[CrystalT]

Hi there. My birthday's next month, and I'm setting my eyes on something preferably in the <$150 range. I'm looking for the following:
 
1. Battery Life. Player must be able to play for at least 20 HR non-stop.
2. Sound Quality. My current bench marks are the Zune 30, LG Optimus V /w PowerAmp, and Rockboxed Sansa E260v1.
3. Storage. If possible, I'd prefer a player with a HDD, but I refuse to use any player that requires proprietary software. Flash Memory is far too expensive for my liking. I don't like spending $50+ just to add 12 GB, and another $50+ for a 32Gb SDHC.
4. Compatibility. I must be able to play FLAC, APE, and Cue/TTA natively, or the player must have FUNCTIONAL AND STABLE rockbox.
 
Amplification is irrelevant at this point. I only have SoundMagic PL11 and PL30 in my possession at the moment.
 
Finally: It would really mean a lot to me if people could do more than just say a player and leave. If you suggest a player, elaborate, and link me to where I can get it. also the player does NOT have to be new. I have had wonderful experiences with MANY refurbished products. 

 

[milford30]

i'm not sure what you mean by 
" I don't like spending $50+ just to add 12 GB, and another $50+ for a 32Gb SDHC."
 
but there doesn't seem to be many decent hdd players under $150.
 
for a cheap flash player i can recommend is a refurbished fuze V2 (i recently brought from here http://www.ebay.com/itm/300541176785?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_5821wt_1391)
 
and a 32gb sandisk micro sd which can be obtained from ebay as low as $45
 
combined cost approx $80-90 which i think is great value for money and gives a high sound quality rockboxed. Also consider the small size and lod port for an amp later. You can easily find reviews of the player.
 
 
Hdd players under $150 i can think of is the iaudio 7 but you're stuck with 8 or 16gb and old iaudio x5/x5l which you will have to get second hand, there is currently a x5 on ebay

 

[CrystalT]

ok thanks for the input. I don't want to go the sandisk route at the moment. My goal is to upgrade to a higher tier MP3 player first, just so I don't have to in the future. I've listened to a friends fuze and there's hardly, if any difference from my current equipment.
 
So flash-wise, what should I get? The S:flo2 interests me but I cannot for the life of me find it anywhere.
 
I'm also mildly interested in other android devices. What's the best sounding tablet in this price range? The Archos 5 G9 interests me, and I'm highly considering saving for a few months for the thing.

 

[milford302009]

well if you say ur rig sounds like the fuze then you should just stick to it, anything higher is basically adding a decent amp to the dap, s:flo2 has quality problems and ui problems, where the ui problems seems to be a problem with the 'higher tier' mp3 players, try to look into small and slim portable amps with a true lineout (i think your e260 supports lod) the dap amp combo will give you more battery life and may not be as big as say HM601.
 
and the s:flo2 = teclast t51
here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teclast-T51-3-5-8GB-H-264-720p-MKV-Hi-Fi-Quality-MP3-/280755336636?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item415e5275bc#ht_1063wt_905

 

[CrystalT]

I'm most likely going to buy a Sansa Fuze and a 32GB class 2 MSDHC, and have some questions:
 
What are the differences between V1 and V2, now that V2 has a stable rockbox build.
What are the differences between Rockbox and stock firmware? Which has better battery life? Is it necessary/good to rockbox, since I converted my FLAC library to 192kbps Mp3?

 

[milford30]

you'll need to do some research, but the things i noticed is that the sound output is higher sound sounds better. i have read that the batt life goes up too

 

[CrystalT]

To be honest I've already spent hundreds of hours researching other things. I'd rather ask other sansa owners and be lazy right now.

 

[milford30]

i didn't spend much time with the original fuze software, but in my opinion just on the output volume alone it's worth the change in software, and you can customize rockbox, it only takes 10 min to find and dl the right files, maybe other users can comment on the improvements. the only noticable down side i can see is the not as nice looking ui, i.e the nice start up logo and stuff.

 

[CrystalT]

I have a lot of experience with rockbox with my e series, but im not convinced on if its worth it or not. Any other opinions?

I would still rather buy a hdd based music player, though. How does the zune 80 compare to the fuze? IPod classic 5.5? I can buy a 30gb for 30 and im debating on upgrading the hdd, but I don't want to male the commitment if it isn't worth the effort

 

[CrystalT]

I'd like to retire my Sansa E260 soon. The battery is going (Gets about 5 hours of play, MP3 192-320kbps. No flac), missing screws, and moderate structural damage. The internals are actually still in pristine condition, but I'd still like to upgrade.
 
From my research I've found that the E200 series is slightly less powerful than the Fuze/Clip series, the Fuze/Clip and E200 series having the same sound signature with the Fuze/Clip hitting just a little higher and lower where it counts. The thing is that I'm not sure if I'm interested in another Sansa product. I'm EXTREMELY satisfied with their hardware and customer service, but I'm looking for more storage overall.
 
A friend of mine is offering his iPod Classic 5.5 30 GB for $30. Part of me is tempted to buy it, but the steep prices of compatible hard drives really put me off. $200 for a 100GB HDD really puts me off when I can get a Zune120 for $70-100 used.
 
This brings up the question: What is the best Sub-200 HDD PMP/DAP?
 
How does the Zune80/120 compare to the iPod 5.5? iRiver products? Is the EQ on the Zune30 worth buying a larger HDD, or should I stick with the Zune80/120? Are there better high capacity players in this price range that I'm unfamiliar with?
 
Part of me REALLY wants to just save up all of my money over the next few months and buy something from the Archos 5 line. I haven't decided if I want the IMT or the IT. The Archos 5 G9 looks very sexy, and it's an android product. 500GB android? Yes please!