MP3 PLAYERS..... CUZ I WANNA GET NOSTALGIC

[fanpeople]

So when I was a sexless virgin, I had an i River H320 and I have to say it was awesome. I also had a bunch of I pods over the years first one being an i pod (not so) mini etc. Also had diskmans but I don't really feel the same attachment to them.

Anyway, does anyone actually buy mp3 players anymore considering your phone pretty much does the job? Also if you do have one what do you think is the best.

I kinda want to buy one just for the nostalgic value and I am thinking of just ebaying a H320 and just changing out the battery and hard drive. But just wondering what is out there these days?

any input would be appreciated, unless its to say HURRRRRRRRRRRR JUST USE YOUR PHONE.

[Leslieann]

Yes, some people do still buy mp3 players, usually teeny ones for exercise/sports, which are easier to carry than a phone. Strapping an Iphone 6+ to an arm band really doesn't work as well as an Ipod Nano.

Considering what you want though, unless you run/skate/bike/etc...., my advice would be go cheap, otherwise go for an old Ipod.
Despite Apple hate (often rightfully deserved), they really did have better sound and function than most.

That said, I would go cheap, because there's a good chance your nostalgia is rather rose tinted and you will just toss it in the trash soon after getting it and go right back to your phone. Why? Because it's a second device to carry, but also space limitations, those older players won't exceed the 256gigs the sdcard slot on my phone can handle. Not to mention I can stream from my phone, something an mp3 can't do.

[davkol]

I use a Sansa Clip (Zip I think) w/ Rockbox. IIRC SanDisk discontinued Rockbox-compatible models a couple of years ago, but they still show up in some stores, so Idk…

Rockbox is awesome. Unlike stock proprietary firmwares, it's actually fast, customizable and has a ****tonne of features. I use a DAP w/ that, instead of a "phone", because the battery is separate from phone's, thus I'll still be able to make calls or use alarm clock, if I forget the player, well, playing.

It's perfect for audio playback, while falling asleep: Rockbox allows me to control volume and display brightness in tiny steps and an extended range (stock firmware was too loud and bright even at minimum settings, and the steps were too big); it also turns itself off after a given time to save power. In addition, there are superb crossfade or bs2b options.

The sansa hardware is _cheap_ though. Thus, I'm considering an upgrade to FiiO X3 or something like that.

[tp4tissue]

There was a small comeback with Mini-disc among the hipsters.


Maybe get one of those..   TP4 still haz one.. Pretty fun..

[bmmcwhirt]

This reminds me of some old times. I had an MPMan F10, it was the very first portable mp3 player and it held about 8-10 songs.

I then had several Cowan player and a few ipods. I still have an old Cowan 7" media player around somewhere.


That said SanDisk still makes some decent small players at a reasonable price. The 8G clip goes for US$35 on Amazon. There are some other lesser known brands on there as well but I'm not familiar with them. SanDisk is pretty reputable and still a good price.

[kekman]

get a fiio x1, or if you want a physical click wheel get the x3. both really good sounding players with expansion for SD cards up to 128gb iirc

[eksuen]

I still carry my music separately on my Zune HD. It's a shame it was discontinued.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

the real nostalgia is in the HitClips

[KetchyKech]

Dude. I love DAPs. I have a Fiio X3 and its quite awesome. The ability to not have to hassle with software and just drag n drop you flac files onto a dedicated device is a huge selling point. Don't forget about the upgradeable SD storage!

I hope to own me a iBasso or astell and kern ~ love me some physical buttons 

[OfTheWild]

I miss my potato chip Nano. I still have the clip one laying around somewhere. I really would love to find a decent priced gen7 ipod classic that I can mod to a 500gig drive.

[tjcaustin]

Nostalgic mp3 players, but no mention of the champ

[happylacquer]

Dude. I love DAPs. I have a Fiio X3 and its quite awesome. The ability to not have to hassle with software and just drag n drop you flac files onto a dedicated device is a huge selling point. Don't forget about the upgradeable SD storage!

I hope to own me a iBasso or astell and kern ~ love me some physical buttons 

Congrats on your 420 posts and avatar.

I have a ton of DAPs (and trying to sell some here lol) all i ever want to use anymore is my walnut though.

[Kronos32]

I used to have one of these badboys back in the day



The best thing about it was the fact that you could write lyrics to your songs via very specific file formats, and it'd show them on the display

[Kavik]

I use a Sansa Clip (Zip I think) w/ Rockbox. IIRC SanDisk discontinued Rockbox-compatible models a couple of years ago, but they still show up in some stores, so Idk…

Rockbox is awesome. Unlike stock proprietary firmwares, it's actually fast, customizable and has a ****tonne of features. I use a DAP w/ that, instead of a "phone", because the battery is separate from phone's, thus I'll still be able to make calls or use alarm clock, if I forget the player, well, playing.

