What MP3 player should I get?

[Arti]

My 1.5 GB Rio Nitrus just crapped out on me. I want something with more space this time. I'm looking at the Creative Zen Touch (20 GB). My priorities are:

1. Reliability
That Nitrus is the crappiest piece of engineering in the world and I want an MP3 player that's durable and lasts for several years. The other facets won't matter if the player doesn't even work.

2. Sound quality
Pretty self-explanatory.

3. Battery life
Preferably 10+ hours. I've heard bad things about the iPod's battery life.

In terms of size, I am looking at at least 5 GB. Extra headroom would obviously be nice, but if I come across a quality 5 GB player, I'll seriously consider it. Size isn't too big of a factor, as the biggest MP3 players I've seen are tolerable. The iPod is the first player that comes to mind, but it is expensive and the sound quality and battery life are not as good. In terms of price, I'd like to keep it under $250.

Thanks a lot!

 

[h41cyon]

stay away from the iPod, its great except that it was made for idiots and the bass response sucks more than (insert rude comment here).

 

[xonik]

Reliability is such a tough call with portable players, because you can't judge from reports how careful the thing was handled. And besides, an MP3 player dropped at angle A won't react the same as if it were dropped at angle B. With quality control being so inconsistent these days, it's tough to judge. I can speak from experience that my iPod (fourth generation) has been very reliable, but that's one sample out of millions of owners. It does have solid construction, that's hard to deny, and many years of refinement, so perhaps it has greater potential for reliability.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, sound quality is not all that important in an MP3 player. This is because portable players have limited room for quality DAC and amplifier components, not to mention that MP3 is a lossy codec inherently. I'm not making excuses for my iPod, because I have heard comparable sound quality in other players including the Creative Nomad Zen Xtra, Dell Jukebox, and iRiver iHP-120. I just think that you should be careful about what you hear other people say, because there are too many factors to make a fair comparison, and with the inherent compromises that are made to a portable player, it's somewhat futile anyways.

I valued battery life when I decided to go with the iPod, because the fourth generation player boasted a much higher battery life, and a new battery. What you heard is true, at least for some examples in the third generation. As for other players, it's nice to have the removable batteries, but the battery life on a per-gig basis is pretty similar between players. Obviously, flash- and entry-level HDD players have lower battery life, it comes with the territory. Keep that in mind.

On the lower end of your spectrum, you might want to look into the Creative MuVo series and the Rio Carbon (I know, I know), or the Apple iPod Mini. As for the higher end, I'd recommend either the iPod or iRiver's line of players, personally.

 

[Mister X]

Wow... I have to say it kinda sucks that the rating system is now long gone here cause that reply ROCKS.

Having said that I am wondering if anyone have ever actually benchmarked the various MP3 players that are on the market.
That would make for one very interesting collection of "objective" data ... not to mention it would put a lot of the questions about which device sounds better to rest.

Welcome to the MP3 player rightmark database we hope you enjoy your visit.

 

[Arti]

Reliability is such a tough call with portable players, because you can't judge from reports how careful the thing was handled. And besides, an MP3 player dropped at angle A won't react the same as if it were dropped at angle B. With quality control being so inconsistent these days, it's tough to judge. I can speak from experience that my iPod (fourth generation) has been very reliable, but that's one sample out of millions of owners. It does have solid construction, that's hard to deny, and many years of refinement, so perhaps it has greater potential for reliability.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, sound quality is not all that important in an MP3 player. This is because portable players have limited room for quality DAC and amplifier components, not to mention that MP3 is a lossy codec inherently. I'm not making excuses for my iPod, because I have heard comparable sound quality in other players including the Creative Nomad Zen Xtra, Dell Jukebox, and iRiver iHP-120. I just think that you should be careful about what you hear other people say, because there are too many factors to make a fair comparison, and with the inherent compromises that are made to a portable player, it's somewhat futile anyways.

I valued battery life when I decided to go with the iPod, because the fourth generation player boasted a much higher battery life, and a new battery. What you heard is true, at least for some examples in the third generation. As for other players, it's nice to have the removable batteries, but the battery life on a per-gig basis is pretty similar between players. Obviously, flash- and entry-level HDD players have lower battery life, it comes with the territory. Keep that in mind.

On the lower end of your spectrum, you might want to look into the Creative MuVo series and the Rio Carbon (I know, I know), or the Apple iPod Mini. As for the higher end, I'd recommend either the iPod or iRiver's line of players, personally.

Thanks a lot. However, I think I'm going to avoid the Carbon and the Mini. I know the Carbon will be good but the Nitrus would die even if you took care of it perfectly so I'm a little cautious about going with Rio...the Carbon is still too new to be able to judge its durability. And the Mini is just an iPod with a ton of less space...no improvements, and I don't care about the size. As of right now, it looks like the Zen Touch is the best choice.

 

[Impulse]

Wow... I have to say it kinda sucks that the rating system is now long gone here cause that reply ROCKS.

Having said that I am wondering if anyone have ever actually benchmarked the various MP3 players that are on the market.
That would make for one very interesting collection of "objective" data ... not to mention it would put a lot of the questions about which device sounds better to rest.

Welcome to the MP3 player rightmark database we hope you enjoy your visit.

PC Mag is doing some rudimentary "benching" for their reviews lately it seems, see:

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,2393,l=&s=1612&a=137166&po=5,00.asp

Hard to compare versus other players as it's laid out though.