Old one, I seek your wisdom...

[solo]

Two days ago I didn't know the difference between an MP3 and WMA format, and thought OGG was a typo for a breakfast food. I'm not format/player savvy yet, but have started the path to enlightenment thanks to this forum.

I'm about to buy my first DAP with office/travel use in mind and have pretty much decided on the Samsung YPMT6Z...
http://product.samsung.com/cgi-bin/n...=YP-MT6Z%2fXAA
...delivered to my door for US$162 with these criteria in mind:

1. portability: Remarkably small, fits with earphones into a pocket or a cycling seat bag.
2. reliability: What fun is it if it's broken in 4 months? From user posts I've read (epinions, cnet) on the previous YPT5V, Samsung has been a standout.
3.1 user interface: Fairly intuitive navigation, nice display.
3.2 storage: 1G, roughly 16 hours of playback...willing to pick a play list before a trip. If I find portable music as necessary as oxygen I can go HD later.
4. battery: The "find it anywhere" AAA is a plus, and I already have rechargeables. The MT6 is claiming 42 hours...if it's half that it would be hours more than I need.
5. other: The variety of formats is a plus, may use the radio function, and Samsung seems to keep the firmware upgrades coming.

Given those criteria, are there serious contenders I'm overlooking?
Thanks.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

You say the battery life is 16 hours and 42 hours- which is it?

 

[solo]

16 hours is my guesstimate of formatted storage given 1G of memory, and the claimed battery life is 42 hours.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

Ahhhh... 16 hours of music! Well, I don't see anything wrong with the player- it looks O.K. for the price... but you can get micro-HD players for VERY cheap these days (check out compuplus.com, trust me!). It's nice for a flash player, but I'd reccomend moving up to a Carbon ('bout $150, 5 gigs) or a Micro (about $205, 5 gigs).

 

[blessingx]

An old Samsung Yepp someone gave me and then I gave another is still running years later. I think it retailed for $329 new at the time. Last I looked they were going for $9.99 on eBay.

Durable though. Course same could be said for my 1G iPod and it got a lot more use.

As others have said I'd go with a Mini, etc. Just went to buy a Shuffle for a friend, and ended up with a Mini. Course you may need a flash player for other reasons. I assume you've looked at the iAudio flash players?

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Just went to buy a Shuffle for a friend, and ended up with a Mini.

Ahh, apple's 'why don't you just spend a tiiiny bit more and get the next player up?' is working already

I don't know anything about that player, but it looks pretty good. You could also look into the iriver 799 and iaudio u2 or 5, they are both quality flash players. Or, as others said, you could look into a microdrive player. Depends on your use, though.

 

[solo]

My research led to the ~$160 YPMT6Z versus the older (8 hour battery) ipod mini for ~$180. The ipod's larger capacity would be a plus, the interface is very good, and it would be almost as easy to transport.

The ipod negatives that led to choosing the Samsung:
1. limited file formats...(no WMA, OGG, etc.) which means using a format that requires larger files and hence reduces the advantage of the larger storage capacity. The attempts to use anything but itunes seemed to lead to user aggravation in the posts I've read.
2. <8 hour battery life could become tedious, and replacement (infrequent, granted, but has to happen sooner or later) sounds very expensive through Apple.
3. durability fears...a flash player is likely to survive a drop (and does, in many posts) but I'm afraid even a fall from a table top onto a carpeted floor would turn an ipod into a paperweight.

I buy selectively and use stuff carefully with the expectation that it'll work problem-free for a couple of years. Like I said, I'm still researching, so if any of those statements about the ipod are off I'd be eager to read the evidence.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by solo The ipod negatives that led to choosing the Samsung: 1. limited file formats...(no WMA, OGG, etc.) which means using a format that requires larger files and hence reduces the advantage of the larger storage capacity. The attempts to use anything but itunes seemed to lead to user aggravation in the posts I've read. 2. <8 hour battery life could become tedious, and replacement (infrequent, granted, but has to happen sooner or later) sounds very expensive through Apple. 3. durability fears...a flash player is likely to survive a drop (and does, in many posts) but I'm afraid even a fall from a table top onto a carpeted floor would turn an ipod into a paperweight.