It's perfect for audio playback, while falling asleep: Rockbox allows me to control volume and display brightness in tiny steps and an extended range (stock firmware was too loud and bright even at minimum settings, and the steps were too big); it also turns itself off after a given time to save power. In addition, there are superb crossfade or bs2b options.

The sansa hardware is _cheap_ though. Thus, I'm considering an upgrade to FiiO X3 or something like that.

I use the SansaClip+. It's pretty decent and small. The screen is a little too small to read the songs well though. It's also easy to jack it up if you connect it or disconnect it to a computer wrong; I actually had to RMA one because it wouldn't work afterwards once. As long as you put your music on a separate SD card through a card reader, you're fine. It takes a long time to refresh after loading music though, so it sucks for quickly adding a new song before a run.

I've considered trying Rockbox, but I was afraid of being stuck with it if I didn't like it. Is it a reversible process?

[davkol]

Yes, it's reversible, but I don't see any reason to go back. Rockbox is just so much faster, more powerful and flexible. (I mean, it's not hard to beat the stock firmware, because it's awful, but Rockbox is genuinely great.)

[Elth]

Had one of these during my sophomore/junior year of high school (1999'ish). Had a whopping 32MB worth of 30 minutes of music, that is unless you popped in a SmartMedia card.

[xtrafrood]

Whoa, iPod click wheel color 20GB. Filled up too fast #nostalgia

[nephiel]

Another Rockbox user here. I had a 30GB iPod Video, later upgraded to a Sansa Clip Zip with a 32GB microSD.

It's definitely worth it, more so if you like tinkering and customizing things. The Meier crossfeed feature is a godsend for long listening sessions.

[tjcaustin]

I'm rebuilding a creative zen vision m right now.  It needs a battery, but I'm going to do the flash memory mod, too.

[gallowgeek]

My very first MP3 player was one from Creative (I forgot the name because it was like 15 years ago and it was just given to me as a gift). Anyway, I like it because it's quite portable (just like the size of the common Zippo Lighter). It only has a 256MB storage capacity, but at that time, I did not really care about audio quality at all.

Anyway, to answer your other question, yes, I do buy standalone MP3 players as opposed to using my phone as an MP3 player. I buy discrete MP3 players mainly because they offer more "audiophile" features and they provide better audio performance than an app you can install on your smartphone.

Sadly, the industry is declining and it might die off soon. But until then, I am going to continue buying a standalone MP3 player.

[Kavik]

My very first MP3 player was one from Creative (I forgot the name because it was like 15 years ago and it was just given to me as a gift). Anyway, I like it because it's quite portable (just like the size of the common Zippo Lighter). It only has a 256MB storage capacity, but at that time, I did not really care about audio quality at all.

Anyway, to answer your other question, yes, I do buy standalone MP3 players as opposed to using my phone as an MP3 player. I buy discrete MP3 players mainly because they offer more "audiophile" features and they provide better audio performance than an app you can install on your smartphone.

Sadly, the industry is declining and it might die off soon. But until then, I am going to continue buying a standalone MP3 player.

Was it this guy? If so, I used this for years. It was a hand-me-down from my brother. I had to swap out music before every run since it had such limited storage.

[kishy]

I still use a Zen Vision:M 30GB with new replacement battery and CF card mod, built out of 3 or 4 I've salvaged over the years. Pretty sure the LCD is the original out of the one I bought back in 2006 new, but I've lost track along the way. 99% of the time I use this in my car.

I have a number of Zen Micros that people kept giving to me in various states of not-workingness. I was able to build a couple working ones but the batteries are probably shot now. Have a pile of microdrives to go with them.

[fanpeople]

My very first MP3 player was one from Creative (I forgot the name because it was like 15 years ago and it was just given to me as a gift). Anyway, I like it because it's quite portable (just like the size of the common Zippo Lighter). It only has a 256MB storage capacity, but at that time, I did not really care about audio quality at all.

Anyway, to answer your other question, yes, I do buy standalone MP3 players as opposed to using my phone as an MP3 player. I buy discrete MP3 players mainly because they offer more "audiophile" features and they provide better audio performance than an app you can install on your smartphone.

Sadly, the industry is declining and it might die off soon. But until then, I am going to continue buying a standalone MP3 player.

Was it this guy? If so, I used this for years. It was a hand-me-down from my brother. I had to swap out music before ever run since it had such limited storage.

Show Image

OMFG I HAD TWO OF THESE CUZ I WAS TOO LAZY TO CHANGE THE MUSIC

[Mechboards]

I've still got this somewhere (not my first but my favorite) as well as the HD.

