MP3 Players (Dell vs Ipod vs ???)

M

Moofasa~

[H]ard|Gawd
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I am looking for a good 15 GB mp3 player. Obviously, I started looking at the Ipod, and it seemed all right, though it is a little more money than the others. I was also looking at the Dell Jukebox, which seemed to be similar to the Ipod, but around 30 bucks less. I am also open to other suggestions. Looks do not mean too much to me, and the cheaper the better. In addition, I would like to know which MP3 Players are easy to use. I would also like a reliable one, which includes battery life, durability (Will I be able to drop it a couple times), and strong screens (ones that will not crack if dropped). I guess sound quality is important, but I am pretty sure all of them are the same. And any other input you guys have. Thanks in advance...
 
Look around on google for problems with the Dell model, apparently there are some.

Some people swear by the Creative Zen, other the Rio Karma, and still others prefer the iRiver lineup. Fabulous flamewars have broken out dozens of times over exactly which one is better and why.
 
From experiences:

My iPod (second generation) is as good as new (1 year old)
My friend's iPod (third generation) is losing some battery life (less than 1 year old)
My friend's Dell is as good as new (less than 6 months)
My friend's Rio Karma is have problems with its wheel (less than 6 months)
 
got my iRiver iHP-120 a little over a month ago, and i've been a happy camper so far. The thing is still in perfect condition (though I know it hasn't been that long) and the battery life just can't be beat! I haven't timed it exactly, but this thing just never runs out of battery..the only time I was able to get it to die was when I went to europe and didn't charge it for 2 weeks (while using it on and off). Thing died halfway through the 8 hour plane trip back hehe. The remote is also great since you can thread this through your belt (and even help avoid theft while walking around) and just scroll through any option with the LCD remote. The price for the irivers is probably a little more than you're looking for, but since iriver is releasing a bunch of new players (including a color screen version of this one), the prices are dropping a lot. Just something to look into if you're interested.
 
I'm in the market for the Dell Jukebox MP3 player, which I might be getting along with my laptop. What are some known problems with the MP3 player?
 
Mexicorn said:
got my iRiver iHP-120 a little over a month ago, and i've been a happy camper so far. The thing is still in perfect condition (though I know it hasn't been that long) and the battery life just can't be beat! I haven't timed it exactly, but this thing just never runs out of battery..the only time I was able to get it to die was when I went to europe and didn't charge it for 2 weeks (while using it on and off). Thing died halfway through the 8 hour plane trip back hehe. The remote is also great since you can thread this through your belt (and even help avoid theft while walking around) and just scroll through any option with the LCD remote. The price for the irivers is probably a little more than you're looking for, but since iriver is releasing a bunch of new players (including a color screen version of this one), the prices are dropping a lot. Just something to look into if you're interested.
Click to expand...

I'll second the iRiver. I just got one and its great so far.
 
There is a potentially serious issue with high bitrate mp3 encodes on the 3G iPod, resulting in a "watery" sound. Hopefully this and the high frequency ringing issue with QT 6.5.1 (iTunes 4.5 & 4.6) will be fixed soon.
 
leukotriene said:
Look around on google for problems with the Dell model, apparently there are some.

Some people swear by the Creative Zen, other the Rio Karma, and still others prefer the iRiver lineup. Fabulous flamewars have broken out dozens of times over exactly which one is better and why.
Click to expand...

Leukotriene, I quickly checked Google and could not find problems with the Dell mp3 player, but if you could possibly tell me what kind of problems you have heard the dell has, it would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, zachary80, could you ask your friend for me if his Dell mp3 player is having any problems? I am leaning towards the Dell, and just want to make sure it will have no problems.

Thanks in advanced…
 
I've had the iHP 120 for over 6 months, and it's just great. I did a lot of comparing and I have friends with the Zen's and the iPods, but the iRiver has better sound quality than the iPod (matching the Zen I found), same size as the iPod and great battery life in addition to a lot of handy features.

It was a clear choice for me, and I'll recommend it to you if you don't own a Mac. The iPod does interface best with Apples, iRiver doesn't support them well.
 
Personaly. I have the Rio Karma, and love it to death. Yes, its 20gb, but its cheap.
I think Rio has great tech support, and has constantly put out newer and better firmwares for it, adding many features, and fixing all the problems with it. Yes people have claimed it has a high HDD failure rate. But after 6 months, mine is doing swell. Just get a one year warenty from some seller (newegg is where I got mine at).

you have many to chose from, just done forget about the Rio karma *salesmans smile and nod*
a good review

blah, why do I even bother.
 
Moofasa~ said:
In addition, zachary80, could you ask your friend for me if his Dell mp3 player is having any problems? I am leaning towards the Dell, and just want to make sure it will have no problems.
Click to expand...

It still has no problems. I believe he bought it around Christmas.
 
Baaaaaah! said:
I have a Creative Zen Xtra. It's been a wonderful MP3 player for about 6 months.

Recently, however, the right channel audio disappeared.

