MP3 Players

[benjiev]

Do any of you own MP3 players? I need to pick one up for my daughter and need a recommendation. Apple iPod, Creative Labs Zeno I would be interested in any of your thoughts

Thanks

BenjieV

 

[other1]

Everything else just wants to be an iPod. I've owned several mp3 players. Never happier than with my 15G iPod.

 

[Fast4Dr]

Everything else just wants to be an iPod. I've owned several mp3 players. Never happier than with my 15G iPod.

iPods are the best out there right now....but pricey

 

[other1]

Is it really? We'd all spend more on a box of cigars that's gonna literally go up in smoke. Maybe the mini iPod, especially since its a girl you are buying it for. (get her favorite color)

 

[moki]

Definitely an iPod. I'd actually suggest an iPod mini -- very few people even come close to filling up the regular iPods, and the Mini's are even smaller.

 

[other1]

Thats ture. I've got the 15G. I think I have 6G of stuff on it, and I could easily cut out half of that that I never listen to and fit it on a mini.

 

[kingpin]

I went with the Dell DJ. It had a long battery life as well as a 20g harddrive but the damn thing weighed a ton so I sent it back. If I were to buy today I would go with the mini-ipod. One thing to keep in mind when buying is the battery life and replacement cost. Neither the i-pod or the Dell have batteries that can be replaced without sending the unit back to the OEM and it is not cheap.

 

[Treamayne]

My vote.... Mini-disc player!!

After 7 Yrs in Asia I have found that for causual listening the MDs offer a flexibility not found in any MP3. MP3s are great for exercise, but to add, delete or change music you have to connect to your PC and swap music. You will always be limited by size (even an unholy large memory like the iPod is a limitation) and other players require very expensive chips ($70+ usually - depending on size) to add versitility.

My MD plays 5 hrs of music per 1.50 disc. I can pull audio from *any* source with a plug (I have entire movies on disc) Most have digital audio plugs and have the same quality audio (it will be as good as the source is). I have a micro-mic for note-taking and homework in college classes. The skip prtection is good enough that I only have problems when running faster than an 8m mile pace.

Versitility and cost savings are the way to go IMHO.

 

[moki]

Thats ture. I've got the 15G. I think I have 6G of stuff on it, and I could easily cut out half of that that I never listen to and fit it on a mini.

The Mini's are also better for running/exercise, not just because they are lighter/smaller than the regular iPods, but also because they are encased in metal -- tough as nails.

That said, I use my regular 20gb iPod every day -- I bring it to work, and I have all of my music available in the car, and at work... and I use it as a portable hard drive to bring files to/from work as well.

 

[bryan_h]

Id have to recommend the Ipod Mini as well. I have gone through several MP3 players over the past few years and this one beats them all.
Bryan :thumbs:

 

[oak]

My vote.... Mini-disc player!!

After 7 Yrs in Asia I have found that for causual listening the MDs offer a flexibility not found in any MP3. MP3s are great for exercise, but to add, delete or change music you have to connect to your PC and swap music. You will always be limited by size (even an unholy large memory like the iPod is a limitation) and other players require very expensive chips ($70+ usually - depending on size) to add versitility.

My MD plays 5 hrs of music per 1.50 disc. I can pull audio from *any* source with a plug (I have entire movies on disc) Most have digital audio plugs and have the same quality audio (it will be as good as the source is). I have a micro-mic for note-taking and homework in college classes. The skip prtection is good enough that I only have problems when running faster than an 8m mile pace.

Versitility and cost savings are the way to go IMHO.

I'm an MD user as well, and enjoy it for all the reasons mentioned by Treamayne. In particular, having the added ability to record meetings and/or phone calls comes in handy for me - and I also get a lot out of the ability to pull from any source as well (my source music includes vinyl) and also like the choices in terms of compression levels. Note that MD allows for a high compression level similar in quality to mp3 (or AAC) - but also has other options, including the other extreme - which is nearly lossless* and relatively hi-fidelity (of course, you now have gone from 4-5 hours of music to 45 minutes per disk). Combine this with an optical jack directly to your home stereo receiver and the usage of high-end headphones... ahhhh... that's music...

