Recommend a flash-based MP3 player

December 1, 2006 6:37 PM

Recommend a good flash-based audio player.

I'm in the market for a USB-pluggable solid-state audio player. It has to be 2GB or more, but I'll take 1GB if none are available in my price range ($120 max, but $100 preferred). Slickdeals and Fatwallet don't show any really good current deals. I'm also looking for brand suggestions. So far, Cowon, Samsung, iRiver and maybe Sandisk sound good. Now, I've browsed through eBay and Pricegrabber listings and most of the cheap ones seem to be brandless players sourced from Hong Kong or the UK. How reliable are these offerings? If it doesn't play MP3, I don't want it. Most importantly, I want a relatively huge capacity because I want it to double as a microdrive. Hence, direct recognition by XP is strongly preferred. Other features like LCD or voice recording are luxuries and can be avoided. The roundup I found at Arstechnica dealt with 512MB offerings and I haven't found one for 2GB or more.

Please suggest some good vendors, too.

Thanks a lot!

posted by Gyan to technology (11 comments total)

2GB iPod Nano runs about $125 shipped these days (keep an eye on Fatwallet). Dump the restrictive firmware and install Rockbox.
posted by rxrfrx at 7:31 PM on December 1, 2006

I just bought this 1GB USB plugable Phillips player. It is shit--the ergonomics and software are terrible.
posted by LarryC at 10:45 PM on December 1, 2006

I like my Sony nw-E507 (now getting a bit old, but they have newer models with more features). The software sucks, and it is picky about mp3s being 44100, but it does work as a flash drive.

Why I love it to death is that it has a 50 odd hour battery life, and charges in about an hour from flat, via the USB cable.
posted by tomble at 3:36 AM on December 2, 2006

I've seen deals on the new shuffle, albeit fleeting ones, in the $67 territory, at http://tanga.com
posted by mecran01 at 7:36 AM on December 2, 2006

the s10 by iRiver is very cool, too bad is not sold at the moment in USA and Europe. The Clix/U10 is awesome but cost too much IMHO.

I think I'll buy a Shuffle (and spend the rest of my budget on a good pair of earphones): I can't live without smart playlists.
posted by darkripper at 8:06 AM on December 2, 2006

Do you mean plugs directly into USB, or requires a cable? Direct plugs are handy, but cheap foldaway ones have a habit of breaking too easily.

If capacity is key, getting solmething with an expansion slot is useful (although this bulk up the size). But consider: three years ago I bought a 128MB flash recorder (Ondio). Now it I can plug in multiple 4GB SD cards for less cash than the original player cost.
posted by meehawl at 10:10 AM on December 2, 2006

I'd watch iRiver's players: The T10 I got recently had "Plays For Sure" D.'R'.M. - which will stop you from using it as a flash drive. There are ways around it, but they may void your warranty, and there's no guarantees that they'll continue to be supported.
posted by Orb2069 at 10:43 AM on December 2, 2006

Correction: "Plays for sure" Will stop you from using it as a flash drive on a Non-XP system. Sorry about the mixup(I don't use the thing with XP.)

Postscript: The future of "Plays for sure" is somewhat in doubt since the debut of the Zune, which does NOT use it.
posted by Orb2069 at 10:50 AM on December 2, 2006

meehawl, as long as it can transfer to & from a PC via USB, it's fine.

Right now, my gaze is fixed on the Cowon iAudio U2 2GB ($100 incl. shipping).

As of now, I'm chiefly interested in just two threads:

1)how reliable are the unbranded players offered on eBay by offshore vendors?

2)Where should I look to find good deals online?

Thanks.
posted by Gyan at 1:26 PM on December 2, 2006

There's the Sansa e250 - 2gb for around $100. Plus, it has a micro sd slot, so you can expand the storage with a micro sd card, which I think goes up to 2gb now.
posted by subtle-t at 1:32 PM on December 2, 2006

how reliable are the unbranded players

Not very. I'd guesstimate around 25% defective/return rate. Which is probably twice as high as a "branded" player that has had a QC run.

Where should I look to find good deals online

FatWallet
SlickDeals
DealNews

Should be enough to get started.
posted by meehawl at 8:37 AM on December 3, 2006