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General discussion

Looking for a new mp3 player...

Jun 28, 2009 1:59AM PDT

Hi, I'm a new user and in need of a new mp3 player. I mainly only want to use it for music. I do not need to watch videos or have too many extras. I'm essentially looking for the best listening experience I can.

Capacity-wise, the more the better. Hopefully, at least 20gb. Also, I'd like it to be pretty durable and the more compact it is, the more I'd be inclined to get it.

So far, I've owned a Creative Zen Sleek Photo, a Creative Zen Vision M, and an iPod Classic. Each one I loved, but the last two gave me some problems (Vision M screen broke, couldn't return it since I bought it on Ebay; and iPod had a faulty headphone jack, also non-returnable).

So now, I need a replacement, but I only really want it for listening to music. I don't mind if it's an old model or not; I saw a Sony Walkman NW-HD5, and it stood out to me. Great battery-life, no needed extras, price is low by now (found one on Amazon for under $200), and above all: it's great for listening to music. But because I've never seen one outside of the internet, I'm reluctant. I also had my eye on another Vision M (slim version though), but Idk...I just don't really know what's best when it comes to this stuff.

So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Grazi.

Discussion is locked

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Why not fix the ipod?
Jun 28, 2009 3:35AM PDT

There are many places that fix such a small issue and it's less than a new player.

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No, not that Sony
Jun 28, 2009 1:53PM PDT

It's so old, you'll be lucky to get it new. If you can, great. Just don't pay too much for it. My opinion, if you're paying over $100 for it new, then it's too much, considering you can get a 120GB hard drive player for just over $200 (if you look hard enough, otherwise in general $229-$250). Also, it uses SonicStage to transfer music, like iPod/iTunes. Sony doesn't even require it for their new players anymore.

Creative Zen Vision M is a great player, but also old. But if you can get it new and cheaply, great. If it's used, you're probably going to take a hit on battery life and will probably need to replace it sooner rather than much later.

I know you're asking for a simple player with high capacity, compact, durable, and great battery life. You may want to consider modern mp3 players. With the capacity you're seeking, you're looking into flash memory territory. You'll have lighter and more compact players with pretty good battery life. Some players have memory expansion slots, so you can buy the highest capacity you can afford then make up the difference with a memory card. I do like the newer Sony players (I have a couple of last year's models). While durable, they don't have a memory expansion slot. Only their very newest touch screen model, the X Series comes in a 32GB (also in 16GB) and is fairly pricey - in line with iPod Touch.

You might want to take a look at Creative's flash players, the Creative Zen and the Zen X-fi. You don't have to use the video or other extra features. You'll get bettery run time if you don't, anyway. The 16GB Zen is reasonably priced on Amazon (the 32GB isn't). You can get the newer model 32GB X-fi for way less than the Zen.

16GB Creative Zen:
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Portable-Media-Player-Black/dp/B000UVBDRS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1246247290&sr=1-3

32GB Creative Zen X-fi:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CB0RT0/sr=8-1/qid=1246247092/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1246247092&sr=8-1

Good luck!