[The Actual]

So I'm thinking of maybe getting an mp3 player, but the problem is that I don't own a computer. Are there any devices or anything that will let me upload data from a CD to an mp3 player?

 

[Arainach]

If you don't own a computer, how are you posting?

.....Had to ask. In all honesty, no, I'm not aware of any such devices.

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

You can try using an MD player. I've been using one for years, the newer Hi MD models can hold quite a bit per blank. Otherwise without a computer, it's kinda hard to carry music around except on CDs.

 

[sant430]

I'd also second the MD recorder. The Hi-MD is the latest MD technology with a very decent sound signature. The thing that's nice about MD is, with the right tools, you can record from virtually any audio source.

 

[kramer5150]

How does one become a 1000+ member... sans PC?

I think some MP3 players have MP3 recorders and line inputs.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[The Actual]

Cool, I'll look into a mini disk player. Thanks for reminding me about those.

And used my parent's computer until this year when I moved away to college. Now I post from computer labs. It's not that I don't have computer access, I just don't have hard drive access, I guess.


EDIT: I'll do this in the Portable Audio section later, but does anyone have a quick recommendation for companies or models I should look into? Thanks.

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

Depends on storage space I guess. The older MDLP units can store up to 5 hours on a blank, but fidelity would be terrible. A compromise of LP2 recording mode yields 161 minutes of audio and is comparable to MP3's ripped at 192 kb/s.

Good models are the Sharp Auvi line, DR-7, DR-77, DR-480 etc. Make sure you get a unit that allows analogue recording though. The High end Sony's are great too such as the R-909, N10, R-900 etc.

Though for this day and age, you'd probably best get a HI-MD recorder since it stores much more music and can record 8 hours worth of music per blank at a quality comparable to 256 kb/s. Your best is Sony then, with the newly released RH1 being the most flexible of the bunch if you plan on doing recording (lectures, concerts etc.) as well. There's even a cool model that doubles as a camera the DH10P. I would recommend that you probably pick up the RH10 which has a nice OLED backlit screen and some great battery life.

Finally, sometimes you can score a great deal over at AudioTstation.com at their forums, which is filled with great friendly folks including myself and Sant430 up there.

 

[m_memmory]

I think a minidisc is the way to go and I'll leave that to others to answer what to do however there are DAPs that can record from a line-in to MP3. Most Cowon players actually do that. The main (and really annoying IMO) problem is that the files that are recorded aren't going to be tagged or have memorable filenames.

 

[ilovesocks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by labrat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most, if not all, MD-players can load,encode and record digital audio signals through the optical-in connector.

Wow, it seems like you'd get great sound quality this way!

 

[rockin_amigo14]

you can get something with line-in recording, and just record from other sources?


there's also the WiFi gremlin. i think it lets you download music wirelessly, but i'm not sure.

 

[blip]

If you have access to a computer then maybe the solution is to carry your own hard drive with you! Large flash drives, cf cards and even portable hard drives are fairly cheap these days and offer enough storage to hold a small MP3 collection.

Another idea would be to use the school computers to convert your CDs (while no nosy lab techs are watching obviously, you could also borrow a buddies system for an afternoon) and then upload all of your music to a decently sized mp3 player. Then delete the temporary mp3s on the school system. Or do what I do and pick up a cheap CD/MP3 player used (eBay is full of them) then burn your collection to CDs. It's an infinitely expandable MP3 player!

But if you really want to avoid the computer then MD is the way to go. It does seem, however, that there used to be an MP3 player that offered a digital line in but I can't seem to recall what brand it was.

 

[450]

The iRiver iHP-120 and iHP-140 have digital line inputs...

 

[Oistrakh]

yeah, I hate how you actually have to take up hard drive space on your computer in order to import songs onto an ipod...

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oistrakh /img/forum/go_quote.gif yeah, I hate how you actually have to take up hard drive space on your computer in order to import songs onto an ipod...

so dont get a white slab of garbage.

get something that will be recognized by a computer lab computer as an external hard disc, and nothing more. after that its drag and drop. if you are really stuck for time, you can store an uninstalled version of a ripper on the mp3 player, and move it to the computer.... run it from there and ripppp.