MP3 Players
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Normally you'd take music that you have on your hard drive and transfer it to the mp3 player via USB.
Go to newegg.com and filter them by price and read user reviews - that should get you started on a decent one.
Nowadays most cell phones can be used as MP3 players, so I personally don't really see a point having to carry another device just for audio listening. I guess it just depends on how crazy you are about your audio.
Go to newegg.com and filter them by price and read user reviews - that should get you started on a decent one.
Nowadays most cell phones can be used as MP3 players, so I personally don't really see a point having to carry another device just for audio listening. I guess it just depends on how crazy you are about your audio.
You can get music from amazon, walmart, emusic, itunes.
I like DRM free MP3 but itunes has a better selection. emusic is cheaper and has a 35 free song trial.
You can also get podcasts for nothin', and rip the CDs you already have.
A while back amazon had last year model ipod touches for $140 but I see they jacked the prices up for xmas. The ipod touch also has wifi and a web browser, suprisingly fun.
I got my kid a color screen media player for $30 from big lots. It does video, mp3s etc, sounds good. Software is definitely worse than apple though.
I like DRM free MP3 but itunes has a better selection. emusic is cheaper and has a 35 free song trial.
You can also get podcasts for nothin', and rip the CDs you already have.
A while back amazon had last year model ipod touches for $140 but I see they jacked the prices up for xmas. The ipod touch also has wifi and a web browser, suprisingly fun.
I got my kid a color screen media player for $30 from big lots. It does video, mp3s etc, sounds good. Software is definitely worse than apple though.
I have an older Sansa 2 GB Mp3 player that I just plug into a USB port.
Then I go into my music folder and highlight a song then click copy. A window pops up and I locate the Mp3 player and copy to whatever folder I click in the player's memory.
My Windows XP shows the name of the player as well.
Then I go into my music folder and highlight a song then click copy. A window pops up and I locate the Mp3 player and copy to whatever folder I click in the player's memory.
My Windows XP shows the name of the player as well.
Recently my 5 year old 10 gb Toshiba MP3 player failed, and now I use my phone with an 8 gb memory card in it.
The sound quality is poor in comparison. The volume is too low. The menus are slow and hard to find what I want, and nearly impossible to do while driving.
Both were/are extremely simple to transfer music to. The Toshiba I could use WMP or the included software. With my phone I plug the Micro SD card into a USB adapter and just drag and drop folders.
I am looking at Sony X series or the Sansa Fuse + as replacements for the Toshiba. 90 to 120$ range.
I'm not a fan of I-tunes, and the original I-pod soured me on their Mp3 products even despite recent improvements.
The sound quality is poor in comparison. The volume is too low. The menus are slow and hard to find what I want, and nearly impossible to do while driving.
Both were/are extremely simple to transfer music to. The Toshiba I could use WMP or the included software. With my phone I plug the Micro SD card into a USB adapter and just drag and drop folders.
I am looking at Sony X series or the Sansa Fuse + as replacements for the Toshiba. 90 to 120$ range.
I'm not a fan of I-tunes, and the original I-pod soured me on their Mp3 products even despite recent improvements.
I use a 1G Sansa Clip. Bought it at Wal Mart 3 or 4 yrs ago for less than $30. Very small and light. Audio quality is very good. Has a sleep timer too.
I've copied a few music CD's, and audiobooks onto it, and use it for podcasts. I keep all the files on my HD, then copy over what I want to listen to. When space runs out on the Sansa, I delete files. File transfer is via a cable with USB on one end and mini-USB on the other. Very simple.
I've copied a few music CD's, and audiobooks onto it, and use it for podcasts. I keep all the files on my HD, then copy over what I want to listen to. When space runs out on the Sansa, I delete files. File transfer is via a cable with USB on one end and mini-USB on the other. Very simple.
I have two iPods (Shuffle and Touch), and I love them both. Of course, both require syncing with iTunes, which you may or may not like. IMHO iTunes works perfectly fine, so long as you're not determined to be disappointed by all things Apple. Some folks hate Apple and iTunes. To each his own.
I recently got two Sandisk Sansa Clips (2 & 4 GB) and a Sansa Fuse (2 GB) from Newegg. All were "refurbished", didn't cost much and work well. I'm very pleased with them.
Below are my experiences with the Sansa players.
If you're familiar with Windows Explorer and typical file systems, using Explorer is the way to go. The MP3s are first downloaded onto your hard drive. Then you open two Explorer windows, one on the hard drive, one on the MP3 player, then copy & paste the MP3s, from the hard drive to the MP3 player. Simple. You can also create playlists in the Explorer window open on the MP3 player by right clicking, it's one of the drop-down options.
