Recommend an MP3 player that ISN'T an iPod?

[MinionZombie]

Hey folks,

I'm looking into getting a new MP3 player, but was looking to avoid the generic iPod route and was wondering if any of you fine sorts could recommend a good MP3 player that wasn't an iPod. :)

[acealive1]

sansa/sandisk makes some damn good and affordable ones. they have 2 GB units for $35-45. only bad part is u gotta recharge it everytime u use it because it wont hold a charge for long

[axlish]

5 years ago I'd have suggested a Creative Zen without hesitation but they seem to have dropped out of the market a bit. Unfortunately, when my device hits the dust I'm going to be in the same situation as you, figuring out which non-apple device is best. Let us know what you find out.

[MikePizzoff]

I can't stress how much I love my Zune 120!!!

The battery life is LONG as hell; I regularly "DJ" the house parties I throw using it, and will go all night without the battery dying.

I've got the whole first season of Arrested Development, every episode of Family Guy, close to 150 music videos, around 50 feature-length movies, and hundreds upon hundreds of albums/bands... and I still have 20 gigs of free space.

[Danny]

creative zen, cheap, lots of space and reliable.

Though when i got to 'generic' i had a slight look of distain, is this a fashion thing? you only need it to make noise dude.:|
-course i got an iphone so dont technically HAVE an mp3 player anymore really, just a smartphone, but still i got creative zen's for what they did. not what was hot- or to be unique and not get the one most people have.

-also, avoid zunes, more trouble than there worth regardless of the "cult of enzunthiast" zealotry, creative zens where its at. go down to hmv for a cheap one.

[MikePizzoff]

I never had a problem with my Zune, nor have any of my friends that I know of. However, I had nothing but problems with iPods before Zunes and all you hear is people raving about iPods, so....

[Danny]

I never had a problem with my Zune, nor have any of my friends that I know of. However, I had nothing but problems with iPods before Zunes and all you hear is people raving about iPods, so....

Exact opposite for me, my zune exploded. literally. Everyone else i know who was unfortunate to get one had battery problems. total erasure of all content. Permanent bricks when trying any of its "share a song with someone else for 3 days or 3 listens" bollocks and microsofts tech support was no help.

I resisted apple for years because of the stigma of "its so popular i must hate it for no unfounded reason" then i got a nano for free and whent onto an iphone. with neither have i experienced a great problem than the nano crashing twice. But both could play for up to 15 hours straight no problem. Considering my iphone is $99 for a smart phone and 16gig ipod touch combined thats a steal.

I love creative but there ARE just memory sticks you can plug earphones in, but with a modern ipod with the itunes app i could be anywhere at any time and hear a song or see video of a movie and go "thats it, im having that. now" and instantly start downloading it. That's what i like as someone who doesnt buy cd's anymore. its the only mp3 player ive ever had where i dont need to hook it up to a computer to buy music. thats convenience itself.

Come on, its fun to be down with the kids.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/khazrak/1278861559039.jpg


Jooooiiiiinn usssss.........

[rongravy]

Yeah, I have a Creative MuVo.
I got it at Wal Mart on sale for $35. Lots of space. I don't need to watch videos when I'm away from my pc so it works for me.

[acealive1]

I can't stress how much I love my Zune 120!!!

The battery life is LONG as hell; I regularly "DJ" the house parties I throw using it, and will go all night without the battery dying.

I've got the whole first season of Arrested Development, every episode of Family Guy, close to 150 music videos, around 50 feature-length movies, and hundreds upon hundreds of albums/bands... and I still have 20 gigs of free space.




so u can leave it alone for like a week and it will still play? if u do that with mine, that thing wont even attempt to power on

[Legion2213]

"Sony Walkman" or a "Cowon" model, they sound soooo much better than those trashy ipods.

I use a Sony "NWZ-A729" Walkman, only 16GB storage, but boy, she sure sounds sweet. :)

[krakenslayer]

We sell the Archos 5 internet tablets at work, similar to the iPod touch, and they are absolute beasts. Pretty chunky though, if you go for one of the larger 160 gig hard drive models, as opposed to the smaller micro SD compatible models, but still pretty damn cool. They run the Android OS and I think Archos's products, with a few refinements, have the potential to grind the iPod touch's bones into the dust of the past.

