What's the good geek mp3 player right now?

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: cobalt

Originally posted by: bum
For an audio-only player (no color, videos, etc) I think the old school iRiver ihp-120 + rockbox firmware is great.

Is it true that the rechargeable li-ion battery in this is not replaceable? A user review of this says just that. I find that incomprehensible. Everyone knows that li-ion rechargeables last 2-3 years if you're lucky (unless you baby the battery).

Edit: Anyway, this has my interest. It has a remote (like my current iRiver SlimX). I still wonder if it's dumpster fodder when the battery dies. I just can't see myself getting an iPod or any other Apple stuff.

I found a page that sells a battery that I presume will work in this: iRiver iHP-120 Mp3 Player Battery (DA2WB18D2). The info indicates it's for iPods but presumably it will also work in this. It's $35 + extra charges that push it to around $47.

 

[NuAlphaMan]

Originally posted by: Patt
Creative Vision: M 60GB here ... I love that thing, although it doesn't get as used as it could ...

I have the 30GB version and I love it! I want to get rid of my 30GB one and get a 60GB. If you get a black one, make sure you get a case! It scratches easily.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: bum
For an audio-only player (no color, videos, etc) I think the old school iRiver ihp-120 + rockbox firmware is great.

I checked out the players touted in this thread and decided this was for me. The trumping feature is the inline remote, which I love on my SlimX. Mostly I use an MP3 player in the gym and it's great to have quick (and complete) control of all features without having to access the unit itself. Once you learn the remote features, it's terrific.

According to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iriver_H100_series ) you can replace the HD yourself easily with a 30 GB drive. The battery is also replaceable and you can put in a higher capacity battery. I'll have (with the current 20 GB HD) about 30 times the capacity of my SlimX! It should arrive tomorrow! I'll be loading Rockbox.

Too bad they don't make these anymore. AFAICT, there's no large capacity MP3 player with an inline remote (with complete feature set) currently being made.

 

[KingGheedora]

I got the 30Gb iPod Video (5.5 gengeration). I've had it for about a week... and this thing sucks. I'm going to return it. The sound quality is poor, and the battery life is low.

I used to be able to leave my iAudio on all day at work. The iPod dies before the end of the work day.

The search continues...

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
For the money, you can't beat Zen Vision :M, iPod doesn't even come close. Head on over to FW and read up on a deal you can get in on right now for ~$165.00

I just took advantage of that deal as I wanted a PMP for my work commute, considered the widescreen version but the money savings combined with the portability of the 30 gb model made it the winner.

IMHO ipod is ok for those who don't know or don't want to know much about said devices, but from a feature standpoint it was really lacking in alot of areas I was considering (FM Tune, file support out of the box etc)...the lower price of the Zen was just a bonus.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: KingGheedora

What kind of earphones did you use with the two?

The Superfi series of earbuds are awesome, the shures are nice as well.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: benchiu
I have a Zen Vision M, and right now, for the price (Newegg has it for $165 after rebate I think), it really can't be beat. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of device I wanted. I had contemplated getting a Corwin/Archos/Zen Vision W for video playback, but I decided it wasn't worth the increase in size. I like the form factor of the Zune the best really, but I dislike the restrictions on the system. If Creative had release the Zen Vision M with the same form factor as the Zune, it would be perfect for me. I looked at the Gigabeats as well, but didn't like the battery life. When it came down to make a decision, the Zen Vision M seemed the most versatile platform for me, and the form factor was acceptable to me. It's not perfect by any means, but I enjoy using it thoroughly.

Sounds like you and I came to the same conclusion, I too initially considered the W but decided that size was too much of a factor, and like you also enjoyed the Zune, but the screen resolution and the lack of supported file types really were a turnoff. I hope to have my vision M by this week.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
I got the 30Gb iPod Video (5.5 gengeration). I've had it for about a week... and this thing sucks. I'm going to return it. The sound quality is poor, and the battery life is low.