The Sansas were loaded with sample music and by rooting around them in the Explorer window I learned generally where things go and how things are filed. It's not too complicated.
You may have to tinker with the USB setting on the MP3 player to get the computer to recognize it (this seems to be an issue with Windows XP). It's minor, just try different settings on the MP3 player settings menu.
Below are my experiences with the Sansa players.
If you're familiar with Windows Explorer and typical file systems, using Explorer is the way to go. The MP3s are first downloaded onto your hard drive. Then you open two Explorer windows, one on the hard drive, one on the MP3 player, then copy & paste the MP3s, from the hard drive to the MP3 player. Simple. You can also create playlists in the Explorer window open on the MP3 player by right clicking, it's one of the drop-down options.
The Sansas were loaded with sample music and by rooting around them in the Explorer window I learned generally where things go and how things are filed. It's not too complicated.
You may have to tinker with the USB setting on the MP3 player to get the computer to recognize it (this seems to be an issue with Windows XP). It's minor, just try different settings on the MP3 player settings menu.
I have a had several mp3 players since 1998 or so. My first one (an RCA that cost $150) took a 32mb compact flash card, and could only handle a 64 (at the time a 64mb card was $150). Had a Panasonic for a while that cost $277 and had a 64mb SD card. Had an iRiver back when they were popular. Had a Motorola.
For the past two years I've had a Sansa Clip 4gb. $35 is what it cost, half off sale from Best Buy. My wife had a 1gb iPod second generation Shuffle for a couple years that she hated (cumbersome to get music onto it). Paid $50 two years ago and just sold on ebay (in 1 hour after listing) for $30. We have a gift card coming from Best Buy that came with purchase of a game, and will use that gift card to put towards a 2gb Sansa Clip for her. Undecided to go refurbished or new at this point, depends on price difference.
As for connection and ease of getting music onto it, I really like the Sansa Clips. Just drag and drop music onto it using Windows Explorer or similar.
For the past two years I've had a Sansa Clip 4gb. $35 is what it cost, half off sale from Best Buy. My wife had a 1gb iPod second generation Shuffle for a couple years that she hated (cumbersome to get music onto it). Paid $50 two years ago and just sold on ebay (in 1 hour after listing) for $30. We have a gift card coming from Best Buy that came with purchase of a game, and will use that gift card to put towards a 2gb Sansa Clip for her. Undecided to go refurbished or new at this point, depends on price difference.
As for connection and ease of getting music onto it, I really like the Sansa Clips. Just drag and drop music onto it using Windows Explorer or similar.
My wife uses an old 2nd Gen ipod mini (4GB) in her car only - built like a tank, mostly metal, heavy and very durable - the battery is useless now, but works fine with the car charger. She sees no reason to upgrade. One can find used ipod minis very cheap on craigslist. I used Itunes and now, after getting Ubuntu, gtkpod software to manage it.
Sometimes we also use our blackberry Pearls to stream Pandora in the car - that works pretty well, too. They also take Micro SD cards which I have loaded with the same songs as her ipod mini using the blackberry sync software - I must say the BB has a very good sounding music player using the 3.5m HP jack.
Sometimes we also use our blackberry Pearls to stream Pandora in the car - that works pretty well, too. They also take Micro SD cards which I have loaded with the same songs as her ipod mini using the blackberry sync software - I must say the BB has a very good sounding music player using the 3.5m HP jack.
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I would normally recommend something like
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855616125
20dollars 4gb.. thats hundreds of songs usually.
small enough its not a big device to lug around.
if you want something with a big screen etc.. there are plenty of those too.
I have an RCA 10dollar special.. it takes a microsd card.
2gb onboard.. 8gb microsd, all day battery life on 1 rechargeable AA.. good enough for me.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855616125
20dollars 4gb.. thats hundreds of songs usually.
small enough its not a big device to lug around.
if you want something with a big screen etc.. there are plenty of those too.
I have an RCA 10dollar special.. it takes a microsd card.
2gb onboard.. 8gb microsd, all day battery life on 1 rechargeable AA.. good enough for me.
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Sony makes MP3 players that have very high ratings for sound quality. The 16GB walkman model can be had for around $130. Very nice.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Walkman-NWZS545RED-Video-Player/dp/B002IPHA3A
The Microsoft Zune player is great too. It has HD FM radio as well:
http://www.amazon.com/Zune-Video-MP3-Player-Black/dp/B002JPITXY
The iPod Touch is the most versatile option on the market. You can get any app you want to do just about anything you want along with the music/video playing, but you will be locked into Apple's iTunes way of doing business (unlike the two afforementioned option) and it costs more...