[Shapey Fiend]

I didn't get a smartphone till 2013 so I still used a Sansa mp3 player all the time. Before that I had a couple of Creatives. Before that an Ipod Mark 2 I think.

I liked having a standalone mp3 player the battery life was better than phones. The only annoyance was having to sync with a computer for podcasts. After getting tired of social media and notifications in general all I use my phone for most of the time is listening to audio and reading books.

[Kavik]

I didn't get a smartphone till 2013 so I still used a Sansa mp3 player all the time. Before that I had a couple of Creatives. Before that an Ipod Mark 2 I think.

I liked having a standalone mp3 player the battery life was better than phones. The only annoyance was having to sync with a computer for podcasts. After getting tired of social media and notifications in general all I use my phone for most of the time is listening to audio and reading books.

2017 and I still don't have a smartphone. 

[Shapey Fiend]

A wise decision. After being technology obsessed for 30 years I think I'm largely sick to death of it. Filling all those gaps in time where you'd do nothing with a backlog of info that you've got to catch up on definitely ain't good for the soul.

[WhiteHelix]

My very first MP3 player was one from Creative (I forgot the name because it was like 15 years ago and it was just given to me as a gift). Anyway, I like it because it's quite portable (just like the size of the common Zippo Lighter). It only has a 256MB storage capacity, but at that time, I did not really care about audio quality at all.

Anyway, to answer your other question, yes, I do buy standalone MP3 players as opposed to using my phone as an MP3 player. I buy discrete MP3 players mainly because they offer more "audiophile" features and they provide better audio performance than an app you can install on your smartphone.

Sadly, the industry is declining and it might die off soon. But until then, I am going to continue buying a standalone MP3 player.

Was it this guy? If so, I used this for years. It was a hand-me-down from my brother. I had to swap out music before every run since it had such limited storage.

Show Image

I got that one from my parents at the time the first iPod touch was released. I wanted the iPod, but of course, my parents said no. I was happy with the 1GB version although, I still shoud have it laying around somewhere. I even used the FM radio on that thing.

[tp4tissue]

OMFG I HAD TWO OF THESE CUZ I WAS TOO LAZY TO CHANGE THE MUSIC

TIL

Fanpeople = Super Rich + Numerous Side Girls.

/Life is so unfair

[fanpeople]

OMFG I HAD TWO OF THESE CUZ I WAS TOO LAZY TO CHANGE THE MUSIC

TIL

Fanpeople = Super Rich + Numerous Side Girls.

/Life is so unfair

[northpark]

Anyone mention a Creative Nomad Jukebox?

[Kavik]

Anyone mention a Creative Nomad Jukebox?

One of my friends had the Jukebox Zen Xtra in 2005. It was about the size and shape of a portable cassette player.

[rowdy]

I had some small generic silver thing that played MP3s.

It got stolen (but they didn't take the power cable, so no idea how they were going to charge it as it had a weird proprietary plug).

After trying to listen to music from a PDA for a little while (an experience I don't want to repeat), I eventually replaced it with an iPod touch.

[happylacquer]

Anyone mention a Creative Nomad Jukebox?

I'm selling one of the OG ones because i cant find the right f*****g drivers to work on XP, or else i would

[iLLucionist]

YOU BRING UP TOO MUCH NOSTALGIA, CAN'T TAKE IT NO MORE!

Anyway.. do some of you remember sony minidisc player?

Back in the day that's what the cool kids here had. Coz mini disc = 102/105 dbA, up to PLAYABLE (DAC) 48k1 = studio audio quality. Back then, that was special, because non-professional audio DACS were typically far below studio audio in terms of dbA ratio and KHz sampling rate. It was HUGE for audiophiles back then.

[Entropia]

I do not have a smartphone and I will not have one as long as my old Nokia keeps on working. I hate smartphones. For my portable music I have a Sansa Clip Zip with Yuin PK2 earphones. I have Rockbox installed with custom gui and custom equalization. The result is fantastic.

[diiiP]

Still use a SanDisk Salsa whenever I go jogging.
8 Years old still works perfect.
A lot lighter than my smartphone, and controlling it (skipping songs) is easier than fiddling with the smartphone when running though the woods.

[Targa-TV]

We gave this or whatever other model to my niece because she wants to keep her phone calls in one ear and her music in the other... Anyway. She says Sony MP3 players are good sturdy things if that helps.

(BTW, I misunderstood the title and thought it was a jab at the fact that the mp3 format patents just expired.)

I modded a nameless cheap thing back in high(?) school but my phone is my music player now. As in, who cares if people want to chat/text/call, as long as my music is playing Idgaf about anything else. lol

[invariance]

Have a Toshiba Gigabeat in a draw somewhere with a dead battery. Another item on my to do list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk