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Help me pick my MP3 player

F

FreshPrince

Diamond Member
Looking to buy a flash based MP3 player for my europe trip...looking at around 512MB - 1GB. I need something that's easy to use and has long battery life.

so far, I'm looking at these player, they each have Pros and Cons:

Cowon iAudio U2 (1GB, Platinum Black) - leaning toward this one

Samsung YEPP YP-T7X (512MB) - looks bad ass

Sony NW-E407 Network Walkman (1GB) - looking at this one for the battery life

Cowon iAudio 5 (2GB) - 2 GB!

Creative MuVo Micro N200 (1GB)

Apple iPod Shuffle (1GB) - had to put this one in due to the built-in USB connector. No additional USB cable to mess with.

If you have a better suggestion, please share!

Thanks,

- FP

 
Muvo with teh FM radio. I really like the idea of the detachable thumb drive + FM radio. Throw the Shuffle out. I may like Apple's iPod, but my respect only goes for the 20GB model and up. Down with minis and shuffles. You want random? Every software can do shuffle play. Every MP3 player can. Why not get one with a screen so you CAN choose and CAN shuffle when you want to.
 
I just bought the Sony NW-E507 (same as the 407, but it adds an FM tuner) and I love it. The only downside (and it's a big one for me) is that you *have* to use Sony's SonicStage software to transfer music to it. The software is really bad, but I think the rest of the package makes it worthwhile still. Battery life is phenomenal!

Hope this helps!
 
Well, this really depends on the features you want.
This player: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16855174003
is a 1GB model for $115. It can play mp3s, wmas or wavs. It can also record wavs, though I think only through a built-in mic. It's definitely a nice little player, and very cheap. Oh, and it has an FM tuner.

The iPod Shuffle at $127 ($119 "education" price + $8 sales tax) is a very competitively-priced unit. Of course the iPod is the only player on the market (that I know of) which can play iTunes' proprietary aac files. But the iPod Shuffle has a huge drawback: no LCD display. That's right, you can play files, but without a display there's no practical way to navigate through your music library. If you don't think you can live without some sort of display, you shouldn't get the iPod Shuffle. It has a couple of other drawbacks, too, including lack of any wma or FM support, and no voice/mic recording.

Personally, I think the Creative Muvo looks good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16855102173
It's $129--basically the same price as the iPod Shuffle--except that with the Muvo you get an LCD screen, FM tuner, voice recording (with built-in mic) and, my favorite, line-in recording (with 1/8" input). The Muvo supports wma instead of the iPod's aac. Sadly, it doesn't support wav playback or recording, but with a 1GB player you probably wouldn't use it, anyway. The $129 version of the Muvo is an ugly red, but if you care about that sort of thing you can get the nicer black version for $135: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16855102172
 
You did not mention the creative muvo TX FM. It does not need a USB cable either. My wife has the 256MB version and loves it. Fry's currently has the 512MB version for $80 AR.
 
I have a Muvo TX FM and think it's great. I like it over the micro because it doesn't need a cable to connect to your computer. I also like it using AAA batteries - rechargables are a pain to recharge (debatable point). However, between all the different MuVo versions, one out there should suit your tastes.
 
iriver is an awesome brand too but i feel that the ones with colour screen is a bit overkill for an mp3 player
 
I have the I5 1GB and love it. Note that the U2 and I5 come with a->A converters that can be attached to a keychain. The lanyard sucks, though (I replaced mine with a cotton/hemp shoelace, so now it's comfy).
Note: You're limited, in the 2GB I5 and G3 (do theyr have the 2GB U2 out yet?) to around 400 files. With decent quality music, that's not a problem.

Being a plain old flash drive is nice, too: no crappy software to worry with.

The Lexar should be good, too.
 
Bit of a hijack here, but what Bit Rate do you guys normally use when ripping? This is all kind of new to me.

I would think my untrained ears would be not too discriminating. I see the value of keeping the files size smaller but I would think that would compromise sound quality, fidelity, or whatever.

I realize I could experiment some, but a little advice would be welcomed.
 
Get the Ceative Muvo TX FM. It has a detachable thumb drive like the Ipod shuffle. But it also has an lcd screen, fm radio, and a personal voice recorder, whereas the ipod shuffle does not.
 
Originally posted by: boomerang
Bit of a hijack here, but what Bit Rate do you guys normally use when ripping? This is all kind of new to me.

I would think my untrained ears would be not too discriminating. I see the value of keeping the files size smaller but I would think that would compromise sound quality, fidelity, or whatever.

I realize I could experiment some, but a little advice would be welcomed.
Click to expand...

