Modern high capacity MP3 players?

[darkewaffle]

Got a 60GB iPod that's really showing it's age, the chassis is really worn in and more and more songs are going missing with time (they still exist in the directory, but when you try to play them they just skip to the next song) so I'm guessing the HDD is probably on it's way out.

I did a little bit of searching, and it looks like there are few if any players still selling high capacity audio players aside from Apple. My 60GB is almost completely full and I'd like some headroom, probably at least 80GB+, so I was considering the iPod Classic. But is there anything else worth looking at?

 

[alent1234]

used zune

most people don't care about having 100GB of music on them since it's impossible to listen to it in a few months

 

[Anubis]

the only one that fits what you want is sadly a new ipod classic

i really wish more companies made 120+GB MP3 players as the ipod is full of fail

 

[poofyhairguy]

But is there anything else worth looking at?

Phone + Subsonic. Carrying all your music is very 2004.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Phone + Subsonic. Carrying all your music is very 2004.

What's the sound quality like coming from subsonic? That's a streaming service right? So requires a constant connection?

 

[shortylickens]

Theres an Archos with a 500GB hard drive but its kinda big and heavy.

And really you should analyze why you need all your music on a portable device. I should think you just need enough to do a workout and drive to your job.

 

[gorcorps]

the only one that fits what you want is sadly a new ipod classic

i really wish more companies made 120+GB MP3 players as the ipod is full of fail

Cowon recently released the X7

http://www.amazon.com/COWON-160-MP3-...2280079&sr=8-2

I love Cowon mp3 players, however this one hasn't been getting as great of reviews as their recent flash players... so it may not be the best. However it seems the biggest gripes come from video playback and such, which is probably not your focus given you don't have a strong video player right now. I'd go with that if I were you, mostly because it's almost your only option

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/01/cowon-x7-pmp-review/

 

[Need4Speed]

use smart playlists to load your ipod with music you know you like and music you haven't listen to in a while to create a decent mix. I keep about 10gb worth on my phone and sync about once every week. my playlists are created by using ratings, play counts, skip counts, and last listened to. this avoids having to keep my entire library with me.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Phone + Subsonic. Carrying all your music is very 2004.

When tiered and metered plans are the norm streaming music will be, so ... EXPENSIVE!

Brian

 

[frostedflakes]

The Classic, Zune, and Cowon X7 are about your only choices. Unfortunately few people make high capacity HDD based players anymore.

 

[poofyhairguy]

What's the sound quality like coming from subsonic?

As good as local for me.

That's a streaming service right?

Yep, one you setup on a home computer.

So requires a constant connection?

Pretty much. I use it on ATT's much maligned 3G and it streams my 500GB library perfectly for me.

 

[zerocool84]

Theres an Archos with a 500GB hard drive but its kinda big and heavy.

And really you should analyze why you need all your music on a portable device. I should think you just need enough to do a workout and drive to your job.

So you don't need to load up new music all the time. It's a matter of convenience.

 

[shortylickens]

So you don't need to load up new music all the time. It's a matter of convenience.

With a 16GB microSD card you still wouldnt need to load up new music all the time.
I've only got about 5 gigs on my card in the trucks audio system, and its about 51 hours of music. Thats 51 work days of one hour traffic, which is ridiculous. By the time I use it all up I am ready for something new anyway.

 

[randomlinh]

use smart playlists to load your ipod with music you know you like and music you haven't listen to in a while to create a decent mix. I keep about 10gb worth on my phone and sync about once every week. my playlists are created by using ratings, play counts, skip counts, and last listened to. this avoids having to keep my entire library with me.

i'm with you, but i understand wanting to hear something specific and not having it. lucky for me, I tend to listen to the same stuff and don't mind it. that and my "library" is probably 15GB, heh

 

[darkewaffle]

Well I have the privilege of using my iPod for the majority of my 8hour workday if I choose, at 55.7GB it works out to about 660 hours of music which I could theoretically go through in a matter of months.

Really I just like being able have such a wide library at hand so I know I always have whatever I feel like listening to.

I'll check out some of the final Zunes, at a glance I saw a 120GB one on FS/T, and Cowon actually has some really cool looking designs though something tells me you pay for it as well.

 

[shortylickens]

Well I have the privilege of using my iPod for the majority of my 8hour workday if I choose, at 55.7GB it works out to about 660 hours of music which I could theoretically go through in a matter of months.

Really I just like being able have such a wide library at hand so I know I always have whatever I feel like listening to.

I'll check out some of the final Zunes, at a glance I saw a 120GB one on FS/T, and Cowon actually has some really cool looking designs though something tells me you pay for it as well.

Sounds to me like it would be better if you streamed from your home computer. That way you could have easy access to ALL your music and would never have to sync anything.

 

[darkewaffle]

I've never bothered with syncing anyway. And while I can use my mp3 player, we get extremely poor reception and I doubt they're interested in opening up the firewall for my own personal radio station if I were to use their connection

 

[shortylickens]

I've never bothered with syncing anyway. And while I can use my mp3 player, we get extremely poor reception and I doubt they're interested in opening up the firewall for my own personal radio station if I were to use their connection

You get cellular reception dont you?

 

[simonizor]

You get cellular reception dont you?

If he's working in a factory (or any large building for that matter), I doubt he gets enough to steam music constantly. The place that I work, you can get reception in one spot, walk a hundred feet and be in a dead zone. That, and streaming music all day would be a lot harder on your battery than just listening to it from the internal storage. The OP would probably have troubles getting a cell phone to last 8 hours while streaming music.

@OP: I can definitely relate to you. I work in a factory and can also listen to music while I work. I've only got about 5GB of music right now, so I go through the same songs a lot. I can see why you'd want a large capacity device to hold all of your music. Unfortunately, the trend has been towards small, low capacity flash players. The only really reliable options that you have are a Zune or an iPod Classic.

 

[Anubis]

With a 16GB microSD card you still wouldnt need to load up new music all the time.
I've only got about 5 gigs on my card in the trucks audio system, and its about 51 hours of music. Thats 51 work days of one hour traffic, which is ridiculous. By the time I use it all up I am ready for something new anyway.

16 GB is less then 10% of my music

yes i could stream it and destroy the battery on my phone, which is just stupid

the prob with the cowon one linked above is the size and the touch interface. physical buttons can be operated without looking at it

a MP3 player doesn't need to have a color screen or play videos. it honestly needs 2-3 lines of text to tell you what is playing and how long the track is

really wish they just made a larger version of the X5L which IMO was one of the best pure MP3 players ever made

 

[kamikazekyle]

The Classic, Zune, and Cowon X7 are about your only choices. Unfortunately few people make high capacity HDD based players anymore.

Pretty much this. Note you *can* upgrade the hard drive in some Zunes and some iPods I think. I know of people that upgraded the Zune 30 with a 60GB+ hard drive, but didn't look specifically at iPods and Zune 120s at the time. I'd personally aim for the Zune as it still maintains good audio quality and I prefer the Zune 120's interface to the Classic's. That said, I got one of the 160GB classics before they refreshed the line and made the capacities smaller (edit: looks like they're back up to 160GB now according to wikipedia).

Be glad you can at least bring something to work. They used to let us bring in non-wifi MP3 players, but they even took that away. Now we can only bring in a stand-alone CD player without a tape deck and pre-manufactured CDs (not even burned ones). Kinda makes these 13 hour shifts feel a bit longer.