Good MP3 player for the gym?

C

Copyright

Supreme [H]ardness
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Nov 17, 2000
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Ok so ive gone though 4 of them now over the years.. Id say my RIO S60 has been my favorite but it just decided to start and stop working whenever it wants. The backlight doesnt light up anymore and the display comes and goes. I was looking at the RIO Forge 256 but cant tell if this thing has a belt clip? I cant stand wearing anything on my arm or around my neck when im lifting.. Thanks for any input on this.. I have no clue whats good anymore.
 
Ok so I jsut read A LOT of bad reviews about the Rio Forge so that idea is out the door. Any other good MP3 players out there that use a belt clip and can handle being in the gym? Seems like most of them today are worn around the neck.
 
I just bring my ipod and slip it in my pocker. Haven't had a problem doing either cardio or weights.
 
I thought about doing that with the iRiver IFP-895. Been reading good reviews about iRiver products.. plus I found a universial beltclip that I think I can make work. Wearing windpants if I go to benchpress im about 90% sure that mp3 player will slide out of my pocket. I know anything I have in my pockets always does.
 
you could get an iPod Shuffle (uses flash memory) or iPod Mini (HDD). both have arm bands.
 
yeah I thought about the shuffle but the whole armband or landyard thing just doesnt do it for me.. Although I can probably make my self some sort of belt clip for that also. The only other thing would be lack of LCD display on the shuffle.
 
Well I just read about how ppl are breaking the control/joystick off of the Irivers. The simple use of the Ipod shuffle is begining to sound a lot better. Anyone know how they sound? Do they get loud enough?
 
Copyright said:
Well I just read about how ppl are breaking the control/joystick off of the Irivers. The simple use of the Ipod shuffle is begining to sound a lot better. Anyone know how they sound? Do they get loud enough?
Click to expand...
they get PLENTY loud: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1753025,00.asp

read that article. i read it in the magazine. aside from the lack of screen, the Shuffle seems like the best MP3 for you for the money.
 
Yeah i just got a forge 512. I seemed to have fixed it for now. The random shutoffs occur because the positive battery terminal doesn't always touch the battery. So, i made a little tin foil clip and stuck it in. Hasn't shut off for a couple days now. This is recall material but I don't think they'll do it. The other player I was considering was the newer Muvo Micros. I think the 512 model costs $129 or something. Has everything you could want minus expandability which is why I chose the forge...didn't read about the problems til later...oopsie.
 
Ok I picked me up a shuffle a few hours ago. They only had the 512 meg in stock and it was the last one in the store.. from what I can tell a lot of places are running out of these things. Around my neck it doesnt feel to bad. I wont know how much I like it until I get in the gym with it. Im afraid of it getting in the way when im doing certain exercises. I may see if I can get it to stay in my pocket.. this thing is tiny. As far as it getting loud enough.. wow.. I honestly didnt expect how loud this thing gets. If it had a dang belt clip id be 100% happy. Couple things I dont like. I dont care for the ipod software.. I am having issues using it as a mass storage device... it will show up then go away as soon as I attempt to use it as mass storage. Doesnt seem to have any issues in iTunes tho. It does feel somewhat cheap like I could break it pretty easily. It sucks the battery isnt replaceable.. I guess thats why they sell the extra battery packs. I have to say this is the best sounding MP3 player ive ever owned.
 
I love my shuffle. I wasn't a big fan of iTunes initially, but I realized that it is the best software out there by far. It's all personal preference though.

I use mine for running, and I didn't like it around my neck. So I've been throwing it in my pocket for now. That is until these come out next month. Should work well for you too.

http://www.dvforge.com/the_clips.shtml
 
I've been running with my 30GB Nomad Zen Xtra but it's huge and there's that whole fear of having the hard drive die from too much shock. I'm thinking about buying a 1GB Samsung YP-T7 here in Korea (stationed here until December... thank god).

