Best MP3 player at $200

so_cal_forever

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jan 5, 2004
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Soon I'm gonna be graduating from high school, so my parents and I were talking about graduation gifts. I mentioned one gift I want is an MP3 player.

Because they're offering to buy other gifts as well, I'd like to get an MP3 player at no more than $200. I've really been eyeing the Rio Karma, but I'm scared of some things I've heard like scroll wheels going bad and hard drives going dead. All I want is to be able to walk normally sometimes without it screwing up the hard drive. I'd also prefer something at least 20gb and great sound quality. Rio fans boast the Karma offers great sound quality.

Is the Karma my best bet at $200?
 
What audio formats do you want it to support? The Karma is one of the few portables that support FLAC and Ogg, which are major plusses in my book. I can't comment on the reliability and duribility of that player though since I don't know anyone who has a Karma.
 
i have a 40gb ipod, a zen micro, and a rio karma. among the three, i'd pick the karma. the ugliest but in terms of sound quality and features this is the best mp3 player you can get.
 
The scroll wheel will break if you drop the unit on it.

I've had my karma for a few months with zero problems. Never had a freeze or any other harddrive related problems. It came with the latest firmware and I've only been using files I've personally ripped. I walk with it often.

Nice player. The ogg support and low price is what sold me initially, but the user interface is really something that surprised me- it's really intuitive and easy to figure out. Also, the dock is something I've been using more than I would have ever imagined. Running the line out into any reciever is really nice. Last but not least- Rio's software is incredibly headache free. I'd still prefer no software at all, but Rio Music Manager makes it all as easy as possible.

Go for it. It really seems as though all the serious harddrive problems have been significantly reduced with the latest firmware. I also believe that using files you created helps-- I've never gotten a warning about a bad file.
 
I heard a friend's Karma. He's not particularly impressed with the sound quality, neither am I. It's not bad but not that good. Thick and quite heavy for a 20Gb too. It is easy to use but so are many other players these days. I think you may be better off going for a newer one.
 
i love my gen 1 dell dj 15gb

the sound quality is awesome, it cost me $130 brand new from dell about 5 months ago, and i have never had one problem with it. it is an awesome unit!
 
A creative zen micro 4gb is 179$ after rebate. Havent really researched this much, just saw an ad on the nyc subway in january and i have wanted one since. :D

I think it is the only hdd based player with a radio tuner though.
 
compslckr said:
i love my gen 1 dell dj 15gb

the sound quality is awesome, it cost me $130 brand new from dell about 5 months ago, and i have never had one problem with it. it is an awesome unit!

Special code offer I take it? And to the next poster, I'm looking for at least 20gb.

*Waits for Godsmadclown or Mister X to comment*
 
Yeah, i had a 10% off coupon code that was posted in the hot deals section a while back.
 
I've (very recently) heard bad things about the Karma. Go Archos.
 
Well, I like the Karma. More to the point, my wife loves it.

Ogg files encoded at quality 3 are pretty well transparent on the included Senn MX300 earbuds. At that bitrate, my wife's Karma is a little over 1/2 full with almost 3600 songs on it. The guy with the Ipod at her office always wonders how she gets so many songs on her 20 GB player. Ogg Vorbis is an excellent low/mid bitrate codec.

If you upgrade to better headphones, then you might want to bump up the Ogg quality level or go with FLAC.

Mp3 is cool, and quite compatible, but Ogg and AAC are newer, better formats.
 
i would highly suggest the Creative Zen Xtra. It holds 30gb (more than anything else in this price range). The software it comes with is good. It has good battery life and a big, clear screen. and its made by Creative, who have a long history with music hardware. The only downside is it is a little bit larger than other players, but you can still fit it in your pocket just fine.

if you think the Zen Xtra is too big, check out the 20gb Zen Touch.
 
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