[dominator]

Well, Christmas is coming up, and with that means lots of money.

I've decided that this year I want to buy a portable MP3 player with my money. Now, the iPod is an obvious choice, but it is awfully expensive, and, I would rather not shell out that much cash if I don't have to. The things I will be considering in my purchase are:

1. Price - The Cheaper the Better
2. Storage Capacity - I want a player with a large storage capactiy, although it doesn't have to be huge, 10+ Gigs would be fine
3. Control Interface - is it easy to organize my music and switch between songs, make playlists, etc
4. Reliability - Is it going to fall apart as soon as the warranty is over?
5. Sound Quality - self explanatory
6. Size - Needs to be fairly small, I want it to fit in my pocket.

That's basically what I'm looking for in an MP3 player. I don't really care about all the extra knick-knacks some companies are throwing on like displaying photos, FM radios, etc. I just want something that plays music well for a decent price.

Any help is very much appreciated.

 

[fr4c]

the zen touch could very well suit your needs. or if portability is not too much of a issue for you, the more bulkier zen extra is also really nice.

 

[dominator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr4c the zen touch could very well suit your needs. or if portability is not too much of a issue for you, the more bulkier zen extra is also really nice.

Well, I guess portability is a fairly big issue, I'm going to be taking it with me everywhere. How much bigger are these things than an iPod, or are they about the same size?

A bunch of people at my school have iPods, but I've never actually seen these around, do you know what their website is, and/or know where I could read reviews about their products?

 

[philodox]

Archos gmini xs200.

It is the worlds smallest 20GB MP3 player and also one of the cheapest. Archos used to have a bad name for themselves, but I can tell you from experience that they have really turned their act around with the last few generations of players. They are miles ahead of any other company in this field IMO.

 

[fr4c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dominator Well, I guess portability is a fairly big issue, I'm going to be taking it with me everywhere. How much bigger are these things than an iPod, or are they about the same size? A bunch of people at my school have iPods, but I've never actually seen these around, do you know what their website is, and/or know where I could read reviews about their products?

iPods can be found at http://www.apple.com/ipod for reviews, just search for "iPod" in the head-fi search and i'm sure you'll find tons of posts.

 

[dominator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr4c iPods can be found at http://www.apple.com/ipod for reviews, just search for "iPod" in the head-fi search and i'm sure you'll find tons of posts.

I meant the Creative Zen's, actually.

 

[wildcat1272]

Rio Karma 20GB, Great Audio, and over all the Best MP3 Player IMHO. I own 2 of them, and wouldn't Trade it for an iPod for Anything. I do have an extra one to sell, if you decied to go that way for $225.00, it is MINT Condition! My Email is wildcat1272@direcway.com

 

[timo_nyc]

iPod.

 

[Finlayene]

Rio Karma.. but it really depends on what you need just buy one that you can afford, and that your "gut feeling" tells you that its the right one. There's many models to choose from around the 200-300$ price range.. so look around =P

Also for SQ.. its very biased IMHO.. iPods sound horrible to my ears, but other people find them to be a god send in terms of SQ. I believe the Rio Karma has more to offer in terms of SQ because of the better EQ, you can play around with the sound depending on what headphones you pair it with. IMO if you have a 300-350$ budget, you should just forget about the iPod(unless you want the mini

). Get a Karma, buy a warranty for it, and get a decent pair of headphones. Karma with a decent pair of headphones>iPod with stock earbuds.. lol I hope no one argues that one, or I'll start to worship Apple's marketing strategies

. Today I saw iPods in ~5 different TV ads lol. Well good luck, and don't think too much about your desicion! you'll end up spending more!! trust me... oh.. and if you plan to stick around...... sorry about your wallet, say byebye to your savings