Hopefully I can do a mini-review and have some pics of it soon after I get it. You can get somewhat of an idea on what it is here (few pics if you're willing to scroll) or here
 
My vote is cast for iRiver 799, or if you don't need 1G then 795 with 512M.
I had Creative Muvo Sport and it was awful! If you were running, you could not change volume easily when it was on your arm band.
iRiver 799 is almost perfect in my opinion. It resides on my arm very comfortable. I can change volume or hop to next track without having to stop running. It looks great. It is very light. Its armband is much better than the one creative sport muvo had. It uses AA batteries instead of AAA, which makes its life time much longer. Well accordingly to specs it should be 40 hours. I am not sure if it holds for 40 hours but I agree with tom's hardware, it holds 25 and probably even more. Some people tried to scare me with iRiver download manager, but in reality I didn't feel any diffrence between drug and drop in Windows Explorer when using Creative and iRiver's download manager.
iRiver 799/795 is also better manufactured. The socket for usb2 cable on iRiver is more sturdy and reliable. Another thing is that I found a navigation in iRiver more pleasant than in creative muvo. also, iRiver can play oggs, not just mp3s and wmas.
Hope it helps.

http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20041210/index.html

P.S. When looking for a mp3 player, I have encountered negative reviews regarding Rio.
 
If you're worried about it getting in the way, tuck it under your shirt (Thats what I do with the earbud cables, and I just have the player in the pocket.)

Just remember that you have it there before you start benching or doing incline. ;)
 
i like my "rio" mp3 player. got it last christmas at best buy. easy to use software to transfer mp3's to device, very small, can run about 15 hours or so on a single triple-A battery. my 256 mb version uses a belt hook that stays firmly attached to my shorts while running, lifting, jumping rope, etc.
 
I would get an iPod Shuffle (if you can live without an LCD). Lightweight (less than an ounce) and can be slipped into a pocket.
 
I have a 512MB Shuffle I use for various weightlifting/cardio. I just roll it in my sleeve(Reverse cigarette pack roll) and don't even notice it being there. Sound is outstanding as well. I also use it for swimming(Aquapac + waterproof headphones). The lack of LCD is a non issue for me, and I love the simple controls that I can manipulate through my shirt or through my Aquapac(Like placing on/off hold is simply a matter of holding the Play/Pause for 3 seconds.).
 
yeah.. way i see it is having the LCD is just something else that can go wrong. I figure they followed the KISS method on this one. I did just read up how a company is coming out with an assorted clip setup for the Ipod shuffles so I will purchase those when they come out in mid march. Im glad I went with the shuffle.. the simple controls are perfect for the gym.

http://www.dvforge.com/the_clips.shtml
 
I go to the gym 7 days a week and do cardio and lifting. I use the Creative Zen Micro and I LOVE it!
 
for those of you giving recommendations to Copyright: did you not read that he already bought the iPod Shuffle?? :confused:

theres no need for anymore recommendations....
 
TSS Modder said:
for those of you giving recommendations to Copyright: did you not read that he already bought the iPod Shuffle?? :confused:

theres no need for anymore recommendations....
Click to expand...


haha.. I didnt think anyone else noticed although I appreciate all the input.
 
IMO its better to get an mp3 player than can read SD cards, the MPIO128MB player can read 2GB sd cards, 1-2GB cards aren't that expensive when compared to a mini ipod,

the player itself is like 75-100 depending on if you can get it used
1gb sd cards are... as cheap as you can find them, under 90 for sure though (tigerdirect.com)
batteries are cheap too, just get 2-6 AAA 850mAH rechargeable nimh's off ebay for like 20 bux

for sd cards you can drag and drop using explorer so its handy to use, you can also hotswap the sd cards whlile the device is on,
 
TSS Modder said:
for those of you giving recommendations to Copyright: did you not read that he already bought the iPod Shuffle?? :confused:

theres no need for anymore recommendations....
Click to expand...

For a minute there, I thought I was the only one that noticed that.

Then look at the post directly above this one.
 
my forge completely died...only had it a week. lol then it finally let me turn it on again so i downloaded the firmware again and flashed it this time on my mac. no problems so far. switched battery out and cleared the mem out to upload more tracks and still works. hopefully i fixed it.
 
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