MP3 player: SQ, VBR, UMS...

[SzDoc]

I am in search of the best flash based MP3 player for a variety of uses, primarily workouts on a stationary device. I have requirements which are frustrating: See the title. Also need a reasonably legible display and functional UI. Had a Cowan: Print was too small. Changed to Samsung YP-Z5: It doesn't like VBR (displays track length incorrectly. And, the UI was somewhat difficult to use while moving. Now I am using a Sansa e280. SQ is not great. But, good UI and has not locked up on me (yet).

So, in short, I need a flash MP3 device with excellent SQ (preferably without equalization), proper handling of VBR MP3s, a good display of what track is playing, independence from music management software (e.g. UMS) and decent reliability (had to reset the Samsung frequently.)

Listening to primarily Lame encoded VBR from CDs, encoded at ? option 1, largely with Senn MX75s and PX100s.

Does such a device exist?

Thanks.

 

[azncookiecutter]

Zen V is a good option. MTP though, you might not like that.

 

[3X0]

Meizu M6 MiniPlayer?

 

[evilking]

The Samsung YP-U2 is tiny, only 28 grammes, has a screen (easy to see in sunlight), incredible sound quality, supports VBR (and OGGs), UMS (with built in USB plug). The interface is nice and simple for working out (the Meizu has touch sensitive buttons, which are a lot of hassle). And its real cheap.

And I happen to be selling one in the For Sale forum.
Check my Sig.

 

[SzDoc]

2 G, sadly, is not sufficient.

I thought about the Zen. I really dislike having my machine hijacked by music management software. I-Tunes made me crazy. However, if MTP can be used in some manner without installing 15 services that launch everything ANYTHING is plugged into a USB port, and if I can work around it with a file manager ("drag and drop" is not essential), then the Zen may be it...

How is Zen SQ compared to, say the Cowan, which was clearly the most musical MP3 device I have owned (to the extent that any such device can be so described.)?

Thanks to all.

 

[Wolfsbane68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SzDoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif 2 G, sadly, is not sufficient. I thought about the Zen. I really dislike having my machine hijacked by music management software. I-Tunes made me crazy. However, if MTP can be used in some manner without installing 15 services that launch everything ANYTHING is plugged into a USB port, and if I can work around it with a file manager ("drag and drop" is not essential), then the Zen may be it... How is Zen SQ compared to, say the Cowan, which was clearly the most musical MP3 device I have owned (to the extent that any such device can be so described.)? Thanks to all.

I have no complaints about the SQ of my 4 GB Zen V Plus. And this says a lot, since I usually have

Truth be told, I prefer Vs sound quality over its big brother Zen Vision M which I had for a couple of months last year and gave to my mom without a twinge of regrets when she fell for it. Had it been a UMS device with 8+ GB capacity, I'd have nominated it for the ideal player award.

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SzDoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif So, in short, I need a flash MP3 device with excellent SQ (preferably without equalization), proper handling of VBR MP3s, a good display of what track is playing, independence from music management software (e.g. UMS) and decent reliability (had to reset the Samsung frequently.)

iPod first-generation Nano with Rockbox.

 

[bungle]

Which Cowon player did you have? Are you hyperopic (farsighted)? I have a G3 and have no problem reading it, though I usually play an album and forget about it. I haven't seen the displays on the other players.

EDIT: Oops - not sure if that looks impolite - just wondering how big you want the text to be.

 

[SzDoc]

Wolfsbane68? Thanks for observations.

In re which Cowon: Had U3. Really small screen, and the volume indicator was ludicrious. Sounded good, though...

 

[SzDoc]

Addendum: Bungle: A fair question, and scarcely impolite. The long answer: I am indeed a hyperope, with about 1.5 diopters cylinder in each eye, as well as 2 diopters of prism and large adds. However, I am corrected to 20/20 (Snellen/near), so I don't think that was the issue (aren't you glad you asked?). That said, decent size text is good.


Quote:

Which Cowon player did you have? Are you hyperopic (farsighted)? I have a G3 and have no problem reading it, though I usually play an album and forget about it. I haven't seen the displays on the other players. EDIT: Oops - not sure if that looks impolite - just wondering how big you want the text to be.

 

[bungle]

Cowon D2 maybe? You like the Cowon sound, and it has a huge color screen. Only 4G right now, though. Other big-screen players are the Clix and M6, and something else that just came out that I can't remember. I can't guarantee all that space is used for big text, but at least there's room to do so.

 

[SzDoc]

Cowon D2 is a consideration. However, the screen looks like it would be a fingerprint magnet. Same for the Clix. Not ideal with sweaty fingers during exercise. I note the screens on the Samsung and the Sansa are FINE.

I am probably leaning most heavily towards the Zen V +. If MTP just means using a file manager to copy folders to a device, rather than a drive letter, that is trivial. I have searched about MTP, but most seem to use the provided software. I generally loathe the stuff (e.g. iTunes) provided by the device manufacturers. Prefer to use a nice file manager (Directory Opus, etc.) to, errr, manage files.

Also, I would feel better knowing for sure that the Z V + manages VBR files correctly, especially listing track lengths. I can't find that discussed.

And, as I am a long time audio guy, I tend to think in albums and artists. I don't need playlist management, etc. I need to be able to get albums onto the devices.

The comments provided in this thread have been most helpful. Specific comments on SQ are hard to come by. My impression is that most of the posts on this board and elsewhere seem to equate SQ with bass amplitude and fancy effects like SRS, WOW, etc. It was clear to me that most such effects on the Cowon degraded the sound.

If my ears weren't so picky, this would be easier...


Aside: Probably CES is not the best time to be thinking about this. Maybe I should live with my adequate but not stellar Sansa and revisit this in a few months, when all the shiny new CES devices are either marketed or clearly vaporware.


Again, thanks to all.

 

[bungle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SzDoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif And, as I am a long time audio guy, I tend to think in albums and artists. I don't need playlist management, etc. I need to be able to get albums onto the devices.

Hmm, I was with you until this. I use my G3 when working out and sometimes walking the dog. I exclusively listen to albums - whole albums in order. Part of what I like about the G3 is that it takes AA batteries, but also that it just has a no-nonsense, monochrome screen. No paying for something I don't use. I pick an album, play it, and don't look at the thing again. The only thing I might adjust is the volume, but I don't need to see anything to do that. If your requirements are similar, then it seems like the screen would be a lesser requirement.

(I also hate extra software, so UMS was a requirement for me.)

 

[SzDoc]

In the course of doing (yet more) searching, I tripped over Media Monkey. I have seen same referred to in the past, but never investigated it. So, I downloaded it. This program appears to be tightly coded and not cluttered. So, if this were an alternative to UMS, I could probably live with that. It appears I could still largely manage data transfers by album.

Still leaning towards an 8 G Zen V plus. But, haven't bought anything yet.

Thanks again[listening to some old Ultravox and some newer Decemberists, as well as Anthrax, as I search, type this, etc.]

 

[Volta]

Mediamonkey is a great little program.