MP3 Players-Which do you have? Good or bad?

[tiv]

Okay, so I just did a bunch of research and finally purchased my MP3 player that I wanted.

I was after something that had expandable memory and that played music for the most part. I wasn't interested in if it could play video or not as watching small screens irritate my eyes. I was wanting something not too expensive and not too cheap. If I'd wanted something more expensive I'd probably had gone for the iPod or the Zune.

I ended up getting the Sansa Clip+ 8GB which can take up to 16GB SD cards.

Good:



I love the expandable memory on this thing. It can take up to 16 GB SD cards and, if I need to, I could just switch out cards a bunch, however, I've yet to even completely fill the 8GB on my MP3 player and I have 700+ songs already on there. The fact that I can switch out expandable memory almost gives me an infinite amount of space to put songs on for my MP3 player.
The battery also lasts a really long time. I've hardly made a dent in the battery's life.
It has really good sound and I can still hear it pretty well, even when the volume isn't up that high, which I like.
This MP3 player is really straight forward to use and it's easy to understand and get it working.


Bad:



Not really sure if this is considered bad or no--but it's irritating--the Sansa Clip+ doesn't seem to have a random option for the songs so it plays them in which ever order it seems to assign to the songs when using the 'play all songs' option.
The other bad thing about it is that the 'Home' button already got scratched up pretty soon after I got it. :/
Also, it doesn't seem to like .flac files and would lock up if one had been put on the MP3 player, so, for anyone out there looking to get one of these, be warned about that.

Would I buy it again?

Okay, you maybe don't need to have this on yours, but it could be helpful. Would you purchase your MP3 player again if given the chance?

I would, or I may consider one with a small screen so that I could watch little animations while the songs played. I enjoy my MP3 player and it gets the job done. It does what I want it to do.

Your MP3 Player?

So, what about you? Did you take time to pick out your MP3 player and, if so, what kind of criteria did you use when purchasing it? What did you want your MP3 player to do? Also--what's the good and bad of your MP3 player? If there's nothing bad that you can think of, say that. Does it have expandable memory?

If you used to have an MP3 player, and want to let us know about the good and bad about that one, please feel free to post about that as well.

This may turn into a good reference thread for anyone else considering purchasing an MP3 player. :3

Also, if you use something else as an MP3 player tell me why, what benefits does it offer why is it good or bad? Let us know!

No Flaming MP3 players:

Also, because this is a thread about the MP3 players that we have or had please know that this is not a flaming thread! Don't say things like 'OMG this MP3 player (one you've never owned) sucks!' or 'Why do you have that brand, it's a stupid brand'.

I'm looking for well thought out responses about MP3 players and why they're good and bad, not just 'This MP3 player is bad because it's sucks/is stupid'. :/ This is meant to help people find out about MP3 players and their pros and cons. Might help if someone is considering purchasing one as well.

So tell me about your MP3 player! :]

[Xeyuzio]

I use my PSP as an MP3, I like it because I can always expand its memory but the battery dies out everyday and I only play music in it, so I charge it at night. Not really much else to say, it's pretty when it plays music files though, it has many different things it show plus you can always use SenseMe which is really greatfor your mood and stuff. ;~;

[Nanobyte]

I use my iPod touch 32 GB 4th gen.

Pros
-Good OS, nice interface.
-Smooth graphics, retina resolution.
-Best touch screen I've ever used, takes up to 8 multi-touches at the same time, while only reacting to human skin or alike, it seems.
-Plays video, music, and games.
-Very long battery life (40 hours when used for music only). Infinite, unless you play apps non-stop. (Since you just put it in your dock when you go to sleep, to use it as an alarm.)
-Wi-fi to access internet.
-Bluetooth for local multiplayer etc. Can be used to use your iPod as a remote.
-32 GB is huge for me. I can store all my favourite songs on it.
-Playlists, shuffle, albums, tracks, and artist choices of playing.
-Cool iOS apps.

Cons
-Apple tracks you. (Or so the rumors say.)
-Lack of some good apps Android has.
-Glass screen temps to break for some people.
-No GPS satellite.
-The UI gets boring after a while.
-Apple limits the 8 GB models.
-Booting it up from power off takes ages. (But mine's almost always on.)