As you probably know the new Mini is running $199 and $249. If you get a student discount (by say being a student or simply clicking on the education link on the Apple site) it drops to $179.
1. AAC is superior to WMA (substantially) and usually on par with Ogg Vorbis. Vorbis has the plus of VBR, but that is available through alternative AAC encoders (Nero for instance) and rumored over at HydrogenAudio to be in the next major QT release. Plus LAME MP3 is still holding its own against AAC and Vorbis if using the presets or bitrates you'll likely use for good encoding.
2. Now 18 hours and rumored over at iPodLounge to be closer to 24. Plus there's cheaper battery replacement alternatives. See iPodbattery.com.
3. Well I've never had a Mini (well except for the last hour), but I've dropped my old 1G iPod when getting out of a car at least three times. It's still running 3+ years later (even after bouncing off the pavement).

I'm not trying to push HD players or the iPod specifically, but did want to ease your concerns about the above.

 

[solo]

Thanks for the information...obviously I have more reading to do about AAC versus other formats and the battery replacement alternatives.

Durability will probably be the deciding factor.
I'm interested in hearing the outcome of other users who've dropped an ipod. Sooner or later any hand-held takes a minor fall. I don't expect it to be bullet-proof, but I don't want an egg shell either.

 

[Underdog311]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx An old Samsung Yepp someone gave me and then I gave another is still running years later. I think it retailed for $329 new at the time. Last I looked they were going for $9.99 on eBay. Durable though.

My nephew got a Yepp player for christmas 2003. First of all, this guy throws stuff around like nothing has any value to him. I think he used that player a few months then ended up in some box. Then to totes full of junk that have been from once place to the next since he has moved 4 times since. Just last month I went to the place he was at before he moved out of state and found some boxes in his parents garage. His Yepp player was in a plastic container with a bunch of stuff like cables, ac adapters, speakers, just a bunch of stuff. Anways, the yepp was scratched and bruised, no doubt I figured it was dead. So I found the usb cable which was also thrown around in there, hooked up to my pc and bam, the thing started up and still works. Yes, it can take a beating.

 

[mmmmcheese]

also look into iriver's flash players. here http://iriveramerica.com/prod/ultra/ ive heard that they are very nice

 

[Jodiuh]

I have had this player for a couple weeks now and am fairly impressed. Unfortunately, this is my first flash based player and I have very little experience with iriver ifp's and NONE with iaudio (I considered the G3 and G5 too).

It feels rugged and comes with a nice clear case that is play thru. Although I still stick it inside another small case for added protection. It drives my Senn MX500's very easily and there is absolutely no noise when listening to the q6 .oggs that are on there now.

It's gettin' late and I'm bit tired, but I'll post some pics for ya tomorrow.

Anyone know of a Samsung friendly forum for these devices?

Thanks!!

Jod

PS Can the Samsung YP-MT6Z playback gapless ogg? Forgive my lack of "looking this up" but gapless ogg is basically track to track without the silence, right?

 

[jpr703]

You can't go wrong with either AAC or LAME mp3!

 

[solo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodiuh I have had this player for a couple weeks now and am fairly impressed.

Jodiuh, I'm eager to hear your reaction after using the MT6. I'm ready to buy a 4gb ipod mini (2nd gen) for $179 with a student discount. I decided the additional memory is a plus, the reliability appears highest among micro-hd DAPs, and the easy navigation with a larger display sound like important points for something that will see a lot of use for months to come. I'm satisfied it's the right choice for my needs, but would still like to hear how the flash contender performs in the field.
Thanks.

 

[Jmmmmm]

have fun with your mini mini. make sure to get some good headphones/earphones to go with it.