Keep your eyes on them over the next couple years.

[MinionZombie]

Got some names to check out now, so thanks for that, after side-stepping hellsing's "Apple Nerd Rage" (:D) - I don't want an iPod (I've tried using them before and they just annoyed me, and I utterly despise iTunes as a piece of software too ... and "connectivity" and all that "on the move" bollocks winds me up :sneaky:).

Rather than just go "must ... get ... iPod ... cos ... that's ... the ... only ... MP3 player ... that ever ... was", I figured I'd learn about the other options out there. It was like getting a pocket video camera recently ... rather than go with Flip as I'd figured initially, I ended up with the superior Kodak Zi8, which I didn't know about when I thought "I could use a pocket video camera".

My existing MP3 player is very small (256mb) and is essentially a flash drive with a teeny little title display. It was just for cheap and so I could use it on the bus going to-and-from uni at the time, but I figured I could get something that is 'like an iPod' ... but not an iPod, for the above reasons.

Searched for Zunes, as that was the only alternative I knew of until now, but I couldn't find any anywhere - so they must have all vanished by now, eh?

In short - ta for the suggestions. Will investigate further.

[MikePizzoff]

but with a modern ipod with the itunes app i could be anywhere at any time and hear a song or see video of a movie and go "thats it, im having that. now" and instantly start downloading it. That's what i like as someone who doesnt buy cd's anymore. its the only mp3 player ive ever had where i dont need to hook it up to a computer to buy music. thats convenience itself.


Hate to be annoying like "yeah, well mine can do that too!" but...

If you're listening to the radio on your Zune you can tell it to download whatever song is playing at the moment. Pretty cool if ya ask me.

[Neil]

sansa/sandisk makes some damn good and affordable ones. they have 2 GB units for $35-45. only bad part is u gotta recharge it everytime u use it because it wont hold a charge for long

I use one of these daily now... Bought an 8GB one off ebay (new) along with a plastic case to go over the entire unit (to protect it)... Nice little unit. Pretty good with audio books too!

Only (tiny) downsides for me are:-
- The headphones plug in the bottom. Why not a socket top and bottom?
- The on off button (with my plastic clam case) is a little tricky to get too.
- Get little glitches everynow and then with large audio book files. eg: Every now and then the unit will turn off.

But these are TINY TINY issues...

[EvilNed]

Get a creative if you can, and iPods suck ass because of one thing: iTunes!

[LouCipherr]

You guys who are saying "ipods suck because itunes sucks" - you do realize there are many different programs (many of them free) out there that will allow you to put things on your ipod without using itunes, correct? And the majority of these programs are 100 times easier to use than itunes?

Believe me, I agree with you, itunes sucks donkey balls, but don't let it discourage you from getting an ipod since there are TONS of different ways of getting your music onto your ipod without the aid of that pig known as "itunes."

As an owner of 3 ipod nanos and 3 ipod touch's, I'm all too familiar with the situation. ;)

[EvilNed]

I did not realize that. Still. Why even get an Mp3 player that requires a program to convert files into ipod-files?

Yeah, me too, I really want to do it the complicated way! - Not.

[MinionZombie]

Looking at the Sony Walkman NWZ-E444 8gb model - good price (seemingly between £60 and £65), plenty of features - and it uses "drag & drop" ... I love "drag & drop". That's how the iPod should be! Keep things simple, because the amount of time I've spent screaming at iTunes going "I want THIS to go on THERE! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME DRAG AND DROP IT ALREADY?!" is retarded.

Even still, with different software for the iPod the device itself is still a bit of a faff in itself. The aforementioned Sony looks far simpler and straight forward from videos of it.

So that's the front runner at the moment.

[LouCipherr]

I did not realize that. Still. Why even get an Mp3 player that requires a program to convert files into ipod-files?

A program that requires you to convert files into ipod files? I'm completely confused - my ipod touch plays mp3's with no conversion necessary just fine. Not sure what you mean...?


I love "drag & drop". That's how the iPod should be!

You can do that easily with an ipod, too. Without iTunes. I do it myself on an almost daily basis.

