MP3 Players: Recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[nolesrule]

Why is it necessary? Easy answer. Some people want their entire music collection available to them at the touch of a button. I have it that way on my system at home, so why not when not at home?

If I was going to be purchasing an mp3 player, having it fit my entire collection would definitely be part of the criteria. For everyday use, I'd want everything available. I don't want to have to change out the library every time I switch between exercising, going on a road trip with friends, going on a road trip with my family, etc. I don't want to spend time managing my mp3 player content.

My current player only holds 4GB and it is only used when I go to the gym because I don't want to deal with changing out the library to fit my other needs.

I haven't ripped all of my collection yet, but in mp3 format I'll need somewhere between 24GB and 32GB to hold it when I'm done.


As for that lunch box analogy, it's not a very good one, but I'll use your lunch box in a better one. The small mp3 player is like choosing what you want to eat out of whatever you can fit in your lunch box, while an mp3 player that fits your entire collection is like choosing what you want to eat from any restaurant in your town.

 

[DaveF]

It's much easier. I had a 4GB nano and I had to use playlists to manage what was sync'd and what wasn't. When I traveled, I'd have to spend time thinking about what music I wanted and adjust my sync preferences. I also had to manage free space to make sure my podcasts could update and fit. And because I was keeping it so close to full, I was regularly getting the sync-fail errors due to lack of memory.

With the 16GB nano, my entire music library fits, my podcast subs fit, and I have several TV shows as well. I don't worry about free space. Sync works perfectly. And playlists are used as intended, letting me sort what I want to listen to when the mood strikes. It's so much easier, and the device works "right".

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I went in the exact opposite direction. My first iPod was a 40GB model with the monchrome screen, and my entire collection fit on the player. When my collection passed the capacity of the player, I ended up getting a 8GB Nano. I was already used to managing a smaller music set for my wife (she had a 4GB iPod Mini then, and an 8GB Nano video now). I decided that the smaller form factor of the flash memory Nano was better for me, and 8GB is more than enough space for any trip we take.

It just goes to show that one solution doesn't work for everyone.

 

[DaveF]

Well, actually, "too much" storage is one solution that works for everyone (you could still use it in a limited manner)...

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Not if the size of the player was a concern.