[nickd75]

It's been about 2 years since I last posted here. Ah, the old days...

Anyway, long story short, my Sony HD5H is dying and I want my next player to be flash, with good battery life and sound quality. In terms of space, I need at least 20GB, but realistically, probably more like 24GB.

I've been mulling this over for a few months, but the options seem to be, based on my avid reading:
- Creative Zen 32GB. Pretty good SQ, reasonable design, fair battery life (not even as good as my HD5...). Memory is expandable but not integrated into main library, so would have to get the 32GB player at ~£280.
- Sansa View 16GB+8GB microSD card. Fair SQ, reasonable design, reasonable battery life (better than Zen). Memory is expandable and fully integrated into main library. Probably about £190 for the player and microSD card.
- Cowon D2 8GB+16GB SD card. The daddy - great SQ, great design, touchscreen, fantastic battery life. Memory is expandable, but it looks like a 16GB D2 may never happen. 16GB SD cards are now about £55 though, so the whole shebang for about £250, I guess.

I've pretty much ruled out the Zen - if the music from SD cards was fully integrated into the main memory, it'd be cheap to get a 16GB player and 8GB card, but they're not. And... it's OK, but just not as good as the Cowon.
I was definitely leaning towards the D2, but then read that the View is available and... not bad. And it's so cheap that I feel I have to consider it.

Anyone got any feedback/ input to my thinking? Payday's coming soon, so it's decision time!

 

[bsharpnack]

I agree about the Zen: it SUCKS that memory card contents cant go into main memory. A big oversight by Creative.
WIth that in mind, I really like the 16GB View. In fact, I plan to get one myself. They are pretty cheap, too. You add an 8GB card, and that's a lot of space for a flash player.
I like the form and the screen of the View as well. It's a beautiful little player. A step better than the Sansa E series.
Can't much comment on the Cowon, but I dont think you could lose with the View. I've heard great things about it. And if its anything like my Sansa E200, it'll be very solid.

 

[RedSky0]

I'm juggling the same kind of music players in my head at the moment too, but I still think the Zen is ideal at least for me.

Going by Amazon prices for the 4gb models, you're essentially paying $60 more for integrated external/internal memory and double battery life with the D2 over the Zen. I guess it may be worthwhile if you rely on id3 tags but I have all my music sorted by folders anyway so it doesn't bother me one bit. Sansa View is also cheaper/GB and has even better battery life, but then the display is limited to fewer colours and is a minuscule bit smaller.

 

[alucard_leashed]

Get the D2, for sure. You can compare price for GB all you want, but the features and quality Cowon's D2 kicks the butt of the other players you've listed. The stated 52 hours of battery life with music is no overexaggeration, nor is the 10 hours of video playback. If you value sound quality with robust adjustment capabilities, or customizable graphic interface (the latest firmware lets you change the way screen orientation via flash UI), then the D2 is for you.

However, if you want more GB for your money, and don't care about the sound quality or video capabilities or battery life, then get the others you've listed.

 

[shigzeo]

as much as i have had an on and off relation of loving the d2, i will have to recommend it despite my various dissapointments. cowon are always 'improving' things. similarly, they are not so upset at being 2nded by apple. they create what they want to create - if there is a bad interface or user interaction, they live with it but create wonderful devices.

personally, i am selling my d2, but it is nice.

the d2 has great sd card support, that alone may be worth many people's time. anyway, good luck choosing the right one for you!

 

[nickd75]

Thanks for the D2 recommendations everyone!

I've kind of had my heart set on it for a while - I saw an Israeli guy with one in India and wanted a 16GB one ever since... It is a jump up in cost, especially once you include a 16GB SD card, but it also seems like the least compromised player, with better battery life, SQ and video playback than the others. Plus I always use ID3 tags (I've previously had Sony HDD players, so have had to), so that's not a problem.
For the Zen, I'd realistically have to go with a 32GB one, as the SD card integration is pretty shonky, with tracks on the card not being included in the library view, and other issues. It's great that there is a 32GB Zen, but it's still pretty pricey over here in sunny Engerland.