C'mon guys, google is your friend! :lol:

I can hear MZ now "but I don't want to research it!" Well dammit, research it right along with the blu-ray specs and hdmi cables that seem to be so elusive for you. :lol: (j/k MZ!)


Even still, with different software for the iPod the device itself is still a bit of a faff in itself.

Why? If you ask me, the ipod user interface is a lot better than 99.999% of the other mp3 players out there. Especially these iPod Touch things. :D


On a serious note: Let me be clear (whoa, I sounded like Obama for a second there!) - I am NOT an Apple fanboy. Matter of fact, far from it, but I couldn't deny the touch is an excellent music and gaming interface. My first iPod was bought for me for xmas (a nano 2G) - it sat in my desk drawer for over 3 months because I thought "what do I need THAT thing for?!" - well, when I finally pulled it out and found that I don't need itunes to use it, it won me over. ;)

Now, I know MZ said he's researching "other players" than an iPod - which is cool, but don't let the misinformation on iPods sway you away completely. They're capable of a lot more than people realize - and without the bane of iTunes on their back. Get what suits your needs, just don't discount ipods completely as they can do a lot that people have no idea about. ;)

Of course, then there's jailbreaking - which is a whole other ball of wax not related to the things above. That makes for even more fun if you choose to go down that path.

[EvilNed]

A program that requires you to convert files into ipod files? I'm completely confused - my ipod touch plays mp3's with no conversion necessary just fine. Not sure what you mean...?


The two ipods I had forced me to convert my MP3s into an iPod file system, otherwise they wouldn't play. And they forced me to use a program to put files into my iPod. Both are huge no-nos for an MP3 player.

[Danny]

The two ipods I had forced me to convert my MP3s into an iPod file system, otherwise they wouldn't play. And they forced me to use a program to put files into my iPod. Both are huge no-nos for an MP3 player.

...what? im on my second ipod, granted the most recent versions but still. i open stuff in my music player of choice. then drag it onto the device. If it plays in the player then it plays on the ipod, simple.

[EvilNed]

...what? im on my second ipod, granted the most recent versions but still. i open stuff in my music player of choice. then drag it onto the device. If it plays in the player then it plays on the ipod, simple.

I've gone creative for the last three years, considering how fucked up my iPods were. So maybe Apple finally caught on. I remembering having an Mp3 player before I went iPod, and it could do all that stuff. Then I got a taste of the apple, and it was just so needlessly incompetent.

[Legion2213]

Looking at the Sony Walkman NWZ-E444 8gb model - good price (seemingly between £60 and £65), plenty of features - and it uses "drag & drop" ... I love "drag & drop". That's how the iPod should be! Keep things simple, because the amount of time I've spent screaming at iTunes going "I want THIS to go on THERE! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME DRAG AND DROP IT ALREADY?!" is retarded.

Even still, with different software for the iPod the device itself is still a bit of a faff in itself. The aforementioned Sony looks far simpler and straight forward from videos of it.

So that's the front runner at the moment.

Can't go wrong with Sony if sound quality and ease of use is what concerns you most.

Just looked your particular model up on Amazon, very favourable reviews as well.

---------- Post added at 11:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 PM ----------


You guys who are saying "ipods suck because itunes sucks" - you do realize there are many different programs (many of them free) out there that will allow you to put things on your ipod without using itunes, correct? And the majority of these programs are 100 times easier to use than itunes?

Believe me, I agree with you, itunes sucks donkey balls, but don't let it discourage you from getting an ipod since there are TONS of different ways of getting your music onto your ipod without the aid of that pig known as "itunes."

As an owner of 3 ipod nanos and 3 ipod touch's, I'm all too familiar with the situation. ;)

I'm saying they suck because the sound quality is inferior to most other brands out there...and when you are buying a music player, thats kinda important. :)

[bassman]

I don't know too much of the technical aspects, but I love my Ipod. I had some other generic brand before and it was okay...while it lasted. The battery life quickly shot down and then it ended up getting crushed in my pocket. Then I moved to an ipod about 2 years ago and have no complaints with it so far. I didn't notice any sort of sound quality drop and it's basically invincible with it's metal casing.

As for Itunes...I don't see any problem with it. Convert your cd's to mp3s and load it onto the Ipod within minutes. Don't see the issue there....

