CALLING ALL AUDIOPHILES !!! Find me an mp3 player !!!

kirasuran on 17/11/2011 - 00:12
Last edited 17/11/2011 - 00:13

Hey guys,

I know there's a few audiophiles on here, so i'd like a hand with this conundrum of mine. I need a new mp3 player, doesn't have to be LITERALLY new. Basic criteria:

  1. 8gb min.
  2. Small form factor, and by small, i mean i want to put it in my pocket that may have a wallet in it too (but this can be downgraded to 3 if the player's other qualities far exceed its size OR if it is 'big' but thin.)
  3. Low price, and by low i mean i will not buy anything above 150, in fact i'm going for something under 100. Does NOT have to be brand new. Will buy second hand.

A short history, for those interested - this may help with your suggestions. My mp3 history basically can be summed up in one word: i………………RIVER !!!! HAHA not ipod no way in hell. But ok anyway, i've had irivers ONLY because back in the day, they had both design, form, function. They cost a fair bit but i was able to get around that. I like iriver because they have excellent sound boosting and their interfaces were simple and useable - i could do volume, change song/album/artist with my hand in my pocket.

So guys, i'm looking for something that fits the above 3 criteria, PLUS it has to have good sound reproduction. I just bought 2 pairs of MEElectronics earphones in a deal advertised on ozb as well, so i won't be using crappy earphones (well i dunno how good they are). Basically, i'm an audiophile-lite. I like my sound quality but i can't afford all the high-end stuff…

Hopefully you guys can give me suggestions ! Through my research, i've found common/popular brands these days are cowon and sansa. Thanks a lot for reading and for helping out.

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • punk on 17/11/2011 - 00:22
    +1

    cowon j3 (my main player) or sansa clip if you're primarily using it for the gym.

    iRiver were great back in the day (haven't kept up with them these days) and almost grabbed one until I got hold of the Zen Vison:M. I'm fond of creative and some of their new players are price decently but I am enjoying both the cowon and sansa players I mentioned above.

    actually scratch that, the J3 is probably out of your price range. you wont get that awesome player for anything under 150, let alone 100 dollars. Creative or the clip would probably be better regarding the price.

    The new Creative X-fi3 can be had for about 100 dollars (8gb) or the cheaper m300 can be had for around 80 dollars for the 16gb model. both small and fitting your criteria. I personally find the ui on creative players one of the better ones out there esp if you don't care for apple, itunes and its closed system.

    • kirasuran on 17/11/2011 - 00:34
      +1

      thank you very much, will look into creative !

      • punk on 17/11/2011 - 00:42

        no worries buddy, good luck! creative seem to have sales every now and then (i get their newsletter for the aussie online store). Also it seems the only way to get a hold of their players these days is online and if you want to deal 'locally' ,( if you haven't already heard of them) www.minidisc.com.au is always a good provider of players of any brand really. It's where I got my cowon though having just checked, they don't have the creative models I mentioned so best to check out the creative store or wherever else you may go for good prices.

      • A Banana4scale on 17/11/2011 - 01:15

        I've seen Cowon on OCAU for around $100

  • morphio on 17/11/2011 - 02:04

    +1 for Cowon. Can't go wrong with them!

  • Shaw on 21/11/2011 - 13:59

    http://au.store.creative.com/entertainment-devices-mp3-playe… + http://www.iibuy.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_free_shi…. Might not be the best MSD card, but it's cheap, isn't that what we are all here for? That gives 20GB, or you could get the 8GB model for an extra $20 and have 24GB, or another 16GB card for $20 and have 36GB. You could also get a 32GB card http://www.iibuy.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_free_shi…, $47.95, so in all that would cost you $92.90. Not bad for, effectively, a 36GB tiny mp3 player, that would fit in your wallet!

    EDIT - And it is tiny too!
    EDIT - Found a card nearly as cheap but with free shipping, shipping is expensive ;).
    EDIT - Added 32gb link also.

    • kirasuran on 21/11/2011 - 23:55

      wow impressive mate, thanks a lot ! seems like creative is the way to go these days ?

    • illusionarybreeze on 22/11/2011 - 04:27

      wow…Creative is still around? I still remember when they had that thing that looked like a cd player called the nomad

  • Snail on 22/11/2011 - 00:41

    I know you didn't want ipod, though I can't help thinking that if I were in your position, I'd get ipod nano at $149. It's 8gb and it's incredibly small and great design.

    • kirasuran on 22/11/2011 - 01:47

      thanks but:

      1. it's an ipod
      2. it costs 149 whereas the setup mentioned by the previous post can be about 50$ cheaper, and i'm trying to keep under 100
      3. as above, less storage.
      4. sound reproduction is non-existent
  • Darkshrimp on 22/11/2011 - 20:40

    Seeing as you're after sound quality, I can definitely vouch for creative's sound quality abilities. Had an iRiver myself, but that was way back in the days.

    So yea, have a good look around the creative website :)

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