[classicalguy]

What kind of an mp3 player can you get for $9. Well, this one lacks some of the things that most MP3 players have. Like the Apple Shuffle, it has no screen. And it also has no built-in memory - you need to add an SD card. It will only play files that are in the root of the SD card - no folders. It plays them in the order you load them. It runs off of a AAA battery, and works fine with NiMH rechargeables. Controls feel a bit squishy, and when you push one of the buttons while listening, you get some noise. But, with a pair of Koss KSC-75s, it sounds pretty good. I'm playing APS vbr mp3 files ripped with EAC and Lame. The sound is not quite as good as my inexpensive ($50) Coby MPC 751 player (which is one of the better sounding players - better sounding than the Creative Zen Nano which I also have). In comparison with the Coby, it lacks some air. But it sounds full and rich. I had some trouble getting it away from my 7 year old daughter. It works fine with even a 1 gig card. If you have an old SD card lying around, now you can have something to use it with when you don't want to bring your regular player. For $9, it's a winner. Note: that's $9 DELIVERED from Newegg right now. Oh, and it comes with a usb mini cable and a very nice box (headphones too, but I'm sure they are total junk). It works as a USB 2.0 card reader too. So, $9 for the player + $13 for the KSC-75 headphones, and an old SD card, and you've got good sounding music. Great for someone on a budget.

I can't post the newegg link, because the newegg site appears to be down. Search for Foxconn mp3 and you should find it.

 

[saturnine]

Thanks for the info, I've been looking for a cheap dap to use while mowing the lawn and for $9 this one can't be beat

I love this newegg customer review though:

Quote:

Originally Posted by newegg reviewer Cons: wont play mp3s over 192 kbps, seems to just crash, but thats ok caus you cant notice a difference in anything over 64, maybe 96 kbps. sound quality is poor, even through a HT setup, included earbuds are dollar store quality.

Oh, and Newegg has been having some problems lately. Erase your cache or use another browser and it should work.

 

[classicalguy]

Sometimes, on-line reviews are not reliable. Who knows what the guy's mp3s were made with? The manual (insert) says the player works with bit rates between 8K and 320K, and it has no problem with my APS rips. Also, if you use the included headphones, bit rate may not matter and there may be the noise that some people reported. But use Koss KSC-75, and there is no background noise, and you will certainly notice a difference with higher-bit rate mp3s.

Here's the link now that newegg is working again:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16800999352

 

[saturnine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicalguy Sometimes, on-line reviews are not reliable.

Most definately

I was loling at: "but thats ok caus you cant notice a difference in anything over 64, maybe 96 kbps.". I just ordered one, should hopefully ship Wednesday

 

[aaron-xp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newegg reviewer Quote: Cons: wont play mp3s over 192 kbps, seems to just crash, but thats ok caus you cant notice a difference in anything over 64, maybe 96 kbps. sound quality is poor, even through a HT setup, included earbuds are dollar store quality.

Don't you all get it, that reviewer is looking down on the rest of us, saying that "you" cannot hear the difference. GASP!

Am I over-reacting?

 

[Ferbose]

FYI, Foxconn is the biggest electronics company in Taiwan, bigger than Acer, Asus or Taiwan Semiconductor. They make something like 90% of connectors in the computer systems and 60% of PC cases. Chances are you already have 50 Foxconn products in your home but never realize that.

 

[astranovus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaron-xp Don't you all get it, that reviewer is looking down on the rest of us, saying that "you" cannot hear the difference. GASP! Am I over-reacting?

i think he was referring to the idea that regardless of any bitrate above 64, they all sound the same, fantastically crappy on this thing.

the dap in this thing has got to be as good as the ones in them funny singing cards for 2 dollars

 

[classicalguy]

I doubt that it's actually manufactured by foxconn. I think it's the same thing as the Evergreen DN-2000 sold in Japan.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/07/e...00-mp3-player/

It is apparently made by an ODM in China, and rebranded.

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archi...layer.php#more

Better color and no advertising version available for $15 shipped from ledshoppe.

http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA2019.htm

It's possible that the ledshoppe version is a newer version. I ordered one from them too for comparison (it has not arrived yet).

So, you can have a complete dap solution for $30: Player ($9), Koss KSC-75 headphones from Amazon ($10), and 1 gig SD card ($10 after rebate - zipzoomfly.com).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...738320?ie=UTF8

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...ctCode=80201-9

If you're a cheapskate like me, or just short of green, it's hard to beat.

One more thing. This review suggests that the player works with folders. The one I got will not read mp3s in folders (and the little insert that came with it said you must have the files in the root). So it is possible that there are newer firmware versions running around. I can't find anything about a firmware update.

http://www.truepathtechnologies.com/mp3.html

 

[BlindTiger]

I should of added this in to my Newegg order last week.
I would like to carry around back up data/pdf's/files and scans of important paperwork in case of emergencies and one of these would be perfect. Add in music for those down time is a plus.
The mini USB cable alone is $9.