Bottom line:
My favourite music player, with HD sound and great music options. Absolutely love it. Would definately recommend it. Also nice if you want to check your roster online and to check the weather. Or for when your phone battery is dying.

[Souhi]

I'm a lover of mp3 players, and am a bit sad to see the dedicated mp3 player take a backseat to the smartphone/do-it-all handhelds of today. That aside, these are what I own today.

Creative Zen Vision: M (http://static.trustedreviews.com/cb2390%7C2315_2440-1105.jpg)

My baby for most of high school. It was nice being one of the 3 people in school that didn't have an iPod (nothing against those 3/4/5 gens. Great little players).

The Good:

- I don't care what anyone says, I loved the look of this thing. Blue backlit buttons with a satisfying click, rounded edges and a relatively fingerprint resistant plastic shell. Felt good.
- 320 × 240 video playback and the ability to output with an ordinary A/V cable. GREAT feature for 5-6 years ago.
- Good screen, great video playback.
- File type support was amazing for videos, not bad for audio
- 20+ hours of audio and about 3 hours of video. Pretty solid.
- FM radio, programmable presets
- Voice recorder
- Ability to use up to 16g as an external hard drive (great little ability before everyone and their mother got thumbdrives)

The Bad:

- The player did give off kind of a toy feel with the plastic back in comparison to the metal and brushed metal of some other ones at the time. Also a bit thick,
- The plastic cover of the player isn't bad with fingerprints but is excellent at tracking scratches. Mine looks rather battered since I removed it's case.
- Hard drive player, pretty much a dying breed against flash players. Loose parts, rattles when searching for files, bound to die at some point.

Bottom Line: I still love this big guy and replace the battery when it needs some extra life. Great player for it's time.

Last year I got an iPod Touch 2G (http://assets.gearlive.com/blogimages/gallery/ipod-touch-2g-unboxing/006-ipod-touch-2g-unboxing_medium.JPG) (refurbished) model for a really good price.

The Good:

- Sleek, thin, elegant and surprisingly scratch resistant. People can say what they want, these players can shine as long as you treat them with care.
- Nice, big screen with great color and brightness.
- Above average sound quality, and really good video playback (although conversion for iPods reduces this to a novelty as always)
- Apps. Apps are really fun, useful and entertaining.
- Surprisingly useful web browser (helped me on clutch fact checking in lectures when I didn't have my laptop)
- Pretty good battery life
- Responsive touch screen

The Bad:

-Fingerprint magnet. You have to get a case or risk wiping at it constantly.
- Really expensive. Now this point can be somewhat contended, since iPods aren't just mp3 players any more. They're pretty much smartphones without the phone. Little computers. Still, I can get a 16/32gb Sony/Cowon/Sandisk etc player AND a nice pair of high quality headphones for the price of a new 8gb, current gen touch.
- Sound quality is...kind of meh. They're fine to the average ear, but I find them too "warm", which screws with the feeling of most of my converted music.

Bottom Line: Sexy fingerprint magnet. High $ to GB ratio, but if you're buying an iPod Touch you're getting way more bells and whistles.

I also own a Sansa Clip+ (http://kiathuang.com/data/sansa-clip+.jpg)! Got one 3 weeks ago on sale (with that new Clip Zip just released) and I love it. Surprising little audio power house in a thumb sized player. Not much left to be said! Great audio quality, surprisingly durable, the screen works wonders in sunlight, expandable memory offers even more bang for your buck and they're dirt cheap. Not afraid to lose it.

Seriously, don't underestimate these little things. They're widely regarded as the best < 100 dollar mp3 players you can find out there by audiophiles. If all you need is a music player for music and only music, go pick one up!

[tiv]

Thanks for the replies so far guys! All of this information is great to know! :]

Zey/Voca:

I keep getting more and more surprised by what can be used as an MP3 player. :] I had a teacher about 3 years ago tell me that they're going to start integrating things so much that you'll just have to buy one item that does everything and it really looks like it's heading that way, doesn't it?