Like I said, I don't know too much about it and my Ipod is only the 2nd i've owned, but after several years I love it. Much more sturdy and the battery life is long. Perfect for anyone listening while doing house/yard work or any other kind of manual labor. I don't think I can ever go back to mowing my lawn without it.

[MinionZombie]

Legion - aye, that Sony Walkman model is the front runner right now.

Will give iPods a courtesy glance, but having used a Nano before, it just didn't gel with me for many reasons. If the glove doesn't fit, well...:sneaky:

...

As for research - man, I'm doing research on other brands ... and I'll no doubt at some point in the future be frog-marched into the Blu-Ray "give us all your money" camp, at which point I'll have to do my research ... if you want anything good tech wise, you have to research it, otherwise you'll end up with "niggles and narks" at best, and flattened shit at worst. :p

[LouCipherr]

The two ipods I had forced me to convert my MP3s into an iPod file system, otherwise they wouldn't play. And they forced me to use a program to put files into my iPod. Both are huge no-nos for an MP3 player.

No idea what that was about unless perhaps you had a first gen iPod. Even those, however, I thought played standard mp3's fine. I don't know that much about the first gens, so if that was the case, it's no wonder you got turned off by 'em. I would've been too, but I think the problem has long been fixed.



I'm saying they suck because the sound quality is inferior to most other brands out there...and when you are buying a music player, thats kinda important. :)

Really? Any links to research done on this? I've never found that to be the case at all. The sound quality from my iPod (when using the right source material - ie, not a mp3 file that some dingbat who has no idea how to encode it) is phenomenal - and remember, this is coming from someone who is all about audio quality. I've heard people say this before, but I think it's more along the lines of apple-bashing and not based on real facts. Problem is, "good sound quality" is subjective to each ear. Now if it was shown in testing the output was piss-poor, then that's one thing, but I don't think that's the case unless someone has a link...?

I found this link, but no real 'scientific' testing on the output:

CNET: iPod Touch Excels in Sound Quality (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-10354314-27.html)

That was a comparison of the ZuneHD vs. the iPod Touch - not that we care about the ZuneHD, but it's what the author says at the end of the review that matters: "Your lesson? Don't just read the specs and look at the interface before you buy an MP3 player. Spend some serious time listening to it, at volume. "

Which I couldn't agree more with.

I also found this: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/apple-inc.-ipod-touch-third-generation/

Which states: "As noted in last year’s review of the second-generation iPod touch, a major improvement in sound quality was achieved when Apple changed audio chips—the audio chip was “cleaner, with a nearly non-existent static noise floor."

So I don't know where this "inferior sound quality" comes from...?


Will give iPods a courtesy glance, but having used a Nano before, it just didn't gel with me for many reasons. If the glove doesn't fit, well...:sneaky:

Understandable, and please know that i'm not trying to push you towards ipods. I just find what some people believe about them to be incorrect and wanted to lay out the facts as I know them first-hand. ;)

Lets be real and just put it out there - the REAL problem with ipods? THE PRICE. They're stupid expensive. THAT is the real problem. People don't want to pay the price, and I can't say I blame them. Think about it: if an iPod Touch was the same price as an 8gb Sandisk Sansa player (lets say they were both $99), what would you buy?


and I'll no doubt at some point in the future be frog-marched into the Blu-Ray "give us all your money" camp,

Therein lies the biggest problem dude - you already have it in your mind you're gonna get screwed. :lol: Besides, what are you worried about a BR for? Dj and I already have the "MZ's Blu-Ray slush fund" kicking. YOU should be researching TV's to go with your soon-to-have free BR player! :D

Anyway, I'll get off here and let you continue your research MZ. I only popped in to let you know that there's no reason to use iTunes when using an iPod and to clear up a few misconceptions about them. I had the same feeling about them before I actually got one and started messing with it. Then with a bit of research you realize the possibilities are far beyond what Apple tells you they are. ;)

Carry on, my wayward researcher! :D

[MinionZombie]

What's the point in a BR player without a proper telly for it? :p

It'd just go unused, or connected to the biggest telly ... that I don't use, or rarely get to use. :D

