MP3 Players

Come to think of it, this is probably the first time I've ever been in the general chat forum.

Anyways, I've been looking for a new MP3 player, but the main problem is I am extremely picky about the features I want, and no review seems to comment on the stuff I care about. So I'm throwing it out to the collective wisdom of the EoFF community.

1) Not an iPod. I've had several different iPods over the years (all given to me) and I have disliked them all strongly. The iPod UI was the major source of my gripes, and I know it is kind of considered the state of the industry, so most models have a very similar imitation UI.

2) I don't care about anything other than playing music, and I don't need more than ~4-8 GB

3) I manage my music by what directory I store it in, and what file name I give it. Since I have a lot of random tracks I found online (video game music, remixes, ect..) having them sorted by the internal track information is next to useless. I want to be able to customize how stuff is sorted.

4) Given that I may not be able to get what I want, does there exist a shuffle type device that can store multiple playlists on it, thus eliminating the need for a GUI.

I think, since this relates to music, it should probably go in The Lounge. Gen Chat isn't too much of a stretch, but music/TV/movie/book-related stuff goes in The Lounge.

Welcome to the upper forums though. :D

I recommend the Creative Zen. My husband and I both have one, and I like it much more than iPods. Check it out and see if they have a model with the features you're looking for--I think you'll like it.

I had a lot of the same sentiments as you when I went into the market for my MP3 player recently.

I went with the Sansa Fuze.



I am very happy with it. It is a drag and drop device, so you can throw your music on it just like you're throwing it onto a flash drive--no need for ass iTunes style software. Battery life is great. It is small and stylish. Expandable with up to 16GB of Micro SDHC memory.

Unfortunately item 3 on your list is still a problem on this device, and every other device that I know of. It is truly a shame, I also think that meta data is a terrible way to categorize music.

I did a lot of research hunting down this device, and I think it is the closest you're going to get to your listed ideals. The best part is that Woot constantly sells these things for dirt cheap (I got mine for like $30), just check every day.

I totally agree about the iPod UI. I love my iPod, but it seems like every other time I try to hit the center button, I accidentally move the cursor up or down one >:I

Oh yeah, you can always change the internal track information too. There are programs that do that.

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Originally Posted by Necronopticous

I had a lot of the same sentiments as you when I went into the market for my MP3 player recently.

I went with the Sansa Fuze.



I am very happy with it. It is a drag and drop device, so you can throw your music on it just like you're throwing it onto a flash drive--no need for ass iTunes style software. Battery life is great. It is small and stylish. Expandable with up to 16GB of Micro SDHC memory.

Unfortunately item 3 on your list is still a problem on this device, and every other device that I know of. It is truly a shame, I also think that meta data is a terrible way to categorize music.

I did a lot of research hunting down this device, and I think it is the closest you're going to get to your listed ideals. The best part is that Woot constantly sells these things for dirt cheap (I got mine for like $30), just check every day.

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I went with this one this past summer, as well, after a lot of research. I love it. The expandable memory is wonderful, great battery life, intuitive interface, just the works. It is designed sort of like an iPod, but it has an actual analog scroll wheel that works extremely well. It supports playlists, as well. And yeah, it's pretty cheap. It's a great device.

I would have recommended an iPod if my 120gb Classic didn't go completely haywire and stop working after three months.





:mad2:

Like Necro mentioned, your criteria #3 is probably not going to be easy to satisfy. All the players I know are incredibly limited in their categorisation options. Apart from that point, I'd have to reiterate the Sansa recommendation. Look through Sansa's different players (there aren't many, but they differ in a few notable ways), and decide if any of them seem right for you.

Concerning your third criterion, you can always just edit your own ID3 tags using a number of programs. I use MP3 Tag Tools.

As for your other criteria, they have iPod shuffles. :P
But I really don't know anything about the smaller players, I would never even consider anything that didn't have at least 60GB of disk space.

