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Fozzy The Bear posted:I think those websites belong in the Audiophile Snake Oil thread, what am I missing? Amazon has $25 players with more memory, battery, and bluetooth... And yes, there's a four or five figure version of everything in audio, that doesn't mean you should buy it. qirex fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Dec 19, 2023 |
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Dec 19, 2023 22:35
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qirex posted:There's a reason those are $25 and it's usually because the software and interface is garbage. Also, all of them assume microSD cards for music storage. Look at the Shanling M0/M1S, Hiby R2 II/R3 II, all under $200. My ipod shuffle has built in memory, solid interface, itunes software (  ) and was under $80And that was 11 years ago!! e: Since I'm using bluetooth headphones, I think I don't need a lot of the high end features from some of these mp3 players. 4.4mm balanced audio? won't affect. headphone amp? won't affect. Fozzy The Bear fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Dec 20, 2023 |
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Dec 19, 2023 23:40
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11 years ago Apple could count on selling millions of iPods, these are low volume niche items now so they'll never even approach the economies of scale from back then. It sounds like you're going to buy some Amazon garbage anyway.
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Dec 20, 2023 19:58
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I've caved in and bought a couple of el-cheapo mp3 players on Amazon over the past 15 or so years; the brand is AGPTEK. They do what they say they do - lots of different file formats, internal memory, micro-SD slots, etc - and there's not really a problem for the first month or two. Then they start to work just a little less well. Buttons have to be pushed harder, or repeatedly, or held down. The battery life drops off a cliff. The screen develops dead pixels or weird brightness gradients. Eventually, I just stop even trying to use the device and it goes into a drawer and I forget about it. I had to go to Amazon and search for "mp3 player" to remember the unpronounceable brand name. Don't go for the cheapest option. Don't go for the second-cheapest, either - there are knock-off brands of knock-off brands all over this part of Amazon's offerings, churned out in their millions in tiny factories, mostly in China. Most of the bigger names in electronics have gotten out of the non-lunatic DAP game, with some exceptions at the higher price-points. Sandisk, for example, no longer makes mp3 players as far as I can tell (I might be wrong), but you can still buy new Sandisk players (I assume these are units that have been sitting in warehouses for years). Sony's Walkman line is still good, but can be hard to find for anything priced at less than $300. Like Sandisk, I assume any sub-$300 Sony Walkman unit has been sitting in a warehouse for a decade, if the ad on Amazon even leads to something claimed to be in stock. Hey, maybe you'll be lucky and the WHATEVERLETTERSIWANT brand 2008-iPod-knockoff will be actually worth the $80 you'll pay for it. Or maybe not.
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Dec 21, 2023 00:03
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Agreed - personally, after getting my Fiio M6 around three years and a half ago, I'm gonna stick with Fiio DAPs for as long as I can! It still performs great, just like the day I bought it. (Including the battery!) It also comes with a screen protector and a case/cover to protect the sides and back. Just a great product - well worth the price IMO. And it won't fall apart like an el cheapo, so if you can, I'd definitely recommend getting one
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Dec 21, 2023 00:32
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Major Isoor posted:Agreed - personally, after getting my Fiio M6 around three years and a half ago, I'm gonna stick with Fiio DAPs for as long as I can! It still performs great, just like the day I bought it. (Including the battery!) It also comes with a screen protector and a case/cover to protect the sides and back. Just a great product - well worth the price IMO. And it won't fall apart like an el cheapo, so if you can, I'd definitely recommend getting one I enjoyed my Fiio M6 for about a week, then managed to drop it in a mug of tea. RIP. Still have a iBasso DX50 that needs the power button sorted out.
