What's The Deal With Mp3 Player Prices?

UCDVet

Am I crazy or does something not add up here? I was looking at getting a Sansa Clip mp3 player (and trying RockBox on it - thanks for the recommendation).

Anyway, I found a thread on Boards.ie from 2010:
(http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056110895)

Four years ago - someone bought the same mp3 player I'm looking to buy now - 8gb Sansa Clip from http://www.pixmania.ie/ for 45 quid.

When I look at buying a cell phone that's four years old or a laptop with specs matching a four year old model - the prices are always dirt cheap. Or, for the same price, you get a much more impressive device because, four years of technological advancement have happened.

The same mp3 player from the same website (http://www.pixmania.ie/mp3-player/sandisk-sansa-clip-8-gb-mp3-player-with-fm-radio-black/03921007-a.html) now costs 65 euro?!?

Have mp3 players just stopped getting better?

Brian

Sansa have had several models of the Clip, are you sure you are searching for the right one? Older models can be more expensive than the newest ones because they have been discontinued so are in limited supply. I believe the newest model is the "Clip Zip", which was preceded by the Clip and Clip+. You can find manufacturer-refurbished examples quite cheaply on eBay: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/4GB-SanDisk-Sansa-Clip-Zip-MP3-Player-FM-Radio-Voice-Recorder-Micro-SD-Slot-4-GB-/141417507779

pleasant Co.

UCDVet wrote: »

Have mp3 players just stopped getting better?

Yes, they've pretty much died out due to phones being able to offer similar day-to-day functionality. So what you have now are fairly expensive specialist mp3 players, and the few excellent players that survived the cull :P the clip+/zip being one of them. It's still good value for money (although not on pixmania seemingly) but it's better when you can pick it up for €30, although it seems to be about €40 (8gb model) across the board at the moment.

I've had my first clip+ for about 4-5yrs (can't quite remember when I got it) and it's never given me an ounce of trouble, couldn't imagine using anything else at the gym either so the last time the price dropped to sub€30 I bought a spare on amazon.

Brian

pleasant Co. wrote: »

I've had my first clip+ for about 4-5yrs .... I bought a spare on amazon.

My biggest gripe with the Clip is the lack of a locking slider like the Fuze has. That Back+Select unlock combo on Rockbox is pretty hard to do with one hand.

fixxxxxxxed

pleasant Co.

I don't know what you're talking about :P

pleasant Co.

Brian wrote: »

My biggest gripe with the Clip is the lack of a locking slider like the Fuze has. That Back+Select unlock combo on Rockbox is pretty hard to do with one hand.

Yeah, I broke the clip part off my clip+ and sanded it smooth but never had the need to lock it (when the screen goes to sleep it takes 2 button presses to do anything, one to wake and the other to execute the action, every now and again I'll accidentally skip a track but it's no biggy)

Ste-

Brian wrote: »

I believe the newest model is the "Clip Zip", which was preceded by the Clip and Clip+. [/url]

The newest model is the Clip Sport. But it isn't rockboxable.

when the screen goes to sleep it takes 2 button presses to do anything, one to wake and the other to execute the action, every now and again I'll accidentally skip a track but it's no biggy)

There's a setting in rockbox that you can enable to have one button turn on the screen then the next button to make an action or if you turn it off the first button you press (even with the screen off) will make that action happen.

the new clip zip sport is worse than the older clip zip model - sound is a step backwards.

Ste-

glasso wrote: »

the new clip zip sport is worse than the older clip zip model - sound is a step backwards.

Wouldn't go near it if it doesn't have Rockbox.

Amalgam

glasso wrote: »

the new clip zip sport is worse than the older clip zip model - sound is a step backwards.

There's an 'audio limiter' in place, for this device, purchased in the EU.

Given the funky nature of the processor, Rockbox is unlikely to happen.

Sansa seems to have skimped and the player is seen as, 'under-resourced' for Rockbox, which is saying a lot about cutting corners, given the ageing tat Rockbox can run on..

Boo-urns!