The search for the perfect MP3 player

[alisbin]

hey mates,
not totally sure that this is the right place for this thread, seeing that its only peripherally audio related, but here goes anyway.
for years now i've been useing what i consider to be the best mp3 player available, the rio carbon. great battery life (27+ hours playback back when it was new 20-23 now), tiny, great sound and nearly 6 gig of storage.
however, my beloved player has finally given up the ghost beyond my ability to heal. i'm not keen on getting a factory recertified, my second carbon was recertified and it was the most problematic of the 3 i've had. and they make new ones anymore.
so, i'm putting out the call to all audiophiles out there to help me decide on the best mp3 player money can buy.
the requirements:
1 great sound quality (i've got fantastic head phones and it'd be a shame to put them to waste)
2 good battery life (20 hours play time MINIMUM)
3 6 gig minimum capacity, 8 would be better
4 fairly rugged
5 some sort of versatile scroll wheel (IE that works with volume, list scrolling etc)

i'm no fan of the IPod and i'd rather not get one, but i listen to music and audio books for at least 6 hours most days and sometimes upward of 10 so i really want to get the best one out there (if it happens to be an ipod).
so folks, bring on the opinions, horror stories, digital love affairs etc.

 

[zipperman]

Is this a computer player or a home stereo system ?

 

[bushwhacker]

hey mates,
not totally sure that this is the right place for this thread, seeing that its only peripherally audio related, but here goes anyway.
for years now i've been useing what i consider to be the best mp3 player available, the rio carbon. great battery life (27+ hours playback back when it was new 20-23 now), tiny, great sound and nearly 6 gig of storage.
however, my beloved player has finally given up the ghost beyond my ability to heal. i'm not keen on getting a factory recertified, my second carbon was recertified and it was the most problematic of the 3 i've had. and they make new ones anymore.
so, i'm putting out the call to all audiophiles out there to help me decide on the best mp3 player money can buy.
the requirements:
1 great sound quality (i've got fantastic head phones and it'd be a shame to put them to waste)
2 good battery life (20 hours play time MINIMUM)
3 6 gig minimum capacity, 8 would be better
4 fairly rugged
5 some sort of versatile scroll wheel (IE that works with volume, list scrolling etc)

i'm no fan of the IPod and i'd rather not get one, but i listen to music and audio books for at least 6 hours most days and sometimes upward of 10 so i really want to get the best one out there (if it happens to be an ipod).
so folks, bring on the opinions, horror stories, digital love affairs etc.

Have you tried the new IPhone ? They are all in one and they have 8 gb of flash memory.

Is this a computer player or a home stereo system ?

Uhh.. read again? Pick up the reading glass on your way to home, matey.

He is talking about the portable MP3 Player.

 

[SNGX1275]

iPhone's battery life sucks.

yep zipperman, portable mp3 player.

I can't really suggest because I don't know all that much about what else is out there. I did pick up a new 8 gig nano recently and it is fantastic, and it has 24hours of battery if you aren't watching videos. There are some programs that allow you more control over the audio output too. I'd link if I could remember where I read about it.

Don't worry though, I'm sure all the Apple haters around here will come through and tell you all about how awesome the Creative players are

 

[halo71]

alisbin...I can recommend the Zune. I have had mine since release date last year. Never had ANY problems with it except some compatiblity issues with Vista. But other than that I love it. Easy menus to navigate, plenty of storage (40 gigs) for me anyways. Great battery life, although you cant replace it yourself when it craps out. THe ear buds that come with it suck! At least when I bought mine.

 

[zipperman]

I'm just a PC user.

I can't help you there.Just ask around to your friends and try to
see some being used.Even strangers you see with one.
I don't know much about these,but would look for a rechargeable.
Buying batteries for everything these days can keep you broke.
I'm going rechargeable where i can.
I plan on buying a batteryless flashlight soon.A shaky shaky one.

 

[halo71]

Zip...lol....did you happen to see the posts above your last one?

 

[zipperman]

Yes

Zip...lol....did you happen to see the posts above your last one?

So ? I made my last comment.I can't help with this.
I would not be replying if you hadn't provoked me to.

 

[Stick'o ram]

I myself have a Zen Vision W 60gb, however thats probaly more that what you are looking for, and it dosen't have a scroll wheel. Maybe you can still snag a Zen Vision M, those are pretty durable and have a "scroll line" (Sorry thats the way that I describe it...)

 

[halo71]

Zip, I am sorry if I offended you!

 

[blim10]

I have the 8gb sony A810 player, I love it great battery life, amazing sound quality, the menus are neat and easy to navigate and it comes with good earphones for a change.