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Dec 21, 2023 22:14
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I got an iPod classic and put rockbox on it and it's extremely needs suiting. Plays whatever and drag and drop in finder means I never need to interact w/ Music ever again. Battery life isn't as good as stock Apple though and the volume doesn't seem to step as linearly but maybe I'm imagining things
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Dec 24, 2023 06:03
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So, I know the answer is probably "get a phone with no SIM card" but I'd prefer not to do this, or if I must, I need some recommendations because phones kind of throw me for a loop for some reason... I have an iPod Touch I've owned for going on 14 years now. I keep it in my pocket out of habit even when it's not charged and it's full of great music. Battery is still strong, it's responsive, and I have a ton of awesome memories with it. Only problem is it's 32 GB and it's almost totally full. I know that to some, standalone MP3 players are obsolete but I'd really like to get back to using mine regularly - I prefer single-use devices and I want to use mine for travel and not have to worry about Spotify downloading and such. I also just hate using my phone for MP3 files specifically for some reason - it just feels weird and my current phone doesn't even have a headphone jack. Is there anything on the market right now similar to the iPod Touch, or perhaps even better, that has extendable storage (or at least 64GB - 128GB internal)? I'm really just looking for something that doesn't feel like it'll shatter at the slightest breath, can survive being stuck in my pocket, has a decent and responsive interface optimized for music, will actually last, and won't break the bank. Battery life could be at least eight hours if possible. I don't even mind if I have to get a device and install Rockbox on it. I've done that in the past with a Toshiba Gigabeat F and it's a very intuitive and cool OS but the Gigabeat is a chunky beast with terrible battery life. I just want to be able to have something I can store my own music on that looks good and travels well, and all I see when I look online are cheap units or really expensive 16GB ones. What are my options? Thanks in advance!
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Mar 12, 2024 16:56
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There certainly are devices on the new market that meet your specifications, but they're mostly massively overbuilt for the lunatic audiophiles who also buy gold-plated Monster cables and hang magic rocks off of them (i.e. delusional idiots). There are also good-enough players out there that have some actually nice and useful features but again, they tend to be a bit pricey. And there are warehouses full of new-old-stock, MP3-players from 10 years ago still in their original packaging. This is where I've found there's a tradeoff - greater than 32GB (either internal or micro-SD) / rugged enough to actually use / priced less than a new phone - pick 2. And then, at the bottom end, we have the endless variety of knock-offs filling up Amazon and other sellers. I've had a few AGPTEK players, an older Amazon brand, and they have been cheap and disappointing. So, yes, the answer is almost certainly "a phone with no SIM card". Newer MP3 players have converged on devices that look like phones and are built around a touchscreen that covers one entire side so it's possible that whatever you don't like about using a phone for music is also going to be present in a stand-alone MP3 player. Sorry. I suggest you use the advanced search function on https://www.gsmarena.com/ to find some older phones that have headphone jacks and are available where you are on the second-hand market. If you specify an older OS (Android: older than 12; Apple I don't know) and/or a release date range that ends a few years ago, you should find some reasonable options that you can look for on eBay or locally. Any phone (again, I'm not familiar with Apple) from the past decade should have the capacity to take a micro-SD card, which raises the storage space to some large multiple of what you have now. But the headphone jack and the USB-charging port are both weak points on phones, so if you go used try to find some assurance that these ports are in good shape. EDIT: what's your definition of "expensive"? I might be suggesting entirely things that are way more expensive than you're currently considering, but there are other routes down at the cheapest cheap cheapness end of things.
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Mar 13, 2024 00:03
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Honestly, I think my hangup with using my phone for MP3 playback is mostly that it does...well, everything else as well. I'm sure having a separate device with a decent music-playing app would cut down on that issue. I also feel like most phones just don't have enough ruggedness to them nowadays. If I have to suck it up, so be it. I'm very used to the Android OS and can install, like, AIMP or whatever, so I don't mind if it's an Android device if you have any particular recommendations. In the end, I just want a device that has a whole bunch of storage, feels premium enough, and can last through a flight or two when I need it to. I was interested in the new Sony Walkman-branded devices but a couple hundred for 16GB is just silly. As for price, I'm willing to go up to...I dunno, $200? I'd rather not have to, but you get what you pay for, and I don't trust a cheap unit at all, which is why I came to this thread! If the price goes up even past that, so be it. I just like to know what's actually on the market (or the aftermarket) since everywhere on the internet is flooded with crap these days and I struggle to sift through it all, so any curated suggestions are fine by me.