[LouCipherr]

What's the point in a BR player without a proper telly for it? :p

Hence why I said you should stop your BR research and start researching TV's, 'cause wether you like it or not, your slush fund has already been started. :lol: Now it's just a matter of time. :elol:

[MinionZombie]

Hence why I said you should stop your BR research and start researching TV's, 'cause wether you like it or not, your slush fund has already been started. :lol: Now it's just a matter of time. :elol:
I can research all I want. Still doesn't change the fact that I don't have £500 lying around. :p

[shootemindehead]

Hey folks,

I'm looking into getting a new MP3 player, but was looking to avoid the generic iPod route and was wondering if any of you fine sorts could recommend a good MP3 player that wasn't an iPod. :)

What Acealive said...Sansa.

I own a Sansa 32gig player and I'm very happy with it. The sound is nice and thick and when played through the right earphones is a delight. At least, it is to me anyway. I like a good full bassy kind of sound. I bought the 32gig, when my 16 gig disappeared.

There are some problems with it's firmware though. It seems to be a bit flimsy and can lead to tracks getting "stuck" for a short while, but that's never really bothered me.

The main issue is, that they are bloody hard to find these days.

I did own a 32 gig Creative zen x-fi II, but I thought the sound on that was terrible. It was all washy and artificial and it was horrible to listen to. The touch screen was very badly implemented and was an unbelievable pain to use. Plus, I had to take it out of my pocket every time I wanted to skip a song, or in fact do anything at all with it. Ended up selling it.

---------- Post added at 11:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:22 AM ----------




http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/khazrak/1278861559039.jpg




My god...

Just look at all those wankers. :rolleyes:

[LouCipherr]

I can research all I want. Still doesn't change the fact that I don't have £500 lying around. :p

That's why you do this little thing called "saving up for a purchase" - you're going to need to when that box containing that blue-lasered thing shows up. :D

You think Dj and I are kidding, don't you? You just wait... :elol:

[DjfunkmasterG]

MZ, I own a Sansa FUZE you get one for about $50.00 on eBay which is about 30.00gbp. These are decent players and come in 2,4 and 8gb models I own quite a few of these because of my super large MP3 collection.

[LouCipherr]

We'll send you one with the BR player. :lol: :D

[MinionZombie]

That's why you do this little thing called "saving up for a purchase" - you're going to need to when that box containing that blue-lasered thing shows up. :D

You think Dj and I are kidding, don't you? You just wait... :elol:

And I've got a bunch of other things to be saving up for in all.

I always enter competitions for HD tellies, but sod all ever happens. :p

[LouCipherr]

And I've got a bunch of other things to be saving up for in all.

I always enter competitions for HD tellies, but sod all ever happens. :p

Well, keep trying. You're gonna need it eventually once that player shows up. :shifty:

Just save $5 a week. I think that's an amount most can deal with. If you buy a television for say, $2000 (i'm doing all this in USD 'cause gbp and your vat and other stuff just confuses my stupid ass.. lol), that's only 400 weeks? With 52 weeks in a year, you'll be able to get it in about what, 7 years? PERFECT! :lol:

I guess then we'll have to send you the "Blu2" player, which will probably be the successor of Blu-Ray in 7 years. :D

Sorry, as usual I've douched up a thread and gone so far left of the topic it's not even funny. My bad. :o

I hear those Sansa Sandisk players are nice. (trying like hell to get back on topic!)

Carry on, Research Man. :D

[bassman]

If you want a HD TV so bad, just steal one. That's what everyone does around here.:p

Those things can turn some decent money at pawn shops. Just enough to get that next fix, but that's all they really care about. Then move on to the next....

[LouCipherr]

If you want a HD TV so bad, just steal one. That's what everyone does around here.:p

That's the problem - he doesn't want one "that bad" yet. He won't have a choice once he has the player in hand. :lol:

[MinionZombie]

That's the problem - he doesn't want one "that bad" yet. He won't have a choice once he has the player in hand. :lol:

Exactly! Bloody Blu-Ray bullies! :shifty:

[LouCipherr]

Exactly! Bloody Blu-Ray bullies! :shifty:

:lol:

I should change my status to that - "Blu-Ray Bully" :D