new mp3 player advice please

Hey everyone! My old Archos player is dying and I need a new MP3 player so I am asking for advice. I mostly use my current player in the car because the battery won't hold a charge anymore (thank you cigar lighter adapter) so size isn't really that important. I am looking for:

at least 30 GB of disk space

would rather have a traditional HD (hard disk) that SSD (solid-state disk) for price

playing videos would be nice but not a deal breaker

Price is a factor

I want really good audio quality (I paid for good aftermarket speakers and a system so I want to get the most of them, and I can tell a difference)

I don't buy songs online because I prefer having the actual CD in case my electronic collection is corrupted. So any included online store isn't that important

I don't have any good/bad thoughts concerning an IPOD. If that is the best for me than that is what I will get. However I won't buy one simply because it's "APPLE" or an "IPOD". I've been looking at the refurbished IPOD classic at the APPLE website and it looks pretty good (it can play regular mp3's, right?). I've also looked at a refurbished Archos 604 wifi.

Any help/advice would be great, especially about other products/companies. Have a great day!

Well, I'd imagine a lot will tell you to go iPod. Much like if you were asking about headphones people would blab about their Bose headphones.

Well, while both of those are ok, and iPods have a well designed, you likely don't care about that. :)

I say...that refurbished Archos 604 could do you well. I wish I could point you in more directions, but in reent years companies have shied away from products with a lot of storage capacity, leaving only Microsoft and Apple having decent sized hard-disks with a decent price tag.

Do you listen to MP3 files, FLAC or OGG, usually? How much is your budget?

Creative's players have equal sound quality as Cowon and Archos usually, and their Zen models are hovering between $200 and $250 depending where you look. They've got 32GB and are pretty solid machines.

Cowon's A3 is amazing, but likely out of your range at around $450-ish, I think.

Hey everyone! My old Archos player is dying and I need a new MP3 player so I am asking for advice. I mostly use my current player in the car because the battery won't hold a charge anymore (thank you cigar lighter adapter) so size isn't really that important. I am looking for:

at least 30 GB of disk space

would rather have a traditional HD (hard disk) that SSD (solid-state disk) for price

playing videos would be nice but not a deal breaker

Price is a factor

I want really good audio quality (I paid for good aftermarket speakers and a system so I want to get the most of them, and I can tell a difference)

I don't buy songs online because I prefer having the actual CD in case my electronic collection is corrupted. So any included online store isn't that important

I don't have any good/bad thoughts concerning an IPOD. If that is the best for me than that is what I will get. However I won't buy one simply because it's "APPLE" or an "IPOD". I've been looking at the refurbished IPOD classic at the APPLE website and it looks pretty good (it can play regular mp3's, right?). I've also looked at a refurbished Archos 604 wifi.

Any help/advice would be great, especially about other products/companies. Have a great day!

Dawgs42

Ipods are evil... go for a zune... the 180GB ( i think :S ) are liek.. $250.00 or somethin

Oh my, I love watching those Bose commercials and then doing a search on their products! Sorry but no way can two speakers and a fake sub reproduce what my 6.1 system can! Sorry but no way (not trying to sound snobbish)! That's actually become somewhat of a hobby for me. If I'm up late I'll watch all these pathetic informercials and then search on the products the next day. The reviews are good for laughs and you realize why they generally aren't found in stores. But on to the subject...

I found the 604 wifi and the IPOD in the same price area, roughly about $165 (refurbished, which doesn't bother me), so I guess no more than $250. I bought my current model for $600 and then was ticked off when after only a few years the company wouldn't fix it. But oh well!

I mostly listen to mp3's that I have burned from my CD collection, I still prefer having the actual disks.

Ipods are evil... go for a zune... the 180GB ( i think :S ) are liek.. $250.00 or somethin

I used to think they were evil too because all the teenagers I work with wanted one just because they were the "it" thing, and I hate that! But if they sound good and are what I'm looking for I guess I'll just have to join the evil Apple empire then!

Well if you're looking for straight sound quality, the best you can probably get is a Creative Zen. They're not much, the battery life is great, and they have models with over 30 gigs. A 32 gig is $250 if you buy from them, but you can probably find it for cheaper somewhere else.krazykillaz

you could get a 80 gig zune for $229 with premium earphones, that are friggin awesome. the screen is huge, and beautiful.

so i say, go zune 80.

Oh my, I love watching those Bose commercials and then doing a search on their products! Sorry but no way can two speakers and a fake sub reproduce what my 6.1 system can! Sorry but no way (not trying to sound snobbish)! That's actually become somewhat of a hobby for me. If I'm up late I'll watch all these pathetic informercials and then search on the products the next day. The reviews are good for laughs and you realize why they generally aren't found in stores. But on to the subject...

I found the 604 wifi and the IPOD in the same price area, roughly about $165 (refurbished, which doesn't bother me), so I guess no more than $250. I bought my current model for $600 and then was ticked off when after only a few years the company wouldn't fix it. But oh well!

I mostly listen to mp3's that I have burned from my CD collection, I still prefer having the actual disks.

Dawgs42

I say, personally, it's the Archon without the warranty but better features, the iPod with a warranty but worse sound quality and less features, a Zune that has a warranty but slightly worse sound quality and less features, or the Creative Zen that has both but is a ways more expensive.

Go for the Zune 120gb or 80gb, they are both great and have a wifi marketplace, that for 15 dollars a month you can download unlimited music on the go or on the computer, it has the best user interface i have seen and I have use quite a few mp3 players and all of the different ipods, it has games, wireless syncing over wifi and the 80gb is only 199 bucks now but I would recomend to go for 120gb if you think you will rip movies, or put tv shows on there. I have run out on the 80gb. It also comes with a great pair of earbuds that are comparible in quality to a 40 dollar pair.Jacobistheman

[QUOTE="Jacobistheman"]Go for the Zune 120gb or 80gb, they are both great and have a wifi marketplace, that for 15 dollars a month you can download unlimited music on the go or on the computer, it has the best user interface i have seen and I have use quite a few mp3 players and all of the different ipods, it has games, wireless syncing over wifi and the 80gb is only 199 bucks now but I would recomend to go for 120gb if you think you will rip movies, or put tv shows on there. I have run out on the 80gb. It also comes with a great pair of earbuds that are comparible in quality to a 40 dollar pair.Jacobistheman

at least 30 GB of disk space

would rather have a traditional HD (hard disk) that SSD (solid-state disk) for price

Dawgs42

He probably wouldn't be looking for a 16GB flash based model, even if it is pretty spiffy :)

Just Get one of those giant ipods an screw it8)