YAM(P3 Player)T: Flash vs. HDD

[Stuxnet]

Sorry - newbie is overwhelmed by info and choices...

Toshiba Gigabeat S
iRiver Clix
Creative Zen Vision: M

My biggest question is how durable (or fragile) are the HDD MP3 players? The flash-drive iRiver Clix looks SWEET, but it only holds 2GB and I want to be able to travel with a good portion of my music library (MP3 ripped @ 192). At the same time, I don't want to deal with mechanical HDD failures.

Also, if anyone has specific input on any of these players or the software you use to manage your library, I'm all ears. I've been toying with MediaMonkey and it seems quite powerful. One thing I really like about iTunes that I haven't found in any other software, though, is that you can set it to auto-rip-and-eject when an audio CD is inserted.

Also, FWIW, I am considering only these players. No, I am not an iPod hater. I just don't think they offer the best value (have to buy too many additional accessories for basic functionality). I'm really only interested in listening to music and maybe viewing a photo from time to time. Not much beyond album art. Video, TV, and bread toasting really mean nothing to me.

I swear if the Clix was available in a 4GB model I'd be all over it like coke on Courtney Love's nostrils.

 

[Ika]

HDD players are fairly durable, as long as you don't thrash them around too much. I'm not sure if you can go jogging or something with one, as I'm afraid to try.

Are you sure the Clix is the only flash player you want? The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of. Also, the iAudio 6 is a nice, small HDD-based player.

If you want to rip CDs, download Exact Audio Copy and follow the tutorial on http://www.chrismyden.com/bestmp3guide.php

I would recommend the Vision:M, as I've heard some bad things about the Gigabeat S.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: Aflac
The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of.

WOW!

That's exactly what I'm looking for... even has a user-replaceable battery... what a concept!

Looks like I have some more reading to do...

[edit]

Just read that the Sansa doen't have an FM tuner available for it yet . There also seem to be a lot of reports of it locking up. Oh well... looks pretty sweet on paper, though.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: Aflac
The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of.

WOW!

That's exactly what I'm looking for... even has a user-replaceable battery... what a concept!

Looks like I have some more reading to do...

[edit]

Just read that the Sansa doen't have an FM tuner available for it yet . There also seem to be a lot of reports of it locking up. Oh well... looks pretty sweet on paper, though.

The e200 series DOES have an FM tuner (you may have read the "not available in Europe" part) and I believe the lockups have been mostly resolved with firmware updates. I'm planning on getting one sooner or later, but want to see what MS has up their sleeve with the Zune projects.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: Aflac
The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of.

WOW!

That's exactly what I'm looking for... even has a user-replaceable battery... what a concept!

Looks like I have some more reading to do...

[edit]

Just read that the Sansa doen't have an FM tuner available for it yet . There also seem to be a lot of reports of it locking up. Oh well... looks pretty sweet on paper, though.

The e200 series DOES have an FM tuner (you may have read the "not available in Europe" part) and I believe the lockups have been mostly resolved with firmware updates. I'm planning on getting one sooner or later, but want to see what MS has up their sleeve with the Zune projects.

From what I've heard, it sounds like MS is working more towards creating a PMP, and nothing in the small flash player department. I haven't read that much, though, so I could be wrong.

 

[zerocool1]

I've heard good things about the meiza m6 too

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I've got a HD mp3 player that's 3 years old. It's been used a lot, been rained on, snowed on, been dropped on concrete and left in the car for weeks on end hitting temperature extremes from 150*F down to about -10*F and it still plays.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Aflac

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: Aflac
The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of.

WOW!

That's exactly what I'm looking for... even has a user-replaceable battery... what a concept!

Looks like I have some more reading to do...

[edit]

Just read that the Sansa doen't have an FM tuner available for it yet . There also seem to be a lot of reports of it locking up. Oh well... looks pretty sweet on paper, though.

The e200 series DOES have an FM tuner (you may have read the "not available in Europe" part) and I believe the lockups have been mostly resolved with firmware updates. I'm planning on getting one sooner or later, but want to see what MS has up their sleeve with the Zune projects.

From what I've heard, it sounds like MS is working more towards creating a PMP, and nothing in the small flash player department. I haven't read that much, though, so I could be wrong.

Part of the project is called Pixas or Pyxis which is supposed to be a small flash player. I'm not only waiting for their actual hardware, but how their presence will shake up the market. We may see pricedrops and new features from other manufacturers to match MS's offerings.

