[music_man]

hi all,

i came upon a deal where i can get a 20gb rca lyra video jukebox for $150.
it is only this one unit. but the thing is really too big for my likeing.
on the other hand i found a m.robe 5gb player for $99 that i really like the size of. question is for, the prices involved am i making a big mistake not to live with a big player? is one a better player than the other besides the size?
i think the mrobe is even smaller than a nano?

thanks,
music_man.

 

[blessingx]

Depends on your uses. The m:robe is certainly not smaller than the nano though. More like over twice as big.

m:robe: 2"x 3.5" x 0.5"
nano: 1.6" x 3.5" x 0.27"

 

[xluben]

and twice as heavy:

m:robe: 3.5 oz
nano: 1.5 oz

 

[music_man]

i only saw the nano in the case. it is longer if i remember correctly but it is thinner. the m.robe just looks cute to me. but the question is regardless of size, isn't 20gb with video for $150 a better deal than 5gb for $99?
unless the m.robe is a better machine.

but maybe i really should look more into the nano. couple more questions please. do flash players stand up to more 'abuse'? do flash players get better battery life? what is the current largest(gb) flash player? or maybe i should get a sansa flash. i have lots of sd cards from cameras and pda's. don't laugh but i have heard pro reviewers say the sansa is $60 well spent. factor in unlimited $35 flash cards.... plus the sansa takes a regular battery. i know it will eat them. but when the battery dies in the m.robe the player goes in the trash, no? only apple offers replacement battery? plus i can get aaa batts for 20 cents each from work. waht to do? size is my main concern but i also want it to last(battery replacement?) and take a spill on a bicycle or sum such. it's gotta hold at least 500 songs at 256kbps.

thanks,
music_man.

 

[AdamWill]

They're in a different category, really.

20GB is the low end of the 'all your music' category. If you're buying in this category you should buy something with enough hard disk space to own all the music now and all the music you intend to acquire in the next couple of years. If you can't find such a device to your tastes, you won't be happy with a player in this category, because having _almost_ all your music isn't much better than having 5GB of it.

5GB is the high end of the 'enough music to be getting on with' category. It's still the kind of player you will be syncing with your computer quite often.

So there's two questions to ask yourself. 'Do I want an all-my-music player', and 'Is 20GB enough to hold all my music'. If you say yes to both, the RCA will be OK, I guess. If you say no to either, don't get it.

 

[music_man]

well thats a huge problem. because i buy music online all the time. aquire new cd's and vinyl all the time and have 10's of thousands of cd's cassettes reels records and mp3's. so i don't think any hd or dedicated flash player can store 'all' my music. maybe the sansa is my best option? i just start collecting more sd cards for unlimited storage. and don't have to wait for batteries to charge or die. i think i'll get the sansa! unless someone tells me otherwise?
hmm. how many 256kbps 3 minute songs does a 512 sd card hold? if it holds at least 100 this is what i want!

thanks,
music_man.

 

[blessingx]

If you're collecting memory cards for expansion, why not just go with mini-disc (and it's rare that I recommend that)?

256 ~= 100 MB an album so figure 5 albums. 3 minute songs (not many songs that short are there?) then would be around 75.

 

[luuk]

AdamWill:
Great reply!
I totally agree with you.

 

[Sparky191]

I think it depends on how you use your music. I have about 40GB of music currently ripped to my PC. I've more stuff on CD/Vinyl/cassette that I haven't got around to digitizing yet.

I have a 1GB shuffle, 5GB Zen Micro, PCDP and a couple of MD and a 1GB HiMD. I find myself using the shuffle more simply because its the handiest thing to throw in your pocket, its the smallest to carry, and the controls are simple. I use the Zen if I'm not moving around that much. I use the HiMD for recording, and as a player if I'm going to be away from a AC power for a while. The HiMD takes AA batteries.

It also depends on what format your music is stored in. I use 192 VBR MP3's, which I find is a good compromise for portablity. If you wanted to use FLAC or Lossless then a 20GB or bigger would be required.

 

[K2Grey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamWill They're in a different category, really. 20GB is the low end of the 'all your music' category. If you're buying in this category you should buy something with enough hard disk space to own all the music now and all the music you intend to acquire in the next couple of years. If you can't find such a device to your tastes, you won't be happy with a player in this category, because having _almost_ all your music isn't much better than having 5GB of it. 5GB is the high end of the 'enough music to be getting on with' category. It's still the kind of player you will be syncing with your computer quite often. So there's two questions to ask yourself. 'Do I want an all-my-music player', and 'Is 20GB enough to hold all my music'. If you say yes to both, the RCA will be OK, I guess. If you say no to either, don't get it.

I have to say this is a pretty perceptive post and I benefited from it. Unfortunately buying a new mp3 player, of whatever size, will have to wait for until I update my rig

 

[1967cutlass]

Mrobes are pieces of crap, my friends broke the day after he got it.

 

[Duxxy]

refurbed karma for 150

 

[IpaqMan]

Convenience is an important player feature to consider. Is it easy to carry? Is it easy to charge? Is it easy to load with music? Can you operate the controls "blindly"? Can you read the screen? How long does the battery last?

I recently purchased the mrobe mr-100 from RS and returned it. It used a proprietary USB cable, lasted about 8 to 9 hours, and required the use of the program mtrip to sync music. The sync software is usable but it is bad. The controls are nice but you have to look at the player to operate it. The screen is easy to read except when the backlight is off. Then you can't see it at all.

For the same price as the mrobe, I got a refurbished (actually like new) Rio Carbon 5gb on Ebay. It uses a standard USB cable for syncing and charging. The battery lasts over twenty hours (up to 28 hours for Audible.com books). Syncing software is drag and drop. The Rio Carbon self-databases (reads tags and organizes) loaded music. All of the controls can be operated by sight or by touch. The backlight is very bright and the screen is still visible with external light. The Carbon is probably the slimmest and most portable of the miniHD players.

There are a few disadvantages to the Carbon. They are not being manufactured any more. There is no source for the built-in rechargeable battery. The thumbwheel volume/scroll control is easily broken by a fall. The warranty for the Carbon is only 30 days. However, if you get a good one, it is a great deal.

 

[music_man]

thanks guys. i think i am just going to get a 1gb ipod shuffle.
it is so simple and small. and i can just rotate my music for what i want to listen to on any given day. i was not looking to put all(or any where near) of my music on this thing. i mainly listen to cd's. but mp3's bought online are easier put on the player then ripped to a cd. thats the point of mp3 to be portable right? the other thing i was looking at is the sony e407. it has navigation to any song which the ipod does not. but then again it is more complicated and may be harder to use.


thanks,
music_man.

 

[JAG]

Soundwise the m:robe is ok.
Even tho it could be (eye of the beholder) the "best looking" player, the construction has a cheap feel. Like it won't survive very long.
Lastly...the software is buggy (even w/firmware or because of) and real sloowww.