Need a new MP3 Player - Suggestions Please.

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PinchedNerve

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Messages
354
Hello.

I'm in the market for a new MP3 player. My current one is a Creative Zen X-Fi 16Gb. The speaker jack is going out & a few days ago I had to press the rest button about 4 times just to connect it to my PC.

I need a small player for going to the gym & bike trails. Would like at least the same if not more capacity & the ability to play FLAC files. Screen size is unimportant because I only use it for music & only look at it long enough to adjust volume & change artists.

High quality playback would be outstanding as well. Any suggestions?
 
Sansa Clips are pretty cheap and they do everything you asked for, while I don't think there's a 16 GB model you can just get a microsd card and get 16 GB or more. The clip+ and the Clip zip are the newer models the only difference is that the Clip Zip has a color screen.
 
Been looking around online & its a bit surprising that most players seem to be 8Gb or less, unless you get a 5" screen player for video.
 
Ordinarily I'd recommend just finding a cheap used Android phone... seriously, they make great media players.

But if you're wanting small I have to second the above recommendation for a Sansa Clip+ or another Sansa player with a MicroSD slot. I still have a couple of the original Clip and C200 models and they're great - great sound quality as well.
 
Blue Falcon said:
Ordinarily I'd recommend just finding a cheap used Android phone... seriously, they make great media players.
Click to expand...

I was just going to say the same thing, recommending a Galaxy S I (like the Fascinate) that has the Wolfson DAC. I did just this last June and it was the best choice I made as I was looking for something that had good audio, battery, and ideally capable of a lot more. Installing a kernel with Voodoo Sound code in it will allow you to really unlock the potential of that DAC with the free App from the developer (the Galaxy S III, among others, are also compat). Then with PowerAMP or Neutrino it just gets all the better! Just run the thing in Airplane mode and you'll basically have a Galaxy Player S! *sniff* I recently misplaced mine, which makes me a sad panda, but I only paid ~$80 for it and it impressed me enough that I'm going to start looking for a replacement now :cool:

But I can appreciate wanting something small, especially for the Gym. Yet there are work-arounds to that. You could get one of those arm straps, unless you plan on doing lots of weights then I guess that might not be too ideal, so then I'd say perhaps a belt clip or something.

Otherwise I have to also say something Sansa. If you care about audio quality, you can't go wrong with the Galaxy, but I'd hit up www.head-fi.org to find out which is the best model and generation of Sansa to pick up.

Oh and I'd also HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the JVC HA-FX40 or HA-FX101 IEMs (ear "buds") if you are also in the need of a damn good means of listening to said music. I have the FX40s and I no longer use my Shure SE210s anymore. I paid $30 for the FX40 but you can get it for ~$18-20, which my SE210s cost me (at the time) $110 yet they don't hold a candle to the FX40! The FX101s are newer and around the same price but offer a tad more low end thump. (Side note: if you get the FX40 they may sound a bit harsh right away with "bright" high notes that can be a bit piercing at times, but after a few hours of breaking in they mellow out for some awesome listening.)
 
Obviously the iBasso DX100 is very small and cheap. :D But all of the Galaxy phones sav for the newer S3's have wolfson DAC's if i recall correctly. You just have to root and install the drivers for it.
 
mannyman said:
Obviously the iBasso DX100 is very small and cheap. :D But all of the Galaxy phones sav for the newer S3's have wolfson DAC's if i recall correctly. You just have to root and install the drivers for it.
Click to expand...

Correction: The Galaxy S1 and S3 have Wolfson, the S2 is the one that does not and has a Yamaha (and recommended to avoid, unless you get a helluva deal heh)
 
I use my iphone for everything. I think mp3 players are obsolete since smartphones with android or iOS can do all of those functions as well.
 
Formula.350 said:
Correction: The Galaxy S1 and S3 have Wolfson, the S2 is the one that does not and has a Yamaha (and recommended to avoid, unless you get a helluva deal heh)
Click to expand...

My bad, Well yeah don't touch the yamaha chip it was pretty poor. Im still voting on the iBasso:p
 
bought clip zips for the kids this past holiday. Insanely small for a player with a tiny color screen. Popped 8GB cards in them and let them do their thing. Good build quality, no chance of accidentally popping out the sd card (it took some work to get them to click in), and most importantly sound far better than any iProduct I've compared against.

Neat thing I learned after getting these: If you listen to the inbuild radio, you can record the songs as they play them. Easy rip of radio quality music. I personally wouldn't be into it, but a 13yo girl who listens to nothing I can stomache seems to think it's the greatest thing ever. :p
 
Currently using a Sansa Clip Zip myself and its great even on the stock firmware. Audio quality is very good, it supports FLAC out of the box, and it has a folder directory structure for navigation (my 3 biggest requirements). It also has a microSD slot so its easy to expand storage as well.
 
Surprised nobody recommended Cowon.

If you are looking for something ultra-portable, maybe a E2: http://www.jetaudio.com/products/iaudio/e2/ ?

I got an S9 3 years ago. Beautifully made, sounds amazing, still works great. It was the first device on the market with an AMOLED display and Gorilla glass protection IIRC.
 
+1 to a Rockbox flashed Sansa Clip+

Fantastic portability and great sound plus enough features/customizations to fully satisfy even the most demanding audio/geek/nerd out there.
 
As if you didn't have enough recos, get a Sansa Clip+ with rockbox. I have one, they're small, portable, built like a brick and last forever. Make sure to use the line out.
 
Yeah either Cowan or Sansa. I have had both and can safely say that they both have amazing sound quality. The Sansa is THE budget buy. If anyone wants to experience audiophile on the cheap, a Sansa Clip + and a pair of decent iems or even full sized headphones. Even a Koss KSC75 with the old quarter mod and a clip sounds banging as all get out.
 
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