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Mar 13, 2024 00:53
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I was under the impression that the nw-a306 walkmans supported sd cards. Granted, those are $300 so they’re out of your budget. I’ve personally been using a Hisense Touch as my music player for the past year, which is a handheld e-ink device that runs Android, but I don’t know if that would work for you — it’s imported from China, the default interface is kind of bad, and the e-ink screen is one of the key selling points. But it’s got a headphone jack (I mostly use wireless earbuds though), it runs Android so it’s pretty customizable in terms of interface/music apps, and I read on it practically daily. The device itself feels solid enough to me, but I don’t think it’s waterproofed. There was a mostly equivalent device (Boox Palma) that was actually released properly in the US, but at this point you would have to want to use whatever you get as an ereader, since if you’re just interested in music, repurposing an Android phone is cheaper. I think if you get an older android flagship like a google pixel, it’ll probably feel fine in terms of build quality tbh kurona_bright fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Mar 13, 2024 |
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Mar 13, 2024 02:30
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If you can get your hands on a Sansa Clip + in 2024, you might be able to install rockbox and slam a 128 gig microSD card in that bastard. (The Clip + only, any other model apparently can't handle SD cards above 32 gigabytes.). Sorry. that's really all I've got, a 14 year old MP3 player about the size of two postage stamps.
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Mar 13, 2024 04:21
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I really appreciate the suggestions. I don't mind paying extra for the Walkman if it'll last as long as the iPod has as it has a lot of features that seem great (and admittedly the brand is a bit nostalgic), and the granular search on the phone site is really helpful as well, and cuts down on the parts about phone shopping I found most frustrating. The e-Ink device has potential as well. Thank you all for the advice! If there's any other models or suggestions anyone has I am open to them all. It's interesting seeing what's out there, no matter the price range.
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Mar 13, 2024 13:49
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What exactly are you looking for, interface-wise (like do you really need that large a screen?), and how much music are you planning to put on it? I've had a wide variety of nicer digital audio players (lots of Fiios and the like), and then settled on using a Sony Walkman NW-A105 with a 1tb card in it as my music player (because as other people mentioned, they, and most modern DAPs are made to take microSD cards). I keep my music organized via iTunes on Windows (my "listening" music library is all ALAC, usually converted from FLAC), and the music folder is synced with OneDrive, both for backup purposes, and to make it easy to sync to Android devices (like my Sony) so that my music library is always up to date. And yeah yeah, iTunes I know, but I've been using it ever since it existed, and I've had a bunch of iPods, so it's a workflow I've always known. After using my NW-A105 though, I got a little tired of the main shortcoming of Android-based DAPs, which is battery life (although debloating it and setting up Tasker to turn off wifi and stuff when it was unplugged helped). I eventually went back to using a 5th gen classic iPod that a friend gave me long ago though; it's modded to use an iFlash Quad so I could stuff it full of storage (and the battery was replaced, of course, although I plan on putting in an even bigger battery), and I couldn't be happier. I put Rockbox on it, and my general workflow is after I get new music in iTunes, I reboot the iPod so it goes back to Apple mode, connect it to the computer and sync it in iTunes, then reboot it back in to Rockbox and rebuild the database and use that for listening. I'm only using Rockbox so I can sort by album artist, which that iPod can't do, and I have to run a theme that doesn't use album art or else it just chokes. While it's nice having a DAP with physical buttons (my main reason for not just using an old LG phone or something), the controls on an iPod classic are much more intuitive IMO than the whole "buttons on the side" that many DAPs have, and easier to use in general one-handed, especially without looking (nice for if it's in a pocket). I ended up giving my Sony to my friend, and the only reason why I'd buy another Android-based DAP is for a big one that has balanced outputs and a fat battery. HamburgerTownUSA fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Mar 13, 2024 |
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Mar 13, 2024 14:17
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Frankly I just want something that plays music and will last and has more space than 32GB and doesn't need to be charged nightly if I don't use it that day. I love my iPod Touch but I was so fond of my iPod Nano I had before it. Back in the day I got the Touch to play Words With Friends, but that's not a priority anymore. As long as it shows some album art and song info I'm cool with any level of iPod - I didn't know they made modded iPod Classics like that! I don't even mind using iTunes and the stock OS as long as I can listen to playlists and albums and shuffle through an entire device's music library. Sorry if my responses are just making things muddy - basically through a combination of nostalgia and getting tired of not owning albums anymore I've wanted to dive back in. I like decent audio but I'm not a FLAC hoarder or anything, and most of my collection is some level of CD ripped 320KBPS MP3. Is something like this trustworthy? Or are there reputable places that sell refurbished 128GB Nanos/Touches with replaced batteries or even modded flash memory classics?
