[tone]

The last time i was on Mt. Rainier i saw a guy mountaineering with a tiny rca mp3 player strapped to his arm (lyra model).

I would like like to get one myself for working out so the mp3 player should be small and light which probably means that i want a flash player. Does anybody have any reccomendations?

I would prefer one that had 512mb of memory and decent sound quality. An arm strap would be great too.

Thanks!

 

[blr]

iRiver has a 512 MB flash mp3 player out. Don't remember the model exactly, check it out @ www.iriver.com

 

[noiseunit]

i have one of the 128mb iriver models, and i love the sound quality out of the thing. in fact, with an amp i sometimes prefer it to my M Audio Revo and Sony CDP...only thing is, i picked up the thing while ago on impulse, and really, really wish i had more than 128 mb. the 512 is almost as much as an ipod though. would look for something with upgradeable memory, maybe something that uses good old compact flash.

anyways, i run with mine all the time, but am too lazy to come up with some sort of scheme to attach it to myself, so i just carry it in one hand (its so light and small, i really barely notice. plus i have easy access to volume and track control). iriver flash players do come with this little plastic loop with which you can attach a cord to wear around your neck, or something to that affect...but it always struck me as somewhat useless.

if you're _only_ gonna use it for running, a good idea might be to just find a reasonably cheap mp3 player online somewhere (decent, low end flash players can be had for 50-80 $), and keep the investment at a minimum. odds are you arent going to need more than 128mb for a run, even if you do a 5k on a regular basis...and then you can used money saved to invest in a serious, non flash portable, like an ipod or karma

 

[tone]

Thanks for the recommendations!

I didn't realize that the 512mb flash players cost almost as much as an ipod.

i guess i'll stick to 128mb players with the upgradable memory capability. getting something that is not too fragile would be nice too. Nike has a line of mp3 players with athletes in mind. they look pretty durable and are splash proof which is great because i live in the northwest. The only bad thing is that they are not upgradable. What's the word on the nike mp3 players?

 

[Squalish]

The 512mb builtin players are expensive, but the ones that use memory cards are IMO a much better value, and you can get a 512mb card for <$100.

 

[noiseunit]

never heard one personally...but i assume its like all nike products; overpriced with mediocre functionality. i know etronics has plenty of cheap, non-upgradeable and upgradeable mp3 players in the 50 to 100 $ range. however...once you go above 128 built in, you're looking at more money for less performance...

i imagine the nike players have the same cheap guts as an off brand...so you'll probably be paying for the housing and the brand name. i always thought a waterproof flash player would be neat tho...

might want to check out the rio sport...only comes with 64mb, but upgradeable with MMC cards. seems to be several others oriented towards active listening on the site as well

 

[noiseunit]

Quote:

Originally posted by Squalish The 512mb builtin players are expensive, but the ones that use memory cards are IMO a much better value, and you can get a 512mb card for <$100.

yeah but, i have seen few players that are both compact enough for running and also use compact flash, which is the only thing in the price range you're talking about. the ones that do seem to use a dongle or something equally inappropriate. maybe im just looking in the wrong places, tho

 

[evo]

maybe u can consider creative muvo

now that the NX model is out, there should be a price drop soon for the original muvo

one of the accessories is an armband

there aren't many CF card based MP3 players [i only know of Nex ia]

 

[Canman]

My dad runs with the Bantam BA-350.

www.bantamusa.com

It is really light and really small. Sound quality is decent too. I would definitely recommend it.

Comes with 128 mb and has a card slot for more.

 

[djdigital]

I currently own the iriver ifp-395t and I think it could be great for you (or any other iriver flash player(ifp-3xx)) because it includes a plastic case for the player and a arm band that ataches to the carry case and then you put the arm band on your arm where you biceps are (if you have any

)
Great sound quality and great features. I think the only downside is that it's not expandable. Still the best mp3 player around period.

dj_digital

 

[djdigital]

Two pics of what I was talking about:

dj_digital

 

[ezra2323]

The Rio S30 is awesome! Light, great display, decent sound, shuffle, timer, clock, never skips, slick armband. 64 MB for less than $100. Add a 256 SD card for $70 and you have over 300 MB (60+ songs) for less than $200.

I love mine.

 

[jaskin]

I run with my IPod with no problems although smaller players like the 390T would be better

 

[andrzejpw]

I Nth the recommendation for the iriver. Personally, however, I needed the extra capacity of the ipod. It's been fine for running as well.

 

[tone]

Rio is coming out with a new player called the cali sport

from the ad:
---------------------------
Building on the appeal of last year's popular S35S, Rio is once again targeting the fitness enthusiast with the Cali Sport. This model has a rubberized exterior and a compact, spherical, rugged design that can weather whatever rough treatment you might inadvertently dish out. An armband, a stopwatch, a lap timer, and an FM tuner round out the equation and make the Cali Sport a great gym companion. The unit comes in two capacities (128MB for $169, or 256MB for $199), and its memory can be expanded using SD or MMC media.
----------------------------
end ad.

The cali sounds promising and it looks like it could take some punishment. i'm not sure if it is splash proof though. hopefully the sound quality is decent.