Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

trying to find a player to fill Archos' Studio 20 big shoes

by metukio Jul 31, 2007 7:52AM PDT

Hi all,

I've bought my Archos Jukebox Studio 20 several years ago from Ebay, used. For the past year or so it has been having problems - the screen tends to show gibberish and then all text disappears completely, at some point it started freezing after some play time and had to be shut down and turned on again, and today it refused to even turn on, making strange noises on the headphones while at it.
I've been thinking of buying a new player for a while now, but I have some demands that no player seems to be able to fill:

1. Size - has to be over 20 GB (my Archos is almost full).

2. Simplicity - I can't stand having to use another program to upload and download files to my mp3 player. I want a player that, like the Archos, can simply be plugged in and be recognized as another drive on the computer. I also want it to play any mp3 file on it, as sorted by file names and directories, without relying on id3 tags or anything like that.

3. Durability - it has to be tough, though that is not as important as the above, since I think most players are sturdy enough for my kind of use.

4. Price - I want something in the area of 100$-200$, but will go up to 300$ if no other choice presents itself.

Video, photo, radio and recording capabilities are not in the least bit interesting to me. They might be an added bonus, but by themselves aren't a winning argument.
Anyone has any ideas?

Discussion is locked

7 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details
- Collapse -
Stay with the Archos
by cjohnbrown Jul 31, 2007 1:12PM PDT

Archos is about to release the 605 which while filled with alot of extra also has and fits all the criteria you asked for. I have the achos av500 and while I have not had a problem the last two year I think I just really want this upgrade. Check out www.archos.com and the forums at www.archosfans.com

- Collapse -
Will it survive?
by metukio Jul 31, 2007 4:14PM PDT

What makes me a bit afraid about the new Archos models is the fact that they have a large touchscreen, which obviously makes it a weak spot. Do you have any experience with this? Do they have any rigid case to protect them?

- Collapse -
Should be okay
by cjohnbrown Jul 31, 2007 4:34PM PDT

I have never owned a touch screen archos but that is because the one I want doesn't come to America till late August. But I have not heard any problems with the 604 model. The case that I have seen covers the entire player very well and will be good for protecting the screen. They also have third party case that are pretty good. you may actually like the 404 series which has the same memory, but is smaller, without touch screen and wifi. Check out http://www.archos.com/products/video/archos_404/index.html?country=global&lang=en and http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/archos-404-30gb/4505-6499_7-32028044.html?tag=prod.txt.1 the price is better and maybe better suited for you needs but I will be waiting for the 605.

- Collapse -
I'm starting to think I won't have much choice
by metukio Aug 1, 2007 1:11AM PDT

Looks like the only alternative to the Archos Jukebox is a newer Archos Jukebox...
From what I've seen there isn't much difference in price between the 604 and the 404, so I might as well go for the 604, and have a larger screen with better resolution. Do they both come only with the 30GB hard drive?

- Collapse -
Both Come 30gb
by cjohnbrown Aug 1, 2007 1:22AM PDT

Both come in 30 but the 605 has a 80gb for an addition $50 and 160 for and additional $100. And the 04 line has the 504 which I believe has a 80gb hard drive. The 04 line should have some good deals out now because of the new 05 line coming soon. I do not know your usage style but I should let you know that the 504 is a little bit heavier and the 604 I think has a 100gb version.

- Collapse -
Thanks a lot
by metukio Aug 1, 2007 1:47AM PDT

I got a lot of important information here.
Again, thanks.

- Collapse -
No Problem
by cjohnbrown Aug 1, 2007 1:57AM PDT

If you have any other questions let me know.

Back to Headphones & Mp3 Players forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info