[Wolfstan]

[obligatory]Let me get something out of the way. I probably don't want an iPod. Why? Cost, and it doesn't seem to have everything I want.[/oblig] Also, my iRiver experience has been rather poor. I never knew what BS was until I held one of their terrible flash players. A horrid experience, indeed.

In an mp3 player, I want the best sound I can get on a 20GB player, with the most trouble-free interface and software. The batteries need to be rechargable, the battery life needs to be long, and the thing needs to be built to last. I plan on using it for casual listening, like while in transit, and lounging around. I almost exclusively listen to MP3s, so a large variety of file type support is not necessary. Video, Radio, and photo and other gadget-farce do not interest me for a portable player, though I do want a mic for recording lectures and so forth when I go off to college. A color screen would be nice, but it's not as important as having a backlit screen. Sound quality should be top-nothc, as expected, though I'm not quite sure if the SQ of a player can really be measured. Don't bitrates matter more than signal-to-noise ratios when it comes to audio quality? Anyway...

Well, those are my criterion, and it seems one player in particular meets these requirements, with a low price; JetAudio iAudio M5 Silver 20GB USB 2.0 MP3 Player Model M5-20SL.

Other suggestions are still quite welcome, though I've already got a hard-on for the M5.

 

[sjwong]

And a good choice you have made. When I need to buy a new player, that's probably the direction I will go as well. After having to put up with iRiver customer service and having several players fail, I don't think I would go back to them again. And iPods...well, they aren't bad, but they're just iPods if you know what I mean.

Anyways, good choice...wonder what is next to come with mp3 players.

 

[YamiTenshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfstan Other suggestions are still quite welcome, though I've already got a hard-on for the M5.

LOL!

The only other player that I could recommend is the X5L. It's essentially the same as the M5 but has a color screen and roughly twice the battery life. Price is about $50 more than the M5.

Edit: I forgot there is also a M5L that has the longer battery life but no color screen. I don't know what the price difference between the M5 is though.

 

[Wolfstan]

It seems they canceled the M5L before it was released, due to poor sales of the past xxL players... Darn shame. 35 hours of battery life is insane. Oh well, not like I'd need that much anyway. (Or at elast I don't think!

)

 

[illwafer]

i have an x5L 30 gb and an iriver h120.

you can get the h120 on ebay for an incredible bargain (emilyandlily + outletmp3), and i would highly recommend it. you can even upgrade the battery yourself to almost 30 hours.

i prefer the sound slightly of the h120 over the x5l, but they are pretty close. lots of power to drive your phones (i use westone UM2).