What's so bad about the iPod UI? I think it's easily the best way to manage music on an MP3 player.

I have a Zune, and while some people I know don't like it, I think it's superior to the iPod.

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Originally Posted by NorthernChaosGod

But I really don't know anything about the smaller players, I would never even consider anything that didn't have at least 60GB of disk space.

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Physical size matters, and HDDs in highly portable devices is a bad idea.

Ok, normally I'd make a few suggestions and tell you to try them out and see which is for you, but I'm just going to go ahead and tell you to get a Cowon S9, cos it matches your needs pretty much perfectly.

1. Not an iPod.

2. This player hands down has the best sound quality of any player I've used. Any review you read will point this out. And it comes in a 4, 8, 16 or 32GB model.

3. You can browse your collection by folder. You can browse by MP3 tags, but like you, a lot of my music is remixes/DJ sets etc. where tags aren't helpful so in the two years I've had one I've only used folders.

Review
Another review

I was originally looking at the Cowon S9, but unfortunately it only has touch screen controls. Which really disappointed me since it seemed to be everything I wanted, but I have never used a touch screen device I have liked.

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I have a Zune, and while some people I know don't like it, I think it's superior to the iPod.

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I was thinking about getting a Zune just to express my dislike of Apple products :)

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Concerning your third criterion, you can always just edit your own ID3 tags using a number of programs. I use MP3 Tag Tools.

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I did that for my old iPod, but I don't like losing my artist name in place of whatever name I chose to use in my filing system.

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Physical size matters, and HDDs in highly portable devices is a bad idea.

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It's primary function will be for gym/running, so size does matter quite a bit.

Thanks for all the advice. As you can see, choosing consumer technology is extremely difficult for someone as picky as me.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by NorthernChaosGod

But I really don't know anything about the smaller players, I would never even consider anything that didn't have at least 60GB of disk space.

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Physical size matters, and HDDs in highly portable devices is a bad idea.

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Even the biggest iPods aren't that big, do you people never exercise or what?

They are a pain if you are running. I can't stand strapping or clipping anything to myself, so it has to be lightweight enough to fit in my pocket when I run.

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Originally Posted by VeloZer0

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I have a Zune, and while some people I know don't like it, I think it's superior to the iPod.

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I was thinking about getting a Zune just to express my dislike of Apple products :)

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The corresponding program is probably one of the best features for the Zune, in my opinion. It's lightweight and extremely easy-to-use after the initial walkthrough process. The online store is also pretty substantial and has a lot to offer.

I haven't had an issue with my Zune since I purchased it, which was about a month after the release of the first batch. It isn't as small as the newest ones that are available, but it still works for me. I typically charge it two or three times a month, depending on how heavily I use it (which includes falling asleep with it on every night) that month. This is all the original model though, I can't speak for the quality of battery life and navigational ease of the newer models.

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Originally Posted by NorthernChaosGod

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by NorthernChaosGod

But I really don't know anything about the smaller players, I would never even consider anything that didn't have at least 60GB of disk space.

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Physical size matters, and HDDs in highly portable devices is a bad idea.

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Even the biggest iPods aren't that big, do you people never exercise or what?

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It is extremely noticeable when working out even if you have one of those baby iPods.

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Originally Posted by NorthernChaosGod

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by NorthernChaosGod

But I really don't know anything about the smaller players, I would never even consider anything that didn't have at least 60GB of disk space.

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Physical size matters, and HDDs in highly portable devices is a bad idea.

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Even the biggest iPods aren't that big, do you people never exercise or what?

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they're still considerably larger

and there's still the issue of HDDs being much more sensitive to physical shock and vibrations than memory chips are.

When I'm working out, I tend to focus on the lift and forget I'm even using an MP3 player at all.

I do my running on a treadmill and the iPod stays on there just fine, no need to worry about shock. But I have ran with it before I started at the gym and never had problems, don't fall.

