What's the best 20gb Mp3 Player?

[scorpian007]

Another vote for the Zen Touch. You won't be dissapointed

 

[Thisp]

Rio Karma.

It has gapless playback, Rio DJ, ethernet/networking support, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC compatibility, and did I mention you can get it for $120 less than a 20 gig iPod these days?

Some sites sell it for around $170. Add in an extended warrenty(it's a HD player) and shipping, and it's about $200.

 

[KenW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm I just bought a rio karma, theyre really cheap at $180 right now. Many people are really big karma fans here. Also, iriver just came out with the h10 (5gb), but will soon be coming out with 20 and 40gb versions coming out. If they can keep the size similar, it might be exactly what youre looking for. Also, the rio chroma will be basically a 20gb color version of the carbon.

Yep...what he said. Ultimately, I think you need to decide which features appeal most to you and that should narrow it down considerably.

Good luck.

 

[benjamind]

Zen Touch 20 gig...nothing can touch it. Not even Rio Karma and I've used both of these players.

The Zen has substantially better sound quality than just about all the other MP3 players out there, and I've heard about half a dozen, including the iPod - I can't believe they can sell iPods at that price...what a joke...5-10% total harmonic distortion

The Zen is from Creative, and Creative are known for producing decent soundcards, but their MP3 players are even better quality. 0.1% THD and 97 SNR...not bad at all!

The Zen allows you to use higher impedance headphone/canalphone *without* having to get a portable amp, because the sound quality is so exquisite. You can drive a KOSS PRO4AAT from this quite easily by turning up the volume a couple more notches, and the PRO4AAT is fairly high impedance, I believe 250 ohms.

I used Shure E2c, ER-6i, CM7ti out of a friend's Zen. The CM7ti trounced the other two, but the ER-6i had rich treble and midrange, and the E2c had rich bass and midrange. Either of these 3 phones are good, but the E2c is probably the best value out of these.

If you want an MP3 player that has 20gb of space, get the Zen Touch...and you'll never look back.

 

[rob1031]

i agree that the zen touch is awesome, but not their soundcards! dont liek their soundcards! (dont know about the EMUs yet but setting one up right now..hehe) .

my friend hates them too! but mp3 players are good..haah

 

[bangraman]

The Karma may be worth a look.


I have/had the NW-HD1/3, iAudio M3 and the iHP-120, played with the VGF-AP1 and the Creative Zen Touch. My recommendation would be the iPod, unless the battery life or the feature set doesn't agree with you... in which case the iAudio is also worth a look. However it's not actually super-small... in reality it is the same size (pedantics aside) as the 20Gb iPod.

 

[GSTom1]

My recommendations for a 20 GB player:

Value, sound quality – Creative Zen Touch
Features, color – iRiver H320
Ease of use, looks – Apple iPod

 

[daphox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjamind The Zen is from Creative, and Creative are known for producing decent soundcards, but their MP3 players are even better quality. 0.1% THD and 97 SNR...not bad at all!

Err, Creative is infamous for their soundcards. They are famous for producing cheap, crappy ones...

 

[dommica]

Ok lol... here goes...

Karma: I've heard nothin but great reviews about it and the softwares supposed to be pretty good. But i don't see the point in getting a karma when a newer, sexier, and smaller model will be coming out sometime soon

HD1 and HD3: Sonic stage doesn't even work on my computer. and i've tried EVERYTHING

Zen Touch : It's supposed to have fantastic sound quality but it's just so big! (And it resembles a Gameboy too much

)

Iriver h"20": Sounds great, irivers are nice and reliable... But i'm in the UK so i think it'll be a while before it's released

Iriver H320: I'm very interested in this, but i've yet to hold it in my hand... and the option to directly put files from another usb device sounds fantastic

So... lol.. there are my opinions on all (i think) the mp3 players mentioned here...If anybody has any info on release dates i'd appreciate greatly

Thanks a lot,
Dom


EDIT: has anybody got any size comparison pictures of the karma and the ipod?

 

[mr.karmalicious]

Rio Karma.

 

[Guust-Fi]

Iriver H320. Why I ordered one?

- Lively, interesting sound. I've heard it sounded much better than the ipod with Tchaikovsky's Violin concerto as sample song. That is one of my favorites so...
- It is very customisable. Custom icons, settings etc.
- It has the best recording options and quality (includes external and internal mic too) - If I'm right.
I was interested in this because I would like to make some binaural recordings and it seems to be a nice future for recording meetings etc.
- Reliable/Build Quality . I haven't heard about any HD failures yet. Very occasional lock up's
- Long battery life ca.14-16h (at www.misticriver.net someone managed to replace the battery and he got 25h of playback time!)
- XVID movie playback after firmware update. (battery will only last about 4 hours during continious playback though)
- High Res screen= easier browsing
- Buttons: Not as easy to scroll but easy to operate without a remote and in your pocket.
- Includes remote (Not in all Versions)
- Includes bag (It isn't well made though)
- USBOTG - With a compatible card reader, camera usb stick... you can download all the files directly to you portable player without the need of a pc
- Supposed to have one of the best radio's in a DAP. I like to listen to the D&O morning show on my way to school here in Belgium.

Did I forget anything?

 

[dommica]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guust-Fi Iriver H320. Why I ordered one? - Lively, interesting sound. I've heard it sounded much better than the ipod with Tchaikovsky's Violin concerto as sample song. That is one of my favorites so...

Thanks, 1 question.. what's the difference between the Lite and the normal 1 (except 4 the price tag!)

Dom

 

[dommica]

Right.... i've opted for the Karma... it should be here within a week!
Thanks for the help,
Dom