I used to be able to leave my iAudio on all day at work. The iPod dies before the end of the work day.

The search continues...

Consider the iHP-1x0. You can change out the 20 GB for a 30 GB or the 40 GB for a 60 GB according to Wikipedia, and it appears to be totally easy to do so. You can also change out the battery for a higher capacity one. Even the stock battery on the H120 gets 14-16 hours, and with Rockbox loaded (I'm told) up to 20 hours! I think they're out of production, so you'll have to look for a used one.

Mine should come tomorrow. I did a LOT of research over the weekend and the more user reviews I read (CNet and Amazon.com have hundreds of reviews) the more certain I became that I made absolutely the right choice. I'm going to use it with my Etymotic ER4S earbuds. I didn't encounter a single user who had anything bad to say about the sound. Everybody says it's great. The only knock on it is that it takes a little getting used to the controls, but once you figure it out it's OK. All the other criticisms are obviously minor.

 

[SmoochyTX]

Well, I just got a Zune and I'm loving it. I don't care what anybody says.

 

[Xecuter]

iriver h320/h340 with rockbox FTW

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: mflacy

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
What about the Zune? No one has mentioned that yet.

I've had a brown Zune for about a month now and I love it. I used the 2 week free trial to download about 20 gigs of music and "convert" it to last much longer than the free trial.

I've been showing it off to my Ipod friends and they are jealous of the screen size. I've got several episodes of the Office & Venture brothers on the Zune and they look fantastic. Easy to convert to wmv as well. The custom wallpaper scene is alive and kicking as well. There are tons of great backgrounds to choose from on the net.

The menu structure is just as good as the Ipod from my experience comparing the two. It's really simple to create a custom play list in the Zune software and sync it up to the Zune in seconds. The transfer rate really kicks ass as well. The Zune software could use a few improvements, but it's definitely functional.

I prefer the casing over the Ipod. It doesn't scratch, smudge, or nick. The size is a little bulky though. The thickness doesn't really bug me that much, but I can see how some people wouldn't care for it.

The sound quality is fantastic, but I may be biased due to the headphones I'm using: Bang & Olufsen ear buds. The EQ is pretty decent and the options are a bit varied. The radio tuner kicks ass as well. I love that names of the songs and artists will pop up if the radio station is providing that info.

The wireless connection is completely moot to me as I've only met 1 other person with a Zune out and about. It's a neat idea, but would work much better with an install base of the Ipod.

Anyway, it's definitely a great player. On a side note, I do find it humorous that it's actually anti-establishment to own a Microsoft product over conforming to Apple's Ipod.

I've had my Zune since about a month after launch, and I love it. It doesn't have a single scratch on it, sound quality is great (I'm using $40 Sony in-ear buds) and the screen is beautiful. Every time I pull it out I get questions about it (What kind of iPod is that?) and once I show people what it does they usually want one, and most of those people own iPods.

 

[KingGheedora]

Originally posted by: Xecuter
iriver h320/h340 with rockbox FTW

I had the h340 before i got my iAudio. The 340 got stolen, i liked the features and the sound quality was pretty much the same to my ears as the iAudio (very good). I didn't like the bulk though, the size and weight. The interface was average. But then again every mp3 player I've tried, including the iPod are pretty much the same in this area. My mp3's are too messy to navigate by tags, it's actually cleaner to go by file folder.

 

[KingGheedora]

Originally posted by: MDE

Originally posted by: mflacy

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
What about the Zune? No one has mentioned that yet.

I've had a brown Zune for about a month now and I love it. I used the 2 week free trial to download about 20 gigs of music and "convert" it to last much longer than the free trial.

I've been showing it off to my Ipod friends and they are jealous of the screen size. I've got several episodes of the Office & Venture brothers on the Zune and they look fantastic. Easy to convert to wmv as well. The custom wallpaper scene is alive and kicking as well. There are tons of great backgrounds to choose from on the net.

