Looking for MP3 player recommendation

[Nijhazer]

Guys--

I've got a problem.

For the longest time now I've been using an RCA K@zoo 64MB model (with 128MB multimedia card added to it) as my primary portable listening device. The battery life isn't the greatest, but it's extremely small-- I can wear it on my wrist, which is what I love most about it. But there are a couple of things about it that I've never been happy with.

First and foremost is that transferring music to it from the PC is an incredibly slow process. If it supported USB 2.0 or FireWire, I'd be a lot happier with it; however, this weekend I tried transferring music to a Nomad Jukebox Zen over the same USB 1.1 connection I use with my K@zoo, and the transfer rate was screamin' compared to the K@zoo's. Notmad Explorer said it was transferring the files at around 7 MBps; I'd be a lot happier if the K@zoo would transfer music that quickly.

Second is the storage capacity. 192 MB isn't bad, but I wish it were larger. And of course, I'm always game for better audio quality.

So this weekend I purchased a Nomad Jukebox Zen and a pair of Sennheiser HD 497 headphones. The Senns are great; they sound a lot better than the headphones I was using before, on everything I've used them with. But I've been very disappointed with the audio quality on the Zen. It supports USB 2.0 and the transfer rate is very fast even over USB 1.1, but the audio quality is just severely lacking.

I ripped five different songs using EAC and encoded them with LAME 3.90.2 using the --alt-preset insane setting. In every case, the K@zoo sounded a lot better than the Zen did. Other people tell me that the Zen has better audio quality than does any other HD-based player, and that may be true; but I'm not happy with its audio quality. So I will be returning it, and looking for another solution.

Here's what I want:

1. Small size. The K@zoo is a great little player because it's small enough for me to wear it on my wrist. I'd like to have something I could comfortably wear around my wrist; at the very least, I'd be happy with an iRiver SlimX if there was some sort of hand strap for it like there are for many portable CD players.
2. Great sound quality. If it sounds as good as does the K@zoo with its presets, then I'll be happy with it.
3. Fast transfer speed. If it supports USB 2.0 or FireWire, great; that'll be enough. If it only supports USB 1.1, I need something that can transfer at a speed between 6 and 7 MBps.
4. A good amount of storage capacity. 64MB is not sufficient; 128MB would be sufficient if and only if the player supports expansion through multimedia cards. 256 MB is the minimum I will accept it it's not expandable.

Of course, I'm still doing research on my own. But there are many devices out there I probably won't find in my search. However, you guys have seen it all, pretty much; I'm hoping you know of a few products that will meet my needs.

Thanks again!

-Nij

 

[williamgoody]

I've never heard the Kazoo, but I'm surprised that you believe it sounds better than the Zen. to me the Zen (and the NJB3 for that matter) are two of the best sounding MP3 players out there.

I don't think youll find anything out there that's not a "hard drive" player that uses usb2 or firewire to transfer music. The faster ways are used because with the HD players, it's expected you'll transfer a large amount of music at a time.

At least I don't think there's a player that's "card based" which would utilize usb2 or firewire, but I could be wrong.

 

[Nijhazer]

Quote:

Originally posted by williamgoody I've never heard the Kazoo, but I'm surprised that you believe it sounds better than the Zen. to me the Zen (and the NJB3 for that matter) are two of the best sounding MP3 players out there.

As with anything, it's likely a matter of taste. I find that the same MP3s I enjoy on my K@zoo sound nasal and compressed on the Zen.

Here's a player that caught my attention. The transfer rate is rated between 6 and 7 MBps, though I don't know how well this actually holds up in practice. It comes with a wristband, though it looks a little long to actually be comfortable on the wrist-- anyone actually used one of these? What do you think of it?

Thanks,

-Nij

 

[Lisa]

I have the iRiver player, only the 128mb version. And I like the sound quality very much!!!
It also got an EQ so you can play around with the sound a bit if you want. (some preset settings and bass and treble control)

The transfer rate of the 128mb version is slower than the 512mb one.
6.4Mbps vs. 4.8Mbps.

I can transfer 128mb in less than 5 minutes. (to give you an indication.)

The wristband is too big to wear on your wrist. You have to wear in on your upper arm.

 

[SFbayArch]

I have the same player that Lisa has and I like it very much.
One thing about this model that sets it apart is the small thumb joystick controller that is very ergonical and intuitive. It controls most of the settings that you'd want to change on the fly - like volume and moving thru your playlist. I highly recommend it. It uses one AA battery and has a plastic shell.

Another model flashplayer I use is the .Cowon IAudio CW200 .
This player is smaller and slicker looking than the Iriver model.
It is tiny with a brushed aluminum shell and a blue backlit LCD.
I think the sound of the two players are virtually indistinguishable.
The CW200 uses one AAA battery. Another difference is that the CW200 is manufacturer upgradeable for memory - check the website.

Can't go wrong with either

Hope this helps in guiding your decision making process !

 

[williamgoody]

Quote:

As with anything, it's likely a matter of taste. I find that the same MP3s I enjoy on my K@zoo sound nasal and compressed on the Zen.

Point well taken. I stand corrected.