 

[classicalguy]

I received today the $15 blue version of the player from:

http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA2019.htm

Delivery takes a while because it's shipped from overseas. It looks like the same player as the Foxcomm (I'm SURE it's made by the same company) but it must be a newer version. Buttons are a little tighter and more responsive, there is no noise through the headphones when changing tracks, and it works with a FAT32 1 gig SD card and folders. The Foxcomm version only worked with files stored in the root. The LEDshoppe version is clearly improved. I think it's worth the extra $6 and a longer wait - better player, no advertising, better color. Both come with crappy earbud headphones and a standard mini-usb cable.

I suspect the Foxcomm could be updated with new firmware, but the roblem with these generic products is fining a firmware update. The manufacturer has made some nice improvements. Sound quality is very good with Koss KSC-75 headphones. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing a lot more of these over hear, at lower prices.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicalguy I received today the $15 blue version of the player from: http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA2019.htm Delivery takes a while because it's shipped from overseas. It looks like the same player as the Foxcomm (I'm SURE it's made by the same company) but it must be a newer version. Buttons are a little tighter and more responsive, there is no noise through the headphones when changing tracks, and it works with a FAT32 1 gig SD card and folders. The Foxcomm version only worked with files stored in the root. The LEDshoppe version is clearly improved. I think it's worth the extra $6 and a longer wait - better player, no advertising, better color. Both come with crappy earbud headphones and a standard mini-usb cable. I suspect the Foxcomm could be updated with new firmware, but the roblem with these generic products is fining a firmware update. The manufacturer has made some nice improvements. Sound quality is very good with Koss KSC-75 headphones. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing a lot more of these over hear, at lower prices.

Is it noisy / hissy with low impedence canalphones... 16 ohm.. shure e2c, koss plug...etc?
Any major sonic flaws?... static, No bass, Glaring / harsh highs etc?
How is the amplifier circuit? Robust enough for a reasonable volume level with the KSC75?

I just might pick one of these up. 512M is more than enough for me.

Flash Card = $15
player $10
Koss plug $5

LOL! the Anti-head-fi Rig. Heck if I dont like it, it can be used as a flash drive card reader.

 

[classicalguy]

The low impedence question is a good one. I have some shure e2cs and can try them later and let you know. I had a problem with my 2cs and my Coby player - low impedence caused very audible noise.

I hear no noise and nice clean sound when playing through the Koss KSC-75s, and volume is ample. Of course, I listen to acoustic music at normal acoustic levels, so you may disagree with my opinion.

Clarity is not quite as good as my Coby. The Coby has really good sound - Samsung chipset. The Coby sounds better than my zen nano plus. I would say that the $15 player is about equal in sound quality to the zen nano plus. With the KSC 75s, the sound is very natural and musical, losing just a little bit of air to the Coby.

HOpe that helps. I'll let you know about the low impedence issue when I get some time.

 

[Nick Postagulous]

If it had shuffle, I'd go for it.

However, my el cheapo DAP is a Rio Chiba with a gig card. No ID3 browsing, but playlist support and bookmarks. (I have this cause my Carbon is dying a slow death, clicky HD.)

 

[icarusflu]

when I saw this player I knew I had seen it before - cnet did a review of one that looks identical that came out from Irock - only difference that i can see is that the irock model has 128meg built in memory
http://reviews.cnet.com/iRock_930_MP...3.html?tag=lst
lowest score that they have ever given an mp3 player

 

[classicalguy]

Yes, the IROC looks like another version of the same player (with 128 mb built-in flash memory).

I don't think the cnet scores mean very much. They rate based on features they think are important, which may not match the features you think are important. They didn't like the Irok because it (1) lacks a screen, (2) has limited built in memory (yea, but more important, it accepts sd cards - sheeesh), (3) slow usb 1.1 transfer speed (old model - the new ones support usb 2.0), (4) subpar battery life (not true in my experience), and (5) lack of play modes (true, but so what?). What they don't discuss - sound quality and value.

Now for some more relevant information. Using Shure E2C headphones, there is a constant audible hiss, and the sound quality is tinney. Same problem with the Coby mpc751. My wife's Creative Zen Nano Plus has no audible hiss, but still sounds tinney and there is audible noise between tracks. All three players sound terrible with Shure E2C headphones. I suspect this is a problem with all low impedence headphones, and am surprised that more has not been reported here about the problem with AAA powered flash players and low impedence headphones.. This may explain the inconsistent comments we've seen regarding the sound quality of various players.

Is there a solution for the low impedence headphone noise?

Nick: As a classical music listener, I don't ever use shuffle. But you can shuffle your tracks with a free program like Reorganize!. I much prefer a player that plays sequentially. It plays sequentially, but it remembers where it left off when you turned it off, and starts where you left off.