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Mar 13, 2024 14:43
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Erin M. Fiasco posted:Frankly I just want something that plays music and will last and has more space than 32GB and doesn't need to be charged nightly if I don't use it that day. I love my iPod Touch but I was so fond of my iPod Nano I had before it. Back in the day I got the Touch to play Words With Friends, but that's not a priority anymore. As long as it shows some album art and song info I'm cool with any level of iPod - I didn't know they made modded iPod Classics like that! I don't even mind using iTunes and the stock OS as long as I can listen to playlists and albums and shuffle through an entire device's music library. If you're comfortable with this kind of thing, modding an old iPod classic to add flash-based storage and replace the battery is fairly simple, and writeups and video guides for modding old iPods are pretty common. Keep in mind, only the full-sized iPods are the ones that can be modded, and they're the only ones people bother with, because of their design (since stock, they use a spinning hard drive that's attached via connector, which can then be easily replaced with a PCB you can attach flash storage to like a CF card or microSD card). If you buy a replacement battery, it usually comes with the tools needed to open one up (which is basically some spudgers and mini screwdrivers). Because of how easy it is to mod an iPod, it also means there are a lot of people out there that sell modded iPods, and if you aren't comfortable doing it or just don't want to, you could always search around (like you did on eBay), and just find someone that has good reputation. A lot of these modders also sell iPods with modded shells also, but I personally don't like them as they often don't let the clickwheel (stock or aftermarket) sit the same way as it does stock. As to which iPod to get, it depends on what you want. If you want to keep using the stock iPod operating system but want to be able to sort through your library by album artist instead of just artist, you'll need an iPod classic 6th gen or higher (because that was something introduced in later versions of the iPod software that isn't available on iPods classics older than 6th gen). If you don't care about that because you don't sort by album artist, or you're fine just using Rockbox to do it (which is what I'm doing), then the gen 5 or 5.5 iPod classics will be fine. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other music players out there that are great that are definitely worth considering that may suit your needs better, but I've always liked how it feels to navigate music on an iPod with a wheel instead of a touchscreen, and I've always compared my experiences with other audio players to that, and I always prefer the iPod clickwheel. My already using iTunes just adds to the ease of use.
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Mar 13, 2024 21:45
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Erin M. Fiasco posted:Is something like this trustworthy? Or are there reputable places that sell refurbished 128GB Nanos/Touches with replaced batteries or even modded flash memory classics? My opinion: get the 256GB version in whatever color combo you prefer (purple is the correct answer) and you won't have to think about this stuff again for a long time. Erin M. Fiasco posted:Sorry if my responses are just making things muddy - basically through a combination of nostalgia and getting tired of not owning albums anymore I've wanted to dive back in. I like decent audio but I'm not a FLAC hoarder or anything, and most of my collection is some level of CD ripped 320KBPS MP3. I'm still wallowing around in the album era - I have a thread in NMR about a project for my nephew if you're curious - and my music is also mostly CD-ripped 320KBPS MP3. About 7000 tracks at this point, and I recently swapped my phone's 64GB micro-SD for a 128GP card because the total collection is about 67 or 68 GB, and a pair of double albums just arrived in the mail sitting at home waiting for me to rip them. My wife had thought we had escaped the need to ever deal with that weird lovely plastic that CDs are wrapped in, but NO! I drag her back in to that world every time I find an anachronistic bricks-and-mortar record store - they still exist, even post-pandemic.
