[onionblaster]

So I had a 2nd gen, 10gb ipod but my computer recently died. Our techie-for-hire managed to save most of the music, but there are serious issues (like half the music not going onto the ipod for seemingly random reasons). My ipod had some headphone jack issues in the first place and I was thinking about replacing it. Since I'm going to have to (in all likelyhood) re-upload my entire library, I figure I may as well get a new player to sweeten the deal. I'll need:

-20gb of space
-A low price (less than $300)

I don't need a color screen, FM tuner, mic, or anything like that. My two main concerns are the price and the hard drive. A built-in EQ would be a plus, but not a necessity. What can you guys suggest?

 

[BrooklynRick]

Why not get a new 4G 20gb ipod?

 

[onionblaster]

The price is a turnoff, although it's a possibility. It's certainly on my list, but I was looking for alternatives.

 

[DJ Mauler]

Iriver H10, seems pretty nice

 

[TenaciousO]

I'd consider the upcoming Archos xs202 and the Creative Zen Sleek. The Archos xs202 is supposedly even smaller than the previous xs200 with now 17 hours of battery life, and it doesn't require any proprietary software to upload music. The xs202 supposedly will be priced at $249. The Creative Zen Sleek also looks pretty interesting, and I've always thought that the Creative players sound the best (even better than the X5), but I don't believe there is any confirmation of the price. Hopefully, Creative will price this around the $250 ballpark.

Oh yeah, you could also do what I just did and grab a Rio Karma off of ebay. I believe there are some new or near new Karmas on ebay right now going for less than $200.

 

[onionblaster]

When are the archos/creative players due out? They seem like possiblities, especially with the price.

 

[mmmmcheese]

I have a slightly used H320 for sale at around $250.

 

[bangraman]

Personally, I'd go for the iPod. If price is an issue, the Karma.

 

[PFJ]

Dell DJ30 or 20 (might as well go for the 30, not much more & get a dock w/line out included). Cheap, small, top mounted volume, easy navigation, sounds great, amp is pretty powerful.

Compared it to a friends Zen (as I recall) a couple weeks ago and the Dell seems like the Creative player in a smaller package with a simpler navigation system. Transferring files is straight drag and drop with the playsforsure update.

 

[bundee1]

Order an Ipod online and get the fake student discount. Your total should be $300. Or get one of the many babied used Ipods for sale here. There are some damn good deals here. I saw a 40gb for $250 here last week.

 

[Underdog311]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bundee1 Order an Ipod online and get the fake student discount. Your total should be $300. Or get one of the many babied used Ipods for sale here. There are some damn good deals here. I saw a 40gb for $250 here last week.

Fake student discount?

 

[bundee1]

Go to the apple education link, put in a college and you get 10-15% off. They dont verify it.

 

[scorpian007]

I'd get the iRiver H320 or the iAudio X5, both awesome players with excellent sound quality.

 

[seeberg]

...If you're kicking it on the cheap-cheap, you could go for an Entempo Spirit and bump up the hard drive to 80GB with a 16MB cache and mods for headphone compatibility(see headphones in profile) for under $250, but it's bulky and there are some bugs.
Or just go for a Karma or X5- if I could afford to, I already would have

,
Abe