What's your favorite MP3 player?

“Thanks for all the knowledge/opinions imparted thus far. Soon after I posted this I was unable to get online again to respond.


I like the idea of being able to charge up again "in the field" as well as being able to get radio. I'll have to reread this thread some more I think to narrow my choices down. I think I'm leaning toward the Creative Zen thingy.”

“Don't hate thrifty :)

Your just jeolous!
I put all my Doors cd's on it and I'[m listening at work.”

“Well, the search is over for me. This morning the boys gave me a birthday present from Jon. It's a 30G iPod. I'm so lucky!”

“I always took an FM radio hiking. REALLY liked it. Rock for the hard climbs, classical for the scenery. Reception would fade or change stations in fringe areas. Went FM digital which worked for many years. Have Sat radio in my car & home. Was thinking about portable Sat radio hiking when I got a cheap MP3 player. Worked great w/ no fade in reception. Also had FM (for weather/news) which picked up great in the high elevations. Now, I have a much bigger MP3 player w/FM”

“So now I am on a quest for good accessories. I like what Mata has where I could run it through my car speakers as well as the gadget that would allow me to recharge on the trail if necessary. I'll have to search for something like that for the iPod.”

“Hey ruby doobie I have one of those FM transmitters you are more than welcome to try. I bought one and then got a car with an mp3 plug in it.”

“I bought a sony walkman 512mb mp3 player about a year ago. I have been very satisfied with my purchase. It has a rechargeable batter that boasts 50 hours of playback (never really tested it to be sure but i hardly ever charge the thing), fm tuner and has a sweet looking "organic" screen. I always take it running(its tiny and has a waist/shirt clip) or to work out and am sure it would easily survive a week of extended use in the wild without worrying about recharging. More of a "grunt work" mp3 player when you want to save your expensive ipod for more civilized fare. Only thing is they don't seem to sell my model any more. They had this at circuit city- http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-Walkman-MP3-Player-NWE002BLUE/sem/rpsm/oid/158000/catOid/-12952/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Seems to have the same features(now with usb) except for the considerably less, yet great 28hrs of playback(maybe they overrated in my version?). I couldn't be happier with my purchase and would definately buy another one in the future over an ipod. It is a hardy little guy and the software is easy to use too-drag and drop magic. I could go on and on but to sum up: It is good”

“I like the FM tuner inclusion - my gym (probably most) have tvs that are set to certain FM stations so you don't have to read lips or CC while your on the treadmill or whatever.”

“tell your gym to get the little boxes that the sound runs through, then you just plug your headphones right into the equipment that you're working on, it's rather convenient.”

“Couldn't pass up Smokygirl's deal at Circuit City.

I just ordered a Creative Labs 1GB Zen Nano Plus for $60 plus tax, free shipping.”

“Nigal, I'll take you up on your offer I think. I'll send you an email soon.”

“bison, thanks for the burn tip. itunes won't let you burn mp3 of purchased music, but you can burn audio, rip to mp3. :D”

“When I bought my player, I used these basics to choose.
1}. Use AA or AAA batteries, something I can change on the trail when 10 miles from the nearest charger.
2.) Flash memory based, no moving parts,lower power consumption and less weight.
3.) Accept SD memory (512 mb = 6.5 hrs approx. playtime mp3 @ 128kb) I use the SD chips instead of trying to program playlists on a hard to read screen.

I ended up with a Creative (can't remember the model) with which I've been very happy .
It weighs less than 2 oz. and plays 21+ hours (actual personal test) on a fresh AAA.

I avoid any device that enforces DRM. It's my music now and I'll do what I want with it!”

“I have 2 an Ipod and a Rio. The Rio takes 1 AAA battery. Thats what I use when I hike. The Ipod I use the rest of the time.”

“The single AAA battery was the main reason I got the one I have so I can change batteries on the trail.”

“me too. thats what I got the Rio for, and now I have a 2 gig card for it.”

