[K2352980]

I'm looking for recommendations to replace my 10-year old 4GB Sansa Clip+. I've been using it to listen to podcasts at work during almost all of my 8-hour shift through a set of Koss Porta Pros, but it doesn't have the charge to last the whole day, giving me only about 5-7 hours. I've seen it rated at 15 hours of battery life, so maybe it's the age of the battery that it isn't getting that kind of life anymore. I've been running it with Rockbox 3.13, but I don't believe that could be responsible for the short battery life.

I'm looking for something cheap, at or below $100, but willing to entertain ideas up to $150. I don't want anything Apple because I have no interest in tying myself to their ecosystem. I'd like something that actually has 15 hours of battery life, or more. I'd like to keep the voice recording feature. If possible, I'd like something that has a locking feature or an interface without buttons that could interrupt playback. I've had many accidental bumps with my Clip+ in my pocket that hit a button and skipped a track, forcing me to search through hour-long files to figure out where I was last. Bluetooth and any wireless capabilities are not necessary, as I have no plans to use it that way.

I've looked at the Clip Sport and FiiO M3 as good options, but I'm interested to hear feedback on those or other options I'm not aware of or considering yet.

Additionally, I could use a recommendation on better software to use for syncing audio to my device. I used to use Winamp, but haven't used it for years and need a replacement. I haven't done any research on this yet and am not sure where to begin. My current operating system is Windows 7.

 

[tomb]

I'm looking for recommendations to replace my 10-year old 4GB Sansa Clip+. I've been using it to listen to podcasts at work during almost all of my 8-hour shift through a set of Koss Porta Pros, but it doesn't have the charge to last the whole day, giving me only about 5-7 hours. I've seen it rated at 15 hours of battery life, so maybe it's the age of the battery that it isn't getting that kind of life anymore. I've been running it with Rockbox 3.13, but I don't believe that could be responsible for the short battery life.

I'm looking for something cheap, at or below $100, but willing to entertain ideas up to $150. I don't want anything Apple because I have no interest in tying myself to their ecosystem. I'd like something that actually has 15 hours of battery life, or more. I'd like to keep the voice recording feature. If possible, I'd like something that has a locking feature or an interface without buttons that could interrupt playback. I've had many accidental bumps with my Clip+ in my pocket that hit a button and skipped a track, forcing me to search through hour-long files to figure out where I was last. Bluetooth and any wireless capabilities are not necessary, as I have no plans to use it that way.

I've looked at the Clip Sport and FiiO M3 as good options, but I'm interested to hear feedback on those or other options I'm not aware of or considering yet.

Additionally, I could use a recommendation on better software to use for syncing audio to my device. I used to use Winamp, but haven't used it for years and need a replacement. I haven't done any research on this yet and am not sure where to begin. My current operating system is Windows 7.

Do you not have a smart phone?

 

[K2352980]

Huh, that is actually not a solution I even considered. But no, I do not have a smartphone, nor do I have any intentions of getting one soon. I am really just looking for a standalone device for audio playback (plus other features mentioned).

 

[tomb]

Huh, that is actually not a solution I even considered. But no, I do not have a smartphone, nor do I have any intentions of getting one soon. I am really just looking for a standalone device for audio playback (plus other features mentioned).

Join the rest of the world and get a smartphone. Everything you want to do is possible with one. The Sansa Clip, while OK during its day, is woefully overmatched by any smartphone with a few apps. If you use a telephone at all, it's the simplest choice. Heck, most people even forgo land lines these days in favor of their cellular service.

A good smartphone doesn't have to cost a lot. Samsung Galaxy and LG phones have outstanding DACs. I personally don't like Apple, but an iPhone has equivalent or better sound quality compared to an iPod, plus incomparable software capability. I have a Samsung Galaxy S10 and use PowerAmp as the music player (WinAmp is also practically obsolete). I run full-quality FLAC files and regularly copy and sync music from my Net Server via wireless networking. You can even install something called Plex and have access to your home music servers from anywhere in the world that's on the Net - including many neighborhoods outdoors if the wireless is strong enough (quality is degraded to mp3 compression with Plex, however).

Something like the Samsung Galaxies have dozens of gigabytes of music storage, too - with much more that can be added, if desired. I actually go running with mine on a regular basis and can easily answer phone calls and talk while doing it and the music picks right up after without skipping a beat. It beats every iPod and Sony CD/Cassette Walkman I've ever owned - including my little Sansa Clip.

 

[SilverEars]

I use LG V50 which still has an headphone jack, with a dedicated quad DAC, and OED display. It has good BT performance (stable high bit-rate), and high bandwidth usb-c output if looking to stream to a DAC. Since it's Android, you can use an excellent audio program called USB Audio Player Pro, which does everything you need to do including bit-perfect Tidal playback.

So, you can have everything in one device to carry around. It makes everything really simple.

V50 is the last gen model, so it will not break the bank.

 

[K2352980]

Sorry, but I'm really not interested in picking up a smartphone at this time. Being asked to consider it though has gotten me to think about how the market may have changed since I picked up my Clip ten years ago. I might need to do a bit more research to make sure I'm in the right frame of mind to ask reasonable questions about how I want to listen to audio in a portable way.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Additionally, I could use a recommendation on better software to use for syncing audio to my device. I used to use Winamp, but haven't used it for years and need a replacement. I haven't done any research on this yet and am not sure where to begin. My current operating system is Windows 7.

Put the SD card into the Android player or phone while switched off. Switch it on so it formats the SD card; oryou may have to do this manually in the settings folder if it doesn't do so on start up. Switch it off, then take the SD card out and put it into your computer.

Click the folder icon on the bottom of your screen. Look for the folder where your music is.

Click all or whichever Artist folders you want to transfer, right click on one, then click "copy." Now look for the folder for the SD card. Go in there, look for or make an "Audio" folder in case it's an Android phone or dedicated player. Right click, then click "Paste." Now you just sit back and get a drink while it transfers.

When it's done you go over near the clock display and look for the devices icon. Click and disconnect the SD card. Pull out the SD card, then place it into the Android player or phone. Switch it back on. You should see the audio files when you open a player app, or have to manually tell the player app to look in the Audio folder.