[johnbon]

Well I looked at the NexBlack players (which apparently sound quite awful), the Cowon D2 which offers lovely touch controls but no alternative buttons to use when it's in your pocket (bravo on that one Cowon!), the Samsung YP-K3 which seemed like it was going to be the one until I read that it'd bundled with no USB Mass Storage Class drivers, so it can't be used as a drag-and-drop device

All the Sandisk players I hear sound very poor, and the new iRiver S2 has this ingenious 'touch-ONLY' control system that gives you a world of placement options such as: around your neck, and NOWHERE ELSE. So you end up looking like one of those clown's who flagrantly displays their bus pass in some custom laminated necklace all day. You'll be sure to get her phone number wearing this.

Anyways, sorry for sounding a tad annoyed

Just seems that every time I find something that looks good, there's just one thing about it that ruins the whole deal.

I'm really not asking for much, just these few things:

- Use some type of flash memory, or not. As long as I can just plug it into my computer via USB and drag-and-drop mp3 files right onto the player without having to use any software to transfer.
- BUTTONS for pressing! (play,stop,next,back). So I can use it in my pocket and not have to take it out and navigate 10 menus while staring into the screen like it's a PSP every time I need to change a song.
- Sound quality. I am coming from an iRiver player , so I need something that's at least as good or very close.

I think the problem might be that I am asking for to little..

 

[Killercrush]

Nexblack is what you're looking for !

you can find a review of it here !

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read_pf.php?cID=974

The cheapest price I found for it was on ebay.

Good luck!

 

[epithetless]

According to the linked review, that Nexblack player takes Compact Flash cards, not SD cards...

Believe it or not, johnbon, one of the Coby MP-Cxx1 players was recommended by someone at head-fi a while back as an inexpensive, good-sounding, SD-capable flash device. S/he compared it to a couple of other players, and the Coby came out on top. It won't win any awards for looks, but it seems to fit your criteria for SD card compatibility and plug-and-play functionality.

 

[Dominat0r]

sandisk sansa e100 i think.....it uses a sd card for sure.

 

[1badmf]

Sandisk makes some SD mp3 players that have either 512 or 1gb built in and then expandable.

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Cata...3_Players.aspx

Their newer ones use microSD which would be a pain getting in and out.

Good Luck

 

[CHINABOY1021]

cowon iaudio d2

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHINABOY1021 /img/forum/go_quote.gif cowon iaudio d2

Oh. Right. A new player...Man that thing is sleek.

 

[johnbon]

Thanks for all the replies so quickly

My current player is 1GB, so upgrading to a 1GB player would just be a little pointless

I'm looking for one with removable SD card functionality, not built-in. That Cowon one seems quite nice as it claims to have 4GB built in, then a slot to add another (limited to 2GB I think) SD card giving you 6GB altogether. I am not too keen on the fact it's for video as well as audio though, and can only be powered from the rechargeable battery and not any AA/AAA alkaline.

If there was a player that did all that it would be just perfect

I remember there was a small one from this japanese or chinese company a few years ago, it wasn't sold in North America I don't think, but you could order it online and it worked fine internationally. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called though, and it did all this stuff: swappable SD card slot, alkaline battery powered, drag & drop file transferring.

Anyone remember that?

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnbon /img/forum/go_quote.gif . I remember there was a small one from this japanese or chinese company a few years ago, it wasn't sold in North America I don't think, but you could order it online and it worked fine internationally. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called though, and it did all this stuff: swappable SD card slot, alkaline battery powered, drag & drop file transferring. Anyone remember that?

Nope.

What capacity did it have? If it was from a few years ago, I'm doubtful it would be much more than 1GB anyways...

I have my suspicions your criteria -- removable AA/AAA battery, SD (not miniSD or microSD) card slot, and large-ish internal capacity -- are cancelling each other out. Alkaline battery power seems to be a dying trait, and removable media slots are getting smaller and smaller, which means you'll generally have to look at something older to find those features the way you want them. In the meantime, only the most recent players are going to sport 2+ GB. Factor into this the fact that most of the new, expandable players offer that additional capacity to accomodate their video capabilities, and you're kinda stuck.

