whats the best mp3 player?

[Atchnek]

I am looking to buy a mp3 player no bigger than 5GB hard dirve on it. I have been told that the ipod is the best out there but it also $300. Can anyone suggest a good player for no more than $200, and no bigger than the Ipod.

Any advise at all would help. maybe i shouldn't even go for one with a hard drive but with the memory sticks, I dont know.

 

[Maleficus]

Id tell you to get the Intel Pocket Concert its only 128 meg but thats plenty fo rme and i really like it.

The only problem is Intel stopped making em.

 

[mpitts]

The iPod rules.

You can get a 5GB refurb from Apple's website for $199 from time to time. I have the 10GB and it is awesome.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

How about a refurb iPod for $199 from the Apple store? Once you go iPod, you never go back! There is nothing else out there that is as nice an overall package as the iPod IMO. Although the ones for $199 are Mac models, the software to reflash the Mac iPod as a Windows iPod is readily available and works perfectly. I have a 10GB one (I bought the "old" version on closeout from MacWarehouse for $299 with a nice leather case), and it is a treasure. I use all day in the office, then take it to the gym. It has most of my record collection onboard, a huge step up from the 2 hours or so (at a lower bitdepth) that I could fit on my old Nomad II MG.

 

[Ketteringo]

Get a mini disc player! With the new NetMD ones you can record at 32x. Plus, each disc hold 72 minutes of quality MP3s (the new ones are 5 hours? I think thats low quality though) and only costs ~$1. Ive had my minidisc player for 2 years now and I have also had 2 mp3 players. They both sucked compared to my MD player (alebit they were not Ipods).

Just my $.02

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: ANY5546
Get a mini disc player! With the new NetMD ones you can record at 32x. Plus, each disc hold 72 minutes of quality MP3s (the new ones are 5 hours? I think thats low quality though) and only costs ~$1. Ive had my minidisc player for 2 years now and I have also had 2 mp3 players. They both sucked compared to my MD player (alebit they were not Ipods).

Just my $.02

This is probably a viable suggestion too. I looked at the NetMD players before buying my iPod, but I was gun-shy based on poor initial reviews. Now that the dust has settled, it sounds pretty clear that you need USB 2.0, which I don't have, for decent performance (in all fairness, I bought an Audigy to get Firewire for my iPod), and it sounds like the Sony software is very bloated (MM Jukebox, which the iPod installs, really sucks too, but I use the elegant Ephpod), but in other respects NetMD sounds really nice. I still love the iPod interface tremendously, and it is really nice having most of my record collection in my pocket - I remain very happy with mine, as are virtually all other iPod owners, but NetMD sounds cool as well.