“Gathering collections, looks like I have 14G of music on my 30G ipod. No choice in unit for me, it was a gift couple of years ago.”

“I think I'm gonna love the video aspect of my iPod. I downloaded Season 1 of Lost to watch while on the treadmill. The clarity and color are really great on the screen. I'm pleasantly surprised.”

“I like my video ipod a lot. I sometimes watch tv when driving on a trip. The car transmitter thing that goes in my ciggy lighter puts the Ipod at a perfect spot for watching a show or movie and the road at the same time. Safe? Probably not much.

I also recently bought an ipod shuffle, the new version, for at the gym. I love this thing. It's super tiny, holds over 200 songs, no battery changing, and I don't have to spend another 30 bucks on something to use to clip it to myself, since that's included. You can use it as a random player, or make a long playlist and listen in order.”

“Got my Creative Labs 1GB Zen Nano Plus yesterday.
Been busy ripping my CDs into it.

I like the shuffle feature but it can be jaring at times. Nat Merchant followed by the Pixies can startle you up. ;-)

What download sites do you guys like best?”

“Limewire. :)”

“I did download Limewire last night. Have not downloaded anything, but man is there a boat load of crap out there.”

“Hey Nigal, could limewire be used if I wanted to send you some stuff?
Just person to person without making it available to all users?

I have not read any of the help files yet.
last edited: 1/18/07 2:15:48 PM”

“I don't know, I've never used it that way. Most people just sent it through IM I think.”

“A guy at work offered to fill up a 130 Gig portable hard drive with mp3s for me if I buy one.”

“Im finally getting on the boat...I'm asking Santa for an Mp3 for Christmas. Smiley..are you still pleased with the Zen?

I'm not very educated about these things...are they rechargable like a cell phone?”

“On Christmas of 05, I got a Philips 6Gb mp3 player, it's called the Go-Gear. I downloaded 2200 songs on it, it had an fm radio, you could download pictures on it and it had a voice recorder. I used it when I did my AT thru-hike in 06. I loved it. The only thing I did not like was the battery life. It was supposed to last 18 hours, but the most I got was 13, so I had to use it sparingly and recharged it every chance I got.
In Feb of 07 I was using it at work and it just stopped working. I really miss that thing. I am looking to buy another one now.”

“mildbill, check ebay out for one. I bought a 2GB Go-Gear about a month ago for 19.00 (included shipping). I had checked at the local stores and it was a lot more expensive”

“I have a 30 gb ipod and a 2 gb ipod shuffle. the 30gb one has terrible battery life, bordering on useless.

the shuffle on the other hand, seems like it never needs a charge. I pretty much only use it at the gym, which I go to about 5 times a week, sometimes 6. It seems like I only bring that thing in the house for a charge once every couple months.”

“I think Santa has settled for the Zen V”

“I haven't bought one for myself yet either. The kids have the 2 gig's I think. I'm looking into getting a MP3 phone. I'm not impressed with the I-Phone however. I'm more inclined to the Nokia 95 8G. It's $700 price tag is the limiting factor.

http://www.buy.com/retail/Product.asp?sku=206228941&SearchEngine=NexTag&SearchTerm=206228941&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15894
last edited: 11/25/07 4:35:36 PM”

“It's not an MP3, but it's cool www.laptopgiving.org”

“.....very cool piece of electronics...try to find one though but I managed to snatch one up from Best Buy online.....I think Microsoft has done very well with this version...my opinion, its an iPod Classic killer....now I can watch Heroes or Lost before I pass out in my tent....yee haw !!!”

“i was all excited about my zen, but i've had problems importing movies to it. I'm gonna have to play with the conversion software some more. Also i had to edit every single track included in 30 gigs worth of MP3's to make it show up right....


UGH....i kinda don't even use it now. I can't find a good armband for it, there isn't a good place to find accessories, and it has so much music i can't figure out what i want to listen too”