100 bucks or so...disposable hardware?

[nick danger]

With all the changes in media and capacity there a few good choices at the 100 dollar level with good SQ and a screen. 1 gig from iaudio and iriver and 2.5 gig drives on discontinued rio CE.

I'd like to get the Rio for the capacity and the SQ but am concerned about the drive when I'm at the gym. My Karma likes to quit on the treadmill so I'm using my trusty old minidisk. I would like something that would be lighter than the minidisk and has quick song transfer as my minidisk is only a recorder.

Should I buy the Rio for a minimal investment (disposable) and when it dies....so be it...and time for the next round of players?

 

[azncookiecutter]

Just get a iPod Shuffle if you're gonna use it for the gym.

 

[nick danger]

I probably won't by a player without a screen. I would get the Carbon if it could stand up to gym use due to the capacity, SQ, and price. If the Carbon can't stand up to gym use then the other two companies make flash players with good SQ. Which would match up best with a pair of Shure E3s?

 

[nick danger]

I bought a Carbon and the unamped player does not drive my Shure E3s with any authority. It works great with my porta-pros and Beyer 250-80 but I want to use this at the noisy gym with the E3s.
Which flash player do I try next, the Iaudio or Iriver?

 

[blessingx]

Not sure about the output level, and still waiting on more reviews of SQ, but you may want to consider the SanDisks also.

 

[IpaqMan]

I just got a Rio Carbon 5gb refurbished for $99. Everything in the box had a brand-new appearance (no scratches, wear marks, or crumpled look). It came with firmware 1.43 and could drive my E3s, MD33s, EX71s to painful sound levels. Please note that my ears have never been subject to concert level sounds. I even find that volume level 1 on many players is a little loud for go-to-sleep use.

For the money, the Rio seems a very good deal. The Seagate drive is reported to be designed for hard mobile use with sensors to detect bump situations. I have read of no workout issues with the Rio Carbon. There are some who bought Carbons for gym use because their Rio Karmas could not take the abuse. The battery life is great. I got over 20 hours on my first test. For a low bit-rate audiobook, I got over 28 hours of life on my second charge.

A few things I would like include a sleep timer, OTF playlist editor, and named bookmarks. They could all be done in firmware, but I do not expect any more enhancements.

 

[Taphil]

How about a Creative Zen Nano Plus? I've seen them go for $99 after $20 rebate or so. 1GB flash memory, small screen, FM radio, drag and drop, playlist support, and good sound quality using the same SigmaTel chip as the iPod shuffle.

The Carbon sounds like a better deal though if you don't have to have flash memory.

 

[nick danger]

I have tried the Creative Zen Nano and it sounded more anemic than the carbon with the E3s.
I bought the Iriver t30 and since I have win 98se, it will not transfer files as it needs to use winXP.
There is no doubt that the Carbon can make my ears bleed with a lightweight sound but I like it quieter with a fuller sound.

Looks like I may have to go to the iaudio next.

 

[shooter124]

smallest mp3 ever, has fm and fm recording, voice recording, oled screen and its a little tiny cube that fits in the palm of you hand. I hear the sound quality is decent too. 1gb 129$.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shooter124 smallest mp3 ever, has fm and fm recording, voice recording, oled screen and its a little tiny cube that fits in the palm of you hand. I hear the sound quality is decent too. 1gb 129$.

I want to get one of these. I heard these mobiblu plaayers are the smallest plyers ever made, and that they sound awesome too.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shooter124 smallest mp3 ever, has fm and fm recording, voice recording, oled screen and its a little tiny cube that fits in the palm of you hand. I hear the sound quality is decent too. 1gb 129$.

I want to get one of these. I heard these mobiblu plaayers are the smallest players ever made, and that they sound awesome too.