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-touch-Generation-NEWEST-MODEL/dp/B001FA1O0O
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Walkman-NWZS545RED-Video-Player/dp/B002IPHA3A
The Microsoft Zune player is great too. It has HD FM radio as well:
http://www.amazon.com/Zune-Video-MP3-Player-Black/dp/B002JPITXY
The iPod Touch is the most versatile option on the market. You can get any app you want to do just about anything you want along with the music/video playing, but you will be locked into Apple's iTunes way of doing business (unlike the two afforementioned option) and it costs more...
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-touch-Generation-NEWEST-MODEL/dp/B001FA1O0O
Speaking of high end MP3 players, add Cowon J3 to the list. Based on many reviews I've read, it beats anything Apple-made when it comes to sound quality:
http://www.amazon.com/COWON-Portable-Media-Player-Black/dp/B003JME32C
I used to have one of those Cowon/iAudio players some 5 years ago, and even back then, it sounded much better than an iPod I replaced it with. With Cowon, you get a fully customizable EQ and support for a multitude of audio and video formats, too.
http://www.amazon.com/COWON-Portable-Media-Player-Black/dp/B003JME32C
I used to have one of those Cowon/iAudio players some 5 years ago, and even back then, it sounded much better than an iPod I replaced it with. With Cowon, you get a fully customizable EQ and support for a multitude of audio and video formats, too.
That does sound like a good player, Pete. Pricey, though
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Pricey, though
Same price as iPod Touch 8GB that was mentioned above. Personally, when speaking about MP3 players, I'd rather have more storage space and superior audio than all the extra features of iPod Touch, but I suppose it all depends on one's priorities/preferences.
I'm not a big fan of iTunes either, although, there are other alternatives out there for transferring content to your Apple device.
Pricey, though
Same price as iPod Touch 8GB that was mentioned above. Personally, when speaking about MP3 players, I'd rather have more storage space and superior audio than all the extra features of iPod Touch, but I suppose it all depends on one's priorities/preferences.
I'm not a big fan of iTunes either, although, there are other alternatives out there for transferring content to your Apple device.
That Cowon J3 certainly seems to get good reviews. I really like the micro SD expansion slot 64 GB is a lot of potential storage. I found it very irritating when I would have to remove music to add new music when I had only 10 gb.
Sound quality is important to me. My friend has a Samsung P3 which is supposed to have superb sound quality. I could not tell any difference between it and my older Toshiba, may it rest in peace.
Many of my Friends who own Ipods would remark how much better the Toshiba sounded when hooked to the same stereo, and now that I'm stuck using my Pantech phone as an MP3, I cannot count on my favorite music to help chase away the FTW blues. It sounds like the speakers are placed behind a stack of wool blankets in comparison.
Too bad the Sony x series jumped in price since I bookmarked it 10 days ago. I'm still doing research on my next MP3, and the Cowon was formerly unresearched. Maybe on 12/26 the price will drop.
Sound quality is important to me. My friend has a Samsung P3 which is supposed to have superb sound quality. I could not tell any difference between it and my older Toshiba, may it rest in peace.
Many of my Friends who own Ipods would remark how much better the Toshiba sounded when hooked to the same stereo, and now that I'm stuck using my Pantech phone as an MP3, I cannot count on my favorite music to help chase away the FTW blues. It sounds like the speakers are placed behind a stack of wool blankets in comparison.
Too bad the Sony x series jumped in price since I bookmarked it 10 days ago. I'm still doing research on my next MP3, and the Cowon was formerly unresearched. Maybe on 12/26 the price will drop.
The sound of my "cheap" Sansa is pretty good with decent ear buds. The ones that came with it had foam ear cushions which allow more outside sounds to come through which I didn't like.
My wife bought me some brand name ear buds with rubber ear cushions that made all the difference in the world in sound.
It also has a basic equalizer, along with an FM radio.
If it quits tomorrow, I can't complain about it.
My wife bought me some brand name ear buds with rubber ear cushions that made all the difference in the world in sound.
It also has a basic equalizer, along with an FM radio.
If it quits tomorrow, I can't complain about it.
Thanks for the info . I have a good amount of choices . I also watched a few videos on getting music from youtube and putting it on a mp3 player . I like some of the hard to find older rock songs and cant find some of those recordings anywhere else .
www.grooveshark.com will have the music you're looking for.
there's quite a few music-scraping programs out there...
there's quite a few music-scraping programs out there...
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