The Everlasting Players...running on AAs or AAAs only!

[grndslm]

I've decided that being able to run off of AAs or AAAs is the top feature I'd want in a portable rig. I think i's sad that they stopped making the Creative Labs Muvo TX FM at 1GB...it was such a bad ass design. Another sad thing is that the Cowon G3 is the best thing available, IMO, really...and it only goes up to 2GB, which is unacceptable to me. I chose to purchase the Sansa e280 (w/ proprietary but replaceable battery) just for the 8 gigs @ $145, whereas Cowon G3 was $110. . . .

But I'm definitely all for encouraging the production & purchasing of players that use more conventional, and obviously replaceable, batteries. Lemme know if there's more I need to add to this list.

Have a good day!

+++++++++
FLASH BASED DAPs
+++++++++

1GB & Under
=====
Cowon iAudio 5
**Creative Labs Muvo TX FM
**Creative Labs Muvo V100
Creative Labs Zen Nano Plus
iRiver T50,T60
Meizu E3
Sandisk Sansa m230,m240...
+Sandisk Sansa e130,e140
Sony NW-E107

2GB
=====
Cowon iAudio 5
Cowon iAudio G3
**Creative Labs Muvo V100
iRiver TX
iRiver T10,T60
Sandisk Sansa c150
Sandisk Sansa m250

4+GB
=====
iRiver T60
Sandisk Sansa m260

+++++++++
HARD DRIVE DAPs
+++++++++
Archos Jukebox Recorder 10,20,40

+++++++++
NO BUILT-IN MEMORY
+++++++++

Compact Flash Cards or MicroDrive
=====
+Frontier Labs NEXBlack

SD/MMC Cards
=====
+Some cheapo brand prolly from China (only $30 - http://www.pigpony.com/ProShow.aspx?id=286 )

**: Direct, built-in usb adapter (so you don't need to carry the cable around)
+: Expandable memory

[grndslm]

You guys don't wanna help me out with this list? I'm starting to notice that there's not a single 4+GB player that runs offa AAs or AAAs. We should start a riot!!

[callanish]

actually Sandisk's Sansa M series has 4GB's and runs on a AAA battery, but that's the only one I know of.

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item...layer_4GB.aspx

[dura]

Iriver anounced the T40&T50 some time ago, up to 4gb. One runs on AA, the other on AAA. Dont know if they are vailable yet.

[michael.conner]

Archos Jukebox Recorder: 10-40GB (or 100GB+, if you put a new 2.5" HD in it), takes AA batteries, AND can be Rockboxed.

[grndslm]

Originally Posted by michael.conner

Archos Jukebox Recorder: 10-40GB (or 100GB+, if you put a new 2.5" HD in it), takes AA batteries, AND can be Rockboxed.

I remember seeing those back in the day. I don't think they were my cup of tea back then, and they still don't look like it today.

How's the sound quality on that thing BTW? Any sonic improvements with Rockbox, or was it all just interface? I'd prolly rather have that than a Gigabeat, but a Gigabeat would actually be easier to find nowadays.

[michael.conner]

Originally Posted by grndslm

I remember seeing those back in the day. I don't think they were my cup of tea back then, and they still don't look like it today.

How's the sound quality on that thing BTW? Any sonic improvements with Rockbox, or was it all just interface? I'd prolly rather have that than a Gigabeat, but a Gigabeat would actually be easier to find nowadays.

Oh, I wasn't completely serious in recommending it, if only because it's so big and bulky compared to iPod-sized players and because it only has hardware support for MP3 (no WMA/AAC/FLAC/OGG/WAV... nada.) Hence the But it is built like a tank. Mine was pretty beat up and had been taken apart and put back together a number of times before I finally ebayed it. And it was essentially a portable USB 2.0 hard drive, too, which was very handy.

The sound quality wasn't bad at all, actually -- the Recorder also had coaxial digital output. I don't think it was necessarily better immediately with Rockbox, but if I recall correctly, they were able to tweak the sound chip on it in ways that the original firmware didn't. It had a couple of neat sound features that aren't available (AFAIK) on other Rockboxable units -- auto volume (good for audiobooks in the car), and a bass boost that works by emphasizing higher harmonics of lower bass frequencies, tricking your brain into thinking you're hearing notes that your speakers or headphones can't actually reproduce.

Yeah, so like I said, I was only half-way serious in recommending it.

[bungle]

You can search dap.db based on battery type.

I would get the G3. My main criteria were AA or AAA batteries, UMS, and good sound, on which the G3 delivers. The UI is small and monochrome, but it's sufficient for getting things going and is less to break or drain batteries. The G3 doesn't support FLAC, however. I've heard the iRiver T-series sounds good, and maybe has better FM reception, but the T10 and T30, which were out when I was looking, are bulky and quite a bit bigger than the G3.

[grndslm]

I just really wish that the G3 had something more than 2 gigs. My Treo 650 can hold 2 gigs of music and sounds alright to me...

I'm just gonna have to wait for something else in the flash area... I'm more convinced to get a hard drive based player with true line out now, 'cause I doubt the playing field's really gonna change that much by the time I get my Supermicro.

[callanish]

I'd also like to expand the thread to include SD memory card mp3 players that use AA or AAA batteries. With SD memory card prices dropping in price, a 4GB memory expansion card in a player that can also be used as a memory card reader and writer would be great if the sound quality was half way decent; unfortunately most of them are junk, but you could see the potential if you had a bunch of memory cards lying around.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SD-MMC-Card-MP3-...QQcmdZViewItem

[grndslm]

Originally Posted by bungle

You can search dap.db based on battery type.

Hmm....I tried searching for both conventional and non-conventional user-replaceable batteries and it couldn't find anything.

I think it's a conspiracy...

[grndslm]

Originally Posted by callanish

I'd also like to expand the thread to include SD memory card mp3 players that use AA or AAA batteries.

Nice...I suppose players that make use of AAs or AAAs *and* [micro]SD cards would be the true everlasting players.

Originally Posted by callanish

With SD memory card prices dropping in price, a 4GB memory expansion card in a player that can also be used as a memory card reader and writer would be great if the sound quality was half way decent;

Heck, if I found one of these that sounded good, I don't think I'd be debating this choice of player so much...I'd buy an 8gb card for $80, up to $30 for one of these...and BAM, stop worrying about it. BUT...

Originally Posted by callanish

unfortunately most of them are junk, but you could see the potential if you had a bunch of memory cards lying around.

most of them prolly do sound like junk I'm sure, and this one in particular gets terrible battery life (they shoulda used AAs). If anybody knows of a goldmine player like this that sounds pretty good and has a halfway decent battery life, puh-leeze let me know!!

[Killercrush]

NEXBlack is what you're looking for if you want changeable batteries and CF cards or microdrive.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEXBLACK-MP3-Aud...QQcmdZViewItem

http://bohwaz.net/static/nexblack/

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=974

[grndslm]

Originally Posted by Killercrush

NEXBlack is what you're looking for if you want changeable batteries and CF cards or microdrive.

Outta curiosity...is a microdrive a flash or hard drive?

[Lindinblade]

Iriver T50 has been introduced and is available now, but it comes only as 1GB. T60 will be available in a month or so, and comes with up to 4GB of storage.

T50 is AA and around 50hrs of specified playback time, whilst T60 is AAA and around 18hrs of specified playback time. They are UMS. I'm planning on getting the black T60 (which is also, according to iriver, supposed to have a better audio chip than T50).