What mp3?

October 20, 2008 5:03 AM

I think I need a new MP3 player. What do I get?

My Creative Zen Sleek keeps freezing up, and thinks the battery is dead when it isn't. I think it's on its last legs. the other half is trying to get me to get an iPod, but that seems a bit of a default option.

Things I need from a player:
<20gb capacity
Not too fiddly or easily broken
Feels nice in the hand
FM or, if possible, DAB radio plugin
Good sound quality

Things I'm not bothered about:
Colour screen
Video

I am a bit concerned the iPod isn't very durable (I tend to break things easily) and have read bad reviews on Amazon for the new Classic model. On the other hand, if I get a leather/padded case for it that could solve the problem. I'd like to hang on to the one I have for as long as it works, but in the meantime - some advice please! (I'm in the UK, btw)

posted by mippy to shopping (29 comments total)

Long time iPod user here. I own several, including one of the first models, and durability has never been an issue. I have dropped all of them at one time or another on various surfaces, and they keep kicking, including the oldest one. A friend dropped his 1st gen Nano in his dog's water dish. He thought it was a goner, because the screen wouldn't display properly. He bought a new one, then after a week or so when the old one had totally dried out, it was working perfectly again.

But, the iPod doesn't meet some of your other criteria, such as the FM radio. (You can add one, but it's not built in.) That might be a dealbreaker, but I don't think the durability issue is.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:11 AM on October 20, 2008

Did you mean >20 Gig? I don't see why someone would purposefully want less than 20, although I can see not caring.

I have a <20 G (that's 'less than') iriver which I loooove. It has FM and acts pretty much like a flash drive. It's small, kind of like the size of half a roll of Necco wafers. It also records. The screen is color, but doesn't display album covers as far as I know.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:41 AM on October 20, 2008

Something else to note is that the asker (sorry dear) is a hoarder looking to achieve a more ordered life. I reckon that an iPod + iTunes is the best way to do this that I know of, but if anyone else can recommend an alternative way to organise and sync that isn't this, that would also help.

PS - my phone is almost identical to yours but has an FM radio I very rarely use - I'd be willing to swap if you want!
posted by liquidindian at 5:43 AM on October 20, 2008

If you really meant less than 20 gigs, why not get a Chinese generic mp3 player? They're incredibly cheap and generally work just like a USB memory stick. Almost all of them have radios built in and most run off of regular batteries. I've had mine for two years without any problems, but if you damaged one or lost it, they're cheap enough that you could easily buy a replacement.

I fail to see how iTunes helps lead to a more ordered life. Being able to slap any file I want on an mp3 player works great for me.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:04 AM on October 20, 2008

Oops, there was supposed to be a link there: UXcell sells "chipods".
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:05 AM on October 20, 2008

I fail to see how iTunes helps lead to a more ordered life.

Rip CDs to hard drive, back up drive, sync to iPod, and store the CDs somewhere because you've literally no room to keep them anywhere accessible. iTunes keeps everything neat and saves you from having to spend time putting things in folders or renaming things etc. 'A more ordered life' is perhaps overstating it, but this is part of the overall plan...
posted by liquidindian at 6:14 AM on October 20, 2008

Zune qualifies in all those categories. Also, MS is good about making their latest software features backward compatible. My first gen is still up to date.
posted by dzot at 6:20 AM on October 20, 2008

You might be able to pick up a last-gen refurbished iPod from the Apple store. New = it passed quality control. Refurbished = we actually had to take the time to double-check and make sure there was really, really nothing wrong with it, and fixed everything that wasn't right.

One of my former colleagues would only buy refurbished electronics for that very reason: they were cheaper, and he trusted them more.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:24 AM on October 20, 2008

I do mean greater than 20gb. I'm a big mathspaz.

I would be happy to buy an add-on radio - one plus point for an iPod would be being able to get a DAB plugin, as this is incompatible with my current player.
posted by mippy at 6:30 AM on October 20, 2008

Rip CDs to hard drive, back up drive, sync to iPod, and store the CDs somewhere because you've literally no room to keep them anywhere accessible. iTunes keeps everything neat and saves you from having to spend time putting things in folders or renaming things etc. 'A more ordered life' is perhaps overstating it, but this is part of the overall plan...

