Media Player Recommendations

Umbran · Jun 14, 2010

I don't typically pick up a new gizmo, technology, or device until I have a clear need for it. So,as of now, I don't own a portable digital media player, as I haven't needed one. My work commute pattern is about to change, and I expect an mp3/media player may now be a good thing.

Now, I could do the easy thing, and just by the ubiquitous iPod. But what is the fun of tech if you don't be a bit of a gearhead about it, and do research?

So, some of the requirements:

1) I don't expect I need more than about 8-16 GB of storage on the device.

2) I don't have any real desire to watch video on the thing.

3) An FM tuner on board would be a feature I'd use fairly regularly, if present.

4) I expect to use the thing for music, audiobooks (from my public library, mostly) and I would expect to explore the podcast space some - devices that allow me to *not* shuffle spoken-word materials in with music would be a good thing.

5) I'm not expecting to be a big user of iTunes for purchasing music (thus, maybe I don't need an iPod, specifically).

6) As a new user, I don't really want to lay out huge amounts of money for the super-slickest thing on the market. I want solid performance, but I don't need cutting edge.

Welverin · Jun 15, 2010

Umbran said:
1) I don't expect I need more than about 8-16 GB of storage on the device.

I thought that before I got my iPod, now I that I have one and have all of my music on it, plus other stuff, I'd never want to deal with something so small.

5) I'm not expecting to be a big user of iTunes for purchasing music (thus, maybe I don't need an iPod, specifically).

No, but it's no reason to avoid one either.

It's always surprising when I hear some think they have to buy music from iTunes in order to use an iPod.

Umbran · Jun 15, 2010

Welverin said:
I thought that before I got my iPod, now I that I have one and have all of my music on it, plus other stuff, I'd never want to deal with something so small.

I'm not planning on doing "other stuff" beyond the stated. No call for video at this time. The audiobooks will come and go. I bought my wife an iPod classic with 80GB storage on it, and for over a year after buying it, she was running down around the 10% mark. She's surpassed that now, but has come nowhere near filling the thing. I expect to use the a player somewhat less than she does. Thus my estimate. As an initial foray into the tech, I don't need more than 16 GB, and can probably live well with 8GB.

I am not expecting this to be the end-all, be-all of media players for my life, you see. Things break, batteries wear out, tech changes, needs change. When one of those things happens, I can get a new device. It isn't like those changes will be a crisis that I have to plan ahead for.

No, but it's no reason to avoid one either.

In general, features you don't need cost money you don't need to spend. The iTunes store is effectively a feature of the iPod that I don't need all that much.

IronWolf · Jun 15, 2010

It might be worth looking at the SanDisk players. They used to be well recommended as an iPod alternative and several of their models come with an FM tuner I think. It has been awhile since I have been in the market for an mp3 player, but it might at least give you something else to research a bit as you look.

ssampier · Jun 15, 2010

I own an Ipod Classic (hard disk player), a Sansa Clip 4 GB , and iPod Nano. I use the Nano far more often.

The Sansa clip is a nice tiny player, about the dimensions of a small matchbox, but much thicker. It does include a small FM tuner and it works well, but I honestly never use it. I think it blows the old iPod Shuffle out of the water, but doesn't really compare to the Nano. I haven't used the new Shuffle.

Sansa Clip MP3 Players

The real question is: are you a fan of iTunes or Windows Media Player? How do you feel about WMA? iTunes auto converts any WMA file it finds--except for the protected WMAs.

The next question are about budget and physical size. Are you using this while jogging/running or cycling? Or in the car with a mini-DIN attachment?

How big is too big? Or too small?

How picky are your ears? Obviously you can always use aftermarket headsets and mini-DINS on nearly all the units, but some players are more audiophile than others.

How much gearhead do you want to be? Have you hacked your TiVo or loaded Tomato on your router? If so, I'd recommended an iPod so you can load Rockbox.

Additionally, do you want it to do more than play music? Ipod Touches are awesome since they play music and can organize with calendars, track appointments, play games, and use the web.

My personal opinions
I like the iPod because it seems really suited for music playing. All the other players I tested were good at everything else. Second, I really like all the iPod accessories available. Additionally, I don't mind iTunes. I preferred the old MusicMatch software (which was purchased by Yahoo and ruined) and iTunes is a solid B. I really don't like Windows Media Player.

Finally, a more subjective measure, the iPod seemed to have a fit-and-finish I like.

Deset Gled · Jun 16, 2010

Veering away slightly from your original plans, have you looked into the Kindle? New versions have an MP3 player built in and support some podcasts. If your main interest is books in audio format, it also has a function called Read-To-Me that will convert digital books to audio (it's not going to be as good as some of the professionally recorded stuff, but it's better than MC Hawking).

I don't think the Kindle is a true replacement for a portable music device, but based on what you plan to use it for it may be a much better value than an iPod.

Thornir Alekeg · Jun 16, 2010

Umbran said:
4) I expect to use the thing for music, audiobooks (from my public library, mostly) and I would expect to explore the podcast space some - devices that allow me to *not* shuffle spoken-word materials in with music would be a good thing.

I have an iPod Nano, and it handles this very well. Podcasts are in a separate directory from the home menu. Audiobooks are a subdirectory under the Music directory, but you don't shuffle from that menu, you have to drill down another layer, so audiobooks are still separated.

I've only owned iPods so I cannot speak to other players, but from the sounds of it, the Nano hits every mark on your list, other than perhaps the "huge money for the super-slickest item," since the Nano I think does tend to be a little more expensive than other alternatives, but I would not call it "huge money."

Umbran · Jun 16, 2010

Thornir Alekeg said:
I have an iPod Nano, and it handles this very well.

My research (based in part on what folks have said here, leading me down several avenues) is now pointing me at either an iPod Nano, or one of the Sony Walkman models.

ssampier · Jun 17, 2010

As long as you don't mind iTunes you should be quite happy with an iPod Nano. If you have some spare time, try it out at a store, preferable an Apple store. I purchased mine at a local Walmart and I regretted it; the cashier didn't give me any special attention. Buying the iPod at Walmart was exciting as buying some tube socks. The worst part is I only saved about $9.

Just make sure your local library support your iPod, some use that service that works on everything but iPods.

As for Sony, those guys are still around? Oh yeah, they made my PS3.

Merkuri · Jun 17, 2010

I picked up a refurbished 2 GB Sansa Fuze for ~$40 a few months ago to replace my iPod Shuffle, and I'm reasonably happy with it.

It will automatically separate your media into songs, audiobooks, and podcasts (based on genre or folder location). It has FM radio. It can play video, but I've been told it's not good at it and I never use that feature. It can record radio and from a tiny microphone on the device. It can take microSD cards to expand its memory. I put a 2 GB card in mine to double the space, and I don't even use the whole 4 GB.

I wasn't completely happy with the way it handled podcasts at first. With my iPod Shuffle I was used to putting all of my podcasts in a certain order, switching back and forth between several podcasts (1 episode of this, 1 episode of that, 4 episodes of the other, repeat) but the Fuze separated all of the files into their own podcasts, not letting me set up a play order that went back and forth between them.

I worked around this by using MediaMonkey and a script. I would put the podcasts on a playlist, order them however I liked, and then I'd run my script which changed the album on all the files to "PodcastList" (so the Fuze thinks they're from the same podcast) and set the track numbers to follow the order I had set. It works great for me now.