As far as the PSP goes for an MP3 player, personally I wouldn't use it. Ours is in need of replacing anyway. Bad screen. :/ Bleh. But, beyond that I love a battery that will also last. Nice that it plays something for you to watch while the music is going, but that also might be what makes the battery drain so fast! XD

Amber:

Unfortunately, because of money issues on my end, I'd probably never get the Touch. Not that I haven't looked at it. <<; Lol.

It seems like a lot of the pros will out weigh what cons there are, so that's always good. :] Besides, Apple almost always has some nice extras that you can get with what they sell anyway.

I did notice that the Android apps and the Apple apps were two completely different types, but you never know if they might release more in the future to stay competitive. :3

Souhi:

I'd never heard of the Creative Zen so I just took the time to look it up. The model I saw actually didn't look too bad either and I do like the design of it. It's got a fairly high rating on Amazon: 3.5 stars which means I'd consider it if I was going to purchase it and this one does state that it's got an SD slot which is also useful!

I've had good and bad experiences buying refurbished, but maybe if I was going to buy an iPod that would probably be the best way to go. :3

The unfortunate thing with anything that has a slick screen (especially MP3 players, cell phones, and so forth) is that they tend to be fingerprint magnets. I have to keep wiping mine off on my jeans to get rid of them. xD

Another person with a Sansa Clip+! I'm very happy with mine and I was also impressed with the star rating on Amazon too! I think it was something like 4.5 stars or something oddly high. Even the iPod Classic, which is what my girlfriend has, has 4 stars and for something so inexpensive, I couldn't help but think that a lot of people must really have liked it to rate it so high. :]

Nice thing is as that they're so small and they can clip almost anywhere, so they're easy to take along!

Great posts everyone! Keep them coming! I'm really enjoying finding out about the different MP3 players and I'm sure other users will find the information useful as well! :3

[Light Buster]

I have an iPod Nano, 8GB.

[tiv]

I have an iPod Nano, 8GB.

What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Are you happy with it or do you wish you had a different MP3 player? :3

[Archaic Devices]

I don't own an mp3 player/ipod/whatever. I usually just hum music/sing it in my head, or radio in the car.

[Light Buster]

What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Are you happy with it or do you wish you had a different MP3 player? :3

What I like about it: Small, good portability, is video compatible...

What I dislike about it: ...though I don't use it, small space, can break easily if I wanted to.

I plan to replace it soon but I'm cool with it for now...

[Cantelope]

I use my phone, a Samsung Galaxy S 4G. The phone comes with a 16 GB microSD card, which is enough to hold about half of my total music library, and leaps and bounds more than I need to store the music that I actually listen to.

Not sure what else to say, plays music just fine; and I can play Pokemon, take calls, browse Facebook, or whatever else while jamming out to my tunes so I'm happy.

[tiv]

Arran/Loki:

I think we often forget about listening to the radio. My Sansa Clip+ did come with a radio feature which I should actually try out! But listening to the radio in the car is always great to keep you awake.

Light Buster:

Yeah, the Nano is slightly small. There's a lot of iPods or other MP3 players that are larger now and another string of MP3 players that are built for being portable. If you're looking to replace it, you might consider getting an MP3 player that as an SD card slot so that it can carry more than just a set amount of music. :]

Cante:

You must have a huge music library! But you could also get a second 16GB card and switch them out to your other half of the music library too, if you felt so inclined.

I've noticed that a lot of people have started using their phones as MP3 players and I've been considering using my new phone as an MP3 player as well, as it also has a SD card slot because then I would only need to carry around one item, my phone, to do both.

[Cantelope]

It's definitely convenient having one device be able to do nearly anything you want to do, from anywhere. Also, if I really wanted all my music on my phone, I'd just buy a 32 or 64 GB microSD card lol. I need room for apps and my anime of course, so 32 would be stretching it. In any case, at the moment, cycling tracks isn't much of a hassle, since every rotation gives me about 1000 songs that I'm not bored of.

[Ezza Obsuna]

I have an iPod Touch with 32gb capacity. I don't really need it but my boyfriend gave it to me for our 2011 anniversary. I usually just play songs using my mobile and PSP. I have lots of mmc's for both so capacity is not really a problem.

[Captian Jack sparrow]

for mp3 players i find that a RCA M4308 which is a video and mp3 player with am/fm and it only cost me 60 bucks and has 8 gigs much better than my i-pod.