Portable music player without Internet Connection
May 31, 2023 6:30 AM Subscribe
I am looking for a portable music player / mp3 player without internet connection. As the Last Ask is from 2018, I hope it is okay.
I do not use Spotify etc and will end my YouTube music subscription.
I hate those unsolicited suggestions i get by using YouTube music in my phone with a passion.
I want to be able to upload my music mp3s from my Notebook via USB and listen. No more and no less. Does not need to have a screen. I do not watch videos of the music.
No need for the latest model, or audiophil super quality, and 32 Gigabyte is enough for my needs. Ideally i can use my earphones i already own using Bluetooth (Sennheiser Momentum).
Price range for new ca 100 Euro, but i am thinking that i might find a more expensive model second hand/refurbished.
The most important part is that it must not have an internet connection as i am entirely and officially Fed Up with unsolicited suggestions and reminders a la "you did not listen to XYZ lately".
I am seriously considering buying a CD Walkman, and am open if this is the only way, as i still own lots of CDs.
Thank you,
I want to be able to upload my music mp3s from my Notebook via USB and listen. No more and no less. Does not need to have a screen. I do not watch videos of the music.
No need for the latest model, or audiophil super quality, and 32 Gigabyte is enough for my needs. Ideally i can use my earphones i already own using Bluetooth (Sennheiser Momentum).
Price range for new ca 100 Euro, but i am thinking that i might find a more expensive model second hand/refurbished.
The most important part is that it must not have an internet connection as i am entirely and officially Fed Up with unsolicited suggestions and reminders a la "you did not listen to XYZ lately".
I am seriously considering buying a CD Walkman, and am open if this is the only way, as i still own lots of CDs.
Thank you,
I have and old Sansa SanDisk mp3 player that does not connect to the internet and you can load mp3s onto it via a computer. It also has amazingly long battery life. I don't think it can do Bluetooth earphones, but maybe newer models can? Something like that might work for you.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 6:41 AM on May 31, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by abeja bicicleta at 6:41 AM on May 31, 2023 [4 favorites]
Are you looking for the best player you can get for 100 euro, or just for a good player? Because for 20-30 you should be able to get a perfectly good player. Sandisk's Sansa Clip line of players is not bad (they used to be amazing but features have been steadily decreasing over the years); most of the others in that price range these days are by no-name brands but also decent in my experience.
But seriously there are a lot of players, some with touch screens, some with physical buttons, some with text-only displays, some with SD card support and some without, some with Bluetooth support and some without, some with better sound quality than others, etc.
If you'd like to just go with a known quantity and don't need anything fancy I'd look at the Sansas, but make sure the specific model you want has the features you'd like (for example, I think their latest model doesn't have an SD card slot anymore, which is ridiculous).
(I will mention for accuracy that it's possible both to play your own music on an internet-connected phone without youtube or any other streaming service, and also that there are third-party ways to listen to music from youtube without notifications, ads, "related" videos, etc., if that's something you're interested in.)
posted by trig at 7:00 AM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
But seriously there are a lot of players, some with touch screens, some with physical buttons, some with text-only displays, some with SD card support and some without, some with Bluetooth support and some without, some with better sound quality than others, etc.
If you'd like to just go with a known quantity and don't need anything fancy I'd look at the Sansas, but make sure the specific model you want has the features you'd like (for example, I think their latest model doesn't have an SD card slot anymore, which is ridiculous).
(I will mention for accuracy that it's possible both to play your own music on an internet-connected phone without youtube or any other streaming service, and also that there are third-party ways to listen to music from youtube without notifications, ads, "related" videos, etc., if that's something you're interested in.)
posted by trig at 7:00 AM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Another fan of the dumb Sansa players.
The older ones didn't handle large numbers of music files well, which scrambled album order. Just load us less music, I guess.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:08 AM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
The older ones didn't handle large numbers of music files well, which scrambled album order. Just load us less music, I guess.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:08 AM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
(I will mention for accuracy that it's possible both to play your own music on an internet-connected phone without youtube or any other streaming service, and also that there are third-party ways to listen to music from youtube without notifications, ads, "related" videos, etc., if that's something you're interested in.)
Yes. Is there any reason you don't want to just load your music files on to your phone? This is what I do. The Samsung music player app that came with my phone never gives me any kind of suggestions. It just plays my songs.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:32 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yes. Is there any reason you don't want to just load your music files on to your phone? This is what I do. The Samsung music player app that came with my phone never gives me any kind of suggestions. It just plays my songs.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:32 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I feel the same as you do. I prefer to keep my music on a separate player that has actual physical controls so that I can change the volume and song without looking at it. I have bought two refurbished iPod Nano's from eBay (one for the car and one for travel). They both have amazing battery life (like, all the way to Europe on one charge).
