Whats the best mp3

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Whats the best mp3

musicfreak

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#23182 21-Jun-2008 08:11

I have a samsung mp3 at the moment but i'm runnnin out of space!
I wnt i new mp3 bt i dnt knw wat 2 gt
I probaly need an 8gb and i wnt a fm radio on it + video
I have thought about ipods bt i hve had bad experiences with them
Any ideas?

freitasm

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#139533 21-Jun-2008 09:00

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madman

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#139537 21-Jun-2008 09:32

Hi musicfreak, Go to your nearest DSE store, have a chat to them about what you want your player to do. Also check out the iriver range, they seem to be quite popular. Personally I have an ipod nano 4g, awesome player but no radio unfortunately..

NZtechfreak

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#139588 21-Jun-2008 15:04

I'd just go for a convergence device - why carry around multiple things?

Whats your budget like? Thats probably the most important thing in order to recommend you something...

For around $720 you can get what I have (including the 8GB card):

I have a Nokia N82 phone, which is a brilliant MP3 player also. No DRM issues, can put files on it via bluetooth, side-loading, USB connection, download them from your home network anywhere via WLAN, plays many formats and third party apps add even more compatibility (for example .ogg) and functionality (timed lyrics for example, which via TV-Out turns it into a pretty respectable portable Karaoke machine). Has A2DP for wireless listening, a standard 3.5mm audio jack, respectable speakers too when the situation calls for it. Has FM radio, podcasting, and even better internet radio. Currently you can get an 8GB microSDHC card for around $90 (hot-swappable), but that price will fall in a few weeks when 16GB cards become available (32GB cards available by years end). The 2.4inch 16million colour LCD display is brilliant for video (download and save youtube to the phone, TV-Out etc). You'd also be getting a GPS unit into the bargain, a 5MP camera with xenon flash, a PDA, full web-browser, decent handheld gaming unit (NGage application, 3D acceleration - runs Quake II with FSAA and online play, many emulators available), inbuilt SIP profiles to take advantage of the WLAN connectivity etc etc....

There are cheaper options too, like the Nokia 5310, which is also a very respectable MP3 player.

Anyways, your prospective budget would be very helpful!

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musicfreak

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Wannabe Geek

#139589 21-Jun-2008 15:08

My budget is about $0-$400. But i just want a an mp3 as i don't normally carry a phone and my mp3 around at once

NZtechfreak

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#139595 21-Jun-2008 16:10

OK, in that case I'll have to have a hunt for you. Ipods are of course good, if you just want a basic mp3 player then perhaps just go with them, but personally I'd rather go for a far less limited player - which camp do you fall into?

For what its work I definitely would NOT go into a DSE store (or any retail store for that matter) expecting to get even remotely good advice about electronics gear. Most store people know next to nothing about anything in my experience...

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paradoxsm

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#139611 21-Jun-2008 18:49

Think of what you want in terms of physical size and GB capacity first. Also what headphones do you wish to use with it? many mp3 players cannot drive the larger phones and phones will suck in this regard.

Ipods, Generally a good sound but you have to use horrible iTunes and add everything to the media library and then sync it up, Still puzzles me to this day.

Others, Samsung are good players, See if you can get a bigger one that what you have got. Creative used to make good players but may have changed. If they take SD cards, make sure they support SDHC (high capacity cards up to 32GB) and get it verified in writing.

Phones, due to the companies being scared off with lawsuits and other propoganda they usually have forced very low-level outputs and most "compress" the sound which can have a bad effect on the audio.

Cheap no-name players off Tradme/zillion etc, Forget it, most are garbage though there may be a gem or two, you do not what to be the guinea-pig though so stay away... If they state "mp4 player" as the main title they are usually total junk and actually don't even play MP4 s!

My mp3 player is an Okta Touch with an 8GB microSD. It has a reasonably loud unaltered output which is very rare for a phone.

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richms

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#140081 24-Jun-2008 01:08

Despite all the enthusiasm posted for a phone already, I would recommend against it.

Firstly, nokia only give you 10 volume steps, the changes between them are too great. I expected that would have being solved on the N95, but no.

Hiss on the output, and if you need to have it drop back to GSM mode you get the GSM noise come thru if you attach anything amplified to it. Which you need to do if you want to run decent headphones off it.

All portable gear has inadiquate output amps for the headphones, its a voltage thing, they operate on low voltages internally and to step it up to get some power out means worse battery life.

Did I mention the bad hiss?

Oh, and the user interface is soooo slow. Dropping a card in with 4 gigs of music on it (about 3000 songs in the case I did) and its litterally about 10 mins before you can start to navigate the library of them. If you go in by the file utility and play something that way it seems to interupt the scanning of tags.

And another braindead thing from nokia is the headphone out will enable the inbuilt speakers when removed, at the volume you were using the headphones at. Since I usually use 100% and then wish for more, it means the 2 tinny tweeters start to scream out if I unplug the headphones. Thats not fun when your somewhere quiet. No hiss out the speakers in the phone that I can tell tho.

Richard rich.ms

paradoxsm

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#140091 24-Jun-2008 08:28

Lol.. Did I mention the Nokia trademark compressed sound?, I could live with the slight iss and the like but the forced-on compression did it for me.. ew.

Just arandom. I plugged a headset into the pop-port on my nokia 6275, crappy, low volume and then plugged a headset into the 2.5mm jack at the top, the sound output from the pop port suddenly doubled!

wicked_chocolate

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#147389 13-Jul-2008 12:56

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Sony!

I'm using an 8GB Sony MP3 Walkman (NWZS618FB). Is has FM radio and can play videos. And I think one of the best things about it is that it has the drag-and-drop function :) which can be very convenient. Its RRP at the moment is $269.95 so it fits in your budget range too, but I think often you can get it cheaper at Noel Leeming or Bond and Bond when they have those "15-20% off Sony" promotions.