The touch-screen Cowon D2 may be your best bet...

 

[fraseyboy]

Sandisk Sansa E250 comes in 2,4,6 and 8gb models, and has SD card expansion. Looks pretty good! The SQ isn't anything to rave about though...

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killercrush /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nexblack is what you're looking for ! you can find a review of it here ! http://www.bjorn3d.com/read_pf.php?cID=974 The cheapest price I found for it was on ebay. Good luck!

Wow... that is a nice player. The transfer speeds look to be much faster than those of my creative MuVo.

 

[rockin_amigo14]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sandisk Sansa E250 comes in 2,4,6 and 8gb models, and has SD card expansion. Looks pretty good! The SQ isn't anything to rave about though...

that's microSD.


The Cowon D2 will accept SD cards up to 4gb, as long as they aren't SDHC cards.

The Cowon D2 also has a very good battery life, if that's what you're concerned about with batteries. Not to mention, you aren't REQUIRED to use video.

 

[johnbon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow... that is a nice player. The transfer speeds look to be much faster than those of my creative MuVo.

Huh, indeed it is

I actually overlooked that link at first because the post after it said it didn't use SD cards. But now when I think about it, it doesn't even really matter what type of removable card it uses, as long as I can buy them in large sizes and plug it in & use it, then it's fine.

My main intention for this is just to have something I could plug into my computer anytime, and just drag and drop new tunes and head off. I'm tired of mucking around with software and it usually takes a little more effort than I'd like, and as a result I don't keep my mp3player as up to date as I should.

And with the Cowon, or even the NexBlack, a big concern is still sound quality. I want to find something that sounds quite good, not just functional. I could rule out alkaline battery life if there was a player that uses removable cards & sounds awesome.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnbon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Huh, indeed it is I actually overlooked that link at first because the post after it said it didn't use SD cards. But now when I think about it, it doesn't even really matter what type of removable card it uses, as long as I can buy them in large sizes and plug it in & use it, then it's fine. My main intention for this is just to have something I could plug into my computer anytime, and just drag and drop new tunes and head off. I'm tired of mucking around with software and it usually takes a little more effort than I'd like, and as a result I don't keep my mp3player as up to date as I should. And with the Cowon, or even the NexBlack, a big concern is still sound quality. I want to find something that sounds quite good, not just functional. I could rule out alkaline battery life if there was a player that uses removable cards & sounds awesome.

I dont know why... but drag/drop transfer speeds seem to be a very over looked aspect of flash player performance on this forum. I can tell you... 4 minutes to transfer 155M with my MuVo is at times excruciating / agonizing. Fortunately with 2G capacity I'm doing it about once a week.

You should be fore-warned that just because a player is USB 2.0 compatible, does not mean it actually transfers files at 2.0 speeds. There are many USB2.0 players that may as well just be labeled as USB 1.0. My MuVo is certainly one of them, and its my only complaint about what is otherwise a very good player overall for the $$$.

You should also consider that different types of flash cards generally offer greater capacity per Dollar. I think compact flash cards generally offer the most capacity per $$$. MicroSD cards are considerably less.

Good Luck!!
Garrett

 

[The Pieman]

Cowon are renowned for their sound quality and I don't expect the D2 to be any different. I have a Cowon A2 and a X5L and the sound quality is excellent. There will be those that will say that the X5L line-out SQ is so-so. But at the end of the day if you are using the headphone out and a pair of IEMS or good headphones the SQ is great.

I am looking at getting some more Cowon products this year, possibly a D2 or an F2 and maybe another new one in the range, a Q5. All Cowon DAPS are plug, drag and drop.

I had a look at the Sansa's when they came out and ended up with the Samsung YP-Z5 instead. I believe the SQ is significantly better. The UI is not so good, but?

Hope this helps.