[Lippy]

My brother's Zen Xtra just ran into headphone jack static problems. Fortunately, he'd bought an extended warranty from Best Buy so he'll be getting a $300 check from them.

He doesn't want to buy an Apple product, to avoid proprietary file format and to avoid file protection issues when he wants to swap songs off his unit onto another computer.

He'd like at least a 30gb unit.

Does anyone have any rock-solid suggestions borne of experience in ownership of other hard-drive mp3 players?

Thanks.

 

[jnev]

iaudio x5?

 

[skudmunky]

You could probably find a Rio Karma cheap somewhere, but thats only 20 gigs. Maybe the Zen Touch 40 gb?

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lippy He doesn't want to buy an Apple product, to avoid proprietary file format and to...

You can play the mp3 format on the iPod BTW.

 

[okay_player]

if he can settle with 20gigs, the archos gmini 202 looks like a solid machine. supports folders AND id3 organization, needs no software, and has 17 hour battery life. price is modest too.

currently i'm trying to decide between this and a 5g.

 

[nickd75]

If he can find one, a Sony HD5H. The 'H' signifies the limited edition 30GB version (normal is 20GB). Very small, very cool, very long battery life. Cnet loves it, too.

 

[Behemot]

Zen Touch all the way. It is as solid as a tank, my brother-in-law got one, so I know it.
He dropped it on various (mostly drink-related) occasions, and surprisingly it is still in good health. I guess they improved hardware design a lot since the first zens were introduced.
Another plus for your bro is that the Touch requires no extra learning when going from another zen.

 

[Disiskurt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Behemot It is as solid as a tank

And as big as one too!

____
If you want to avoid file protection issues, avoid Sony. I have a NW-HD3, and when I switched from my home comp to my college dorm comp Sonicstage required me to clear everything from my player before I could transfer from there, unless I did a lengthy product registration (which I did.) Everyone knows how gung-ho Sony is on this crap in general, so don't expect anything less on their MP3 players.

 

[bbdollar]

Sony NW-HD5H, or iAudio X5. Both very solid players.

 

[Cerith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lippy He doesn't want to buy an Apple product, to avoid proprietary file format and to avoid file protection issues when he wants to swap songs off his unit onto another computer.

As another person said:

1: iPods will play any standard mp3.

Also:

2: There are programs available that allow you to swap music back and forth from an iPod to any number of computers.

If that is his only two reasons not to buy an iPod then they are moot.

If he just does not like Apple or the iPod then that is different.

 

[Behemot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cerith iPods will play any standard mp3.

depends what you consider a standard mp3
I consider variable bit rate mp3 a standard, unfortunatelly iPods do not play them back or skip as I have seen in many threads on these forums.

 

[konstantinos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Behemot depends what you consider a standard mp3 I consider variable bit rate mp3 a standard, unfortunatelly iPods do not play them back or skip as I have seen in many threads on these forums.

Wha? My 3rd gen iPod reproduces variable-bitrate tunes just fine. I've gotta check this.

 

[Lippy]

Thanks all, for the suggestions.

My brother's still trying to decide as I feed him information.

Meanwhile, my Zen Xtra still works fine, but I found a much better synergy between my new Super.Fi 5 Pros and my Rio Forge for portable usage, particularly given how clearly the music comes through the Rio Custom EQ on the Forge, than with the Xtra, so I won a used Karma on Ebay last night from Watson PC for $108 shipped. Let's hope it is in as good a shape as listed and that its EQ is similarly great as the Forge.

Has anyone had any experiences with the Karma and the Super.fi 5 Pro?