IPOD vs other MP3 players

[mini_mull]

I am trying to decide whether to go with an IPOD or another brand MP3 like Creative Zen W or M. Anyone have any pros and cons?

 

[ARAMP1]

Well, I've decided to go with an iPod due to the fact that it's got so much support. As a matter of fact, I've been up all day and night for the past few days just burning everything to iTunes. The iPod will hold 80 Gig which is only half of my music, but 80 Gig is something like 10K songs and it would take me almost a month straight to listen to them all non-stop. I looked into the Microsoft Zune, it had some nice features, but they only made a 30 Gig. If you go with the iPod, you have to convert all your songs to AAC format, which iTunes does it for you. I've got most of my music in WMA and MP3 format on the computer, but iTunes won't convert protected music, which is probably about 500 of my CDs. So, it just takes time to convert them all.

 

[lak2004]

I love my IPOD, never had any problems with it. Get an extended warranty for sure if you get one just in case! Sometimes its better to buy directly from Apple too.

 

[mini_mull]

Well, after a lot of research and debate I picked up my B-day present. A Creative Zen Vision M, 30MB. It's the same size as an IPOD, just a little thicker. It has a better quality screen, is compatible with more file types, and I can legally download all my Napster tracks to it without paying extra for them. It also has an FM radio tuner, and sync with my calendar and contacts in Outlook. I've never been a huge Mac fan, I'm more of a PC junky, so when I found out how many more things the Zen could do, and all the awards it's brought home from reputable sources, it wasn't that difficult of a decision. Plus I'm going to be ordering a new deck with our american express points, so I can get a USB friendly one that'll run my Zen for me, just like the IPOD ones do for IPODs. I really would have liked a Vision W 60MB, with the 4.3" screen, but my music collection hardly needs it, and I probably won't keep that many videos at once, so it should be more than I need. Plus I'm not comfortable carrying something around that is over $350. I'm still figuring out all the features, but it's pretty user friendly. Thanks for the input, I'm looking into getting an extended warranty and am looking forward to not converting my protected files.

 

[cbbr]

My wife has an older Zen that has been bulletproof.

 

[pauly383]

I like the Sirius Stilleto , load up mp3's , and receive the same stations off sattelite regardless of city

 

[mrk5]

I know it's late, but I like the Sandisk Sansa I have. It's 6Gig, with an expansion slot I added a 1Gig card to. It does video, music, FM, pictures, and voice & FM recording. It uses a rechargeable battery that charges when you connect it to the computer. I've been able to consistently get 12hrs life out of it. The best part is that only cost $160 at Best Buy.

Something that will help you out. I found a really good forum with lots of info on all the MP3 players out there besides the iPod. It's www.anythingbutipod.com I found a lot of useful tips there for the Sansa.

 

[mini_mull]

I like to hear what everyone has and their experiences with it. I'm sure this isn't the last player I'll ever buy, and I've been thinking about satellite radio, too. I just loaded my first DVD onto the Zen. I compressed it down to less than 600MB, but it still looks good on the little screen.

 

[mini_mull]

Question for everyone who plays MP3s on their car stereo:

What Bit Rate do you or should you compress your MP3s at for good quality sound on a good aftermarket car stereo system???

I'm going with 192kbps at the moment, but I have no idea if that's good enough, anyone?

 

[cbbr]

I use 128 and it sounds great.

 

[ARAMP1]

Question for everyone who plays MP3s on their car stereo:

What Bit Rate do you or should you compress your MP3s at for good quality sound on a good aftermarket car stereo system???

I'm going with 192kbps at the moment, but I have no idea if that's good enough, anyone?

I just go with whatever the origional recording is (which is usually 192).