[jjen89]

Hi, I'm looking to buy an mp3. Very good SQ and overall value are priorities since I'm a budget-tight student who listens to ~14 hrs of music a week. Also, battery life is an important factor. I would like at least 2 gb, whereas 20 gb is too much for me since I keep my music collection on the comp.

I've done some reading of dap reviews and checking of the online stores for low prices. A few weeks ago on the head-fi forum, it mentioned refurbished ipods from the apple store and alot of ppl said positive things abt buying a refurbished ipod.

The prices for refurbished mp3 players are much lower than what amazon or other places advertise for new players. I was looking at the samsung's yp, iaudio, and ipod mp3 refurbished players.

Does neone have experiences with buying a refurbished player? I was hoping that buying a player refurbished would be similar to buying a used player on ebay, but better, since there is the manufacturing warranty.

 

[apnk]

My ipod is a refurb, its about 2 months old and not one problem out of it. Also when I got it looked brand new.

 

[Ingo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjen89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I'm looking to buy an mp3. Very good SQ and overall value are priorities since I'm a budget-tight student who listens to ~14 hrs of music a week. Also, battery life is an important factor. I would like at least 2 gb, whereas 20 gb is too much for me since I keep my music collection on the comp. I've done some reading of dap reviews and checking of the online stores for low prices. A few weeks ago on the head-fi forum, it mentioned refurbished ipods from the apple store and alot of ppl said positive things abt buying a refurbished ipod. The prices for refurbished mp3 players are much lower than what amazon or other places advertise for new players. I was looking at the samsung's yp, iaudio, and ipod mp3 refurbished players. Does neone have experiences with buying a refurbished player? I was hoping that buying a player refurbished would be similar to buying a used player on ebay, but better, since there is the manufacturing warranty.

If you live in Washington, Southern California, or Arizona you could buy a refurbished iPod from a Costco Wholesale Business Center. Too bad there are only three locations in the country because they have smokin' deals on refurb iPods and they're backed with Costco's merchandise guarantee. I bought 3 iPod 5th gen. 30GB for $189.99 each.

 

[LaBreaHead]

The Samsungs and especially the iAudios tend to have very good sound (I've had a flash player from each), but it can be hard to find serious bargains on them. Let us know if you do ...

My sister got a 1st generation iPod Nano refurb from Apple online and is happy with it (although the battery capability would be better with a 2nd generation -- she got it shortly before the 2nd generation came out ... nothing to do with it being a refurb, though).

I got a 4th generation hard-disc iPod with a monochrome screen from Apple online. I use it as a jukebox connected through the line out in the dock to a home stereo essentially every day and have had no problems with it. I got the 40GB capacity version because it came with a dock and an AC adapter/charger, for which Apple usually charges extra. So I got a 40GB player under warranty, a dock and an adapter/charger for $199.

See how much a 2GB or 4GB 2nd generation iPod Nano refurb would be -- that might work for you.

And yes, Costco would be an excellent alternative as a place to get any player, refurb or new, as their merchandise guarantees are really good for the consumer.

[Oh yeah -- welcome to Head-Fi ... sorry about your wallet!]

 

[feh1325]

nothing wrong with refurbs, i've had two. they look and function just as well as brand new units

 

[jjen89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Samsungs and especially the iAudios tend to have very good sound (I've had a flash player from each), but it can be hard to find serious bargains on them. Let us know if you do ... [Oh yeah -- welcome to Head-Fi ... sorry about your wallet!]

I wasn't able to find good prices for iaudio, even refurbished

Otherwise I would've bought the g3 for it's battery life and minimalist approach. The u2 was nice as well, but for that $100 price range, I could buy a refurbished samsung yp-z5 or yp-t9. I've yet to see if the seller/website is reliable though.

 

[ahdui]

I have a refurbished 512mb ipod shuffle 1st Gen and it is still in good condition after months.

 

[kramer5150]

I for one have had poor luck with built-in proprietary battery packs. They're great when new, but after a few months of heavy charge / discharge cycles capacity takes a dive. If battery life is high on your list of priorities, look for one of the AAA / AA powered flash players, and get a bunch of NIMH cells for it.

Ive been happy with a MuVo V100. I got mine for $49, with a $20 holiday rebate. Cant beat that for the $$ IMHO. I use 1000Mah cells and I get ~20 hours per charge, amping with a govibe.

 

[oregon]

I'd say go with a sandisk sansa. They have lots of features, and are very good value. And you can choose between 2,4,6,8 GB of memory.

 

[uraflit]

refurbished should be "OK"

they might have a few nicks here and there

only major concern would be used batteries... they could be horrible! i'd also suggest buying refurbished from costco (you can return it for whatever reason)

 

[nelamvr6]

I have had pretty good luck with factory refurbs over the years.

I know a lot of people who return stuff for really no good reason, I can't help but wonder if some of these end up as "refurbs".

Anyways, so long as you have a factory warantee, what have you got to lose?

 

[LDMES]

My iPod 4g which I had iModed was purchased from Smalldog.com and is a Refurb Unit. If I didn't know it was a refurbed unit, I never would have guessed it just by looking at it. Also according to Vinnnie at Red Wine Audio who did the iMod, usually factory refurbed units come with new batteries.

I'm very happy with my purchase.

Hope this helps.

 

[jjen89]

That was quick feedback, thx

Once I choose the player to buy, I'll post some updates for u guys, if wanted.

So far I'm debating between a refurb samsung t9 (2gb) and samsung z5 (4gb). The t9 is $110 including shipping, the z5 $130. Also I'm leaning towards buying a used iaudio x5l (20gb) for ~160. A refurb iaudio g3 (2gb) is $95. I was hoping to stay within my budget of $120...but guess I could skim off groceries lol.