The menu structure is just as good as the Ipod from my experience comparing the two. It's really simple to create a custom play list in the Zune software and sync it up to the Zune in seconds. The transfer rate really kicks ass as well. The Zune software could use a few improvements, but it's definitely functional.

I prefer the casing over the Ipod. It doesn't scratch, smudge, or nick. The size is a little bulky though. The thickness doesn't really bug me that much, but I can see how some people wouldn't care for it.

The sound quality is fantastic, but I may be biased due to the headphones I'm using: Bang & Olufsen ear buds. The EQ is pretty decent and the options are a bit varied. The radio tuner kicks ass as well. I love that names of the songs and artists will pop up if the radio station is providing that info.

The wireless connection is completely moot to me as I've only met 1 other person with a Zune out and about. It's a neat idea, but would work much better with an install base of the Ipod.

Anyway, it's definitely a great player. On a side note, I do find it humorous that it's actually anti-establishment to own a Microsoft product over conforming to Apple's Ipod.

I've had my Zune since about a month after launch, and I love it. It doesn't have a single scratch on it, sound quality is great (I'm using $40 Sony in-ear buds) and the screen is beautiful. Every time I pull it out I get questions about it (What kind of iPod is that?) and once I show people what it does they usually want one, and most of those people own iPods.

How do you guys feel about having to use windows media player to manage and transfer your media to and from the Zune? To me that is a pretty big drawback.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: KingGheedora

Originally posted by: MDE

Originally posted by: mflacy

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
What about the Zune? No one has mentioned that yet.

I've had a brown Zune for about a month now and I love it. I used the 2 week free trial to download about 20 gigs of music and "convert" it to last much longer than the free trial.

I've been showing it off to my Ipod friends and they are jealous of the screen size. I've got several episodes of the Office & Venture brothers on the Zune and they look fantastic. Easy to convert to wmv as well. The custom wallpaper scene is alive and kicking as well. There are tons of great backgrounds to choose from on the net.

The menu structure is just as good as the Ipod from my experience comparing the two. It's really simple to create a custom play list in the Zune software and sync it up to the Zune in seconds. The transfer rate really kicks ass as well. The Zune software could use a few improvements, but it's definitely functional.

I prefer the casing over the Ipod. It doesn't scratch, smudge, or nick. The size is a little bulky though. The thickness doesn't really bug me that much, but I can see how some people wouldn't care for it.

The sound quality is fantastic, but I may be biased due to the headphones I'm using: Bang & Olufsen ear buds. The EQ is pretty decent and the options are a bit varied. The radio tuner kicks ass as well. I love that names of the songs and artists will pop up if the radio station is providing that info.

The wireless connection is completely moot to me as I've only met 1 other person with a Zune out and about. It's a neat idea, but would work much better with an install base of the Ipod.

Anyway, it's definitely a great player. On a side note, I do find it humorous that it's actually anti-establishment to own a Microsoft product over conforming to Apple's Ipod.

I've had my Zune since about a month after launch, and I love it. It doesn't have a single scratch on it, sound quality is great (I'm using $40 Sony in-ear buds) and the screen is beautiful. Every time I pull it out I get questions about it (What kind of iPod is that?) and once I show people what it does they usually want one, and most of those people own iPods.

How do you guys feel about having to use windows media player to manage and transfer your media to and from the Zune? To me that is a pretty big drawback.

You can't use WMP, you need the Zune software which is pretty similar. I like it overall, it's much less irritating than iTunes was for me.

 

[KingGheedora]

Maybe I should just return the iPod and get an iPod nano to tide me over until something better comes out that fits all my needs... The nike running kit seems pretty cool. Anything good on the horizon?

 

[bucwylde23]

Just got a black zune tonight, so far so good! I really like it. After playing around with my brothers 30gb iPod video, I think I made the right decision.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Does the Creative Vision let you just copy files over or do you have to use special software, WMP, or something like that?

 

[mercanucaribe]

Doh! It's MTP! http://www.everythingusb.com/creative_zen_vision:m_30gb.html

No thanks.