Looking at mp3 players

Randomality · Post by **Randomality** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 6:55 am

Hey all...

How many of you have or had an mp3 player like a Rio or its various cousins? I've been doing some shopping around for a Christmas gift and I'm wondering what would be the best buy. Are there any brands or models to avoid? Likewise, does anyone have a brand or model that they gush with joy and pride about?

Any help on this would be muchly appreciated.

MasteR · Post by **MasteR** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 3:20 pm

I have a Archos Jukebox 20GB. Not too overpriced. My favorite part is that the firmware is easy to change and there is an open source alternative called RockBox that kicks ass.
Downsides to the Archos is that It is bigger than say an iPod and it only plays MP3, no other formats such as WMA, OGG, ACC etc, and the interface is a bit slow. 1mb/s useing USB 1.1.

I also have a MP3/CD Player. I don't even remember what the brand is and i'm not going to look for it. Its a piece of crap. Skip Skip Skip. Doesn't play 80min cds (only 72min or whatever it is) and some ohter problems. I got it when mp3 players where first out so you can't exptect much. I have heard that the mp3/cd players now are much much better.

Never tried one with flash memeory stick media.

Havn't tried any other mp3 players.

Killer-Rabbit · Post by **Killer-Rabbit** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 4:39 pm

I have a 4-5 year old RCA Lyra. It has served me well. I think I paid about $230 for it, but that was when the 64mb compact flash card in it cost $200. I've been thinking about getting a new one, but havent decided on which kind. On one hand you have a lot more space, but also moving parts which can fail. On the other you have less space but no moving parts (and you can always get more or larger memory cards). Whatever it is, it wont be an ipod though.

Vektor T. Gecko · Post by **Vektor T. Gecko** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 12:53 am

Although they're fairly new (and therefore don't have much reliability data on the components they use, such as the hard disk and battery), I'm impressed with Rio's new Karma

It will play MP3, and even better, OGG files. It's base station connects via ethernet, and has an integrated Java client (so regardless of your OS, you should be able to sync files to the device). It's debatable whether this is superior to its USB interface, but it's certainly a novel approach. It's internal Li-Ion battery is supposed to last around 15 hours (that's just one hour shy of being double an iPod's battery life).

Another player of interest is iRiver's iHP-120. I really don't know much about iRiver as a company, and again, the iHP-120 is a relatively new product, so I doubt there's a lot of long-term reliability info available. That said, this unit also stores 20GB of data, plays MP3 and OGG files. This one comes with an inline remote, WITH an integrated LCD display. I can't think of any other HDD based players that do this, offhand. This one has an estimated battery life of 16 hours, and syncs via USB (shows up as a removable drive).

Both players have built-in FM tuners, and the ability to encode FM audio and audio from their line-in ports to MP3 on the fly.

They both look fairly feature-rich, so of course, this means they both weigh in at the heftier end of the price scale, and will probably run around $350-$400, I think.

Might be worth a look, though.
These both address my largest concerns when looking at music players: capacity and battery lift. With 20GB at 15-16 hours, I'm fairly optimistic about them.

BtEO · Post by **BtEO** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 1:41 am

Master... whats this about an open source firmware for the archos.. show MEEEEE

MasteR · Post by **MasteR** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 6:30 am

[quote="BtEO";p="226573"]Master... whats this about an open source firmware for the archos.. show MEEEEE[/quote]

http://rockbox.haxx.se

Saphid · Post by **Saphid** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 9:29 pm

You want to get a MP3 player. Get an iPod. Specs and priceing at http://www.apple.com. With all my use with them and others, I can't find anything better.

Killer-Rabbit · Post by **Killer-Rabbit** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 9:36 pm

[quote="Saphid";p="226910"]You want to get a MP3 player. Get an iPod. Specs and priceing at http://www.apple.com. With all my use with them and others, I can't find anything better.[/quote]
Or you could get one that actually does what its made to do instead of having all sorts of crap completely unrelated to its purpose just to make people go "Oooo. Shiney..."

That iRiver one looks kinda nice though. May consider that when I have money and the "new mp3 player" wins the argument of new mp3 player vs new computer parts.

Saphid · Post by **Saphid** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 9:58 pm

The iPod ia an MP3 player and it is made to do that. It does have some extra features though. But its still the best MP3 player I have seen.

Vektor T. Gecko · Post by **Vektor T. Gecko** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 11:00 pm

iPods are more expensive than similar MP3 players of the same capacity.

They also seem to have some problems with batteries failing and requiring replacement (and they're not cheap to replace).

Saphid · Post by **Saphid** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 11:27 pm

i have never hear of anyone having an iPod having battery problems. Also please give me a link to a MP3 play with the same or more capacity as the iPod.

BtEO · Post by **BtEO** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 12:47 am

[quote="MasteR";p="226706"][quote="BtEO";p="226573"]Master... whats this about an open source firmware for the archos.. show MEEEEE[/quote]

http://rockbox.haxx.se[/quote]

Yeah.. i already googled it.. but thought i'd ask nonetheless

Killer-Rabbit · Post by **Killer-Rabbit** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 1:28 am

[quote="Saphid";p="226926"]The iPod ia an MP3 player and it is made to do that. It does have some extra features though. But its still the best MP3 player I have seen.[/quote]
I am a firm believer that products should do what they are meant to do. You want to add more features? Then add features that are at least relevent to the product's purpose. Otherwise, leave them off and dont waste the money. Many of the iPod's "extra features" have nothing to do with playing music. Even if you want all the games, the calender and all the other crap they shoved in, you could get a different mp3 player with the same music related features and still have enough money to buy a PDA which provides those and much more (not to mention better).

As for other mp3 players with the same capacity as the iPod, there are the ones Vektor mentioned. Also there is the Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen which not only cheaper, but it also has a version with a larger capacity than the iPod.

Prices of the Zen:
30 GB - $300
40 GB - $350
60 GB - $400

As compared to the iPod:
10 GB - $300
20 GB - $400
40 GB - $500

Now, if you were to get the 40 GB Zen, you would save $150. So if you really need the extra "features" the iPod has, you can go get your self a PDA that has those (and many other) features. Or you could get 20 more GB and still have money for a slightly cheaper PDA that still does everything better than the iPod.

Saphid · Post by **Saphid** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 6:31 am

Cool. Those prices are good. Product looks ok. It is a bit heavier though.

Vektor T. Gecko · Post by **Vektor T. Gecko** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 8:33 am

http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5112066 ... g=nefd_top

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