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General discussion

Would you buy a player with no brand?

Apr 14, 2009 11:04AM PDT

I know the best audio player is ipod,and i want to buy one player,but i have no money to buy an ipod,so i have a question,can i buy an no brand player?And could you give me an advice,which one i can buy?I want to buy a 16gb mp4 player,it had better no more than $100.

Discussion is locked

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Well
Apr 14, 2009 2:11PM PDT

Depends what you consider best. iPod is more universal but it doesn't make it the best. There is Creative and Sony, and other big name brands out there that one might consider the 'best' because of their syncing softwares and the rights management on the songs (such as ipods not allowing people to transfer their songs to other iTunes).


Buying a no name brand... That can be a smart move but usually people buy named brands because the company has a reputation to keep so they will make (in my opinion) "better" products.

If I were you I would buy this: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10093621&catid=22815

I would spend a little more money for a named brand. Yes, it has less memory than you requested but it is a safer road to follow.

p.s. since that mp3 player does not support mp4 (from the specifications tab), you might as well use mpg.

Just a suggestions,
Frank.

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Too right !
Apr 14, 2009 5:20PM PDT

Don't get me started on iPod. Okay, briefly, it's a good player but obligatory iTunes synching software has me shouting at it. This isn't just me -- it's everyone I know who owns an iPod.

Unbranded -- I have 4 or 5 of them bought for a few bucks out of curiosity. Most work but have vile interfaces and controls.

I also have a Philips which is clearly based on the same technology as some of the unbranded models but it is easier to use and the Philips website is quite useful. That's the difference that spending more gets you.

Within your budget, look at Sandisk. Stretch your budget a bit and have a look at Sony.

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iTunes isn't ALL bad...
May 10, 2009 2:41AM PDT

...just mostly bad. Not so long ago it used to be a pretty decent app; then Apple had to make so bloated and ruin the stupid thing.

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AMP3 seems a option
Apr 16, 2009 9:54AM PDT

I was happen to read wibe introduction a hi fi mp3 player called AMP3, it is seems worth for your option for your non-brand player requirement for they clain the player is the firs Hi fi MP3 player in the audio history.

fuzhengyun

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Umm...
May 9, 2009 11:30PM PDT

By what standard do you consider the Ipod the best? Sony's, Creative Zen's, and Microsoft Zune's are all leaps and bounds ahead in sound quality. Sansa's offer better bang for your buck. Cowen's are better for video. And none of those force you to use Itunes!


As for the no-name MP3, i would buy it only as a stand over between "good" mp3 players, say if i broke mine and didn't have much cash.

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p.s
May 9, 2009 11:31PM PDT

by the way that 100 dollars will get you a nice Sandisk Sansa, forget the no-brand.

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mp3 players
May 17, 2009 1:21PM PDT

I have bought a couple off brand and they work fine. I use windows to copy then paste my music to the mp3 player. It was easy for me because once I got tired of what I was listening to I would delete the old and put a new play list on it.
John