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General discussion

2nd or 3rd Gen Shuffle?

Mar 11, 2009 1:35PM PDT

I'm looking to get an iPod shuffle. I currently have a 80 gig Ipod classic, and I want a second player to take to school and other things. I am only considering a shuffle but I'm confused as to which one to get. I've heard good things about the second generation, and it has a more colors. However the new ones just came out and I'm very fond of the design, and the black color. The voiceover is a neat feature, but I would have to use the included headphones for the controls. I wouldn't be extremely opposed to using the included headphones, since I wouldn't be using it all the time.

So what do you guys think, the second or third generation shuffle?

Discussion is locked

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Don't do it.
Mar 11, 2009 11:49PM PDT

Buy almost any other MP3 player at that price and it'll have a screen. Unless you thought navigating 1 gigs-worth of tracks blind was a good idea and think 4 gigs-worth will be an even bigger giggle -- especially with some transatlantic voice synthesizer bleating at you.

If you want small -- have a look at the Sandisk Sansa range.

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Thanks. . .
Mar 12, 2009 6:45AM PDT

Yeah, I'm only considering and Apple iPod Shuffle, I'm just confused as to which generation. So I appreciate the advice, but I just want to know what people have to say about the second and third generation shuffles.

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I just bought a 3rd gen
Mar 16, 2009 10:40AM PDT

First of all, I bought it simply because I can. I don't need one. I just wanted to try it out. I own 18 mp3 players. 8 of them are Apple, including all generations of the Shuffle and both generations of the Touch. Among the other 10 are the SanDisk Sansa Clip, Sansa Express, Sony E436, Sony NWZ-A816, Creative Zen V Plus, and Creative Zen Stone. Out of all these I actually do use the 2nd gen Touch the most.

For price, sound quality, small size, and features I would recommend the SanDisk Sansa Clip, but you are interested in only the Shuffle.

I'm listening to the 3rd generation Shuffle right now. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that it does sound better than the 2nd generation even with Apple's crapbuds. I actually tried them out in the Apple Store with the earbuds. You'll have to use them until third party accessories are available to work with your preferred earbuds, unless you don't care about controlling volume and being able to skip to the next song, etc. I have a problem with Apple's earbuds fitting and staying in my ears. I've worked around that problem by slapping Griffin's Earjam covers on them. They include several sizes of tips that help me get a better fit. Unfortunately, Griffin doesn't make them anymore, though you may still be able to find them. And I only had these because someone gave them to me a couple years ago. I normally don't use Apple's earbuds.

I do like being able to navigate playlists by using the Voice Over feature and pressing the navigation button on the earbud cord. I do prefer that to doing it on the player while working out. Pronounciation isn't perfect, so it sounds odd at times.

I do think it is a little overpriced (some may say a lot overpriced) and 4GB for a screenless device is a bit overkill. But like I said, I bought it because I can so I can't really complain too much about the price. And since you can navigate by playlist, you're not really navigating blindly unless you have huge playlists.

Other than sound quality, the 2nd generation shuffle is a perfectly okay device if you want something that is a little less expensive (though cost per GB is more), you want to be able to use your own earbuds now, and don't care about being able to navigate by playlist. If you just want to turn it on and go or put it on shuffle, 2nd generation is okay.

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Thanks for the great insight!
Mar 17, 2009 5:17AM PDT

Yeah I went out and decided to get the black 3rd gen because I like the design, voiceover, I don't mind the Apple Earbuds (and I actually like them better in some aspects,) but the deciding factor was the space. I have my favorites in my library, and I wanted to put them all on the new shuffle, rather than just picking a few. I have all the music I really want to listen to all the time on there, plus more room for new songs that I pick up.

Thank you for your insight though, it was very detailed and actually gave me a little more to think about!