Ipod Suggestions

ColoradoSkiCountry · April 26, 2008

Well the time has come, I'm tired of carrying around my Sony Walkman Cassette player.

I am not a heavy music listener, but am more into talks on tape, books on tape, religious speeches on tape, and such. I have quite the collection here at home and intend on converting allot of that stuff into the MP3 Format so that I can d/l and listen to on a Ipod. Since I don't know a dang thing about them I'm looking for advice.

What are the best brands of MP3 players?

What features should I be looking for?

Do they make AM/FM/MP3 combinations? (MP3 player that also has an AM/FM radio option, for those like me who like to listen to the Saturday morning auto and home and garden talk shows while doing yard work or work on the truck)

Thanks!

Ranger · April 26, 2008

Most MP3 players I've used (I personally have an iRiver 20gb I barely use nowadays) have an AM/FM capability...Not personally a fan of the Apple ipods, I don't like their controls very much and don't like Apple in general....Funny since I'm considering getting a used one to throw in my glovebox and connect it to my nav system so I can select and listen to my MP3s.

peteking · April 27, 2008

Well the time has come, I'm tired of carrying around my Sony Walkman Cassette player.

I am not a heavy music listener, but am more into talks on tape, books on tape, religious speeches on tape, and such. I have quite the collection here at home and intend on converting allot of that stuff into the MP3 Format so that I can d/l and listen to on a Ipod. Since I don't know a dang thing about them I'm looking for advice.

What are the best brands of MP3 players?

What features should I be looking for?

Do they make AM/FM/MP3 combinations? (MP3 player that also has an AM/FM radio option, for those like me who like to listen to the Saturday morning auto and home and garden talk shows while doing yard work or work on the truck)

Thanks!

iRiver is a good media player, so is Microsoft's Zune MP3 player. (both get good reviews) I have an iPod and happen to enjoy it. Its controls are easy to use and overall the computer program that comes with it is quite user-friendly. However, bear in mind that when you buy an iPod....you are paying for the brand name. They are expensive.

I recommend browsing on Consumer Reports before making a decision. They do make media players with radio capabilities. I doubt you'll have any trouble finding one. Features to look for? Ease of use, battery life, storage space (anything below 4 Gigabytes is laughable nowadays). Good Luck!! And wherever you go to buy one...don't go to a Best Buy store...their profit margins are rediculously high...

carneyman · April 27, 2008

I got a Microsoft Zune, 30 gb for $150 about 2 weeks before christmas. I like it because I am able to transfer music and keep the quality of it, compared to ipods, which go for quantity instead of quality. IMO, the zune keeps better quality than ipod, even when just using the headphone jack with the zune and the actual ipod connector with the ipod. Plus the zune can connect to your wireless network to transfer music. Oh yeah, it has FM too (not sure about AM...never use it).

SoCalChris · April 28, 2008

The really nice thing about ipods is the ability for car stereos to interface with them directly. One cable can control the ipod directly, charge it, turn it on and off with the truck, etc... Few other players have that capability, and none have as many integration options as the ipod.

Having said that, if that level of integration isn't important to you then the ipod won't offer much extra that you can't get cheaper from other brands.

Z71Adrenaline · April 28, 2008

I have an iPod Video 30GB that I bought last summer. I really like it, but almost wish I would have gone for the Microsoft Zune just to have something different and so that I wouldn't have to use iTunes.

The 80GB version of mine is now the same price as what I paid last July so they're definitely a better deal now. I didn't like the iPod Nanos because of the tiny screens, but I have bad eyes so that is mostly personal preference.

Indy · April 28, 2008

Don't buy an Apple iPod. They are designed to fail in just over a year. My daughter has had hers replaced twice just before the warranty was up and the third one is now screwed but they will not replace it again. I know of many, many people with similar experiences. With iPod you are paying for the name.

By the way, I still use my Sony cassette Walkman which has been brutalized through about 10 ski seasons and still works great.

Chestah · April 28, 2008

I would think the Ipod itself doesn't have as much an adverse effect on the quality of the music as does the bitrate (kbps) of the mp3's that you transfer to it. Of course the earplug headphones are as close to your ears as you can get, making imperfections a bit more noticeable.

I don't own an Ipod, a few of my friends do but none of them used them as much as they had originally intended. I chose the middle ground and bought a Sony Ericsson W950i. It has 4GB, came with great earphones, and is a pretty decent phone.

Zembonez · April 28, 2008

Although I am not a huge fan of MP3s in general, your use of spoken word, sermons, and the like is probably perfect for a solid player. The best ones I have seen are the Creative Zen models.

Here's a link to their website: CREATIVE

Here's another site that I buy a ton of stuff from. They have good prices and very reliable service: NEWEGG

Happy hunting man!

omegafiler · April 28, 2008

Other than having a million accessories and lots of integration with factory and aftermarket car stereo's, there is absolutely nothing good about an Ipod. Oh, well it is popular.

There are tons of other alternatives out there. Creative, Microsoft, IRiver, etc. Many of which are better quality, cheaper, play way more formats, and as a result, give you a lot more options as to where you want to get your music/videos. You know, more than one.

So yeah, take your pick, and enjoy!

thecraft · April 28, 2008

Other than having a million accessories and lots of integration with factory and aftermarket car stereo's, there is absolutely nothing good about an Ipod. Oh, well it is popular.

There are tons of other alternatives out there. Creative, Microsoft, IRiver, etc. Many of which are better quality, cheaper, play way more formats, and as a result, give you a lot more options as to where you want to get your music/videos. You know, more than one.

+1

Zembonez · April 28, 2008

Other than having a million accessories and lots of integration with factory and aftermarket car stereo's, there is absolutely nothing good about an Ipod. Oh, well it is popular.

There are tons of other alternatives out there. Creative, Microsoft, IRiver, etc. Many of which are better quality, cheaper, play way more formats, and as a result, give you a lot more options as to where you want to get your music/videos. You know, more than one.

So yeah, take your pick, and enjoy!

Very true. The market is evolving and improving at a pretty fast clip.