Researching a good MP3 player is torture, pure torture.

[Ramius]

I think I might give up.
Either they have crappy headphones, delicate case, no belt clip, not enough memory, not expandable, too expensive, ...

I just want one that has:
- At least 64mb built in, yet expandable.
- FM Tuner.
- Price below $250.
- USB.

Any suggestions/recommendations???

Cnet.com and Audioreview.com hasn't really helped me.

 

[chizow]

Picked up a nike Rio PSA 60 at BB yesterday.

Only has 32MB built-in..expandable to 96MB
No Tuner
USB Compatible with software
Has a belt clip and remote clip
no case needed, its tiny and rugged
does have crappy headphones, but usuable.

Best part about it was it was only $30 ($20 IR, $50 MIR) Retails for $100 at BB, originally $170.

I'll be using it for the gym, so its a total steel. Very cool little player.

Chiz

 

[Ramius]

I saw that, but the price is the last priority.
I read that thread and saw how people had to Flash it and the headphones fell apart, haha.
Thanks for the recommendation though!

 

[Damascus]

Nomad II MG + get your own headphones

It meets all of your requirements... but it might go against your principles
if you don't wanna support Creative Labs...

You can also order a 256MB version of the player from their web site.

 

[randomlinh]

yeah, you'll have to buy your own buds most of the time. and you should drop the fm tuner, it's almost useless (from what i've found)... w/ that said, the Nomad II (i think the entire series...) almost fits your needs.

 

[Ramius]

Thanks, I'm between that one and the Iomega thing because of the cheap memory discs.

 

[SystemLogic]

No this is MP3 torture

 

[Slogun]

Here's my 2 cents.
I bought a Sensory Science Rave MP2200 for $250 a while back.
It works well for voice recording and MP3s, however FM reception, forget about it. Also it came with earbuds that are very uncomfortable. I think you should find the player you want and figure on buying separate earphones to suit your taste.
I just bought a Rio One for a gift for 100 bucks at Circuit City( also has a 20 dollar rebate). no FM tuner, 32 MB memory(upgradeable), has belt clip and is USB. Looks like a good buy to me. You can upgrade the memory for cheap these days too.
One of the beautiful things about MP3 players is they have no moving parts, not so with the zip-clicks and others that use discs.
BTW, my Sensory Science came with NO case and NO belt clip, not even an option to buy them. I ended up finding a great leather cellphone case that fit perfectly for 10 bucks at radio shack.