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Mar 14, 2024 02:20
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Erin M. Fiasco posted:Frankly I just want something that plays music and will last and has more space than 32GB and doesn't need to be charged nightly if I don't use it that day. I love my iPod Touch but I was so fond of my iPod Nano I had before it. Back in the day I got the Touch to play Words With Friends, but that's not a priority anymore. As long as it shows some album art and song info I'm cool with any level of iPod - I didn't know they made modded iPod Classics like that! I don't even mind using iTunes and the stock OS as long as I can listen to playlists and albums and shuffle through an entire device's music library. Well if you want something that'll last, I use my Fiio M6 daily and I only charge it every week or two. It's smaller than a phone and has a touchscreen, but its pause/play and volume controls are physical buttons on the side, so you can easily thumb them while it's in your pocket, so you don't need to pull it out and use the touchscreen for basic stuff like that Can't remember what its internal storage is like, but it has a microSD slot, so no dramas there
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Mar 14, 2024 02:58
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ExecuDork posted:There certainly are devices on the new market that meet your specifications, but they're mostly massively overbuilt for the lunatic audiophiles who also buy gold-plated Monster cables and hang magic rocks off of them (i.e. delusional idiots). It's a little bit counter to the thread, but since you mentioned phones specifically for music listening I thought I'd mention that, at least in the US, it's trivially easy to get a phone that will do just that for shockingly cheap. MetroPCS will give you a Moto G Power for free with one month ($65) of service. Just activate the SIM, cancel the service, and you have a device that will work just fine on Wi-Fi and has both MicroSD and a headphone jack. The form factor is kind of lovely for playing music, but battery life with wireless antennas turned off should be excellent. I'm amazed that people are still using iPod Classic's. I had one for many years, but I don't miss the UI at all. Touchscreens have their downsides, but being able search for artists, songs, etc. was a true game changer for me. BeastOfExmoor fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Mar 14, 2024 |
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Mar 14, 2024 05:39
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I really appreciate all the responses. Based on everything, I think I'm going to start with a modded 256gb iPod classic, but I'm keeping the Flio M6 on my radar as well since all the videos of its form factor and UI are appealing as well, and the USB-C charging port is nice. Lots of great info and options; thank you everyone!
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Mar 14, 2024 14:24
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I found a guy selling refurbished 5.5 gen iPods with a new battery, 128gb SSD and a new shell for $109 on eBay. Is that a pretty good price? He seems to have good reviews and is in the us. I just want something to play music on while I’m at work that doesn’t have all the distractions of my phone.
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Mar 16, 2024 04:40
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I'm still trying to get the dance school owner to give me back one of the Sansa (or whoever they are now) Clips I bought the school. When we lost our ancient iPods, there was a period of uncertainty where we were struggling to fill the void. She eventually decided that she would move to Spotify on her new iPad, which works great until there is an Internet outage, or Spotify decides they no longer have a streaming agreement for one of the tracks in the playlist the day before the performance, or Spotify decides to spontaneously delete custom uploaded tracks for some damned reason, or someone presses the wrong button and the screen locks, or someone doesn't press a button frequently enough and she forgot to disable screen locking and the screen locks, or, or, or... Anyway I've been trying to get one back so we at least have some sort of fallback for pre-curtain, post-curtain, and intermission music at stage performances. The advantage being, of course, that it just plays the music you put on it, without needing to phone home for permission. So, no, OP, they're more like today's stand-alone MP3 player.
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Mar 26, 2024 15:44
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