Best MP3 Player for old man

As a 50+ year old trying to keep up with music, life and new technology, what do all you experts reckon is the best MP3 player. The spec is 20-40GB, £250 ish max, good sound, doesn't need lots of functions as I generally play music only and listen to albums/tracks as the mood takes me - don't tend to use playlists etc, and its fairly sturdy with simplish software. Give me your top 2 players with 3 reasons why for each. Thanks for your help. Eddie the red.

 

ipod hands down. if you're not willing to tinker with tedious software, fiddly interfaces etc, ipod is for you.

 

Creative 60gb Jukebox, From Novatech

There we go, I think that fits most of the bill.

I love mine, easy and fast to use, No hassle, Great Music (Ohhh it comes with classical music already on it too....)

 

I'm computer think, and have a Creative Zen Xtra. The software is a piece of cake for me, which must mean it's idiot proof.

If all you wantto do is stick a CD in your computer, copy it, then transfer it to the DAP, I don't think it could be easier. The build it sturdy and the sound quality is excellent.

With a 60GB memory you can go for large files for the best sound possible.

It has a replaceable battery.

It's inexpensive.

I presume the software with Creative's newer models (Zen Touch & Zen Sleek) is similar, but someone else will have to confirm that.

If you are listening to music which is continuous (Pink Floyd, classical, dance-mix\albums) you might like to try the Sony which has gapless playback.

Steve W

 

For us of the older persuassion we just need bigger buttons and bigger screens as the sight and the shakes kick in !!!

How can you use the Ipod scroll wheel when u can hardly see it and when u shake your past the track you want

 

I'm old-ish too (almost 50!) and I would suggest the Sony HD5 (or HD5H) as an option. Especially if you just want to rip your own CD collection, and if you have live or classical music. The Sony (using Atrac formats) will play back gaplessly. The HD5 is wonderfully small with a huge battery life. So you can have lots of music with you and not worry about frequent recharging.

SonicStage is fine once you get it installed and running. Just rip, rip, rip, then transfer to the player. After I got by a few initial glitches, it has been very easy to rip the rest of my CDs and transfer songs to the player. If the Atrac3+ encoding at 64kbps sounds good to you (it does to me), then you can carry a *lot* of music in your player! (Almost 1000 CDs or so.)

iTunes is a bit nicer interface, but once the player is loaded up, that doesn't matter as much. The Sony is great for taking with you everywhere and listening with no battery worries.

 

Archos Gmini XS202

search this forum for past threads, for links to info

 

What about the iaudio X5L?

Reasons:
1) No software needed at all. Just plug it in and copy your entire mp3 collection (in organised folders) across.
2) Browse by folders. So you control how you organise the music. No annoying database/tag problems (so perfect for classical).
3) Stunning sound quality.
4) No silly DRM. Copy at will back and forth like it is another hard disk.
5) USB OTG.

 

After some debating on which 20Gb player I was going to invest in, I went with this Gmini no fuss player. I received it at the weekend and I've been quite happy with it so far. Does everything I expected and more and cost me 140 notes. A genuine bargain.

 

I second this.

If you care anything for Sound, which is what the player is used for, then go for Sony. There are no gaps in between the song when you use Atrac compression, which means that songs that merge into each other play seamlessly and properly like a cd player. The sound is alot better than its competitions but you will want to get a decent set of headphones, as with any player you buy these days.

HD5 is 20 gig, HD5H is 30 gig.

You should use software as it helps you to organise your music. And there is nothing wrong with Sonicstage, the software that comes with the Sony HD5, it is easier to use than iTunes (iPods software).

Navigation is simple with the buttons, and the dedicated volume buttons are very handy.

The battery lasts much longer, arguably double the length of the iPod. and its removable so if you plan on keeping it for a long time you can buy spare batteries and replace it yourself without having to send the whole unit in to the company to get it replaced.

With Atrac3+ 64kbps you can fit twice as many of your CDs in the same amount of space and still have the same sound quality.


If you want any other info on the HD5 just ask...

 

While I covet one myself, he only wants an audio player. He'd be handing money over for features he doesn't need

 

Does anyone use the video on the X5? I certainly don't, but the colour display looks pretty. I recently had a sound out with a mates Sony (we used the same files and my Westone UM2s) and both agreed the X5 was a little clearer and a little punchier. But the key for me is the lack of DRM and the folder navigation.

With no need to use any odd software, even my gf can use it! Sadly Pink Floyd gets deleted and Stereophonics keep appearing... I have my own 60Gb model on order to fix this.

 

Thanks for all the really helpful replies - well, most of them. Seems like the sony HD5 or the archos gmini then. Is it worth waiting for the new sony?

 

I think it is, if you dont mind the slightly bigger player. Its software and firmware already sound better, hopefully sony dont make the same mistakes, but from their emails they sound like they are going to get it right with this one.
The A3000 looks more futuristic and slightly cooler, but i still love the HD5. The new sony wont have a removable battery, if thats a big problem then dont wait, it will still be replacable prolly through sending it to sony, just like the iPod.
I'd say it will be one of the best daps when it is released. Assuming they have the software and firmware right.
Question is are you willing to wait? If you have a decent audio player right now then I would wait. If you are desparate then get something now.

 

i'm after a quality mp3 player, but it must have a tuner, as i occaisionally listen to radio, and my system does not have 1, please advise on the player for me, cheers

 

iRiver H1xx or H3xx series.
iAudio X5(L)

My types. Why do I feel like repeating myself

 

Well I'm over 50 (64 in fact) and bought my first MP3 player this year. It's a Samsung P2 16Gb and I am really chuffed with it. Yes it has a tuner, and games, can be linked to my phone. Fantastic touch screen - I couldn't be bothered with these tiny boxes with tiny text and buttons. I bought it mostly to listen to audio books whilst lounging by the pool on holiday this year and it came up trumps - got most of my music on too.
I got my wife a 8Gb iRiver L-Player but very disappointed as it doesn't seem to work properly with MP3 only WMA - waiting for answer from AMP3.
You're never too old for new toys

 

There's nowt like an old thread being revived!

Steve W