Flash Player Recommendation

[lifebot]

I have been doing a mad research on flash mp3 player lately, since my ifp-180t broke down.
From asking questions in head-fi, and reading reviews on amazon, cnet, and hearing from friends, it narrows down to 5 players
I want this mp3 player to last at least 1-2 years, and it will be my primary player. I am in low budget of $100 CDN

First one is the creative n200 for 256mb $88 CDN
I personally want to go for this one, since it has a fair price, and good value.
But I'm worried about the durability of this player, because in amazon, users are complaining about n200's breaking down within couple weeks of use.

Second one is iriver ifp-190t 256mb for $86 CDN
This is a double the memory of ifp-180t. I personally like iriver's sound quality more then creative. It sounds more darker and detailed. This player also comes with mx300 or cresyn made earbuds. but i dont want to buy the samething again

Third one is Sony's NW-e105 512mb $109 CDN
This is a coin-looking mp3 player with 70hrs battery with a clock / date function, which is one of the features that attract me the most. Convering atrac through sonicstage is not a problem for me, but I personally think atrac wouldn't sound as good as normal mp3.

4th is the cowon cw200 256mb for $69.99
This is the older version of iAudio but still with decent sound quality for sure.
But since this model is so old with mediocre battery life (9hrs on AAA), I dont think its a worthy choice

Lastly, the ipod shuffle 512mb for $99 CDN
This item is currently out of stock, but does attract me because, head-fiers say it has a very decent sound quality. But personally I dont think shuffle would be a good primary player, because it lacks in screen.

In conclusion, I will probably get the n200, but I need still need more comments on the durability of n200. I also think ifp-190t would be a good choice, since it comes with nice pair of earbuds. Unfortunately I cannot find 790's anywhere...lol
just in case, i would name others that fit in my budget, but dont really know about

Also the gay thing about Canada is that earbuds are so expensive, that i do care about the freebies that comes with the player.
mx400 costs $39.99
mx550 costs $39.99
panasonic RP-HJE50 $39.99
sony mdr-e828 $24.99

please help me get the right player for me
and please understand that durability is most important to me, followed by sq.
thank you in advance.

 

[58impala]

i dont know anything about those, but i would wait onthe nano, to see how reliable it is

 

[sumguy_]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifebot Third one is Sony's NW-e105 512mb $109 CDN This is a coin-looking mp3 player with 70hrs battery with a clock / date function, which is one of the features that attract me the most. Convering atrac through sonicstage is not a problem for me, but I personally think atrac wouldn't sound as good as normal mp3.

Actually, the Sony can also play MP3's natively, meaning there are no conversions. SonicStage transfers the files straight through, no loss in quality (through transcoding).

I think you can also use a little app called MP3 Manager (released by sony) which brings it a bit closer to being Drag-and-drop.

 

[Mano]

Have you considered the Muvo V200? its a good unit very similar to the N200, but has a built in usb plug (no need to be carrying a usb cable) but lacks the line in the N200 has. Sound quality is supposed to be the same (which is good, for me at least).

My unit is 2 weeks old in my possesion, but is used (dont know how much time the previous owner had it), its ok as you will see on this pic:

I also think the N200 is even sturdier since it hasnt detachable sections like this one.

I recommend you get no less than 512MB and if you can, go for the 1GB unit.

 

[rocktboy]

i recommend the cowon (jetaudio) u2. it's a newer player than the cw200.
better battery life, better features. can't beat the sound quality.

 

[sonick]

Quote:

Also the gay thing about Canada is that earbuds are so expensive

are you, like, 13 years old or something?

 

[Asr]

The iAudio U2 is probably out of your price range, but I recommend it anyway. I have a 1GB model and it's awesome. I've had it since May of this year and haven't had any technical issues with it whatsoever. Loaded with features too.

 

[irvin59]

The shuffle has lots of drawbacks in terms of lack of features and it may not be a good primary player but I think the sound quality is awsome for a dap. Listening with a good set of iem's (I'm using the Sensaphonic 2x's) I prefer the headphone out of the shuffle to the headphone out of my iriver H140, full size 3g ipod and 2G mini.

 

[lifebot]

Sorry, but i cannot find iAudio in canada, nor have the money for it
my budget is around $100, and will be using it mostly walking from school to home. I cannot find v200 anywhere, and i think n200 is a better choice.
I think I am going for the n200, but in cnet review it stated that it only shows song title and no artist. can someone variefy this?

 

[lifebot]

Oh wow.. i just found out that in my dad's wholesale, they carry Zen Micro 5GB's for $175 CDN plus %7 TAX only!

Now.. should i just buy the n200 for $88 + 15% tax and wait for something like zen micro photo, or should i save up for more bucks and get a zen micro?
It will take me couple months for another $100cdn though...

My music library is only around 400mb, and still getting bigger...

 

[K2Grey]

Asr: What about the iAudio U2 cutting off the last character of songs, CDs, and artists? It's happening to me despite firmware reset and while I don't really care about it that much since I don't stare at the LCD constantly and can tell my songs apart easily, it's still annoying.

 

[anearfull]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonick Quote: Also the gay thing about Canada is that earbuds are so expensive are you, like, 13 years old or something?are you, like, 13 years old or something?

naaa ... we're all gay up here!

 

[Asr]

K2Grey, that doesn't happen with my unit. You've got the latest firmware? Maybe your unit is defective?

 

[K2Grey]

I have the latest firmware which can be installed directly and doesn't require you to jump through 8000 hoops with the emergency restore and stuff like that (heard reports of people trying to install that firmware and their U2 screwing up).

 

[cerbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K2Grey Asr: What about the iAudio U2 cutting off the last character of songs, CDs, and artists? It's happening to me despite firmware reset and while I don't really care about it that much since I don't stare at the LCD constantly and can tell my songs apart easily, it's still annoying.

For ID3 tags? Try messing with the tag settings on the files. The I5 could do this, too--I managed to fix it, but don't recall where in FB2K I did.