Recommend MP3 player

Hello all, I am looking to buy an mp3 player and looking to see which one is good. Not looking for top of the line or even the worst but something in the middle. Something that i can download music from my computer onto and be able to take it with me while running or walking. Thanks, christine

 

i would recommend the Creative Zen Micro, £150 (UK Sterling) but can get alot cheaper if browsing the interent or just go to eBay. They are easy to use, sleek, fashionable, and they have a few differnt choices for memory (4GB, 5GB, 6GB).
Otherwise, i would say the iPod Nano, 2GB £139 or 4GB £179, these are probably the most popular and easiest to use, but i don't think they are a great value for money, as they scrath relatively easy and are quite expensive for the size of them (memory).

Hope this helps,

~Shaun~

 

as long as you dont get an ipod ;P

if your looking for a standard issue mp3 player go for one of these.

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=MP-U1024FM

theyre small, cheap and pretty good too. i bought a 512 meg one last year for the same price as that one gig one (they came down in price after i bought one typically) plus you can put most music formats on there and it will play files whether therye write protected or not (unlike the ipod)

edit (this only of use to you if your in the UK)

 

there's also the Creative Zen Jukebox Nomad....i have a 60 gig that was delivered to my door for less than off of creative's own site from www. newegg.com, and i thought that was great. $285 US is what it ran me, but there's also a less expensive 40 gig that is also a gem.

 

ipod

 

Sure it isn't a hampster in a wheel, Creaky?

 

lol @ weazel

 

Auslander, I have that same MP3 player, only mine is the 40GB model. I can easily fit at least 10,000 songs on it (all tracks encoded at 128 kbps). 128 kbps is perfect for portable music. Anything above that is a waste of space, IMO.
Do you use the EAX audio function? I do. I have the setting at Smart Volume and the preset at Match Volume. Smart Volume adjusts the playback volume of all tracks so they remain at the same level without reaching for the volume control between songs.

 

I recommend VBR MP3 files. They are by far the best sound wise and take up less space than the average 192 CBR file. Also if you hook up an MP3 player to a good system and play a file which is encoded at 128 kBps you can notice the quality is bad.

 

I don't like VBR MP3 files on my MP3 player because I can't notice a difference in the quality. I do notice the track time, though. With a VBR MP3 file on my MP3 player, the track time never matches what it is supposed to be and it's different every time I play the file. I've never hooked up my MP3 player to a good stereo system, nor do i plan on it. It's a portable jukebox to me. If I want to listen to music on my awesome stereo system, I'll put on a CD.

 

Each to their own

 

DakotaFan: have it all and use it all ;-) the creative is full of wonderful features and is one of the best buys for the cash, in my opinion.

as for encoding, i rip using the Windows Media Player Lossless VBRm to store all my files on my compie, and when i feel like going mobile i simply sync with WMP. some people may think that double-ecoding like that is bad or that the quality will be low or whatever, but i'm very happy with it. the music quality rivals that of the normal cd (at least to my ear), and usually things that are normally subtle are a bit amplified, adding a new, more whole and encompassing sound to the music.

 

Not to blow anyone's horn but Exact Audio Copy is the best program to rip cd's into VBR MP3's. Just visit the audio section to learn more.

 

if i ripped to mp3s, i would try it; but for reasons of my own inferiority, lol, i rip to wma

 

What inferiority would that be Auslander?

 

*shrugs* just making up a reason for choosing a less common format that is often considered less worthwhile than the mp3

 

valid point