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Originally Posted by NorthernChaosGod

But I have ran with it before I started at the gym and never had problems, don't fall.

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Easier said than done. I've bailed of treadmills at running at max speed because I stepped on the edge by accident. :)

As for running outside, its the weight bouncing up and down in my pocket that bothers me. I can't even take a key chain with a half dozen keys on it with me.

Optimally, a HDD shouldn't even be moved or tilted while it's spinning and the read/write head is over the platters. However nice you think you're treating your HDD based music player, it's gonna wear down faster than a flash based player. This is of course assuming that the rest of the player is of an equal build quality, but it's safe to say that regardless of the build quality, the HDD is always the weakest link in such a player.

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Originally Posted by ShlupQuack

I recommend the Creative Zen. My husband and I both have one, and I like it much more than iPods. Check it out and see if they have a model with the features you're looking for--I think you'll like it.

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I've heard good things about Creative Zen too.

Anyway, I haven't had any problems with my iPod (an 80GB Classic). Maybe I'm just lucky?

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Originally Posted by Breine

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Originally Posted by ShlupQuack

I recommend the Creative Zen. My husband and I both have one, and I like it much more than iPods. Check it out and see if they have a model with the features you're looking for--I think you'll like it.

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I've heard good things about Creative Zen too.

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I'll say this about Creative Zen; I had an old one (really old at this point. It only had 512mb if I remember correctly) and it was damn near indestructable. By the time I replaced it the batteries were being held in by the same tape that was keeping the casing together. I once had to dig the play button back out with a pencil that was the only thing handy at the time after dropping it on tile floor. Looking at their website now though, I'm not sure they're making them as rugged these days.

Anyway, I don't really listen to music while I run anymore so I went with a 120GB Zune that I'm very happy with. Easy to use, works great, and the UI is simple and intuitive. It'll do everything you wanted except probably your third point, but you can always organize the songs however you want in playlists anyway so it's not a huge issue. If you're going to run with an mp3 player then just grab one of the versions with flash memory and go to town.

Sansa all the way. Don't be like everyone else and buy crappy iPods.

The Zen is fantastic as Shlup said, they're pretty damn cool and like Vivi 22 pointed out they are still damn near indestructible, believe me theres a guy I work with who has one that has cracks in the casing and everything and it's fine, works better than most of the store Ipod units for demostrations ect.

I personally only just got a new mp3 player after like 10 years of using an old Alba 128mb mp3 player. The alba literally was a flash-drive and could be used as one (even now, this is truly the definition of the phrase indestructible I've even dropped it in a swimming pool before by accident and merely dived in and pulled it out. once dry it worked fine even the data on it was fine) without music on there I know because I'd often have enough music to see me to college and back and class projects stored on there at the same time (I used to ride to college in around 15 - 20 mins so never needed much music) The mp3 player I have now is one my girlfriend found me online it's a Kubik Edge 4gb. It's got a 2.8 inch touch screen which is both a positive and a negative since touch screens can wear out or be insensitive to commands on the move. However the memory is expandable and appears to be flash it's also drag and drop however I would point out it can only play MP3, MP4, WMA or AVI files (yes it'll play a movie on it's screen too if you get the free software to downsize the image to the right dimensions for it to do so) You can sync to it via media player however this takes FOREVER so I advise just drag and drop is quicker.

As for internal meta tag data really just download Winamp and edit that stuff yourself it's not hard to do just update both the id3 and id4 tags.

I was going to recommend a Creative ZEN it was one of the first ones I had. I don't know how they are these days. But they used to be drag-and-drop and folder-specific. So they fit pretty much all your criteria. But mine was a 512 too. I imagine if they make a 4+GB one with trans flash memory in the same style it'd be pretty much everything you need. But like I said, I don't know how they are these days. I use a Zune. And I can say the software on the computer blows. Probably better than iTunes, but its still a damn resource hog