Ah, maybe I'm dense because I'm a Linux user. Don't all music player programs do this? I know Amarok does.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:40 AM on October 20, 2008

Don't all music player programs do this?

Oh, more than likely. iTunes is what I use, is all.
posted by liquidindian at 6:58 AM on October 20, 2008

Where do you live? If you want DAB you probably need to buy your player/addon from a non-American source. In the UK, for example, the Cowon D2 has DAB, but not in the US. If you want 20gb, don't forget you can buy a <20gb flash player that has an SD card slot and expand it that way.

Feeling good in the hand is subjective, so why not go to a shop and try a few players out? They usually seem smaller in real life than in pictures.

If you use Windows I've heard good things about mediamonkey. In any case iTunes is very much not the only option.
posted by trig at 7:14 AM on October 20, 2008

I bought a refurbished 30g Zune last year for about 80 dollars. It does everything you need. It has built-in FM, which is handy at the gym because they broadcast TV audio through local FM channels. I hate using FM adapters or any adapter.

On top of it, Microsoft releases new zune firmware for all models, not just the newest ones. So even though its a 1st generation player, I get all the new features.

Its been dropped a couple times and left in the bottom of a bag. So far no problems.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:33 AM on October 20, 2008

If you do consider the iPod, check out the refurbished ones. You can save a lot of money. (80 gig for $169; 160 gig for $249)
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:42 AM on October 20, 2008

I'm in the UK and can get an iPod through our employee discount program for £159. Not heard of Cowon until now.

Have tried Mediamonkey and wasn't a fan, to be honest. The Zen Sleek interface is really nice and simple. I should point out I'm dyspraxic so I prefer things not to be small and tricky (I don't use mobile phones much for this reason - I miss my old one which had a curve in the side). If it helps, I mainly have my player on shuffle and use it when on public transport or walking.
posted by mippy at 9:08 AM on October 20, 2008

I love my Zune.

Everyone hates on it, but it's a great fucking MP3 player.
posted by Jairus at 9:39 AM on October 20, 2008

iPods are more sturdier than you think. My 5th G is now 3 years old and still going strong. It's outlasted 4 pairs of earphones...
posted by dragontail at 10:36 AM on October 20, 2008

I've owned a few iPods, a Creative Zen Vision: M, and most recently, a Zune.

I can't recommend the Zen because, while it's a great player, the software with it is crap, and it took me a while to find software that I was happy with that worked with it, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

But I'm really happy with my Zune. While I sense style isn't a huge make or break point with you, the Zune experience is really stylish.

As for an mp3 player, I think it works very well. It doesn't work as nicely as my Zen did, but I like it a lot better than my old iPods.

I was alos afraid of being tied into the machine that is microsoft, but their Zune team seems to really care about things, so I'm happy.
posted by toekneebullard at 10:59 AM on October 20, 2008

You might want to look into Cowon's a3. It uses a spinning-disk type HDD, but COWON's players have long battery life, are compatible with a wide variety of file formats, and have great sound quality. I have the iAudio 7 which is great, but only 4gb; if I had the money I'd go buy the a3.
posted by R_Nebblesworth at 11:25 AM on October 20, 2008

This is my personal opinion- I would look into an iRiver.

My girlfriend is an ipod user and even she has agreed that if it ever fails, she's going by an iriver. Here is why:
it's a million times easier to use, the battery lasts longer, it has a radio function, the mixer function is great for earbuds (you can use preset levels or change them yourself), the interface is more user friendly, and most importantly its much less expensive than an ipod.

