[soviet911]

Hi. So my Zune HD got its jack damaged by my friend, so now it sounds all muffled ( i think the ground is messed up on it...) im debating spending money and trying to fix it, or just pick up a new player since I want more space for storage since 16gb is not cutting it any longer...I will probably be buying used and will be willing to spend about 200$. I would like something that will be able to play flac and have 100gigs of space (or be upgradable to it). I was thinking of getting an Ipod (30gb)  and rockboxing it, as well as getting a 240gb dirive/battery upgrade for it (wich at the end will be about 200$), but not sure which Ipod works best with RockBox as well as which one has best SQ (5.5g? is that a classic?)? I tried looking at other HDD alternatives (the X7 looked promising, but Im going to pass on it as its way to buggy). And i have no clue what else is out there HDD wise. I was also considering J3 but haven't trully decided on it yet, as its above my price point >.<...maybe I will save up for it. 

 

[Sorensiim]

I had a 5.5g iPod, a fully refurbished unit with a fresh battery and a 120gb drive installed, got it off ebay for less than $200 (if memory serves and all that) and it did fine. Battery life was really poor with Rockbox installed, like 8-10 hours of playback, driving IEMs and playing FLAC files. It got the job done and the sound was nice. I then upgraded to a Cowon J3 16gb and added a 16gb microsd card as well, for a total of 32gb of storage. Instead of just loading my entire music collection, I had to chose which music to bring. It turned out that 32gb was fine for my needs 

 
Now I enjoy the better sound from the J3, especially the soundstage and music separation has improved, not to mention the bass is tighter and more controlled than it ever was on the iPod. Add to that the great EQ and battery life of the J3 and you have the best portable player available - At least to me it is, others swear by iPods with a LOD to a portable amp, some like the Sansa Clip+, others will tell you that the Hifiman players are the only way to fly. But for me, a 5.5 gen iPod did a good job, the Cowon J3 just does it better 

 
Edit: I just got my Senn HD25's today - the J3 drives them just as good as my Ibasso D12 amp. That little player packs a punch!

 

[4DThinker]

You can get a 32gb Zune HD for $183 and free shipping right now.