Just wondering if anyone has had experience with Dick Smith branded MP3/Video Players? The good, bad and ugly - please share!
I just saw an 8GB in their latest catalogue for $59.98 which I thought is an awesome price. However, I'm also happy to pay a bit more for brand (Phillips, Sony etc) if it means I don't have to deal with issues all the time.
http://catalogues.dse.com.au/portal/offerdetails/dick_smith_…
Cheers!
I purchased 16gb that had more features then ipod from oztion. It was only $60-65 dollars and they included wall and car charger for fast payment,Item was sent registered mail and arrived very fast. I will have to see who the seller was and post that later.
While I can't speak for their MP3 players, I've used other DSE branded devices and it's just a generic brand in my experience. Quality is fine but there can often be similar alternatives around. For an MP3 player I think you could usually get the same thing for a lower price at say DealExtreme - where there are plenty of offereings with many reviews, or even try Aldi.
This is very similar to the one i bought from the same seller on oztion in december.
16GB MP3 MP4 1.8" Slim 4th Gen Player FM Media Video BE(9275685)
Item number is 9275685 i think.
I had a number of "generic" type chinese based mp3/mp4 players and they are so difficult to navigate thru they just sit in the cupboard. You really need to get hands on an Ipod or something similar, - friends etc, then with that understanding go down to DSE and ask them to show you it operating, that way you can judge how go the interface is and how you interact with it. These are toys for enjoyment so if you get one that frustrates you, why buy it.
Completely agree (See above) as like you said, if it's hard to use, you're unlikely to get much enjoyment out of it. I've got an iPod but I've also got alternative players from Samsung and Sony which work equally well :)
Thanks for the comments guys.
I did end up buying the DSE MP3 player and absolutely no issues or complaints with it so far. I've always been an iPod user so the lack of the 'touch wheel' took some getting used to but other than that, I couldn't tell the difference as soon as I plugged my Sennheiser headphones in.
Guess I'll wait and see how long it lasts after the 12 month warrenty expires. :)
I would expect the audio quality to be fine, the Chinese have been producing mp3 players for over 10 years now and audio quality is more of a commodity than anything else - the chips that they produce for the purpose are very high quality and very cheap.
User interface, on the other hand…
The one I have seems to be fairly user friendly and predictable (I still haven't read the instructions). Not at all much different to navigating through an iPod IMO.
They generally have them on display and powered in their larger stores so I'd recommend going and playing around with them. Get a feel for the buttons as well as the menu and see what suits you :)