Here's an example.
posted by Don_K at 7:39 AM on May 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
Here's an example.
posted by Don_K at 7:39 AM on May 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I am seriously considering buying a CD Walkman
You can get a new Walkman that plays MP3s. Reviews are positive.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 7:45 AM on May 31, 2023
You can get a new Walkman that plays MP3s. Reviews are positive.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 7:45 AM on May 31, 2023
As Artifice_Eternity mentions, using your phone is still completely an option for meeting your needs. If you want your music playing app to just be a music playing app, there are lots of those. VLC has been ported to pretty much everything, and has playlist support. Just chuck the files in there and play them however you like.
There are plenty of other apps out there that are created specifically to be just dumb media players that don't do analytics or try to get clever. Hell, the file manager app I use (FileBrowser Pro) has a rudimentary shuffling playlist media player that meets your stated requirements.
posted by majick at 8:08 AM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
There are plenty of other apps out there that are created specifically to be just dumb media players that don't do analytics or try to get clever. Hell, the file manager app I use (FileBrowser Pro) has a rudimentary shuffling playlist media player that meets your stated requirements.
posted by majick at 8:08 AM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sansa SanDisk - aside from the lack of bluetooth, any of these models are my suggestion. They vary in size (physical and storage), but will take an SD card full of mp3s so you can buy the smallest one. Many have a little screen so you can navigate your files.
posted by soelo at 8:27 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by soelo at 8:27 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The Sony NW-A55 is what I use (alongside some iPod Classics I modified to use SD cards for storage). It has Bluetooth, physical and touch controls, can use a MicroSD card, and doesn’t run Android or have any internet-connected features. It just shows up as a drive when you connect it to USB, and then you can drag and drop music onto it. Used examples on eBay should come in right around your budget… if you get one that’s in Japanese, you can change that with a small program.
posted by boisterousBluebird at 9:18 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by boisterousBluebird at 9:18 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
The newer Sansa SanDisks support Bluetooth
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:24 AM on May 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:24 AM on May 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
I still use my ancient second-generation iPod, because I can't take recording devices or cellphones into work or anything with wifi or Bluetooth. It's worked great for like 16 years now.
posted by answergrape at 9:34 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by answergrape at 9:34 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Sansa SanDisk - aside from the lack of bluetooth, any of these models are my suggestion. They vary in size (physical and storage), but will take an SD card full of mp3s so you can buy the smallest one. Many have a little screen so you can navigate your files.
Yeah, just to reiterate that features have changed a lot on the Sansas and the above no longer holds. These days Bluetooth is supported, but SD is not on newer models. It is still possible to buy models that have both, but you've got to check what you're buying.
ETA just to make sure it's clear: either way, you can plug any of the players mentioned in this thread (except possibly the ipods?) into a computer via USB and have them show up as external drives.
posted by trig at 10:12 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, just to reiterate that features have changed a lot on the Sansas and the above no longer holds. These days Bluetooth is supported, but SD is not on newer models. It is still possible to buy models that have both, but you've got to check what you're buying.
ETA just to make sure it's clear: either way, you can plug any of the players mentioned in this thread (except possibly the ipods?) into a computer via USB and have them show up as external drives.
posted by trig at 10:12 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Find an old smartphone with an SD card slot, and remove the SIM card (if any). A 2G or 3G phone will work because you don't want to connect to the phone system anyway. It doesn't even need to be that fast - I have an old Blu phone that would work, but would drive me nuts if I was trying to use it for things like email.
Copy your music to an SD card and put it in the phone. Pair your Bluetooth headphones with the phone. Then use any pre-installed music app, or download one over Wi-Fi from an app store and use that - I use Black Player on Android and am quite happy with it. You can disable Wi-Fi after installing your music app. You can often, on Android phones, do 'screen pinning' to make your music app the only interface you see on the phone.
The advantages of the phone are, in my opinion: you can change the music player app if you're not happy with your first choice, and they support the Bluetooth headphones.
posted by TimHare at 11:12 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Copy your music to an SD card and put it in the phone. Pair your Bluetooth headphones with the phone. Then use any pre-installed music app, or download one over Wi-Fi from an app store and use that - I use Black Player on Android and am quite happy with it. You can disable Wi-Fi after installing your music app. You can often, on Android phones, do 'screen pinning' to make your music app the only interface you see on the phone.
