Looking for an MP3 player

[czarek]

Until recently I used my iPhone as an MP3 player but I recently replaced it with another phone (new BB Bold) which is far superior to it as a phone but its multimedia features plainly suck balls.

In this case I'm looking for a standalone MP3 player that will not cost too much but will be able to drive my Grados without additional amplifier and will not introduce too much hissing sounds (iPhone wasn't that bad in this regard).

Most important factor declining most of what is available on market today is that I don't want touch screen. I know it's a fashion and all kids love to play with it but I would sometimes like to switch a track without putting the thing out of my pocket and that's not doable with touchscreen (it is fine to be there as a secondary input like in my BlackBerry, but physical controls must stay primary input).

What do you guys use and would suggest buying? I'm thinking about iPod classic but its amplifier is weaker than iPod touch and the scroll wheel is a bit irritating (although usable). I was also thinking about some Cowon player and I really like E2 but I wish it had some screen...

[Brodie337]

The Sandisk Sansa players seem to have a reputation for sound quality, but I can't say I'm familiar with them.

Might be a good place to start looking?

[czarek]

I don't really care about radio as it's going to be used on flights or some weird remote locations where I wouldn't understand anything that radio would pick up.
Those Sansas look decent - I may give them a try.

[Malphas]

Yes, Sansa have basically been the automatic go-to for a cheap but decent dedicated MP3 player for the last half decade or so, you can't really go wrong with them.

[SmallFry]

Go for an older Sansa Fuze. You can put Rockbox on it. Rockbox has superior audio customizability.
Make sure you get the older Fuze that looks like this, NOT the new one like this. The older ones come in... 4 colors IIRC (Black, Silver, Red, Blue)

[Quarzac]

Man, I remember back in the day when I spent $150 on a Sansa e250. 2GB of music storage for all my musical desires. Now I have 70 GBs of music stored in the cloud, and sold the iPod Nano 3rd gen that I got through Best Buy's then awesome warranty policy for $40. I feel cheated. But yeah, the Sansa players are generally pretty nice little machines, and considering the cost nowadays, I can't see any reason why you wouldn't want to go with one.

[hcry4]

I was also thinking about some Cowon player and I really like E2 but I wish it had some screen...

E2 sucks...

I'm liking my new Clip Zip.

[czarek]

Well it doesn't have to be as cheap as $50 Sansa - budget of iPod classic (around $250) is still acceptable. I like the HM 801 best but $800 for an MP3 just doesn't seem right.
Still I read some more about those Sansas and I may end up getting one to try it out. Does anyone know how good amps do they have? I don't want to carry headphone amp anywhere I go so the player itself has to drive Grados SR225i.

[arplod]

Zune HD's are still available. 64Gb's seem to be thin on the ground though. Even two years on, this spanks any other non-iPod PMP IMO, especially if you pony up for the Zune Pass. It might also ease you into Windows Phone too...?

As for amp power, I guess it depends on whether you're one of those POS Grado-toting morons who uses them portably, and feels the burning need to share your music with everyone else around you. It drives anything up to my (600-ohm, nominal spl 102db - admittedly these are very efficient for the impedance given the super-magnets), Beyerdynamic Tesla T1's OK for home use at above sensible volumes and drive my (24ohm, 106db) Sony ZX700's to ear-bleeding levels, let alone anything smaller/more efficient.

[leotnnz]

Well it doesn't have to be as cheap as $50 Sansa - budget of iPod classic (around $250) is still acceptable. I like the HM 801 best but $800 for an MP3 just doesn't seem right.
Still I read some more about those Sansas and I may end up getting one to try it out. Does anyone know how good amps do they have? I don't want to carry headphone amp anywhere I go so the player itself has to drive Grados SR225i.

sansa is just the budget choice with some bugdet headphone if you do not use amp with it.

if you like hm801, then why not hm601

[czarek]

Oh man I didn't know they existed! If it's at least half as good as hm 801 I'm going for it!

[arplod]

If it's half as good, it'll be total crud. You're better off with even a Sansa.

[1839cc]

I've been using Sansa E200 with Rockbox for years and years. I like it.

[Lanx]

sansa clip isn't actually budget, from what i remember (having owned lots of them, not because they break but cuz of sales and fiance forgets to recharge so easier just to have 2 or 5 around) was that the chip inside got some audiophile approval on those audiophile forums.

[hoggy]

I've got a sansa recently.  Far easier to use than an ipod nano.

[itlnstln]

I use the Android NPR app.  Otherwise, it's MOG or Pandora.

[dorkvader]

Go for an older Sansa Fuze. You can put Rockbox on it. Rockbox has superior audio customizability.
Make sure you get the older Fuze that looks like this, NOT the new one like this. The older ones come in... 4 colors IIRC (Black, Silver, Red, Blue)

Rockbox'd fuze with a 16Gb Sd card is really the best you can get. I put down my Cowon D2 for it. I can drive my Sr-225i's with them just fine, as well as the even-more-sensitive Audio Technica ATH-AD900.

Rockbox really makes it, though.

I carried around Brandon Sanderson's "the way of kings" for the week I was reading it. It's  over 1000 pages. dead tree books are the best.

[BiNiaRiS]

did you end up choosing one?

[TheProfosist]

Just found a Fuze V1. Just RockBoxed it and its working great. Im going to test it for might decide to get a 16GB Micro SDHC card for it.

[slueth]

A zune?  I still have my double shot poo colored first gen zune.  Double shots are good on keyboards they must be awesome for mp3 players right??!!!  It has a good sound chip, it looks and is sturdy as a brick.  You can even change songs through ur pocket.

[Demofly]

I have had my Sansa Fuze for almost 3 years now. Powers my HD 515's pretty good. I'm not really an audiophile though so I don't know any better.

I love how the Fuze takes SD cards. I have a 32gb SD card in mine. I load it up with seasons of television shows and watch them on downtime, as well as music of course.

[TOZZIL]

Sansas with rockbox and big sd cards really rule!
I've got an e280  + 16 gb sd card = 24 gb of musicjoy with rockbox.

I'm just scared mine will break and I won't find replacement for it

Regards

[TheProfosist]

Sansas with rockbox and big sd cards really rule!
I've got an e280  + 16 gb sd card = 24 gb of musicjoy with rockbox.

I'm just scared mine will break and I won't find replacement for it

Regards

You shouldnt be worried about that because you can Rockbox the Fuze, Clip and Clip+. Their also working on the Clip Zip and the Fuze+.

[TOZZIL]

You shouldnt be worried about that because you can Rockbox the Fuze, Clip and Clip+. Their also working on the Clip Zip and the Fuze+.

Yae, you're right, but I especially like the sansa e2xx series... And these of course are discontinued and nowhere to get
I guess I'll have to go with a fuze or clip, the newer they get, the ****tier they become >.>

[godly_music]

iPods are pretty cheap nowadays. I would discourage you from getting a harddisk model though, that's just a recipy for disaster. Yeah I know, they read into the buffer a lot, but it's still a freaking harddisk. The nano line is pretty cool.

[SmallFry]

iPods can be converted from their hard disks to CF cards... get the high density CF cards= goodness. I own an iPod ?classic? (hard disk model) that I've replaced the hard drive with a CF card and rockboxed the wondrous device, it now has a preset profile for annoying my parents...heh bass FTW :biggrin: