mp3 player help

[hpdrifter]

I think I have officially lost my mp3 player. :(

I either dropped it or someone stole it off of my desk.

This is an especial bummer because I heard from the husbo this morning that our hard drive at home is toast. We're gonna lose all files stored in it including, but sadly not limited to, photos and songs. Luckily I've burned almost all of that shit to cds. Some are lost or scratched beyond reco but I'll be able to replace most of it.

Anyway, this brings me to the topic at hand. I am thinking about just breaking down and buying an iPod. Mikey's anecdote the other day made it seem like a good product and, since I do most of my downloading from iTunes, it would simplify a ton of stuff.

Problem is, I missed the whole iPod revolution. I don't know anything about the different models, how much they're supposed to cost, the best place to get them, etc.

Advice? Other comments?

[b i o n i c]

i like my 80gb ipod video. i dont use the video part, but i use all the memory for music.. i wouldnt pay hundreds of dollars for one, there are plenty of poors out there willing to sell one for cheap.. craigslist

[Guy Incognito]

I think I have officially lost my mp3 player. :(
oh well.


sorry, couldnt resist , i know that was sooooooo last week

[RobMoney$]

I don't really think prices are going to vary too much from vendor to vendor. The prices are pretty standard wherever you go.

You could search the usual places if you wanted to get one second hand, ebay, craigslist, ect. But you're always taking a chance buying something like that from someone you don't know.

Apple.com sells refurbished models (http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod?mco=Nzc1MjQ2Mg)at a discount and they come with a warranty. I know someone who bought a 30gb. model through apple.com refurb and never had a problem at all.
Selection is limited to what they have in stock tho.

I've had other MP3 players in the past and I would never buy another one after using the Ipod. It's that much better.

I'd tell you to buy a new one if you can afford to.
Good luck.

[hpdrifter]

Well I broke down and splurged on an 32 gig iPod touch yesterday. Probably a stupid move, it was very expensive and the first expensive piece of electronics I've ever bought for myself. It feels weird. It's not really a me thing to own something like this. I usually get the cheap knockoffs. I feel too hip and trendy. Too big for my britches. I keep thinking something will happen to it in the next day or so to knock me back where I belong.

[hpdrifter]

I was waiting for the elevator today playing with my iPod and when I looked up three other people were waiting for the elevator doing the exact same thing with identical iPod touches. iPod nation, dude.

[Audio.]

yeah, ppl like ipod.

[HEIRESS]

I had the 1st generation video ipod (only 30gigger) but after a few years it started not doing so well in cold temperatures in the winter, say -20 celcius and below.
this absolutely sucked because that's when I used it the most, while outside walking to various destinations (no matter the season)

so I gave it away to my boyfriend and got a new blackberry phone around the same time and decided to use it as my mp3 player (put an 8 gig micro-sd card in it etc)
thing fucking blows.
takes multiple steps just to change songs etc. sound quality is shit. and its response time is slow as hell with even just a few gigs of files on it.

anyways, I'm going to just get a new iPod as a christmas present to myself this year.
you just can't get away from the damn things.

[mickill]

I can honestly say I've never considered using my phone for the purpose of listening to music, but I think I'd consider it even less with blackberries, just knowing how slow and unpractical they are with browsing and all. Perhaps if I switch to an iPhone someday. Not really big on touch screen anything though.

[mikizee]

I've got an iphone... and for an all in one music/phone/internet device it is fucking awesome. Ive used a nokia touch screen phone which in comparison was clunky as shit and laggy and shit... the iphones OS and touchscreen destroys the opposition. I couldnt live without it now. Well I could, but I really wouldnt want to. It just comes in so fricken handy all the time, for tons of things. The range of apps you can get for it really makes it unbeatable.

The only problem with it is now I've turned into one of those gushing fanboys that if someone happens to see me using it and says 'iphone huh? any good?' they will be getting an Anthony Robbins-esque 45 minute presentation on its features... I cant help it.

[jabumbo]

i feel that the ipod touch is a good middle of the spectrum purchase. i think that if i had to replace my current ipod, that's where i would lean towards.


right now i have an 80gb classic and stock all my music and photos on it. thankfully i did because i recently had a new hard drive toast up on me after 3 months and would have lost everything without it.

[TurdBerglar]

ipods and really nifty and all and have really great features(ipod touch) but they have shit sound quality.


but no one cares about that anymore or even cares/notices when it comes to a music player...

[jabumbo]

its the mp3's and cheap earbuds that have the shitty sound quality, not the ipod itself

[mickill]

its the mp3's and cheap earbuds that have the shitty sound quality, not the ipod itself

correct

[hpdrifter]

I have to admit, I am a complete crackhead for this thing. I love it. I play with it constantly. I love carrying it places and making it obvious that it is mine. I actually woke up in the middle of the night last night and worried because I thought I might have left it in the car.

It's like the one ring that ruled them all. It has taken hold of my mind.

[HEIRESS]

its the mp3's and cheap earbuds that have the shitty sound quality, not the ipod itself

I'm using the same earphones that I had with my ipod, so I don't think that's the issue.
actually, basically my problem with the blackberry is the it doesn't allow you to turn up the volume high enough for my liking.

[mickill]

^I think he meant with iPods specifically. I could be wrong. In any case, there really shouldn't be a noticeable difference in sound quality between most mp3 players. The restriction in volume is really the only legitimate concern here, I think.


It's like the one ring that ruled them all. It has taken hold of my mind.

Probably similar. Except for the fact that Frodo and Gollum didn't have the option to just hit a Best Buy and each get their own ring. And the fact that there's literally millions of others just like yours. And rather than in the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, it was actually forged in one of many facilities in the sprawling headquarters of Apple Inc. in Cupertino California.

I'll think of a few more differences.

[TurdBerglar]

correct

no

they have cheap audio components


there's much better(soundwise) players out there. they're just hard to find and don't have the snazzy features of ipods. creative labs use to make players with pretty good internal components but i think they've stopped that and have been focusing on the eye candy.

[TurdBerglar]

this company is known for making really great sounding players

http://www.jetaudio.com/

this is the one i have

http://www.jetaudio.com/products/cowon/a3/


it's fucking huge compared to an ipod touch but it's amazing

[jabumbo]

now, i'm not disputing that the product you linked isn't superior and all, but....


a 128 kbps mp3 is still going to sound like shit whether you play it from the best speakers in the world or a fucking tin can



its the music biz's own fault for letting the quality slip. if places didn't charge more for the higher quality files, people might actually think about buying them

[TurdBerglar]

why the fuck would anyone use 128 kb files

[jabumbo]

most of the garbage on itunes is 128 or 160.

i bet they don't even have anything better

[TurdBerglar]

haha that's what you get for buying music from itunes


if you're actually gonna buy music go out and get the cd!

[jabumbo]

i've never paid for anything from itunes. i think i've gotten about 30 or 40 songs via gift cards, but thats it


my only real gripe with itunes/ipods specifically is i cannot play all my live FLAC files. they are a pain in the ass to convert.

[TurdBerglar]

use dbpoweramp

[Dorothy Wood]

I wouldn't worry too much about feeling like an asshole with an iPod, or any mp3 player really, they're fuckin awesome.


my pod died last year, I use my phone as my mp3 player. I only have 4gb though.

it's this thing: http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/w580i?cc=us&lc=en


I hardly have anything on it, but the interface is really great. Getting music on there is a pain and counter-intuitive, but once it's on there, it's got way more options than an iPod.

I mostly only listen to CDs in the kitchen or my stations on pandora these days though. or whatever the boyf provides (he's a mega music nerd). I'm a poor excuse for a music lover. oh! and my friend who has a radio show makes excellent mixes. she has a billion records and knows everything about everything. I don't really have the patience to collect that kind of knowledge.