Which MP3 Player?

[anonymous-user]

Just about to purchase my first. Was going to get an iPod or iPod mini as it seemed a no brainer till I read about not accepting Windows Media (WMA) files. Is this such a big issue??

Comments ad suggestions gratefully accepted!

[arcturus]

Well it all depends. My entire collection is wma not mp3, so it would be a huge issue for me, which is why I went down the iRiver route.

[tycho]

Also, are you likely to be downloading from Napster or iTunes? iTunes uses AAC which no other music players can use as Apple has kept it proprietry. iPods cannot play WMV's either.

I have a 1st gen iPod so all my library is in MP3 format. Do you have any MP3's or WMA's?

[docevi1]

iPod's aren't as great as they are cracked up to be - mine was treat like it was worth a million Dollars and still it broke and has now been written off by the insurers.

[tycho]

docevi1 said:

iPod's aren't as great as they are cracked up to be - mine was treat like it was worth a million Dollars and still it broke and has now been written off by the insurers.

Mine has been bashed around and still works great. It can happen to any piece of electrical equipment, I have had a new phone every year and never scratched, broke or lost one yet. Just luck if you get a good one or a crap one.

[[k]ar|]

I have one of the 4th gen "clickwheel" iPod 20Gb's for the gym and it's fantastic . No complaints at all, although I did buy an Evo iSkin to protect it from the worst abuse. However, instead of using iTunes, I run EphPod - a freeware program which works very well indeed, and avoids a number of iTune's shortcomings. Might be worth checking out.

My only other experience of mp3 players is when one of my chums bought a Creative Zen (the thin brushed silver one) which broke within days of purchase .

[k]

[docevi1]

it's not just mine that has the problems though, when trying to find out how to fix it I found so many people who had the same problems as myself (suddenly stopped connecting to my pc, hold switch stopped working, battery life down to 2hours and the headphone jack was useless).

To be honest I'd have another (insurance will be sorting it out for me anyway) as the interface is simply the best from the ones I've tried, but I wish another higher quality product was available!

[anonymous-user]

tycho said:

Also, are you likely to be downloading from Napster or iTunes? iTunes uses AAC which no other music players can use as Apple has kept it proprietry. iPods cannot play WMV's either. I have a 1st gen iPod so all my library is in MP3 format. Do you have any MP3's or WMA's?

I have no exisitng files so have a clean slate to start from.

[tycho]

garyhun said:

tycho said: Also, are you likely to be downloading from Napster or iTunes? iTunes uses AAC which no other music players can use as Apple has kept it proprietry. iPods cannot play WMV's either. I have a 1st gen iPod so all my library is in MP3 format. Do you have any MP3's or WMA's? I have no exisitng files so have a clean slate to start from.

Then I would recommend trying them all out and choosing which one you like the look of. To be honest, I got the iPod when there wasn't too much competition, I had the Creative DAP jukebox befor the iPod and there is now a much bigger range to choose from, I might just go for an iRiver or maybe a Creative Zen. I think that with a clean slate, Ogg files or WMV's might be the way to go.

[Teppic]

garyhun said:

tycho said: Also, are you likely to be downloading from Napster or iTunes? iTunes uses AAC which no other music players can use as Apple has kept it proprietry. iPods cannot play WMV's either. I have a 1st gen iPod so all my library is in MP3 format. Do you have any MP3's or WMA's? I have no exisitng files so have a clean slate to start from.

If you're starting from a clean slate, don't write off the Sony NW-HD3 or NW-HD5. ATRAC3 is probably the best sounding of all the compressable formats, and if that doesn't grab you then they also play MP3, WMA and WAV. The battery lasts for about 30+ hours.

The only minus point though is that the SonicStage software that you need to use can be a pain in the arse if you're used to something else like iTunes or MusicMatch.

[slinky]

I'm new to the I-pod scene, had mine about a month and a half now... following my purchase 4 more have been bought in my office alone..

The main thing that impressed me was the sound quality and clarity of the display... admittedly I didn't find the headphones very comfortable, but I've replaced those with a pair of sony fonotopia (sp?) earphones that are cracking...

Personally, I have no issues with I-Tunes, and all of my collection are in MP3 format, so the compatibility isn't an issue...

The only trouble with the ipod is the huge number of accessories that you feel the need to buy once you've purchased the ipod.. there are so many available, and most of them are quite appealing... so far:

1x Sony headphones (ok, I know they aren't ipod accessories..)
1x Belkin Tunedok (for car use)
1x Iskin silicon skin
1x Belkin Aluminium hard case (for when it's in my bag)
1x I-Trip (actually really rather good)

Would like a dock of some form so I could use it as my alarm clock, but haven't got around to justifying that expense yet...

slinky
587racing.com

[jodypress]

i'll post my 2p's worth here.

the ipod range is worth it for the HUGE range of accessories and without doubt the best GUI, but is not feature rich (radio, voice rec etc) and audio quality is not the best.

iRiver h120/h140 series are fantastic (but hard to get hold of) not so sure of h10 range. - no software needed

iAudio X5 is also amazing.- no software needed


sony's are great quality, great sound, TERRIBLE software.

many, many more out there, but these are the creme de la creme.

have a look here:
www.advancedmp3players.co.uk


>> Edited by jodypress on Monday 4th July 20:25