Originally posted by: zerocool1
I've heard good things about the meiza m6 too

Also a very cool player!

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: Aflac
The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of.

WOW!

That's exactly what I'm looking for... even has a user-replaceable battery... what a concept!

Looks like I have some more reading to do...

[edit]

Just read that the Sansa doen't have an FM tuner available for it yet . There also seem to be a lot of reports of it locking up. Oh well... looks pretty sweet on paper, though.

The e200 series DOES have an FM tuner (you may have read the "not available in Europe" part) and I believe the lockups have been mostly resolved with firmware updates. I'm planning on getting one sooner or later, but want to see what MS has up their sleeve with the Zune projects.

I'm sorry - I mean FM transmitter (for playback in the car). That will account for 75% of my usage.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: jbourne77
I'm sorry - I mean FM transmitter (for playback in the car). That will account for 75% of my usage.

There are tons of universal ones out there that could be used with it, but I know what you mean, it's nice to have one that integrates with the player.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: Aflac
The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of.

WOW!

That's exactly what I'm looking for... even has a user-replaceable battery... what a concept!

Looks like I have some more reading to do...

[edit]

Just read that the Sansa doen't have an FM tuner available for it yet . There also seem to be a lot of reports of it locking up. Oh well... looks pretty sweet on paper, though.

The e200 series DOES have an FM tuner (you may have read the "not available in Europe" part) and I believe the lockups have been mostly resolved with firmware updates. I'm planning on getting one sooner or later, but want to see what MS has up their sleeve with the Zune projects.

I'm sorry - I mean FM transmitter (for playback in the car). That will account for 75% of my usage.

No mp3 player has a built-in FM transmitter. Really, the only option is to buy a 3rd party FM transmitter. I know Monster makes one for the car, and it works well, from what I could tell. I use a Belkin Tunecast II right now and it's ******, but it doesn't plug into the car jack so I can use any radio I want with it. Fair tradeoff.

 

[arod]

i love my gigabeat....

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: jbourne77
I'm sorry - I mean FM transmitter (for playback in the car). That will account for 75% of my usage.

There are tons of universal ones out there that could be used with it, but I know what you mean, it's nice to have one that integrates with the player.

Ahh... did not know that the jacks were universal.

<- MP3 newb

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: jbourne77
I'm sorry - I mean FM transmitter (for playback in the car). That will account for 75% of my usage.

There are tons of universal ones out there that could be used with it, but I know what you mean, it's nice to have one that integrates with the player.

Ahh... did not know that the jacks were universal.

<- MP3 newb

Almost all FM transmitters plug into the headphone-out jack on the MP3 player (with the notable exception of the Griffin iTrip, which I believe plugs into the line out of the iPod).

 

[GrantMeThePower]

Dude, FYI, the Toshiba Gigabeat S series is freakin sweet. Like totally and completely rad.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: GrantMeThePower
Dude, FYI, the Toshiba Gigabeat S series is freakin sweet. Like totally and completely rad.

Come again?

Pros

• Great Interface
  Nice Screen
  Great Looking Video Playback
  Great Playlist Support
  Proprietary & Standard Connections
  Wide Selection of Music Stores and Services

Cons

• Windows XP SP1 Only
  MTP - No UMS Drag and Drop
  Only WMV9 Native Video Support
  Buggy MTP & WMP11
  No Custom EQ
  Battery Life
  Black Player Shows Dirt Easily
  No Delete on-the-fly

Those Cons greatly outweigh the Pros, especially considering there's very little wrong with the Vision:M.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Aflac
HDD players are fairly durable, as long as you don't thrash them around too much. I'm not sure if you can go jogging or something with one, as I'm afraid to try.

Are you sure the Clix is the only flash player you want? The Sandisk Sansa e2x0 series comes in 2gb, 4gb, and 6gb (soon to be an 8gb model) and are generally quite well thought of. Also, the iAudio 6 is a nice, small HDD-based player.

If you want to rip CDs, download Exact Audio Copy and follow the tutorial on http://www.chrismyden.com/bestmp3guide.php

I would recommend the Vision:M, as I've heard some bad things about the Gigabeat S.

Unless you can find some way of securing the player, or you carry it in your hand, I find HDD based mp3 players are too big to jog with, as they move about a lot and are heavy.

 

[Tiamat]

Are any of the aforementioned plug and play like normal flash drives?

I have an old Iriver IGP-100 and I like it because it doesnt require any software or anything. I just drag and drop music onto it as if it were an external harddrive and its good to go.

Nowadays, every player seems to require some sort of crappy software like WMP, Itunes, or other brand specific bloatware.

 

[arod]

Originally posted by: Aflac

Originally posted by: GrantMeThePower
Dude, FYI, the Toshiba Gigabeat S series is freakin sweet. Like totally and completely rad.

Come again?

Pros

• Great Interface
  Nice Screen
  Great Looking Video Playback
  Great Playlist Support
  Proprietary & Standard Connections
  Wide Selection of Music Stores and Services

Cons

• Windows XP SP1 Only
  MTP - No UMS Drag and Drop
  Only WMV9 Native Video Support
  Buggy MTP & WMP11
  No Custom EQ
  Battery Life
  Black Player Shows Dirt Easily
  No Delete on-the-fly

Those Cons greatly outweigh the Pros, especially considering there's very little wrong with the Vision:M.

Most of those "cons" are stupid.

Cons

• Windows XP SP1 Only (so what... 95% of the people who would consider this have XP)
  MTP - No UMS Drag and Drop (same "con" as point 1)
  Only WMV9 Native Video Support (to me this is a non issue because wmp11 converts everything for me on the fly)
  Buggy MTP & WMP11 (i havent noticed any "buggyness" with mine)
  No Custom EQ (this is a valid complaint but i generally dont use eq anyways)
  Battery Life (about the same as the ipod video... lower audio life but higher video batterylife)
  Black Player Shows Dirt Easily (I have the black and it does not show dirt at all.... in fact thats one thing I really like about the toshiba compared to the ipod video.... the thing is much much much more durable especially showing scratches)
  No Delete on-the-fly (why is this a con... not too many players can delete on the fly and even then why would you want to if the music is in your library)

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: arod

Cons

• Windows XP SP1 Only (so what... 95% of the people who would consider this have XP)
  MTP - No UMS Drag and Drop (same "con" as point 1)
  Only WMV9 Native Video Support (to me this is a non issue because wmp11 converts everything for me on the fly)
  Buggy MTP & WMP11 (i havent noticed any "buggyness" with mine)
  No Custom EQ (this is a valid complaint but i generally dont use eq anyways)
  Battery Life (about the same as the ipod video... lower audio life but higher video batterylife)
  Black Player Shows Dirt Easily (I have the black and it does not show dirt at all.... in fact thats one thing I really like about the toshiba compared to the ipod video.... the thing is much much much more durable especially showing scratches)
  No Delete on-the-fly (why is this a con... not too many players can delete on the fly and even then why would you want to if the music is in your library)

They may be stupid, but when compared to Creative's Vision:M, they're a decision-breaker, at least to me. I admit the first four cons are stupid, but battery life is rather important - the vision:M has better battery life (especially for video) than the iPod, which isn't very good. Compared to the iPod, the gigabeat's battery life isn't a con, though.
Custom EQ is actually a rather big hit for me too, since EQ is pretty important when I'm messing around with headphones. I guess it's possible to habituate, though.
Delete-on-the-fly... I've found that this has been VERY important for me since I've gotten my Zen Sleek. I have tons of music, and I don't always listen to all of it before I put it on the sleek, so I find that I like to audition it while on the go, and if I don't like it, I can delete it without connecting to the computer. Since the Sleek isn't UMS, I rather hate connecting with the comp, so I don't do it often.

Erm... In any case, I'm not trying to tell you that the Gigabeat S sucks and you should get a different player. I'm just saying that if you're in the market for a Gigabeat S, the Vision:M would most likely serve you better.

 

[Stuxnet]

FWIW, I actually ended up getting the iPod Video. Bought a nice leather case for it and it sounds great in my '05 Maxima .

I'm looking to get a Bose Sounddock for home, but haven't decided.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: jbourne77
FWIW, I actually ended up getting the iPod Video. Bought a nice leather case for it and it sounds great in my '05 Maxima .

I'm looking to get a Bose Sounddock for home, but haven't decided.

Wait a minute... what made you change your mind from the 3 you were considering to suddenly buying the Ipod video?

And please don't tell me you still plan on using an FM transmitter... even a run-of-the-mill cassette adapter will sound much, much better with no breakup.

 

[arod]

this thread is kinda funny now...

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: arod
this thread is kinda funny now...

because he got the ipod?

 

[arod]

because he said he didnt want an ipod and gave 3 "non ipod" choices and ended up getting an ipod... go read the first post.