MP3 Players

spacecoyote

I have a fairly primitive old archos jukebox player for my MP3s. I got it years ago and its served me well but to be honest, its a bit outdated at this stage. it weighs about half a ton and the navigation isn't great. the sound is decent and i prefer the software that comes with it to something like i-tunes. Anyway i'm thinking of picking up a new player and would like some recommendations from people. I've seen the new video ipod and its nice and neat with a colour screen (and it plays video) but i don't particularly want to buy an ipod (heard way too many bad reports!!!) could anybody please recommend some alternative MP3 players (with a minimum of 20gb) and tell me why its worth buying??

seamus

I like the Zen Sleek:
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=315746&cks=PRL

That said, I've never used one, but I've used its baby brother and I've owned a few other Creative MP3 players, and you can't really go wrong.

lordgoat

iRiver H10 - 20 gig

dbre01

Creative Zen Touch 20GB

1) Sound Quality
2) Battery
3) Top Value

ambro25

Archos Gmini XS202 (music only) or Gmini 402 (music and video with TV out).

Don't need to delve into the details too much, you've had Archos material before

* Superlative sound quality
* Very intuitive UI
* Drag and drop functionality for files when connected (USB/Firewire)
* Extent of compatible file formats (music and video, no need to reencode, no DRM issues, etc.)

BolBill

You sound spoilt.

Orange_Iris

If you're looking for something that just plays MP3's try the Cowon iAudio M5 (excellent sound quality, thin & light, radio, direct MP3 encoding at good quality, plays every audio format under the sun, good build quality, can get an M5L version that gives you 35 hours battery life for a few euro more) or the Creative Sleek (excellent sound quality, radio, good build quality, looks better than Zen touch and is a lot thinner, comes with great headphones unlike the iPod, very cheap for what it is).
If you want some extra features try the colour versions of those mentioned above. The iAudio X5 (as M5 but with average colour screen and can play video too) or Creative Sleek Colour (although I hear the battery life and sound quality are slightly worse than the non colour one and also it has no video suport) or maybe the iRiver h340/320 (it's a bit old and bulky but excellent all rounder and can even be coaxed into playing video also it can be found fairly cheap now).
If you're looking for something really cool with video playback ability and don't mind importing try the Creative Zen Vision M (Very bright vivid screen, much better than on video iPod, plays most video formats including Divx unlike the video iPod, good battery life compared to the video iPod for video at least). You could also try the new Sony purple egg thingy, (looks, eh like a squished glass egg STYLISH! with decent sound quality, feels nice in your hand, cool OLED screen, but I hear the software is a bit of a pig).
I myself wouldn't bother about getting 20+GB, I'm gonna get a 6GB Creative Neeon (the one that you can make look like a cow or a cheetah, fashionable stuff indeed and the size of a credit card) or maybe an iRiver u10 2GB (if you've ever used one you'd know how damn slick they are)

rubadub

spacecoyote wrote:

i don't particularly want to buy an ipod (heard way too many bad reports!!!)

it doesnt really get bad reports, it is just that there are so many good alternatives. I am happy with my h120, if it broke I would get the X5L

Civilian_Target

I'll be honest. I had a Rio Karma. Everything I have used since is inferior. If you can still find one (they've been out of production for 6 months now), get a Rio Karma, they're easy to use, the sound quality's great, they support everything (except mass storage device) and they have a fantastic interface with databasing and playlist.

If you can't get a Karma, I have taken solace in my iAudio X5L - its solid, looks pretty, the interface is **** but at least it's easy to put stuff on and a decent player with good format support and a nice screen.

Ipod or Zen Touch aren't bad either, just make sure you set aside $30 extra to get yourself a copy of Anapod so you don't have to deal with the Windows interface.

projectmayhem

seamus wrote:

I like the Zen Sleek:
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=315746&cks=PRL

That said, I've never used one, but I've used its baby brother and I've owned a few other Creative MP3 players, and you can't really go wrong.

that's what i have. got it a few months ago. couldn't be happier. the software (on the mp3 player and the supplimentary PC stuff too) is very easy to use. the hardware looks great and works a charm. the sound is great, it has an EQ so you can mess around to get the perfect sound. if you're fussy like me you'll want to buy some new earphones... having said that, i've never been happy with supplied earphones in anything i've bought (wether it be walkmen, discmen, etc.)

spacecoyote

BolBill wrote:

You sound spoilt.

Why do i sound spoilt? i'm just looking for advice. i'm paying for the thing myself and want to buy the best mp3 player possible.

Thanks for the help everyone else. Thats a great start for me in the decision making process.

Hope you all had a great christmas and the same for the new year