Come to find out that it is a very common problem. Nice that it seems to always happen after the 90 day warranty. At this point, I guess I will be fixing it now.
Click to expand...

Another vote for the Zen Xtra. I came across that same problem w/ the headphone jacks as well. Luckily it was before the warranty ended, so I was able to send it in and get a replacement free of charge. My sister is looking into getting a HD MP3 player as well and really it's come down to either the 20 gig 3rd gen ipod or the iHP-120, and I'm leaning more towards the iHP-120 (most of her music was ripped through WMP in the WMA format I believe).
 
If I were to buy one right now I'd go for the IHP-120... my friend has one and it seems flawless, to be frank.
 
Leukotriene, I quickly checked Google and could not find problems with the Dell mp3 player, but if you could possibly tell me what kind of problems you have heard the dell has, it would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Check out the ratings page at ZDNet for users' issues.

The main complaints seem to be: that you must use Music Match Jukebox to transfer files over, any transfers are slow, and searching though the uploaded songs by artist is not possible.
 
correct me if im wrong, but apart from the rio karma, all the other players are substantially heavier than the iPod. I've had my 30GB 3rd gen iPod for over a year now and the battery life is has not degraded. Coupled with the stylishness of the player itself and the abilities to perform some PDA functions, i think that the iPod is an amazingly good buy.

PS I'm goign to smash my ipod right before the warranty runs out so that I can get a new one for free
 
vanquished said:
correct me if im wrong, but apart from the rio karma, all the other players are substantially heavier than the iPod. I've had my 30GB 3rd gen iPod for over a year now and the battery life is has not degraded. Coupled with the stylishness of the player itself and the abilities to perform some PDA functions, i think that the iPod is an amazingly good buy.

PS I'm goign to smash my ipod right before the warranty runs out so that I can get a new one for free
Click to expand...
I don't know. Check out the iRiver iHP (now H series). They're incredibly solid units so they may be heavier, but they're definitely not too heavy. They're the same size as the iPod too.
 
well if it gets me a new one, i don't really care ;)

I checked the figures for the weights, emorphien, and you were right, the iPod is actually a bit heavier

iPod : 5.6 ounces
HP120 :5.3 ounces

Seems like the HP120 is a hell of a buy. However i still don't recommend the Dell MP3 player it looks like an overweight child
 
vanquished said:
well if it gets me a new one, i don't really care ;)

I checked the figures for the weights, emorphien, and you were right, the iPod is actually a bit heavier

iPod : 5.6 ounces
HP120 :5.3 ounces

Seems like the HP120 is a hell of a buy. However i still don't recommend the Dell MP3 player it looks like an overweight child
Click to expand...


Thats funny that the iPod is heavier, the iRiver just feels more substantial or better built. I don't know, I figured it would have weighed more. Either way, I do think they're the product to beat right now, even if most people don't really know what they are. The iPod wins the popularity contest, and other than better Mac compatability and a real simple interface, I don't think it has anything else that actually matters (sound quality, battery life, connectivity, overall features). There's other units that are cheaper than the iPod and iRiver though, but they tend to be bigger.

Tradeoffs, tradeoffs.
 
vanquished said:
whatever happened to that sexy philips hard drive MP3 player that we saw a year ago?
Click to expand...
From what I understand it had sound quality about equal to the iPod (ehh) but it crashed more and I think it was more expensive.
 
the phillips looked good but it really sucked in terms of operation... like emorphion said it crashed more often and stuff and hence didnt do well...


i currently have the Nomad Jukebox Zen USb 2.0 ( 60 gig hdd ) and im satisfied with it... its great and have had no probs ever since i bought it ...

cheers
 
I know with my 40gb iPod I can only put itunes purchased music on there and not any other music store music. But that doesnt matter if you *cough download from kazaa, cough* get music from your personally owned CD's. I love my pod, I really think I need to send it in to get looked at because I cant get a full charge out of my dock....go figure! But to me I iPod just looks better.......well thats my .2

-Rikus
 
u serious???? u cant put songs from "your personally owned CD's & you know what ;) " on the ipod?????
 
vanquished said:
well if it gets me a new one, i don't really care ;)

I checked the figures for the weights, emorphien, and you were right, the iPod is actually a bit heavier

iPod : 5.6 ounces
HP120 :5.3 ounces

Seems like the HP120 is a hell of a buy. However i still don't recommend the Dell MP3 player it looks like an overweight child
Click to expand...

I guess if killing someone will get them off your back, you would do that too? It's still worng and it's people like you that drive up prices on items...
 
wazzup said:
u serious???? u cant put songs from "your personally owned CD's & you know what ;) " on the ipod?????
Click to expand...

You can put nearly any song on an iPod as long as it is one of the compatible formats :rolleyes:
 
Zardoz said:
I guess if killing someone will get them off your back, you would do that too? It's still worng and it's people like you that drive up prices on items...
Click to expand...

and it's you people who balance the equation and make it alright. Thanks a lot ;)
 
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