Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Source Gear › Help a newcomer pick an MP3+ player
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Help a newcomer pick an MP3+ player

post #1 of 12
2/10/04 at 12:17am
Thread Starter 
I've been reading for a few months, and this seems like an excellent forum. You guys seem very helpful and laid back, thanks to CrawlingEye for showing me the way

Anyways, on to the question. For my birthday (April), I will be purchasing an MP3+ player. So far I have narrowed it down to 3 choices. The 15gb Ipod, iRiver IHP-100, and the Nomad Zen Xtra 30gb.

I want a player that is a great bargain, meaning I want to get the best product for the least amount of money. My budget is tight, and I'm not gonna be able to spend much over $250. I have found all 3 of these players for under that amount.

Size isn't too important, but I want it to be easy to navigate (or something that I can pick up after a few hours). I'm sure they all score well in this category. I also want good SQ, and they should be able to drive the Shure E2c's quite well.

Any thoughts, experiences, or recommendations will be appreciated! As I mentioned earlier, I will most likely be using the E2c's, they seem to fit my taste better than the Ety ER6's. This is going to be my first portable rig, and budget is the biggest factor.
Reply
post #2 of 12
2/10/04 at 3:18am
Thread Starter 
Also, battery life is going to be a huge factor. Give me the low down on the Ipod's, since I've head they get anywhere from 4-8 hours on a full charge. I'm on the CC/track teams here at my Univ, so a huge portion of my weekends is spent traveling.
Reply
post #3 of 12
2/10/04 at 3:31am
Only MP3+ player I know is the Sound Blaster MP3+. But seriously ladies and germs...

If budget is the overriding factor (most bang for buck), Zen series and Karma is what I'd look at. On the other side... what's your minimum capacity? Even Nitrus, iPod Mini, and MuVo 2 are options.

I believe all the players discussed should easily drive the Shures.
Reply
post #4 of 12
2/10/04 at 3:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by blessingx
Only MP3+ player I know is the Sound Blaster MP3+. But seriously ladies and germs...

If budget is the overriding factor (most bang for buck), Zen series and Karma is what I'd look at. On the other side... what's your minimum capacity? Even Nitrus, iPod Mini, and MuVo 2 are options.

I believe all the players discussed should easily drive the Shures.
Muahaha, I had the PCI version of that card...

My music collection is currently ~10gb and growing, so that would rule out the small players.
Reply
post #5 of 12
2/10/04 at 1:45pm
I love my zen 30gb Xtra. I've tried the IPOD, and its nice, really really easy to use, but I couldn't handle the battery life. I've heard great things about the karma, but the non-changeable battery was a big issue for me.
Reply
post #6 of 12
2/10/04 at 2:02pm
Thread Starter 
Ok thanks for the replies so far.

I'm really leaning towards the Nomad Zen now. ChewToy, can you share some more of your thoughts on the Zen with me? How do you like the size, what kind of battery life do you get, how is navigation, etc...

I've been looking around at cases too, and I'll probably go with one from vajacases.com
Reply
post #7 of 12
2/10/04 at 4:08pm
If budget is the over riding factor, then I would also recomemend the Zen Xtra. It's got top notch sound, a removable battery that lasts 12-14 hours, a large blue screen (compared with the small screen on older Zens) and adequate storage space that can be use upgraded (i.e. swap hard drives).

Navigation on the Zen is not as straight forward as say the iPod, but in some ways it is allows you to more things, especially with on-the-fly playlists.

If you're going to buy one, you'd bettery hurry up. I hear they are selling out fast....which is usually a sign of a new player on the horizon.

Go to Nomad Zen Forum (Nomadness.net) to read more about the Zen.

Good luck!

Reply
post #8 of 12
2/10/04 at 4:47pm

Re: Help a newcomer pick an MP3+ player

Quote:
Originally posted by Thaddy
I've been reading for a few months, and this seems like an excellent forum. You guys seem very helpful and laid back, thanks to CrawlingEye for showing me the way

Anyways, on to the question. For my birthday (April), I will be purchasing an MP3+ player. So far I have narrowed it down to 3 choices. The 15gb Ipod, iRiver IHP-100, and the Nomad Zen Xtra 30gb. {SNIP}
I posted this over in another thread, but you may find the review interesting also:

PC Magazine MP3 Players Reviewed
Reply
post #9 of 12
2/10/04 at 7:50pm

Karma

I would seriuosly check out the karma. Only a little more money than the Zen and it's alot smaller and the interface is better. Put plainly it's a more advanced player. Check it out at riovolution.com For a great community and some info.
Reply
post #10 of 12
2/11/04 at 2:21am
Karma has about 16hrs battery life, FLAC, Ogg, good UI, drag n' drop is coming soon, I hear, and you can get it for $250.
http://www.computers4sure.com/produc...ductid=1798314
enter code DDM994 for $20 off 200 coupon, then mail this in: http://images.computers4sure.com/co...oupons/6269.pdf
Reply
post #11 of 12
2/11/04 at 2:54am
Thread Starter 
As before, thanks alot for the replies guys. You're definately helping me make my decision ALOT easier.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Karma, mainly due to the battery life, the dock, and the size.

I can also sell those MX300's that they ship with
Reply
post #12 of 12
2/11/04 at 3:03am
If you can get the Karma at that price it is an absolute steal. The FLAC support alone is worth a good bit of change. I have had one for a little over a week now and it is quite nice.

Just make sure you get some screen protectors for the Karma and use the template at riovolution.com to avoid scratching it to all hell.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Portable Source Gear
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Source Gear › Help a newcomer pick an MP3+ player