The advantages of the phone are, in my opinion: you can change the music player app if you're not happy with your first choice, and they support the Bluetooth headphones.
posted by TimHare at 11:12 AM on May 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Agree with others that I would consider just storing offline music on your existing phone and switching to a dumb non-streaming music app. I found MediaMonkey works well for me but there's countless others. I hated the new YouTube music app as well and refuse to do Spotify or streaming in general (I'm old-school, plus I also do most of my listening on airplanes, so offline access is critical) - the above combo has worked well for me, and there's zero advertisements or suggestions. It's also one less device to carry around.
posted by photo guy at 1:21 PM on May 31, 2023
posted by photo guy at 1:21 PM on May 31, 2023
I can't vouch for them personally, but Elite Obsolete Electronics sells refurbished iPods, some with SSDs instead of spinning hard drives, and it looks like they have some for under US$100.
posted by Ampersand692 at 1:26 PM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Ampersand692 at 1:26 PM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
You can get advanced players but being niche-devices, they support ogg, "hi-res" audio such as DSD, FLAC, and PCM files, in addition to the compressed files like MP3 and AAC. But they also cost quite a bit more.
Look for brands like Fiio (foxtrot-india-india-oscar), Cowon, Sony, or Astell & Kerns (very pricey).
Personally though, get an old smartphone. With no SIM it can only get online via Wifi, and if you go airplane mode they won't go online. You can download pure player apps as well, instead of relying on Spotify or such streaming services.
posted by kschang at 6:33 PM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Look for brands like Fiio (foxtrot-india-india-oscar), Cowon, Sony, or Astell & Kerns (very pricey).
Personally though, get an old smartphone. With no SIM it can only get online via Wifi, and if you go airplane mode they won't go online. You can download pure player apps as well, instead of relying on Spotify or such streaming services.
posted by kschang at 6:33 PM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Would you be OK with an MP3 player that stores music on your smart phone? I've long been a fan of the CloudBeats app, which provides a very simple interface to play music files from. I use it to connect to the MP3 collection stored in my Google Drive, but you can also download the files so they're stored locally on your phone. Either way, it's a straightforward file system, with zero recommendations or other streaming service cruft.
posted by flod at 6:44 PM on May 31, 2023
posted by flod at 6:44 PM on May 31, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you ALL so much, i feel now i know which options it is worth exploring further.
For those who wondered why i want to add an extra gadget to my life: i am actively trying to no longer bring my phone wherever i go, 24/7.
I still struggle with the aftermath of burnout and reviving my my music listening is helping me. At the same time i found that it is very liberating to not have my phone with me around the clock, eg in the bed, while gardening, on a walk etc.
Thank you again,
posted by 15L06 at 5:30 AM on June 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
For those who wondered why i want to add an extra gadget to my life: i am actively trying to no longer bring my phone wherever i go, 24/7.
I still struggle with the aftermath of burnout and reviving my my music listening is helping me. At the same time i found that it is very liberating to not have my phone with me around the clock, eg in the bed, while gardening, on a walk etc.
Thank you again,
posted by 15L06 at 5:30 AM on June 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: PS in case anyone is in a similar place, i also bought cheap walk clocks and revived my wrist watch :-)
posted by 15L06 at 5:32 AM on June 2, 2023
posted by 15L06 at 5:32 AM on June 2, 2023
If you already have a smartphone, free Spotify accounts can be used offline and commercial-free as long you upload your MP3s to your Spotify account and then download them to your your phone. YouTube Music forces users to be a paid subscriber to get the download and listen offline feature. Other apps for offline music are here.
posted by dlwr300 at 9:38 AM on June 2, 2023
posted by dlwr300 at 9:38 AM on June 2, 2023
Okay, no smartphone, understandable. If you are fine with using a MicroSD card to load your music, then there are quite a few "MP3 players" on Amazon for under $20 that also has Bluetooth support. They often look like iPod clones.
posted by kschang at 10:45 AM on June 2, 2023
posted by kschang at 10:45 AM on June 2, 2023
For those who wondered why i want to add an extra gadget to my life: i am actively trying to no longer bring my phone wherever i go, 24/7.
I still struggle with the aftermath of burnout and reviving my my music listening is helping me. At the same time i found that it is very liberating to not have my phone with me around the clock, eg in the bed, while gardening, on a walk etc.
Makes lots of sense.
FWIW one thing I like about the sansas (and some other generic players) is the built-in physical clip, which makes it easy to keep them on you regardless of what your pocket situation is.
posted by trig at 12:14 PM on June 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I still struggle with the aftermath of burnout and reviving my my music listening is helping me. At the same time i found that it is very liberating to not have my phone with me around the clock, eg in the bed, while gardening, on a walk etc.
Makes lots of sense.
FWIW one thing I like about the sansas (and some other generic players) is the built-in physical clip, which makes it easy to keep them on you regardless of what your pocket situation is.
posted by trig at 12:14 PM on June 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Just wanted to report back that i found a Player that meets all my requirements: FemKey Digital music Player, with 32 GB, and has a Slot for 128 GB Card. I am very happy with, it does Bluetooth and Paris with my headphones. It is very simple to use and best of all No Internet.
posted by 15L06 at 12:25 PM on July 1, 2023
posted by 15L06 at 12:25 PM on July 1, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by phunniemee at 6:38 AM on May 31, 2023 [1 favorite]