All that being said, I would probably still recommend the iPod mini to most users. Easier to use than the mini-disc, quicker to transfer files, and most people don't give a damn about the features I'm in love with. For many users who have their music collections converted to mp3 already (or stopped buying CDs a long time ago - so they are starting and ending with mp3 or AAC, or some other lossy format) - the MD doesn't have much of a point.

I also agree with the sentiments about price. If y'all got enough for decent cigars - then the price difference between the iPod and its competition is noise. And price is, IMO, the only reason to look at the other choices.

Cheers,

- Oak

* I would have simply said "lossless" - but there is some debate as to whether the base format on MD is lossless or almost lossless. Most users don't give a damn, so unless your daughter is a wannabe-freaky-audiophile-goofball, then ignore this.

 

[other1]

FWIW I had a minidisc player as well. I got frustrated with mp3 players and decided to go with the minidisc player for a lot of the reasons listed above. Then the iPod came out and it solved all the problems I had with previous mp3 players. If you think recording minidiscs is easier than syncing music to an iPod you've never used iTunes. The iTunes store itself is also a huge reason to get an iPod. I've bought all my music exclusively through the iTunes store since it came out.

 

[moki]

Note that MD allows for a high compression level similar in quality to mp3 (or AAC) - but also has other options, including the other extreme - which is nearly lossless* and relatively hi-fidelity

For what it's worth, you can do this on iPods as well. You can store utterly uncompressed audio files on an iPod as well... and given the relatively large size of some of the iPods, that means you can store quite a number of uncompressed audio files. You can also choose the compression quality when encoding as MP3 or AAC.

 

[Treamayne]

FWIW I had a minidisc player as well. I got frustrated with mp3 players and decided to go with the minidisc player for a lot of the reasons listed above. Then the iPod came out and it solved all the problems I had with previous mp3 players. If you think recording minidiscs is easier than syncing music to an iPod you've never used iTunes. The iTunes store itself is also a huge reason to get an iPod. I've bought all my music exclusively through the iTunes store since it came out.

No... the major drawback for me is sources. I can't be tied to using a computer to change up music or Audio. I can't (yet) get all the audio I need on a computer anyway (Mostly language tapes) and I need the flexibility of grabbing audio from amywhere - especially on the road when I'm travelling and don't have a computer. Also, for 20 bucks I have 50 hours of audio available that easily travels with me.

Not that iPod and MP3 is bad.... just wanted to point out options because in the end it's each individual's requirements that drive their preference. EG: I need to be able to hook my MD to a TV in Korea, Japan, PI, or Thailand and record news broadcasts for future language translation / transcription training. But that is a very specific need that no MP# (i have seen) can fulfill.

Just giving options and explaining differences.

 

[lucasbuck]

MD's sound much better then MP3's IMHO even at high bit rates. OGG comes close though.

 

[moki]

MD's sound much better then MP3's IMHO even at high bit rates. OGG comes close though.

Not all MP3s are created equal. The quality of the encoder used, the bitrate specified, or the use of VBR all make a huge difference. Same goes with AAC, though the quality if AAC is a bit higher for the same bitrate than MP3s are.

Still, again, iPods can play uncompressed audio as well. You can also record from a line-in or a microphone, using an add-on.

My favorite thing about them is that they double as portable hard drives -- hell, you can even install an OS on them and boot from 'em, none of which interferes with the ability to store and play music on it.

 

[Treamayne]

Still, again, iPods can play uncompressed audio as well. You can also record from a line-in or a microphone, using an add-on.

My favorite thing about them is that they double as portable hard drives -- hell, you can even install an OS on them and boot from 'em, none of which interferes with the ability to store and play music on it.

That's good to know.... didn't realize it recorded from line in. Is the recording compressed (or can it be)? I, too, would like the HD factor as I have an 80G USB drive I take with me on trips to store all the stuff I work on away from work.