I like to encode mine at 256kbs. I really can tell the difference between 256 and 320. I can definitely tell the difference between 128 and 320. I would say at minumum you would want to encode at 192kbs.
 
I can only get 128 since the site i get my music from only provides that... the quality is not bad considered i used to listen to 20kbs lol
 
Originally posted by: boomerang
Bit of a hijack here, but what Bit Rate do you guys normally use when ripping? This is all kind of new to me.

I would think my untrained ears would be not too discriminating. I see the value of keeping the files size smaller but I would think that would compromise sound quality, fidelity, or whatever.

I realize I could experiment some, but a little advice would be welcomed.
Click to expand...


I usually rip at 128k.That's good enough for take around use and I have the original cd I can rerip at a higher bit rate if I need to later. You do have the original discs dont you? :^P

The only music I have that really loses something at that bitrate is bagpipes. The bagpipes sound is really complex and they lose alot of their sparkle at lower bitrates.
 
Originally posted by: lxskllr
Originally posted by: boomerang
Bit of a hijack here, but what Bit Rate do you guys normally use when ripping? This is all kind of new to me.

I would think my untrained ears would be not too discriminating. I see the value of keeping the files size smaller but I would think that would compromise sound quality, fidelity, or whatever.

I realize I could experiment some, but a little advice would be welcomed.
Click to expand...


I usually rip at 128k.That's good enough for take around use and I have the original cd I can rerip at a higher bit rate if I need to later. You do have the original discs dont you? :^P

The only music I have that really loses something at that bitrate is bagpipes. The bagpipes sound is really complex and they lose alot of their sparkle at lower bitrates.
Click to expand...

Uh..no, all of your music loses something at 128. Do you not have enough HD space to just rip in FLAC? You'd be better off at least ripping in 192, or 192-224 VBR.
 
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: lxskllr
Originally posted by: boomerang
Bit of a hijack here, but what Bit Rate do you guys normally use when ripping? This is all kind of new to me.

I would think my untrained ears would be not too discriminating. I see the value of keeping the files size smaller but I would think that would compromise sound quality, fidelity, or whatever.

I realize I could experiment some, but a little advice would be welcomed.
Click to expand...


I usually rip at 128k.That's good enough for take around use and I have the original cd I can rerip at a higher bit rate if I need to later. You do have the original discs dont you? :^P

The only music I have that really loses something at that bitrate is bagpipes. The bagpipes sound is really complex and they lose alot of their sparkle at lower bitrates.
Click to expand...

Uh..no, all of your music loses something at 128. Do you not have enough HD space to just rip in FLAC? You'd be better off at least ripping in 192, or 192-224 VBR.
Click to expand...



I realize all music loses something, I just find it more pronounced in bagpipes. I have a 30g harddrive in my laptop that I use to play music in my work truck ( I'm using Dell 2.1 speakers plugged into a inverter, sounds sweet) that fills up pretty quickly with all of my other stuff on there. The small tradeoff in sound quality is worth it to me to keep a large quantity of varied music( over 1500 tracks and growing). Also as I said, I still have the original cds and can play them in my Jeep or at home if I desire original quality sound.
 
Originally posted by: lxskllr
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: lxskllr
Originally posted by: boomerang
Bit of a hijack here, but what Bit Rate do you guys normally use when ripping? This is all kind of new to me.

I would think my untrained ears would be not too discriminating. I see the value of keeping the files size smaller but I would think that would compromise sound quality, fidelity, or whatever.

I realize I could experiment some, but a little advice would be welcomed.
Click to expand...


I usually rip at 128k.That's good enough for take around use and I have the original cd I can rerip at a higher bit rate if I need to later. You do have the original discs dont you? :^P

The only music I have that really loses something at that bitrate is bagpipes. The bagpipes sound is really complex and they lose alot of their sparkle at lower bitrates.
Click to expand...

Uh..no, all of your music loses something at 128. Do you not have enough HD space to just rip in FLAC? You'd be better off at least ripping in 192, or 192-224 VBR.
Click to expand...



I realize all music loses something, I just find it more pronounced in bagpipes. I have a 30g harddrive in my laptop that I use to play music in my work truck ( I'm using Dell 2.1 speakers plugged into a inverter, sounds sweet) that fills up pretty quickly with all of my other stuff on there. The small tradeoff in sound quality is worth it to me to keep a large quantity of varied music( over 1500 tracks and growing). Also as I said, I still have the original cds and can play them in my Jeep or at home if I desire original quality sound.
Click to expand...

How much space do the 1500 tracks take up? Cant be more than 7-8 gigs, right? I just think that the small increase in size from 128 to 192 is worth it for the increase in SQ..but alas it is your collection, and your ears.
 
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