Portable noob needs MP3 player advice

John Pine · 09-13-2006, 11:22 AM

I’ve always been about high resolution audio. SACD’s, DVD-A’s, vinyl etc… Listening to compressed audio (MP3’s) has never appealed to me. But, I need to buy something to use during exercising. I know next to nothing about portables. All I want to be able to do is rip tracks from my large CD collection and make play lists to transfer to a player via my Windows XP PC. I won’t be downloading any music as I still use dial-up. I would prefer to keep the sound quality as high as possible.

Also, I have to use my One Call card for the purchase and would prefer to keep it under $200. I’m considering this model:

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetail...ge=-1&id=32454

Will this model meet my needs? Any other suggestions or feedback?

Scott L · 09-13-2006, 12:04 PM

Rip your collection to Apple lossless and throw it on a 30g ipod.

If you want something nano-sized, do 224 - 320kbps and grab a nano.

Chances are you won't hear the difference when working out.

Andrew Pratt · 09-13-2006, 12:50 PM

Buy one of the new Nano's and rip to lossless or high quality MP3. You'll be surprised at how good it'll sound

ChrisHeflen · 09-13-2006, 02:12 PM

I think that player would be fine.
Although my pick from what they offer would be the Toshiba Gigabeat.
Check Cnet for reviews they are usually pretty informative when it comes to those.
Too bad they didn't carry Creative...
Don't forget with iFraud you have to have Itunes on your computer.

BrianW · 09-13-2006, 02:33 PM

John, I just bought that model at Sam's for $160 (plus tax). I know you have to use your OneCall card, but even at $200, I think this player is a much better value than the Nano. The 4G Samsung was only $10 more than the 1G Nano.

I listen mostly to my own ripped CDs, as you plan to do, and this player is perfect for that kind of use. You get to use the highest bit rate (which, as pointed out, sounds surprisingly good), and this player is drag & drop (UMS) capable. It requires no special software installed on your computer, so it's great even for Linux users (like me). And since it has a much better battery life, a scratch-resistant metal case, and a bigger screen, I like it much better than the Nano.

I wouldn't use a hard drive-based player (like a 30G Nano) for working out, unless you have wireless headphones. I'd stick with the flash-based players. True, hd-based players have anti-skip buffers, but just because it doesn't skip doesn't mean the hard drive isn't being abused. And as we all know, hard drives work only until they don't.

You will need to update the firmware, however, to get the latest bells & whistles, but it's easy to do. All you have to do is download the firmware file from Samsung, drop it into the player's root directory, and restart the player. No "calling the mothership" or special software is required. It's truly the easiest device to upgrade I've ever seen.

There are three things you may not like about this player, though:

1. There is no customizeable equalizer. It has a wide variety of pre-configured equalizers to choose from, but none that you can fiddle with.

2. You must connect the player to the computer via the USB port to charge it. Most people don't find this to be an inconvenience, but YMMV. Dedicated chargers are finally beginning to ht the market, so issue this may be moot by now.

3. The USB cable connection is proprietary (probably to accommodate future accessories), so don't lose the USB cable.

If you can live with those three inconvenences, then the Samsung would be an excellent player for your purposes. Unless you subscribe to iTunes (which you don't) I'd definitely recommend it over the Nano.

**HTF Ads**

ThomasC · 09-13-2006, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisHeflen

Don't forget with iFraud you have to have Itunes on your computer.

You do NOT need to use iTunes for the iPod. There are several alternatives including ephPod.

BrianW · 09-13-2006, 02:48 PM

John, for a one-stop source for reviews and product info/discussion, go to www.anythingbutipod.com

The name makes it sound like they're anti-Apple, but they're not. They just provide information and support for Apple alternatives.

You'll find info there about the Toshiba Gigabeat and probably any other player you could buy with your OneCall card.

BrianW · 09-13-2006, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThomasC

You do NOT need to use iTunes for the iPod. There are several alternatives including ephPod.

Thomas is correct. The iPod can even be used with Linux using any of several non-Apple/non-Windows programs for just that purpose. If you really like the Nano (and, really, what's not to like?) but don't want to use iTunes, don't let that stop you from getting one.

Sorry, I'll stop now.

Johnny Angell · 09-13-2006, 04:47 PM

An MP3 player that I really like is the Creative TX FM 1GB. It requires no cable, it plugs directly into a usb port. It looks like an external drive in windows explorer and you can just drag and drop music or data files onto it.

It uses one AAA battery, has FM, and random play mode which I enjoyed while jogging. Its a good shape to fit the hand while jogging and it came with an armband if you don't want to hold it.

Mine was just stolen from my garage and sadly, I've discovered its been discontinued. Aaaaargh!