash drive where you drag and drop files onto it?

Oh, and I don't have a huge collection, something in the 40-60GB range should suit me nicely, and video isn't a big deal to me, just a nice screen.

 

[austin316]

Originally posted by: Prism
Is iTunes the only way to get music on the iPod? Because if that's the case, I definitely stand by my original statement. Do all mp3 players nowadays require you to use some sort of subscription service to put your music on them, or are there some that work just like a flash drive where you drag and drop files onto it?

Oh, and I don't have a huge collection, something in the 40-60GB range should suit me nicely, and video isn't a big deal to me, just a nice screen.

There are many other options. I have used Media Monkey and ephPod and both worked GREAT!.

 

[Ika]

Microsoft Zune Gen. 2 > iPod Classic

Seriously, I was all ready and chomping at the bit to get an iPod Classic; then the Zune came out and I completely forgot about the iPod. There's nothing the Classic can do that the Zune can't do better.

And whoever said iPods were cost effective... I doubt you could get a 4gb Nano for $45? I know I've seen Zen Vs and Sansa Es for that price. Sure, the Nano may be smaller and (in the case of the old Nanos) better looking, but they're not worth 2-4x the price.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: Aflac
Microsoft Zune Gen. 2 > iPod Classic

Seriously, I was all ready and chomping at the bit to get an iPod Classic; then the Zune came out and I completely forgot about the iPod. There's nothing the Classic can do that the Zune can't do better.

And whoever said iPods were cost effective... I doubt you could get a 4gb Nano for $45? I know I've seen Zen Vs and Sansa Es for that price. Sure, the Nano may be smaller and (in the case of the old Nanos) better looking, but they're not worth 2-4x the price.

I got one for Xmas that hasn't arrived yet. I'm totally stoked for it. My wife's Toshiba S60 is awesome (the base for the original Zune), and I can't wait to play with my new toy.

 

[brandonyoung]

I like the Samsung YP-P2 MP3 player, I got one for Christmas.

It comes in 4 GB or 8 GB flash memory sizes. it has a 3 inch touch screen. I like that I can just drag and drop files onto it, and I am not tied to specific software like iTunes.

The P2 also plays videos, but I consider that an extra, I mainly use it to play music, and I think it sounds great. Other extra features on the player are an FM tuner to listen to FM stations, a calendar, photo viewer and text reader.

The feature that I think is the best and sets it apart from the rest of the MP3 players out there is the bluetooth connectivity. The P2 can be paired with a mobile phone using bluetooth. No more missed calls because you couldn't hear the phone over your music. The player will pause the music and you can answer the phone. There is a microphone on the player so you can answer the phone using the player without taking off your headphones or having to juggle your cell and the P2.

 

[austin316]

Originally posted by: Aflac
Microsoft Zune Gen. 2 > iPod Classic

Seriously, I was all ready and chomping at the bit to get an iPod Classic; then the Zune came out and I completely forgot about the iPod. There's nothing the Classic can do that the Zune can't do better.

And whoever said iPods were cost effective... I doubt you could get a 4gb Nano for $45? I know I've seen Zen Vs and Sansa Es for that price. Sure, the Nano may be smaller and (in the case of the old Nanos) better looking, but they're not worth 2-4x the price.

If any IS interested in the iPod Classic 30GB, they are $159 directly from Apple.

Hit Me

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: austin316

Originally posted by: Aflac
Microsoft Zune Gen. 2 > iPod Classic

Seriously, I was all ready and chomping at the bit to get an iPod Classic; then the Zune came out and I completely forgot about the iPod. There's nothing the Classic can do that the Zune can't do better.

And whoever said iPods were cost effective... I doubt you could get a 4gb Nano for $45? I know I've seen Zen Vs and Sansa Es for that price. Sure, the Nano may be smaller and (in the case of the old Nanos) better looking, but they're not worth 2-4x the price.

If any IS interested in the iPod Classic 30GB, they are $159 directly from Apple.

Hit Me

I'm not sure if you can call the old plain-jane iPods "Classics", but whatever. I do admit I liked the 5G iPod design, but what was best about it was its size. If I was still in the market for a 30gb player, the old 5G/5.5G iPods are probably what I would get, since they're smaller than Zunes (though still cheaper). The first-gen Zune still has better features than the iPod, though, especially since it has the new Zune software. It's just a little too big for my pocket.

 

[Rio Rebel]

I have been using a 30g Zune for the last couple of months. I just bought an 80g ipod. There are some significant advantages to each, that the other doesn't have.

Zune:
Much bigger screen (if you're going to play a lot of videos, this is a deal maker. Get the Zune.)
Wireless synchronizing
I never used the wireless sharing aspect, nor the FM radio, but those are two more things exclusive to Zune

iPod:
The controls are simply much better.
Accessories. This is bigger than you might think. For every accessory for the Zune, there are 50 for the iPod. Your choices are much greater, and cheaper, for any accessories.


To me, it's a close call. I bought the Zune on sale (refurb) for $90. If you could get it at that price, it's a no brainer. But I prefer the iPod for the two reasons above, and at the same price, IMO the iPod is the way to go - unless you really planning on watching a lot of video. In that case, you might go with the iPod touch anyway. The Touch wasn't for me because I my main goal was to have my massive music collection available and portable, and 8 or 16 gig wasn't going to do it.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: secretanchitman

Originally posted by: austin316
why would you rule out iPods? Now, maybe you choose to go with something else, thats cool, but just to rule them out is stupid. They consistently get great marks and they are extremely cost effective too when compared to other players.

The iPod classic is perfect if you want to hold A TON OF MUSIC (80/160GB respectively) and if you are more interested in the interface, wifi connectivity or videos, the ipod touch is incredible.

I would skip the nano though. A better alternative is the Creative Stone for only $30. Great for the gym.

qft. exactly what i was going to say. there isnt anything wrong with an ipod classic (unless you want an fm tuner, and even then, you can buy an official apple add on or a 3rd party one). 80GB/160GB is plenty enough or if you want, you could get an ipod touch, but imo, those are stupid.

Plenty of people rule them out solely because of its dependence on itunes. I am one of those people. They're a great device being held back by god-awful software. Yes... I just said the ipods were being 'held back'. They would definitely sell more if they would have other options, as those like me would have nothing else to bitch about.

You don't have to use itunes to transfer your music, though as much as I hated it before, it is a pretty nice software package for organizing your library. My mp3s are strewn around my hard drive and, more often than not, not labeled correctly. iTunes automatically organized them in an easy-to-view manner using whatever information it could to do so. I was pleasantly surprised... so don't knock it before you try it.

As far as getting around itunes, there's a plugin for winamp and a very simple transfer program to fulfill all your needs.