[Frank M]

Just a provocative question.

I was looking for something to replace my old CD-player, as it is a bit big.
I looked at these Flash-based mp3-players, but the more I read about them, the more I hear that they have lots of problems: pops, crackles, squeaks, dying-after-a-couple-of-months, freezing, distortion, solders, firmware, etc, the list is long.

Now I'm thinking I'm better off with my trusty old Panasonic Cd-player, however big it is, and some CDs in my briefcase, than spending €100-150 for a 512Mb mp3-player and not knowing if it will sound good / survive for at least a couple of months or at least not die at once.
(Keep in mind that I'm a student with not-to-high grants in international standards, from a re-developing country, so money is an issue to me)

What do you all think?

 

[viator122]

Well the saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If money is an issue and your CD player works fine, maybe you should wait until you have more money or have a more pressing need for an MP3 player (i.e. if your CD player breaks, etc.)

 

[Frenchman]

The problem with going to a forum like this and looking for reliability information is that when there is a problem, you are going to hear about it. Three people may all have a problem with the same product and they each start a thread. Even if 10 people reply back as having no problems, it certainly looks a lot worse then it is. Additionally, because the iPod is so much more popular, the percentages of people buying non-Apple players is much higher here then anywhere else which circularly leads back to hearing about problems a lot more.

Many of the problems you are listing are problems not unique to HD or flash based players, they can and will occur just as frequently in regular CD players. Issues like firmware, software and freezing still exist, but only for new players in general. These are problems that everyone shares, but get fixed as the public puts a product through the final test.

But I do have to agree with Viator, unless you want a player for some reason, stick with what you have working already. If you do want something, then any of the major brands will suit you fine.

 

[Frank M]

I'm thinking more like there are many problems with these units, but do you think these are "childhood illnesses"? Do you think it probable that in a few months, or rather years, these will get better, or these are already "grown up" technologies, and these problems are here to stay, and have more to do with some manufacturers rushing models into service because of the competition pressure?

 

[Frank M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by viator122 Well the saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If money is an issue and your CD player works fine, maybe you should wait until you have more money or have a more pressing need for an MP3 player (i.e. if your CD player breaks, etc.)

The CD-player is sometimes hard to fit into my pocket and is a bit uncomfortable at times, so it's sort of half broken, or at least cracked

Money is an issue in the sense that I don't like to throw money out the window. I like money well spent: I prefer to get things which are reliable.

 

[viator122]

Ok, well then I'd say go for a player that's been out there for a bit longer than the others like the iRiver, iPod or Rio Carbon and Karma (have the reliability issues with this one been cleared up?).

 

[gshan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank M The CD-player is sometimes hard to fit into my pocket and is a bit uncomfortable at times, so it's sort of half broken, or at least cracked Money is an issue in the sense that I don't like to throw money out the window. I like money well spent: I prefer to get things which are reliable.

If you still have a lot of cd's, you could consider getting a cd-mp3 player (you can get a new panasonic cd-mp3 player for around 50-60$). I was cautious about switching from cd player to flash player myself, but it has saved me lots of cdrs and batteries (1 AA = 38-40 hours on my iriver). I have never had any problems with my flash player, and they have had lots of firmware updates that were easy to install. If you do end up considering an inexpensive one, make sure you can find reviews for it. I've had a bad experience with a $60 one in the past.

Try to stick with name brand. The product support makes a big difference.

 

[Frank M]

Unfortunately iRiver and Rio are not available in here... at least I do not know of any dealers, and haven't run accross them.
As for apple, well, they have some ridiculously high prices. Like a 40 Gig iPod is over $650

And that was the cheapest they are available for.
Also, I dont really need such big storage space... That's why I was looking at Flash-based players

 

[fr4c]

well how much storage are you looking for on a flash-based player? the Creative Muvo IMO makes probably the nicest flash players around and i think they can be had for pretty cheap now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank M Do you think it probable that in a few months, or rather years, these will get better, or these are already "grown up" technologies...

i payed $200 for my Panasonic SV-SD50 64MB w/ removable SD cards a few years back. now a 64MB flash player can probably be brought for around $50. so like you said, technology will always advance and what you brought now will probably be updated with something better in a short time. so it doenst matter whether you buy something now or later, as something newer and cooler is going to replace what you have.

 

[Shosta]

In my view Music is the important thing, so if you are happy with your cd then enjoy the music.
But if you change, I think that flash players are more reliable than hdd, cheaper and smaller (I have both of them -muvo, sony hd3 and philips hdd120-). And they sound as good as you want (quality depends a lot of the compression you choose).
I had several cd players during the last twelve years and i was reluctant to change to mp3 but now I think that sound quality of mp3 players is better than one or two of the cd players that I had. (Especially the lattest of them).

 

[Frank M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gshan If you still have a lot of cd's, you could consider getting a cd-mp3 player (you can get a new panasonic cd-mp3 player for around 50-60$). I was cautious about switching from cd player to flash player myself, but it has saved me lots of cdrs and batteries (1 AA = 38-40 hours on my iriver). I have never had any problems with my flash player, and they have had lots of firmware updates that were easy to install. If you do end up considering an inexpensive one, make sure you can find reviews for it. I've had a bad experience with a $60 one in the past. Try to stick with name brand. The product support makes a big difference.

Actually, I have lots of CDs and almost no MP3s. My CDs are original, too - yes, there are some idiots like me even here

A CD-MP3-player would still be big. My CD-player is about the size 1,5-2 CD cases; and it has a battery-charger, so in over three years I have not used any batteries

I'll be sticking with a name brand, for sure, just that I read about problems everywhere.

 

[Frank M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr4c well how much storage are you looking for on a flash-based player? the Creative Muvo IMO makes probably the nicest flash players around and i think they can be had for pretty cheap now.

The one I'm considering pretty hard is the MuVo TX 512. Another might be the N200, as I don't need to plug that into the back of my PC, and it has a line in.
(iPod Shuffle is more expensive than these, and is hardly available, so are many other players; these are the best buys on eBay.de IMO)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr4c so like you said, technology will always advance and what you brought now will probably be updated with something better in a short time. so it doenst matter whether you buy something now or later, as something newer and cooler is going to replace what you have.

My main concern is not that there will be something better out soon that will decrease it's price and value, but that it will have problems prematurely.

 

[Frank M]

So, thanks for all the replies, guys!
I think I'll get the MuVo TX 512 sometime soon.