As for the durability, I've had the same device for about 2 years and it works fine. I even take it into the steam room with me (in a plastic baggie of course)

Not sure if they make one in the 20gig size though. Mine is 4.
posted by door2summer at 12:05 PM on October 20, 2008

I know it's trendy to hate on them, but I love my zune. it's small, sleek, has a built-in radio, and a great inferface.
posted by Burritos Inc. at 12:17 PM on October 20, 2008

I love my Cowon iAudio 7. It's sturdy, great UI, has FM tuner, excellent sound quality. Only problem for you is that it's limited to 16 GB. They do make other players like the X5 that go higher, though I can't vouch for their quality as I can with the iAudio 7.
posted by wastelands at 2:32 PM on October 20, 2008

I own a 5.5 generation iPod. It lasted two years with a couple of drops in between, outliving at least three sets of headphones. I made sure to get the Apple Extended Care warranty which covered me when my iPod's headphone jack died a few months ago.

With Apple being a huge company I expected them to try and find some way to screw me over when I made my warranty claim, but that didn't happen. The warranty claim was absolutely painless. I took in my iPod on a Wednesday and the very next day I got a brand new 5.5G iPod in return. Or at least they tell me it's new... could be refurbished but by the looks of it it isn't. All in all, I was very impressed, and with any luck this new iPod will last me another two years (or more!).

So I'd say just go ahead and get an iPod Classic and splash out a bit more cash to get the extended care plan. The iPod is sturdier than you think, and if my experience is anything to go by, Apples warranty service is excellent, so that gives you peace of mind.

I second the idea up-thread of getting a 5th Generation one though, refurbished if you can. My partner does own a 6th generation iPod classic, and it did have some software issues early on, but nowadays it's still very useable, and no doubt Apple will refine the iPod OS with future firmware updates. I do prefer my 5th Gen to hers, but if I was in the market now the one or two minor issues the 6th Gen has wouldn't stop me from getting one.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:41 PM on October 20, 2008

The Cowon players are very popular alternatives to the iPod and have very good sound quality. Check over at Head-fi for some in-depth discussions of sound quality for various players.
posted by kenliu at 8:18 PM on October 20, 2008

The Trekstor Vibez is supposedly a great player (excellent sound and ergonomics, supports super-wide variety of formats including ogg, support on-the-fly stuff and supports gapless playback in the hardware itself, small size, plays only music (no video) -- everything you were looking for -- BUT -- tops out at 16gb I believe. (Unless they have anything new in the pipeline, I dont know). You can find it on amazon.

Those of my friends who own a Zune absolutely love it. From what they've showed me, they really do look and feel very very cool.

Also highly praised by my music-geek friends are Cowan and Sony players.

I myself sold my ipod (there was a lot to hate, I'm sorry ipod-fans) and am super-happy with my current samsung U3. Extremely convenient "chewing gum size with built in pop-out usb plug" but tops out at 4gb (which is all I need while running). Sound quality from samsung is absolutely excellent, but 4gb is way too small in capacity for you, I guess.
posted by jak68 at 1:40 AM on October 21, 2008

oh, the trekstor vibez also has a FM Chip that you can buy separately and plug into the a slot hidden in the battery compartment (ie, so it doesnt stick out of the player in any way).
posted by jak68 at 1:41 AM on October 21, 2008

also incidentally, with the samsung and and the vibez, you can 'drag and drop' files, no need for separate software. Dont know about zune (i believe thats the case there too though, if I remember my friend's description -- but i've never owned one so i'm not sure). Drag and drop (along wth gapless playback) were the two big criteria I had looked for.
posted by jak68 at 1:45 AM on October 21, 2008

Here's another Zune lover. I got my Gen 2 80gb full color, full video, FM player, wireless capabilities etc for less than $250 bucks and it has been rock solid. Love the microsoft updates, which just added games to the device. I do NOT love the Zune player/music organizer on the computer because it is a memory hog and I can't do anything while it's playing. I still use it to sync for now because I'm lazy, but I'm going to move to a Foobar or the like very soon.
posted by namewithhe1d at 6:52 AM on October 21, 2008

The Rio Karma not manufactured anymore unfortunately is the best I've found for Audio Books. You can find used ones on eBay. The hard drives can fail, and can be replaced with a CF card and adapter.
posted by naveed at 6:54 PM on October 26, 2008